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so i recently went from ND to ATL to go see my mom. its roughly 1750 miles 1-way not including driving around ATL to see a friend and shopping at H-mart and eating at chung dam restaurant.
this is my route if you care for it : https://maps.app.goo.gl/a8rDe8tNxth11zaP7
did the trip down in 2.5 days of driving (stopped after sundown, i no longer drive at night), return trip i could have made it in 2 days, got to fargo at 5pm on 2nd day to over night at the daughters house and grand son.
here is the mpg from the 22-may-2026 to 30-may-2026
overall the new 4runner was leaps and bounds better for my requirements for long distance driving vs my 2014 doing the same trip. i have done this trip about every 2 yrs during labor day week but decided i will be doing this trip twice this year since this trip was leaps and bounds more enjoyable than doing it in my 2014.
this is my route if you care for it : https://maps.app.goo.gl/a8rDe8tNxth11zaP7
did the trip down in 2.5 days of driving (stopped after sundown, i no longer drive at night), return trip i could have made it in 2 days, got to fargo at 5pm on 2nd day to over night at the daughters house and grand son.
- seats were more comfortable than my 2014 limited.
- butt didn't get sore or uncomfortable after 10 hrs of driving, going 12-14 hrs was better than i thought it would have been (i use to have to use a pillow in my 2014 limited for long drive days)
- getting rid of the grandtrek pt5a was a better choice before the trip
- ride was softer and sound was better muted
- still having an issue with tire balance below 35 psi (i have mine set to 33 psi @ 40F)
- tires only jumped up to 36-37 psi during the whole trip down or up
- a/c was decent, surprised vs the old school r134 (close enough for govt work) and not even close to the old school r-12 systems
- caveat, this new r-1234yf is really fracking expensive to service, like $400 for a simple recharge
- seat coolers were better than my 2014 limited, slighter less our 23 tundra (but then again the 23 tundra seat fan blower is really freaking loud when on high)
- windshield wipers were loud, but after using them for a week (it rained in GA multiple times a day, some severe downpours requiring 25 mph driving), the noise was no longer noticeable. i guess i got use to it. too me its not an issue
- the tumble seat straps was a nice thought for keeping the seats stowed in the forward tumble position (otherwise they would roll back and forth during stop and go driving), not the best implementation but its a simple fix that is easy to fix if the straps every fail or go bad. they wrap around the rear passenger door grab handle
- the tumbled seats sit high enough off the rear floor that there is room to store small height items during a trip. kept my hitch and hardware in that gap instead of area behind the tumbled seats and exposed floor drop space
- cant fit my smaller cooler in the front passenger footwell area vs my 2014 limited. the seat wont go far enough back to place it there unlke my 2014 limited. sat on the passenger seat the whole trip so i lost some quick access storage area i usually use for long trips.
- what would have been an easy load in the 2014 limited was a struggle in the 2025 platinum. brought back a small accordion panel and two small cabinets that i had to wiggle and sandwich in the back to get them to fit. there would have plenty of room from what i remember in my 2014.
- the hybrid battery hump really affects the ability to store items efficiently or effectively. the 2nd row doesnt exactly fold flat vs the 2014
here is the mpg from the 22-may-2026 to 30-may-2026
overall the new 4runner was leaps and bounds better for my requirements for long distance driving vs my 2014 doing the same trip. i have done this trip about every 2 yrs during labor day week but decided i will be doing this trip twice this year since this trip was leaps and bounds more enjoyable than doing it in my 2014.
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