European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 26, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Thursday april 26, 1990 the stars and stripes a Page 13 car Corner 4runner v6 has running ground clearance of 10.2 inches. Plenty of Power off Road and on heavy mud and Tough terrain present no problems. Sas iiotor.v6 engine serves 4runner Well the rugged four wheel drive Toyota 4runner plays a dual role. It May be described As an off Road vehicle with family car capabilities or just As easily a family car with serious off Road capabilities. Either Way the 4run-Ner fulfils its roles admirably. In two door form the 4runner has a rugged and aggressive look while in four door design its More versatile from the family car standpoint. The 4runner is adapted from Toyo tags sr-5 pickup truck so both strength and rigidity Are a part of the heritage. But the ride is totally on the a car Side a More like a comfortable station Wagon than a truck. These Multi purpose vehicles continue to grow in popularity on world markets and a Toyota official says this holds True on the military Market As Well where demand for the 4runner continues to outdistanced Supply. On the military Market Toyota is offering the sports oriented sr-5 v6 2-door Model powered by a 3-liter, v6 engine of 150 horsepower plus the sr-5 4-door with a 2.4-liter, 4-Cylinder engine of 116 he. Torque is 180 . In the v6 and 140 in the four Cylinder unit. Both engines have electronic fuel injection. Today Well talk about the sr-5 v6, which we had on test recently from Toyota a German division in Cologne. After spending some time with the v6, one comes to look at it As a special vehicle that takes care of special needs. It would be perfect on a ranch or farm and its off Road capabilities with the big 31-Mch radials and v6 engine Are impressive. The front suspension Transfer Case and fuel tank Are All protected by steel skid plates while the running ground clearance measures 10.2 inches. We enjoyed some real off Road fun with this vehicle and would add that there a no Point in owning it unless you take it on some serious off Road excursions now and then. Despite its a outdoors Many personality the v6 4runner test vehicle featured every luxury a from full carpeting even the tailgate is padded and a Power Moon roof to stereo casette radio and Power windows. In fact the car was almost too luxurious. One Felt guilty about getting in and out of it while off Reading out in the Muddy  the 3-liter v6 engine is smooth and fairly silent yet it offers plenty of punch through the gears a five Speed overdrive manual is Standard. You can cruise Between 85 and 90 Mph if you want to and although High Speed is not a criteria on this Type of vehicle it does no to Hurt to have it and the 4runner keeps More than 100 Mph on tap. At a steady 80 Mph the engine is turning 3,500 rpm redline is 5,600 rpm. We also appreciated the v6 4runner�?Ts Quick passing capabilities on winding Back roads. There a plenty of Power All around a on Road and off a and that a what the the 3-liter v6 engine develops Bisohp. Big spare swings out tailgate folds Dow n. V6 engine is All about. Shifting into the four wheel drive Mode meanwhile is Quick and easy even into four wheel drive Low where the pulling Power can really be appreciated. You can shift on the Fly to 4-wheel High at 50 Miles an hour and into 4wd Low at 5 Mph or lower. The front hubs on the test 4runner v6 locked up automatically. On the Highway the ride is surprisingly comfortable As noted earlier just As it is on rough surfaces. Toyota uses what it Calls a i track Independent front suspension torsion bars shocks and Stabilizer bar while at rear is a 4-link Coil Spring design with shocks and Stabilizer bar. The Power assist anti lock Abs Brake system has ventilated discs at front and Drums rear while steering is also Power assist. One sits up High in the 4runner 2-door for a Good Overall View of traffic and the Driver enjoys a seven Way sport seat with Lumbar support. There Are triangular flip out vent windows at front you done to see these often any More while the two rear Quarter window panels swing out. There Are Power windows on the Driver and Pas Senger Side As Well As a Power window in the tailgate door. Among other Interior amenities Are air conditioning tilt steering wheel dual overhead map lights and dual cup Holder cruise control a self operating Heater arrangement for rear seat passengers a and More. All of the various control stalks arc within easy reach and the wiper stalk is located right where you want it for Quick engagement while splashing through Muddy Waters. The Windshield cleaning is Quick and immediate As it must be for wet off Road runs. One complaint involves the bet can the seats storage Box at the rear of the console. It was placed too High and it proved an irritation when changing gears. For Short people its a bit of a task getting into the 4runner two door and its difficult for anyone a Short or tall a to get into the rear seats. The answer to both problems is to include the running Board option if ordering the v6 two door. There a a lot of room inside with full carpeting from front to Back. Storage pockets Are located at the door Bottoms and there Are also storage pockets in Back. The rear setbacks flip Down on a 50/50 basis. If Only two people Are aboard and full cargo room is needed the rear seats arc loaded Forward and both setbacks folded Down once the headrests arc removed. There Are special tie Hooks to hold cargo if this method is used. Normal cargo capacity is 43.5 cubic feet while its 78.3 cubic feet with the setbacks Down. With the tailgate Down total floor length is 88 inches. Our fuel mileage figure for All conditions autobahn Back roads and City traffic came to 16.6 Miles per gallon. The Epa rates the v6 two door at 16 mpg City and 18 mpg Highway. The fuel tank holds 1 7.2 Gallons. The 4runner v6 2-door described in this review costs $24,995, that Price including the Chrome package and Power package As Well As the tire package for the 31-Inch radials Alloy wheels wide wheel Arch holdings and swing away spare tire Carrier. The 1990 4runners May be seen at the various Toyota car world locations in Germany and Are also available in Belgium Iceland Italy the Netherlands Spain and the United  Randy Barnett Auto columnist Bow 520i-525i get Multi valve engines an innovation that was launched a few months ago with the european introduction of the new Bow 318is Sedan will now continue in two of by we a 5-series cars. This is four valve engine technology with the 520i and 525i sedans beginning to arrive next month on european markets with four valve six Cylinder engines. The new Multi valve 318is Model will arrive on the . Market next month and the 5-series 525i Sedan with the �?o4-valve-per Cylinder treatment will be sold on the . Market beginning in Early autumn. The 520i version is not sold in the United states. Bow first used the 4-valve technology in 1978 with the limited production mid engine my sports racing car then followed in 1984 with the m635 Sci Coupe and in 1986 with the m3 Sedan. Last year came the m5 with its 3.5-Litcr Multi valve engine one that chums out no less than 315 horsepower. Multi valve application also goes for the bavarian firms motorcycles with the k1 and new k100 is featuring a four valve version of by we a water cooled 1 of oct straight four Power unit. The new generation of Multi valve engines is equipped with three Way catalytic converters fully controlled by oxygen sensors Bow says. Output is 150 horsepower from the Multi valve 2-liter engine and 192 he from the 2.5-liter. Maximum torque is 140 . And 181 lb.-ft., respectively. The new engines give the models a lop Speed of 131 Mph for the 520i and 143 for the 525i, with acceleration from Zero to 100 Kph 62 Mph in 10.6 and 8.6 seconds respectively. Bow says the four valve engines which Excel in smooth and precise combustion Are not being introduced for More Power but for use in terms of More engine efficiency and environmental care. And while on the subject of Bow cars and engines please note that we will have a test report next week on the bavarian firms new top of the line 850i luxury coupe4.