Climbing in or out of either set of seats is more of a chore, for several reasons, than it is in some competing sport/utilities. First, the distance between the tops of the doors and the sills isn?t very high. Second, the rear door opening is relatively narrow. Third, the 4Runner?s ground clearance, exaggerated by the 31-in. tires, makes for a high step-in. Passenger-assist handles at all doors make this maneuver easier, but it?s still a climb.
With no airbags, the 4Runner also lags its competition a bit in the area of passive safety, although we expect this to be corrected in the next generation. It does have side-impact door beams and an automatic locking seat belt feature for outboard seating positions.
Rear-wheel anti-lock brakes (ABS) are standard on V6-powered 4 Runners and optional on the 4-cylinder models, with 4-wheel ABS available as an option only on V6 models. Next Page