It’s been 14 years since the outgoing Toyota 4Runner went on sale. To put that in perspective, that time period covers three presidential elections, eight Drake studio albums, and 31 Marvel films. It’s outlasted the cultural relevance of Fetty Wap, lived long enough to see Mumford & Sons get milkshake-ducked, and saw both the demise of the Nissan Xterra and the rebirth of the Ford Bronco. To some, that might make the old SUV ancient, but to others, it makes it familiar.
However, times are changing. In a downsized, hybridized world, there was only so long that the old 4Runner could hold out for, lest it get bowled over by regulation or outpaced by modernity. As such, welcome to the all-new 2025 Toyota 4Runner. It doesn’t share a whole lot with its predecessor, but it’s exactly what a 4Runner has always been — a small Toyota pickup truck with an enclosed body. Not only does it maintain a sense of normalcy, it plugs a hole in the lineup beneath the new Land Cruiser.
So, how much has changed in 14 years? Let’s take a gander at the new 4Runner inside and out to see just how different it is from its predecessor, and to glean early hints of whether or not it’ll live up to expectations.
Old And New
Style-wise, the new 4Runner is a blend of Tacoma and Sequoia, with a few throwback touches like quarter windows that wrap over the cantrails for good measure. It’s more rakish than the boxy Land Cruiser, especially with the swept C-pillars and bumper carve-outs for tire clearance. To the joy of Toyota SUV fans everywhere, the roll-down rear window is sticking around, and it gets easy to parse controls on the trim covering the license plate light.
If anything, the pronounced fenders, angled C-pillars, and underbite remind me of the fourth-generation 4Runner, produced from 2002 to 2009. That’s the one that was available with the V8, a coveted, if slightly awkward-looking machine with some serious off-road chops. Time will tell whether or not the styling of the new 4Runner ages well, but for 2024, it’s right on the money.
The Inside Story
Slide behind the wheel of the 2025 Toyota 4Runner, you’ll find a dashboard pretty much identical to that of the new Tacoma, and that’s a good thing. Not only does this keep production costs low, it means the 4Runner inherits the Taco’s massive available 14-inch touchscreen, oversize controls, and sturdy passenger grab handle. It’s a wise move by Toyota, especially since it grants the new model some level of familiarity.
Moving to the second row, this is where things change a bit from the Tacoma. Overlanders will likely love the rear seats that tumble to create a flat floor, while rear seat passengers will appreciate giant cup holders built into the rear door cards with cutouts for travel mugs with handles. It’s worth noting that the cargo area floor is higher in hybrid models, and that a third row remains available for the handful of shoppers who want it.
The Oily Bits
Under the hood of most new 4Runners sits a 2.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine making 278 horsepower and 317 lb.-ft. of torque. If that isn’t enough, a hybrid i-Force MAX powertrain comes standard on TRD Pro, Trailhunter, and Platinum trims, and is optional on TRD Off-Road and Limited models. That system pairs the 2.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine with an electric motor and a 1.87 kWh nickel-metal hydride battery pack for a combined output of 326 horsepower and 465 lb.-ft. of torque. Yep, that exceeds the output of the old fourth-generation 4Runner V8, while using half the cylinders. Progress, am I right?
Speaking of progress, an eight-speed automatic transmission is the only gearbox option, and that can be good or bad depending on your perspective. If you were hoping that Toyota would port over the manual transmission from the Tacoma, you’ll be disappointed, but an eight-speed automatic sounds a whole lot better than the old 4Runner’s five-speed automatic, especially when you’re exercising a maximum towing capacity of 6,000 pounds.
Beneath the new 4Runner, you’ll find a coil-sprung solid rear axle and independent front suspension, just like on some grades of Tacoma. While two-wheel-drive is standard, most grades are available with a two-speed part-time transfer case, with Platinum and Limited i-Force MAX models getting full-time four-wheel-drive with a locking center differential. Off-road-oriented TRD Off-Road, TRD Pro, and Trailhunter trims get a locking rear differential, but a locking front differential is absent from the options list. However, the new 4Runner does gain a front anti-roll bar disconnect on certain off-road trims, which should allow for additional articulation to handle big obstacles. Add in the option of Toyota’s Multi-Terrain Select off-road cruise control, and this thing’s set for the rough stuff.
Hunting Trails
Of course, if you’re really looking to get into overlanding and have money to blow, Toyota has you covered with a new Trailhunter trim. Less of a blast-through-the-desert trim like the TRD Pro and more of an extended adventure trim, it gets some nice off-road stuff, like Old Man Emu dampers with 2.5-inch forged pistons and external reservoirs, 33-inch Toyo Open Country A/T tires, three inches of lift up front, 1.5 inches of lift out back, extra skid plates, a snorkel, a light bar, RIGID LED fog lights, and a 2,400-watt inverter for powering all sorts of off-road camping toys. With a whole bunch of bronze accents, a rugged-looking roof rack, and a bunch of pre-wired auxiliary switches, it’s My First Overlanding Rig, and you can get it all financed and with a warranty.
Is This What The People Want?
On the face of it, this is definitely a 4Runner. It’s a Tacoma SUV that looks modern, has enough hints of prior models to draw from heritage, but it doesn’t go overboard on retro. It keeps the beloved roll-down rear window, is still body-on-frame with a solid rear axle, and should have solid chops on dirt, mud, rocks, and sand. For the sort of off-roading many people are looking to do, this should fit the bill perfectly without massive compromises on pavement. Plus, it’s still built in Japan. However, there are still a few questions left to settle.
People bought the old 4Runner because it was proven technology, and the closest thing to an anvil you could get with license plates and easy financing. Going to the new turbocharged engine resets the clock, so it might take time for some existing 4Runner owners to trust the new technology. Will it be as robust as the old V6? Only time will tell. At the same time, the turbocharged grunt and massive tech improvements inside should do well to court a new generation of 4Runner owners who might’ve been turned of by the old model’s relative antiquity, but we won’t know for sure until sales figures start rolling in. The other unknown is pricing. If high-trim 4Runners cost Land Cruiser money, it wouldn’t be surprising to see some customers jump to the next model up. However, all should be revealed later this year, as the 2025 Toyota 4Runner is set to go on sale this autumn. If it drives anything like the new Tacoma and doesn’t cost Land Cruiser money, 4Runner fans won’t have anything to worry about.
(Photo credits: David Tracy, Toyota)
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Toyota took their pricing model from Apple.
>Person looking at BoF SUV from Toyota. 4R starts at ~40k.
Oh but I want to off road it so I should get the TRD Off-Road.
Well, for just a bit more, I could get the TRD Pro.
Well, at that price, I should just spring for the Land Cruiser.
Oh but I want to off road it so I should get the TRD Off-Road.
Well, at that price, I should just spring for the GX550.
Any guesses on how long Toyota will restrict the hybrid powertrain to only the high end trims for the 4Runner and Tacoma?
The Taco would shoot straight to the top of my list for a truck if the hybrid system was available in the SR5 trim.
At least the TRD and offroad trims look like a 4Runner or Tacoma SUV but the city/luxury trims makes it look too much like a mini sequioa, which i guess is the intention. Also i remember the hate the Bronco got for the spaghetti under the hood but that’s what you get with Turbo/Hybrid powertrains.
Certainly looks like a 4Runner to me. I guess they really are committing to old, proven tech with the hybrid system, otherwise I have no idea why you’d use NiMH batteries in 2024.
While they have a far lower energy density, they don’t get damaged if you run them down to 0 and they degrade with charge cycles far far slower than Li-ion. Makes sense for a hybrid where you constantly need to fill the battery under regen and disgarge it under acceleration, but don’t want to carry around 1000Lb of battery. If your battery if 60KW in capacity and you regen 1KW that’s very insignificant relative to the overall capacity and barely degrades it, but if you have a 2KW battery that’s a 50% charge performed in about a minute which will definitely shorten the longevity of the Li-ion. (they also don’t tend to burninate all the peasants when something goes wrong)
Interesting – this conflicts with some of the things I’ve read though there’s a lot of disagreement out there. Well, other than the thermal runaway issues that NMC packs have – those are certainly well documented. Do you have something I could read on the cycle life of NiMH being higher? Everything I’ve read says it’s either comparable or lower, especially lower than LiFePO4.
My gut feeling was that there are fewer barriers to sourcing the minerals involved and Toyota is used to using them being the main driving reason. And the lower energy density being less of an issue in an SUV/Truck hybrid. But then that doesn’t make sense since I think they exclusively use Lithium packs in the Prius Hybrid…
I see what you mean, I can probably cherry pick an article to prove any point I want… As I dug around more it does seem like in perfect conditions a Li-Ion will last more cycles than an NiMH, however the situation flips itself in cold / hot scenarios, so maybe Li-Ion is the longest lasting option for Hawaii, but NiMH in Arizona / Alaska. One thing I wish I could find though is a good comparison of how they behave at different charge rates. This really depends on the battery chemistry and design, but the specs for some Li-Ion batteries I’ve worked with say they may last 1000 cycles if you charge them at a rate that it takes an hour to charge, but if you decrease that to 20 minutes the battery now lasts 200 cycles.
https://www.torquenews.com/6626/why-2021-toyota-prius-uses-both-lithium-ion-and-nickel-metal-hydride-batteries as an example for the cold / hot temp longevity.
Yeah there’s a ton of stuff out there and not everyone lists their assumptions or test conditions unfortunately. I just think this stuff is super interesting from an enthusiast perspective – why you might choose one over the other.
We had the recurring “does it baby?” feature on the old site, we need a “can it 2×4?” round-up for SUVs. Traditional 4Runner roll down rear window makes the grade.
My wife hauls her 9′ kayak in hers with the rear window down. Sadly 4*8 sheets won’t fit
Jesus look at the plumbing on top of that engine. It reminds me of the late carburetor, vacuum hose era. Styling wise it looks very similar to the old one. 15 years and that’s what we get? Come on. And its shame they didn’t do something more out there, like say- have the rear part of the roof be removable like the original 4Runner. And I assume the “Toyota Tax” at the dealership will put these things easily in the $60k range. I’m a lifelong Toyota guy and will drive my 1996 Tacoma to my grave. But I feel they have jumped the shark.
Reminds me of the snake pit in Indiana Jones. They should call it Turbo Cobras. Super SnakeCharged. Hissin’ Hybrid.
Serious question: don’t those pipes and such being on the top mean it might be easier to diagnose problems or replace parts, if they’re more visible and accessible?
Hey Thomas, just a small correction, because my OCD is screaming. 4th gen was from 2003 to 2009.
I like it, but am among those “disappointed but not surprised” by no manual. However maybe they’ll offer it down the line like uberscrub mentioned.
I’m actually surprised the 3rd row option sticks around, I’ve always assumed the take rate was because Toyota built them that way and people just buy ’em.
That rear 3/4 of the blue one though, don’t love that angle, same issue as the TRD Sport they offer now. Definitely needs something to break it up. Plus, some of the press shots have that model with no roof rails which makes it look naked. Will be interesting to see how the lower trims look though.
We were obviously in the minority, but the 3rd seat was an important option for us. Based on our shopping a few years ago (new on lot and 1-2 year used) I’m guessing the take rate on the rear seat is less than 10%
I think depending on the year it was usually around 10-15%. Oddly enough apparently the 3 row grand cherokee now out sells the two row.
Good to know, thanks guys! I more expected them to drop it more from not offering it on the hybrid only Land Cruiser. Personally a rental 4Runner with the 3rd row did come in handy on a ski trip I was on ~5 years ago, somehow managed to squeeze 6 adults and our luggage in for the trek to the airport, lol.
Me too. 5th generation 4runner is the only three row that will fit in our garage. Well, except for that Mercedes GLB thing. I can’t do that to my family.
Actually looking at the forums online it pushed quite a few guys to buy them as they had kids who needed a third row and a 4runner was the only non fullsize offroader to offer it. I actually think it’s brilliant they kept it.
It certainly was a driver for us, unfortunately the kids have out grown the small third row so we don’t use it as much anymore but it’s still nice to have the option for short trips.
Toyota has 10 SUVs now, while each of them is unique in their own way there is still a lot of cross over
I’m guessing it is missing options like a manual or better hybrid options for just a few years. they will sell everyone they make for the first model year above sticker, so why make all the options at once?
I’m fine with Toyota having this and the landcruiser at similar points in the market – more options.
There hasn’t been manual in a 4Runner in a quarter century. The idea that one will show up in the late 2020s seems dubious.
I think a couple of things fueled the idea that it might. Namely the outright sharing with the Tacoma, which is also closer than the two have been in even longer. “Tacoma SUV.” And it was a little surprising they kept the manual in the Tacoma too since the only other manual truck offering in the last few years is the Gladiator.
I know there were some reports that said it would move “down” to better compete with the Bronco/Wrangler which still offer manuals. The manual left most SUVs in the 2000s, when they were growing to fill the roles of both ‘tough’ SUV and family cruiser, but crossovers have taken the latter role, and Toyota has that aspect well covered now.
Then there’s Toyota doing oddball things like developing manuals for EVs which I don’t even know how many manual owners are asking for.
Edit: also will add some rumors said it would be built alongside the Tacoma, so if that had happened perhaps it would have been more of a possibility.
Has there been a single example in recent years of a continuous nameplate bringing back a previously discontinued manual transmission?
I know high end limited production sub-models like the 911 GT3 and M5 have done so after their affluent buyers complained, but apart from that kind of thing, manual transmission availability is a one way street.
Continuous? Not that I can think of, but think saying continuous backs the idea into a corner. Acura has continuously offered an entry level compact, just changed the name, and the ILX dropped a manual years ago and the Integra brought back – similarly helped by parts sharing with the Civic. Bronco returning with one when they didn’t need to I think is more surprising since it would have sold just as well without a manual on offer.
I’d agree more if we were talking about something like a Honda Accord, but I don’t think the idea is so far-fetched here. The truck/SUV market is different from when the outgoing model was developed and debuted, and full of more niche/unique trims and offerings.
I actually didn’t know the ILX had dropped the manual, so I’d say the Integra counts, good example.
I was also surprised the Bronco relaunched with a manual. Notably, it was available right away. It seems like Toyota would have done the same thing if a manual was going to be offered. Spread the development and certification costs over as many model years and sales as possible.
I guess I’m not willing to rule it out entirely, but bringing one out later would completely buck the trend. Toyota would basically be admitting that 4Runner buyers would actually buy a Bronco or a Jeep instead, solely because those models offer a manual. Not sure there’s enough manual demand left for that to be true. It would be pleasantly surprising if I were wrong though!
I agree, I’d be surprised to see it show up after later at this point, but who knows. Maybe after they finish launching the Tacoma and meeting demand there. Or maybe they’ll slide it in after the Bronco/Jeep inevitably drop it, sometimes Toyota seems cheeky and other times not so much.
Similarly with Ford it seemed like it would have been a natural to throw the Bronco’s manual in the new Ranger too where there is the Tacoma (unless Ford is tired of people demanding it with the big engine) but doubt that’ll happen now.
Some rumors like a removable roof…that definitely had no shot.
You’re forgetting the most relevant example from the brand itself- The Supra. That is a car that most people figured would never get a stick, considering the BMW platform, engine, and niche appeal. Yet here we are.
I agree it’s a stretch, and also wouldn’t be surprised if the 4Runner stays auto only, but I wouldn’t bet against it…
-The manual transmission already exists on its direct platform mate
-Two direct competitors come with a stick
-Toyota has already proven they are willing coalesce and introduce a manual mid cycle.
I could see more people in the 2 seat sports car market defecting to a competitor over a manual transmission than in the SUV market, but again I’d prefer being wrong on this.
I just want to note that while I don’t have an opinion on the matter, I found this entire conversation to be really interesting to read and think through all the points made.
I’ve wanted a Bronco specifically so I could get the manual. My money is tied up in a Honda Pilot for my wife and kids right now. If I could get a three row 4Runner with a manual transmission, I’d trade in the Pilot today. My wife can drive manual and says she always wanted a 4Runner. Of course, I’m sure they would never offer the third row and a manual together just to make sure I can never have it all. I would, however, still want one without a third row and probably choose it over a Bronco at this point.
There is the supra which gave me hope.
I’m in the same boat, want a manual SUV offroader before I can’t get them. Had a manual JKUR but the handling isn’t enough for me on the highway, passing on a two lane mountain road feels unsafe. Maybe due to the fact that they had to limit the engine RPM of the Tacoma manual they decided they needed more time to develop a dual mass flywheel or harmonic balancer to fix that before offering it in the 4runner.
I’m not a fan of the Tonka truck interior nor am I a fan of using semi-matte finish aluminum on the contact areas of the bumper covers. The 45-degree cut line at the rear bumper, on both this and the new Tacoma, is especially awkward. None will age gracefully.
Considering the previous generation looked like a crushed shoebox, I don’t think buyers will care.