4Runner is great truck, but needs some cockpit refinements

We recently got a 2008 Toyota 4 Runner (2 wheel drive) and so far it's been a great vehicle.

There really isn't anything major wrong with the truck but some of the cockpit refinements are a little frustrating.   Also visability is no where near as great as in our Chevy Tahoe, especially when looking back over your shoulders.

Ride, Handling and performance:
I can't say enough good things about how well this vehcile rides and handles.  Probalby the best riding truck I've ever riden in.   It handles great going around turns, even at high speeds.  There is no "sway" in the vehicle from side to side as you go around turns that makes you feel like it might turn over.

Performance is very impressive and if you're not paying attention on the Freeway/Interstate then the peppy engine will quickly put you over the speed limit.     I haven't used the vehicle to tow anything yet, but just highway and in town driving performance is impressive.

Exterior:
The exterior of the truck is very nice.  The paint is in great shape and it has a nice bodyline.  

One nice feature is that the rear lift gate boths lifts up and also has a rear sliding window that goes down.  During the summer months this is great to open to improve circulation if you don't want to have to use the AC.   The rear gate is a little heavy though to "man handle" into the down position for someone lighter, such as a smaller woman.

Although our truck didn't come with a tow receiver, it's alreay wired under the rear bumper for trailer lights.... this is a nice feature.

Interior:
The interior is nice, but nothing fancy.   Just seems kinda like "standard issue Toyota".  I figured the SR-5 model would have had a little nicer seats.   The seat comfort is good though.  But adjusting the drivers seat without opening the drivers door is very tight.

The truck has some nice wide cup holders.... this is important these days.  However while they are deep and can hold a large cup, they aren't slotted to hold a coffee cup.  Insulated mugs with raised handles even have trouble fitting into them.   So your coffee cup falls over easily pouring coffee everywhere.  They could have desinged this with a coffe cup handle slot so easily...     The cup holders do have a little small light in them so you can find them in the dark.  This is a nice feature.

However in the door panels side pocket, there is a section of that door pocket that is made to take something like a 20oz coke bottle.    That's nice as it sometimes seems like you end needing extra drink holders on some trips.

The truck has extra 12volt plugs in a small slot right next to the gear shifter in the center console.   This is nice option for plugging up and cell phone charger and then putting the phone in that slot.   There is also a 12 volt plug in the rear cargo area for plugging in a compressor or maybe a 12v cooler back there.

Cargo Space and Storage:
The Cargo area is decent, but not near as big as the full size Chevy Tahoe or Ford Bronco.   If you use it to haul anything much, I suggest you get one of the Huffy-Liner cargo area liners from a reseller.  They are worth it the first time you have to hault something wet or in case a cooler or any other liquid leaks.  It will be contained by the cargo liner and not soak into your carpet causing stains and mildew/moisture.

There is not much extra space storage for "extra items".  Toyota should really look at the Hyundai Santa Fe for it's rear cargo storage system.  

Storage under the rear seats is pretty minimal also, especially compared to the Chevy Tahoe.

Radio and Controls:
The major dissappointment in this vehicle is the stereo.  It sounds great, but just has no featurs.   You would expect the top of the line SR-5 model to have a radio with more featurs.

Issues I've noticed with the radio
* The volume knob is very low profile and hard to get a hold of to turn the volume up/down.  
*If you reach in too quick to get a hold of the volume knob,  you can easily press one of the other very close buttons or turn the radio off by pushing in on the knob.
* No stereo volume controls on the steering wheel.   When my 10 year old Acura has this, you'd figure that a new Toyota would.
* No iPod or MP3 player input.    Why make a radio in 2008 that doesn't have this?
* Bluetooth controls that automatically turn down the stereo volume when you make a phone call on your cell phone would be nice.  (other cars offer this feature in their factory stereo).


The AC/Heat controls aren't much better.  They are electronic controls, but they are push buttons on a round knob dial.  You have to push a certain part of the dial/knob to get the setting you want.   Just a little much to get used to doing while driving and could have been laid out with more ease of use. (just my opinion).

Mirrors:
A whole section devoted to mirrors?  well there are a few issues with the exterior rear view mirrors.  They are minor issues, but are troublesome.   First thing is that the mirror glass is shieled by an overhanging mirror body.  Not a big deal until it rains.  Apparently becuase of the overhang, it prevents air movement from around the mirror and water drops really collect all over the mirror and there is no airmovement to knock blow off the water drops.  This just reduces rear visability when it's raining.

Also the rear exterior mirrors don't have mirror defrosters in them.   In a car built 10 years ago, this might have been the norm, but having frosted over mirrors in a 2008 vehcile that cost $30k is just stupid.    Plan on having to get a small scrapper to scrap the frost off the mirrors during the winter time.


Summary:
Although I didn't like the stereo features, the ride and handling of this truck are great making it a good truck.  Add Toyota's good name and longevity and this is definately a great truck.