2006 Toyota 4Runner V8 4WD Limited Road Test

On

New headlights make the big difference. (Photo: Jonathan Yarkony, Canadian Auto Press)

the other hand, for $50+ thousand, a vehicle had better serve its purpose well. Toyota doesn't aim to break any sales records with such a model, mind you. Those that buy into it often want unrelenting power for no more than about-town duties. Although I haven't encountered many nimbler vehicles at low speeds, getting anywhere near highway speeds rules out any fancy maneuvers because any turn of the wheel is accompanied by a large dose of body roll, to be expected from a vehicle with such a high centre of gravity and long, soft suspension settings despite the best efforts of Toyota's sophisticated X-REAS (diagonal-linked Relative Absorber System), which balances out the diagonally opposed shock absorbers during aggressive cornering. Save the spirited driving for the trails, because in addition to the soft handling, the tires were an all-season compromise and didn't seem so sure of themselves on cold, slick pavement; although that's a choice you can easily correct with a tire swap.

However, if you're just looking for urban winter safety, I personally

Lots of V8 power; lots of fuel needed to feed it. (Photo: Jonathan Yarkony, Canadian Auto Press)

find something like Volvo's Haldex AWD in the S60 or Subaru's symmetrical AWD in the Impreza or Legacy, paired to a good set of winter tires much more reassuring and responsive on chilled, snowy streets, especially when combined with the greater stability imparted by a car's low centre of gravity.

Now that I'm rolling out the complaints carpet, you can add fuel consumption, and this ute loves to consume. While the EPA promises 14.6 / 11.3 L/ 100 km city/highway, I was running it at over 16 L/100 km all week long; and while I pushed it hard, I can only imagine the bill climbing if it was loaded with family plus accessories, never mind towing a 4000-lb gorilla on its back.

But

4Runner name stands for decades of reliable performance. (Photo: Jonathan Yarkony, Canadian Auto Press)

if I really did have 2-3 kids and regularly towed a boat or camper up north, the 4Runner would be at the top of my list, assuming I could spring for the big $50K price tag and future gas bill. Between its industrial machined good looks; its incredible agility (whether in car parks or dry gulches); its off-road credentials (remember, this is the same company that's been building Land Cruisers - in service in some of the most remote, hostile environments on the planet, and that under the sheetmetal the 4Runner starts life as a global-market Land Cruiser Prado), and reliably - since the first Godzilla movies came out); nearly unstoppable Toyota reliability and a luxurious, bright atmosphere, it's one of the most complete packages I could conceive of, at least if these were my priorities.

Specifications: (Limited V8)