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First Drive: 2025 Toyota 4Runner—The Choice Is Yours
Choice is one of the best things about the American automotive market. Buyers enjoy a compelling roster of models from various automakers in virtually every segment. And these days, thanks to scalable platforms that spawn multiple vehicles, an automaker can afford a bit of overlap among its offerings. Consider Toyota: It now employs a single body-on-frame platform—dubbed TNGA-F—that underpins seven models. Inside the Tundra, Sequoia, Land Cruiser, Tacoma, and the 4Runner we find essentially the same bones, which Lexus also nabs for the glitzy GX and LX. We’ve already had the chance to sample six of these seven vehicles, so the only stone missing from our Thanos-style TNGA-F gauntlet was the 2025 4Runner.


Last week, we joined Toyota in sunny southern California at a ranch just north of the Mexican border to fix that deficit. We’ve waited a long time to meet the sixth-generation 4Runner (it broke cover last year around this time), but then again, the truck’s fans have gotten used to that feeling; the last time Toyota came out with all-new 4Runner was nearly 16 years ago. Was it worth the extended gestation? We’d say so, but some Toyota die-hards may not agree.




This sixth-generation 4Runner is visually busier than ever, with more surfacing and creasing pretty much everywhere you look. Toyota’s California-based Calty design team sought to appease a U.S. market that wants big and extroverted styling. From some angles, the 4Runner has less visual heft than the outgoing model, even though this generation grows in every dimension from wheelbase to width to length by two to three inches.

The A-pillar has been pulled rearward and raked back considerably, improving outward visibility from behind the wheel. In the fifth-gen 4Runner, if you were first in line at a stoplight, you’d occasionally have to crane your neck forward to look up and confirm when the light turned. Not so with the new one; the greenhouse feels far larger. And that’s not the only glass magic that the new 4Runner has to offer. The “wrap-over” rear quarter glass, a neat little design feature from the first- and second-gen 4Runners, returns here and looks utterly fantastic. Similarly, the drop-down rear window is back—Toyota’s Japanese engineers insisted that this was one of the most important traits they had to preserve for the new generation, and we’re thrilled they pulled it off.


Specs: 2025 Toyota 4Runner TRD Off-Road
- Price: $50,640/$50,640
- Powertrain: 2.4-liter turbocharged inline-four, eight-speed automatic transmission
- Horsepower: 278 hp @ 6000 rpm
- Torque: 317 lb-ft @ 1700 rpm
- Drivetrain: Part-time 4×4 with two-speed transfer case, standard locking rear differential
- Layout: Front-engine, four-door, 5-passenger body-on-frame SUV
- EPA-estimated fuel economy: 19 mpg city, 25 mpg highway, 21 mpg combined
- 0–60 mph: 6.5 seconds (est.)
- Competitors: Toyota Land Cruiser, Jeep Wrangler, Ford Bronco, Lexus GX 550, Your restraint on the virtual configurator
As with the new Tacoma, the seating position here is radically improved. Ditto the whole dash area. All but the lowliest of base SR5 versions will get a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster ahead of the driver. Navigating the menu structure will take some getting used to, but since owners don’t shuffle in and out of dozens of new cars each month (save your pity, we insist), we’re not gonna knock it for that. Thanks to features like that digital cluster and a new central infotainment system, the new 4Runner’s cabin feels fresh, rather than perpetually prehistoric.




It’s not all roses inside. This interior houses a lot of plastic, some of which looks downright cheap. On the flip side, Toyota uses much of that plastic for physical buttons that most other automakers would dump three menus deep in the central touch screen. Like that of its Land Cruiser sibling, this cabin seems prepared to still work when the next generation of 4Runner arrives in 2040. But when a TRD Pro or Trailhunter trim costs nearly $67,000, any whiff of economy-grade materials gets difficult to overlook. Higher-cost versions do get a helping of leather trim pieces and textured inserts across the dash and doors that help mitigate things, but the cabin of the base SR5 that we sampled was bleak.



The more meaningful conundrum 4Runner fans will sweat is which engine to pick. In on- and off-road settings, we drove both powertrains—the non-hybrid, 2.4-liter turbo-four and the version with this setup plus an electric motor and extra battery. When offered (TRD Off-Road trims and up), it costs roughly $2800 to jump from the gas-only to the hybrid version.


Let’s start with the non-hybrid 4Runner. For starters, this engine isn’t even offered on the Land Cruiser. Relative to the outgoing 4.0-liter V-6—the only engine you could get in the fifth-gen—the new boosted four-pot provides more torque, more horsepower, better fuel efficiency, and 1000 extra pounds of towing capacity (6000 compared to the outgoing model’s 5000 pounds). In practice, that means the new 4Runner scoots off the line better and can scramble over off-road obstacles at lower speeds in a more steady manner. The torque curve is the difference maker—peak twist arrives at 1700 rpm for the gas-only four-cylinder, whereas the old naturally aspirated V-6 couldn’t manage its high point until 6000 rpm. Combined with an eight-speed automatic that takes care of business without fuss, highway passing in the new 4Runner is a breeze.




That said, this is a buzzy engine that only gets buzzier as the revs rise. It clatters like a wagon running roughshod over a rocky mesa. On that SR5, the amount of turbo noise you could hear from the cabin was, frankly, hilarious. All that might matter little to the 4Runner faithful, who were not deterred by the older, fairly unsophisticated V-6 and five-speed automatic. That powertrain’s appeal over that of a Jeep Wrangler or Ford Bronco was its reputation for decades of longevity. Only time will tell how Toyota’s new-generation setup fares in the long run, but Toyota has earned the benefit of the doubt here, despite a recent spate of Tundra and Lexus LX recalls due to a manufacturing error with the twin-turbo V-6 those models house under the hood.


The hybrid version of the 4Runner’s drivetrain, which is standard on range-topping trims such as the TRD Pro and the Trailhunter, is even more capable off-road. The electric motor, integrated into the bell housing of the transmission, fills in torque along the bottom of the rev range to make rock crawling even easier. On pavement, we drove a Trailhunter trim home from the ranch through a lot of stop-and-go traffic, where the 1.87-kWh battery helped return an indicated 23.1 mpg—right in line with the combined rating for this powertrain. (A non-turbo, 4×4-equipped 4Runner can supposedly return 22 mpg combined, but I doubt we would have hit that number in the same conditions.)

Regardless of which setup you select, the sixth-gen 4Runner now gets electronically assisted power steering in place of the hydraulically aided system on the outgoing model. That change enables more safety features such as lane-keep assist (Toyota calls it Lane Tracing Assist, or LTA) and a more capable adaptive cruise control system. Sadly, it robs all steering sensation from the rudder. No matter what was underfoot—tarmac, rocks, angled dirt ruts, you name it—the steering felt comically light and dead.
Light steering aside, the new generation of 4Runner feels markedly more buttoned-up than its predecessor. Body control on winding roads is commendable for a body-on-frame vehicle, and minor suspension events thump by without fuss. Is it better to drive than the outgoing version? That depends, there was a certain tractor-like charm to the fifth-gen that’s noticeably gone here. But if comfort is your ultimate north star, this new version is night and day better.
Toyota’s awesome Kinetic Dynamic Suspension System (KDSS), beloved on select fifth-gen models for its ability to link or unlink the front and rear stabilizer bars depending on your speed (linked for better body control on the road, unlinked for better suspension articulation off it), is not offered on any 4Runner. You’ll have to step up to the Lexus GX 550 to gain access to a new, electronically controlled version of the KDSS system.


It’s fairly easy to spend Lexus-level money on a 4Runner. If you want the flashy TRD Pro or the epitome of an overlanding-ready blank canvas, the Trailhunter, you’ll be spending north of $65K. For some, it’s 4Runner or nothing, so price is no deterrent. But for just a few thousand more, you can step up to the Lexus GX 550—even going as far as getting into the Overtrail model, which is that vehicle’s off-road-focused version. We’ll go as far as to say that the GX 550 Overtrail is the single best vehicle on this TNGA-F platform and the true successor to the Land Cruiser mantle.




Speaking of the Land Cruiser, you can also get the mid-trim version of that vehicle—also with the hybrid drivetrain, but with far more subdued styling for about the same price. Toyota expects the new 4Runner to outsell the Land Cruiser by somewhere between eight- and ten-to-one.

In our eyes, the 4Runner gets more appealing as you crawl down the trim walk. A non-hybrid TRD Off-Road starts at $50,640, including the destination fee. That’s just shy of $5000 more than the outgoing generation, but given the 4Runner’s nameplate equity here, that jump probably won’t scare away all but the most stingy buyers. For that money, you’ll still get a locking rear diff, 33-inch A/T tires, plenty of capability, nearly 400 pounds of weight savings compared to the hybrid version, and heated fabric seats. (The perfect feature for a stripped-down 4Runner here in northern Michigan, if there ever were one.)




Below that, a base SR5 with 4×4 starts at $44,030—just $190 more than the outgoing model year. That version will still be plenty capable for most buyers, especially since goodies like lockers are fringe perks that only frequent off-roaders will fully utilize. A base, four-door Ford Bronco with a fabric top, the 10-speed automatic, and no other options costs a few thousand less (around $41,000 according to the configurator) but it would be a markedly less enjoyable driving experience during the colder months. A low-rung four-door Wrangler with an automatic transmission and a hard top runs north of $40,000, as well; that’s the price of entry for dedicated off-roaders nowadays.




Nine trims, many offering two different powertrains, means you can arrive at a price point between $43,000 and $70,000 when shopping for the sixth-gen Toyota 4Runner. All versions acquit themselves well, but the risk of platform infighting grows as you climb the trim ladder. The time to get a 4Runner may be later in the model lifecycle, when high-end features drop to the entry-level and dealer markups lose teeth. If history is any indicator, this 4Runner will be around for a while.
2025 Toyota 4Runner
Highs: Even more off-road capability, now with an engine that gets better power and efficiency figures. True choose-your-own-adventure game in the configurator. Interior that finally feels on par with competitors.
Lows: Despite better stats, the new engine is remarkably noisy and unrefined. Can get pricey quickly, and once you hit those upper echelons, the alternatives—even within the Toyota family—start to look mighty nice.
Summary: The sixth-generation 4Runner looks primed to pick up where the outgoing stalwart left off, with more capability, a better interior, and even more choice. It’s a fitting final piece to the TNGA-F offensive, but the sheer complexity of the model portfolio might lead to customer paralysis by analysis.
$70,000 for a… Toyota 4Runner?
Guess I’ll drive my Land Cruiser until the wheels fall off. Good heavens.
Sign of the times my friend. The 4runner is priced favorably within it’s market. Talk about price…how about $90K for a Bronco Raptor? Crazy.
I wish it had some shortcut buttons for the radio, etc. I find Toyota’s new interface quite infuriating on the new Lexus NX loaner I had one day. Toyota uses the same interface but gives more complete AC control with buttons but the radio interface is terrible.
I’ll keep my 2011 for a while longer.
170,000 miles and still averaging about 18.5 mpg combined.
The 3rd (back) side window arrangement is odd, like it was rear ended.
I am concerned about reliability of engine and transmission in all new vehicles – unfortunately, Toyota is now in that suspect category with the Tundra recalls.
Pricing is not as bad as I expected. These are cool vehicles, but the base SR5 seems to be the best path now.
More than anything, it shows how easy it is to make a SUV based on a truck. Looks just like Tacoma inside and out with a hard body shell. Now imagine GM trying to do the same to its trucks and make Blazers. Ooops that name is already stolen by a pretender. At least make a Trail Blazer based on Colorado.
I’ll give light applause for them keeping at least a few buttons on the dash, but as for the digital cluster screen. I’ll stick with my “perpetually prehistoric” analog dials, thanks-just-the-same.
I bought new 2007 Miata and 4Runner as my last vehicles on retirement. Superfluous stereos in each, but real buttons. Manufacturers can stick their screens where the sun don’t 🌞
Lego won’t have to invent any new bricks when it makes a model of this 4Runner
I had a 2013 4runner SR5 and loved it. Like a moron I got talked into selling it and I bought a new 2020 Ford Explorer. BIG MISTAKE!! I never had ONE problem with the 4 runner. I’ve had lots of issues with the exploder and Ford didn’t even honor the factory warranty. I called detroit etc and they don’t care. the SEATS fell apart in the first week of ownership. I weigh 200 pounds. and was 5 foot 10.
Only reason I bought the Ford was so my wife could GET INTO IT. The 4 runner was a little too high. I should have spent 5 grand and had it lowered. The Lane centering is a HAZARD rather then a help. The smart (dumberr then a box of rocks) cruise control will get you in trouble if you have a service road next to the main highway. With the v6 and twin turbo it hauls though. FAR too many screens to turn on the radio or go to a different channel. That is a SAFETY HAZARD and should be banned. BRING back the KNOBS and PUSH buttons. You didn’t have to take your eyes off the road to turn the radio station.
Having owned a 4th gen for the last 12 years, it appears that this new model is not geared to the 4Runner faithful as much as to a new audience of buyers. The charm of this model has always been it’s simple, rugged, analog nature in a world of increasing digital complexity.