If there is one phrase that rings true in both real life and in the automotive world, it is that it's impossible to please everyone.
Despite Toyota's (TM) enthusiasm for its much-awaited update to a classic nameplate, fans are divided over the monumental changes that the Japanese automaker has applied to the new iteration — with some fans adoring the new design and technology and others believing that they have just witnessed an automotive butchering.
The car in question is Toyota's beloved 4x4 SUV, the 4Runner. New for 2025, the off-roading staple gets its first major update in more than 15 years, with plenty of upgrades to improve its capabilities both on and off-road.
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From Left to Right: the 2025 Toyota 4Runner Trailhunter, TRDPro and Limited
Toyota
On the outside, the 4Runner gets a whole host of major styling changes. Eagle-eyed Toyota enthusiasts will notice that the car shares some styling cues with 4Runners from the 1980s, while the overall car in general evolves from the outgoing model in both size and shape.
From the front, the new 4Runner appears to share cues with the 2025 Tacoma pickup truck, whereas from different angles, it appears to copy-paste lines from the outgoing model. Though the result appears to be some sort of mishmash of different components, the end result is a tougher stance and appearance than models that preceded it, as well as competitors like the Ford Bronco and the Jeep Wrangler.
2025 Toyota 4Runner Limited
Toyota
A jarring fact about the new 4Runner is that it comes in a variety of nine trim levels, each with varying levels of gadgets and equipment both inside and outside for every type of SUV-choosing customer.
The crown jewel of the 4Runner lineup is the appropriately named Trailhunter, which features a laundry list of off-road upgrades to conquer each and every obstacle thrown at it. An electronic rear locker and push-button sway bar disconnect, 33-inch Toyo all-terrain tires, a sophisticated Old Man Emu suspension system, steel rock guards and skid plates, as well as a snorkel for going over water are just some of its cool features of the range-topper.
On the opposite end, the 4Runner’s Limited and Platinum trims offer more luxurious everyday refinements, such as a power side steps, a leather upholstered interior, and a 14-inch touchscreen infotainment system. No matter what trim you go for, each 4Runner comes with Toyota's sophisticated Multi-Terrain Select system for off-roading or 'inclement weather,' with different settings for varying conditions like Mud, Dirt, and Sand terrains. Additionally, the 4Runner also comes with a Crawl Control function, an electronically activated locking rear differential, as well as Downhill Assist Control for going down steep descents.
Toyota
The most controversial of changes is under the hood, where in lieu of a V6 engine comes a 2.4-liter turbocharged incline 4-cylinder engine dubbed the i-FORCE. Though it has a smaller displacement and two less cylinders than the 4Runner's signature V6, power figures tell a different story. The peppy turbo engine makes 278 horsepower and 317 lb-ft of torque, a bit of a boost from the outgoing V6.
Those looking for power will have to deal with the i-FORCE's bigger brother — the i-FORCE MAX. This powerplant is a hybrid powertrain that combines the i-FORCE's 4-cylinder with an electric motor to make 326 horsepower and 465 lb-ft of torque.
Though there is much to complain about losing the muscular V6 of the outgoing 4Runner, the new powertrains are touted by Toyota as being more efficient and more powerful. Fuel economy figures haven't been released by Toyota as of yet, but they are expected to be better than the outgoing SUV's 16 miles per gallon in the city and 19 mpg on the highway.
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Below Toyota's post on Instagram announcing the 4Runner are divided leagues of fans that either adore or hate the new 4Runner with a passion.
Instagram user @haydukelives_photography told Toyota "You've ruined it. [The new 4Runner] looks like a cheap Chevy or a r------d [Ford] Bronco."
Another Instagram user by the name of @nico.silvag said that "If [The new 4Runner] loses the 4.0 V6, it loses the soul; for that I prefer a rav4. Really disappointed in all this new policy of making smaller engines."
User @ffejpearlman left their two cents on the styling, noting that the "Front hood is too long, done to incorporate that over complicated engine. Screams Mall princesses. you won't see many of these in Colorado deep in the mountains."
In the comments of a post about the car on the r/Cars subreddit, YouTube auto authority Doug Demuro called the new 4Runner "a great redesign" and acted as a voice of reason, noting that the 'new car' will sink into the heads of disappointed fans very soon.
"Whenever a new car comes out, pay attention to the comments -- they are always, without fail, every single time, negative. It's just because the design is unfamiliar at first, and unfamiliar is a shock to the system," DeMuro said. "Over time, they'll accept it and eventually really like it."
"I'm old enough to remember when the 4th gen [4Runner] came out in 2003 and people mercilessly mocked the design, and same deal with the 5th gen when it came out in 2010. Now, those were "real 4Runners" and this one is "ruined." It's just the way our mind reacts to the new and eventually comes to appreciate it with familiarity and continued exposure."
Toyota said that the new 4Runner will go on sale this fall, with pricing information to be released closer to its release date at dealers.
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