After months of rumors, leaks, and teasers, the 2025 Toyota 4Runner is finally out. After 14 years, the automaker has an all-new replacement for the popular off-roader. It packs many modern features and a fresh, tough-looking design, but it's difficult to deny its stylistic similarities to the new Tacoma. That's because the two share several components ahead of the B-pillar.
The new 4Runner rides on Toyota's TNGA-F platform shared with the pickup. The 4Runner team had to work closely with its US colleagues to develop the SUV that they wanted with the features it needed, according to Keita Moritsu, the 4Runner and Land Cruiser chief engineer.
The 4Runner team began working early in the model's development with the Tacoma designers, with almost everything in front of the B-pillar shared between the two. The two groups worked hand-in-hand to design the new SUV.
"We did our best to try to share components as much as possible with the Tacoma, but in contrast, everywhere else, we really worked on bringing out the originality of the 4Runner," said Moritsu, speaking through a translator at the model's launch.
That includes sharing powertrains. The 4Runner is available with Toyota's turbocharged 2.4-liter i-Force four-cylinder engine. However, unlike the Tacoma, it's only available with one output—278 horsepower and 317 pound-feet of torque. The i-Force Max is also available, putting a turbocharged four-cylinder hybrid under the hood that makes 326 hp and 465 lb-ft of torque.
An eight-speed automatic gearbox is the only transmission choice, unlike the Tacoma, which offers a manual transmission with the i-Force engine. Toyota rates the 4Runner with up to 6,000 pounds of towing capacity, a bit less than the pickup. Similarities also extend to the suspension between the two, with fundamentally similar constructions and designs, but the SUV features unique tuning to account for the extra mass.
"The Tacoma and 4Runner both have the spirit of the American market," said Moritsu. Consumers will be able to enjoy the new SUV when it goes on sale this fall.
