If you’re reading this, the Toyota 4Runner is probably important to you. I grew up in 4Runners and own one now. It’s important to me too. But instead of a faffy, narrative-driven piece, let’s dive straight into it.
By the end of this piece, I’ll have covered the two biggest questions you probably have: "Is this new truck better than the old one?" and, "Should I buy a 4Runner or a Land Cruiser?"
Let’s get into it.
| Quick Specs | 2025 Toyota 4Runner TRD Off-Road Premium I-Force Max |
| Engine | Turbocharged 2.4-Liter Inline-Four Hybrid |
| Output | 326 Horsepower / 465 Pound-Feet |
| Efficiency | 23 Combined |
| Base Price | $42,220 |
| Trim Base / As Tested | $56,420 / $59,420 |
So what exactly is new with this 4Runner? In short, everything. This is an entirely new generation and the first wholesale overhaul of the truck since 2009, when the fifth-generation 4Runner first debuted. That truck survived 15 model years, a staggering feat of endurance.
The end result of those fifteen years of development: Toyota built one of the most reliable and beloved body-on-frame SUVs ever. In a list of vehicles most likely to last 250,000 miles, Toyota trucks take nearly all top-ten slots with the 4Runner third on that list. Considering Toyota has built more than 3 million 4Runners since 1984, that’s a terribly impressive capstone. And a tough act to follow.
This sixth-generation 4Runner aims to match your expectations of ultimate reliability while addressing major complaints about the outgoing fifth-gen 4Runner. Namely, that the old 4Runner was slow, inefficient, and woefully out of date—especially as its MSRP across all trims ballooned.
Rather than start from scratch, the 2025 4Runner is built atop the Toyota TNGA-F platform which underpins the rest of its trucks—the Tundra, Tacoma, Sequoia, and Land Cruiser. That means a boxed ladder frame paired with a more rigid body structure, as well as shared engines, drivetrain, mechanicals, infotainment appointments, and yes, even design ideologies.
Pros: Seamless Transmission, Updated Tech, Low Road Noise
It’ll be an issue of personal taste, but the 4Runner’s looks are growing on me. Slowly. At first glance, the new body style feels like a step back from the fifth-gen’s conservative body lines. Calty Design (America’s in-house Toyota design studio) penned both the new 4Runner and Tacoma, which is why the 4Runner echoes the Tacoma’s sharper and more overtly stylized design.
That said, the new 4Runner won’t be mistaken for any other SUV. Calty Design preserved enough of the visual touchpoints of the outgoing fourth- and fifth-generation trucks, with a few throwback nods to even-earlier 4Runners, that you couldn’t mistake anything else.
That’s a job well done.
Unlike its Korean counterparts in the mid-size segment, Toyota hasn’t shifted toward luxury pretension. Hard-wearing materials clothe the sections of the cabin that demand them (the dash, the door panels near the floor, and the areas around the cupholders), and the rest of the interior looks clean, purposeful, and organized.
Two knobs for the dual-zone climate controls dominate the center stack, with a row of toggle switches between them to actuate your windshield blower, heated mirrors, climate mode, air recirculation, and A/C. There’s even a pair of physical buttons for the heated seats. It all represents an improvement over the fifth-gen model, with better packaging for climate settings in an intelligible, condensed, compact array.
There is also a physical volume knob. Praise God.
Cons: Price, Complexity, Overdone Styling
And you’re probably wondering: Will that silly little cupholder spacer ring get stuck on my water bottle anymore? No! The cupholders actually work this time around. No rings here. I tested out a big stupid water bottle just like your Stanley. It worked fine.
And don’t worry, even the roll-down rear window still lives. You can breathe a sigh of relief.
There are two touchscreen options in the cabin: A base 8.0-inch central screen with a 7.0-inch digital cluster, or a 14.0-inch horizontal iPad with a 12.3-inch digital display for the cluster. Unless you’re short on budget, I recommend you spring for the larger, fancier setup. It works quite well.
Toyota’s system isn’t flashy or gorgeous, and the screens themselves aren’t particularly sharp-looking. But the whole multimedia system feels intuitive to use and easy to manage, bereft of dozens of submenus. Plus you get wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto on either setup.
This is a huge improvement over the outgoing 4Runner.
The TRD Pro has some exceptionally comfy thrones for the driver and passenger, and the Trailhunter wraps its seats in a patterned faux leather that feels like it’ll go the distance for the Overlanding set. But I’ll get more into that in my TRD Pro review later this week.
The TRD Off-Road premium’s seats, meanwhile, are far more basic. But they still offer decent support for off-roading. Even the SR5’s cloth seats feel comfortable, though they are noticeably less supportive than the top-tier thrones, particularly if you like seats that keep you in place laterally.
Go figure.
Whatever you choose, the 4Runner has a track record for long-lasting chairs. My 236,000-mile facelifted second-gen had immaculate seats until the day it was totaled by an inattentive driver while I sat parked at a stoplight. But I digress.
On to the important stuff: The powertrains.
The long-serving naturally aspirated 4.0-liter V-6 is dead. Long live the turbocharged inline-four. It comes in two flavors. The first is the so-called “I-Force” turbocharged inline-four, which makes 278 horsepower and 317 pound-feet of torque. The second, called “I-Force Max,” is a hybridized version of the same engine packing 326 horses and 465-pound feet, courtesy of a 1.87-kilowatt-hour battery pack.
Those are your two choices.
The base engine feels plenty zippy here, with the full punch of torque available from 1,800 rpm and an eight-speed automatic that shifts quickly and imperceptibly. Most of the time you’d think it’s the best CVT you’ve ever driven.
It’s a genuinely great gearbox, perhaps the smoothest and most unobtrusive transmission I’ve ever experienced in a mid-size, body-on-frame SUV. Whoever worked on the calibration of this transmission for the 4Runner, take a bow.
The optional I-Force Max hybrid ups the power but suffers a weight penalty, while marginally increasing the EPA’s fuel rating. Sure, there’s vastly more power and torque on paper, but in the real world, the I-Force engine felt robust enough for me.
From a slow roll, the hybrid system can work in power awkwardly during shifts, which is the only time the drivetrain makes its presence known. At anything beyond city speeds, however, both powertrains feel seamless.
An electric power-assist steering system (EPAS) replaces the old-school hydraulic setup across all trims. It’s nice, offering less steering feedback, as you’d expect, but making for a truck that’s easier to maneuver on trails and during tight turns on the road. That’s a huge improvement overall, especially as you throw larger, chunkier tires on this truck, which tend to increase steering effort.
As far as a transfer case goes, again, you have options. More-basic trims can be had in two-wheel drive (at the rear, obviously), and without a transfer case (obviously), while the Limited and Platinum spec a four-wheel-drive system in line with what’s on the Land Cruiser. Part-time 4WD is spec’d on most of the other trims. On the TRD Pro and Trailhunter models, it’s the only option.
The part-time system comes with an electronically engaged two-speed HI-LO transfer case, plus a locking electronic diff at the rear.
I’ve been on quite a few product launches for off-road-centric trucks. Many of them had harder obstacles to tackle than the ones Toyota set up for us here, but none had less oversight; Toyota threw us the metaphorical keys and sent us out alone with a friendly wave.
It was a free-for-all, with plenty of room for folly, from some truly slippery uphill sections in excess of 20 degrees incline to a rally-style course where we were encouraged to whip the TRD Pro along a banked corner—Indy 500 style—in two-wheel drive.
Toyota’s Multi-Terrain Monitor (MTM) worked well here, showing a top-down view of the truck on the central 14.0-inch screen, as needed, or peering over each flank of the truck and the nose simultaneously. There are even readouts showing pitch and roll, plus a silly little on-screen button that’ll spray and wipe dirt away from your rear window.
Honestly, it was super handy to have.
We handled the rock-crawling and hill-climb portion of the course behind the wheel of a TRD Off-Road Premium set in 4 LO. I tried a lap of the course with the diff locked then unlocked it for the second lap. The TRD Off-Road handled it all, with ease.
Our test truck for this portion of the drive had the optional 33-inch tires, but I was most impressed by how smoothly and progressively the hybrid powertrain delivered torque. There is a little judder when pulling away from a stop, but once you’re moving, any obstacle is dispatched with a little wiggle from your big toe on the throttle or brake pedal.
Alongside a well-equipped SR5, the TRD Off-Road Premium strikes probably the best balance between features and capability while keeping the price as reasonable as possible.
Overall, Toyota improved the 4Runner in many ways. Of special note, the new eight-speed transmission shines. It’s the feature I most desperately want on my fifth-gen TRD Pro. Beyond that, I pine for the upgraded screens, and the upgraded MTM, which is so insanely useful maneuvering a busy Costco parking lot—as the memes go—but also as a safety feature.
The new 4Runner is also much quieter than the already civilized fifth-gen truck, amplifying a feeling of comfort and solidity. And while it’s more efficient on paper, our SR5 test truck showed us 17 miles per gallon and the TRD Pro I drove on the highway did better, but not by much.
With nine separate trims, Toyota aims to provide a Goldilocks solution for every type of buyer, so long as they’ve got deep pockets. To that point, I think pricing has gone haywire, but Toyota must have good evidence people will pony up.
The SR5 trim—with 2WD, cloth seats, and the lesser screens—starts at $42,220 with delivery fees included. You’ll very likely want part-time four-wheel drive ($2,000) and maybe running boards ($345) if your partner is short. The third-row seating adds $770.
That’s $45,335 for a pretty bare-bones truck, but one that feels well-built, drives smoothly, and offers a quiet cabin. I guess that’s the 4Runner for you.
Our TRD Off-Road Premium cost $59,420 with the hybrid engine, the good screens included, improved seats and off-road features, plus optional pre-wired auxiliary switches, a moonroof, and the tow tech package.
Sixty grand for a mid-range 4Runner.
The TRD Pro we drove was $68,350 with destination and no options. Add in some paint protection, mud flaps, and some sliders from the factory. You’ve hit a $70,000 4Runner. It’s capable, sure, but that’s a price to compete with luxury off-roaders.
Yes, the sixth-gen 4Runner is largely improved. Smoother, quieter, more efficient, more capable, and more powerful.
But given the pricing, I couldn’t recommend you upgrade to a new truck if your fifth-gen 4Runner is still ticking. If you’re otherwise in the market for an SUV, you’d have to shop the similarly priced Land Cruiser, which wins out on looks and the prestige of its nameplate, while matching most 4Runner trims for outright capability. I’d rather have an LC myself.
Ultimately, the 4Runner means nothing without ultimate reliability. It’s too early to say whether the sixth-gen and its turbo hybrid powertrain will appear on the list of vehicles most likely to last 250,000 miles, but if you had to bet on one company on earth to meet those lofty expectations, it’d be Toyota.
Competitors
2025 Toyota 4Runner TRD Off-Road Premium
