San Diego, CA – During the Mesozoic Era dinosaurs roamed the Earth, with signs of their existence found all over the globe. And while the dinos met a relatively abrupt demise some 65-or-so-million years ago, there were some survivors. Most people are familiar with crocodiles and sharks, and maybe even the rare coelacanth fish, but did you know Toyota’s 4Runner is nearly as old?
Okay, that’s a slight exaggeration, but still, the outgoing 4Runner lasted 15 years, which might as well be 15 million, given the pace at which things typically move in the auto industry. So, when a new 4Runner comes out, well, that’s news for the history books!
Related – Every 2025 4Runner Model: Here’s How Toyota Priced Them
Bigger, Bolder, and Built on Toyota’s TNGA-F Platform
The 2025 Toyota 4Runner is all-new. This isn’t just marketing-speak for a re-skin or a warm-over, but soup-to-nuts, this truck shares nothing with the outgoing model. Built on the TNGA-F (Toyota New Global Architecture) platform, this 4Runner shares underpinnings with everything from the Lexus LX and GX, to the Tundra and Tacoma pickups, and the Land Cruiser. Visually, the family resemblance is strongest with the Tacoma, which makes sense given that the 4Runner has historically been an SUV variant of Toyota’s compact trucks.
“As impressive as the new 4Runner is off-road, the improvements to its on-road behaviour are even more impressive.”
It’s a highly successful look, too, with the proportions looking just right, making it appear smaller and more muscular than the last 4Runner, but in fact, the new rig grows in every key dimension affording it more passenger and luggage space than before.
Those familiar with the Tacoma’s dashboard layout will feel right at home in the new 4Runner, whose dash is an exact twin of the pick-ups. This is a good thing since it’s a very sensible layout with plenty of real buttons, knobs and physical switches – a rare treat in this historic period where many carmakers are frustratingly burying as many controls as possible within a screen.
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Related – The 2025 Toyota 4Runner Looks Familiar, But There’s a Catch
From SR5 to Platinum
| Trim | Seats | US Price | Canada Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4Runner SR5 | 7 | $41,885 | $54,200 |
| 4Runner TRD Sport | 5 | $49,725 | $59,002 |
| 4Runner TRD Sport Premium | 5 | $52,725 | ❌ |
| 4Runner Limited | 7 | $62,860 | $68,999 |
| 4Runner TRD Off Road Premium | 5 | $54,970 | ❌ |
| 4Runner i-FORCE MAX TRD Off Road Premium | 5 | $57,770 | $67,336 |
| 4Runner i-FORCE MAX TRD Pro | 5 | $66,900 | $80,498 |
| 4Runner i-FORCE MAX Trailhunter | 5 | $66,900 | $84,201 |
| 4Runner i-FORCE MAX Platinum | 5 | $62,860 | $73,698 |
All trims of the 4Runner save for the base SR5 and TRD Sport models get the contemporary 14-inch touch screen and a 12-inch digital gauge display. Its menu system is largely straight-forward and responsive, and the display is bright and crisp. The interior materials vary depending on trim with entry-level models wearing a high-quality fabric on the seats, while the more rugged off-road variants have Toyota’s Softex vinyl, and range-topping Platinum models get swanky semi-Aniline hides.
“The most contentious aspect of the new 4Runner is sure to be its drivetrain that ditches the 4.0L V6 (that dates back 20 years), in favour of exclusively 4-cylinder options.”
There are more variations on the 4Runner theme now than ever before. Each of them in the Canadian line-up is 4-wheel-drive, but whether that system is full-time or part-time also varies. There are two distinct camps that the new 4Runner trims fall into. SR5, TRD Sport, Limited and Platinum are all decidedly on-road oriented with most wearing larger wheels and lower-profile, touring tires. They can also be had with 7-passenger (SR5, Limited), or 5-passenger formats, and range from basic to properly posh.
Related – 2017 Toyota 4Runner TRD Pro Review
New 4Runner Performance: Balancing Off-Road Grit and On-Road Grace
Those models seem to overlap with Highlander, Grand Highlander and even Land Cruiser missions, which makes the adventure-oriented trims appealing to us, and more in line with the 4Runner’s history. The TRD Off Road gains some all-terrain tires, skid plates, a locking rear differential, crawl control and various off-road drive mode settings. The TRD Pro builds on that by getting a Fox-brand adjustable shock suspension designed to take serious abuse when high-speed desert running. The Trailhunter – a new trim for the 4Runner – targets the burgeoning overlanding crowd and adds features like the Old Man Emu suspension tuned to tackle rough terrain even when the truck is loaded up with gear for survival in the wilderness.
In practice, the Trailhunter made easy work of a trail that had some sizeable moguls to test the suspension’s articulation (made even more extreme by the ability to disconnect the sway bar), some very steep climbs and descents, and a rock garden comprised of bowling-ball-sized obstacles. Meanwhile, a separate course let us explore the TRD Pro’s suspension limits by ripping around a dirt course at considerable speed. Even sending the TRD Pro airborne resulted in an amazingly uneventful (and soft) landing.
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Balancing On-Road Comfort with Turbocharged Power
| Specification | iFORCE | iFORCE MAX |
|---|---|---|
| Engine | 2.4 Liter Turbo | 2.4 Liter Turbo Hybrid |
| Transmission | 8 AT | 8 AT |
| Drivetrain | 4WD | 4WD |
| Front Suspension | Double wishbone | Double wishbone |
| Torque | 317 lb.-ft. @ 1,700 RPM | 465 lb.-ft. @ 1,700 RPM |
| Horsepower | 278 hp @ 6,000 RPM | 326 hp @ 6,000 RPM |
| Fuel Economy (City/Highway/Combined) | 19/25/21 MPG | 23/24/23 MPG |
As impressive as the new 4Runner is off-road, the improvements to its on-road behaviour are even more impressive. Last year’s model leaned and dove considerably when asked to turn or brake at anything greater than a brisk jogging speed. The new machine is decidedly more buttoned down with body motions much better controlled, and steering far more precise than ever before. In fact, while not meant to be a high-performance SUV, the 4Runner does a better job at its on-road handling than its direct body-on-frame competitors from Jeep and Ford.
Wind noise is also kept to a minimum, and while the old 4Runner’s ride was quite compliant, this new one doesn’t seem to trade off much stiffness for its better handling.
The most contentious aspect of the new 4Runner is sure to be its drivetrain that ditches the 4.0L V6 (that dates back 20 years), in favour of exclusively 4-cylinder options. The concern stems from the complexity of the new powertrains with turbochargers and the fear that these higher-stressed engines may not be as rock-solid durable as 4Runners have always been.
Only time will tell if the initial faults discovered in the Tacoma’s drivetrain have been worked out here, but our experience with the new 4Runner in both its standard turbocharged 2.4L format (278 hp and 317 ft-lbs), and the same drivetrain, but augmented with hybrid electric power bumping output to 326 hp and 465 lb-ft of torque.
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The base engine is thoroughly capable and makes the 4Runner far more responsive than it’s ever been previously. Truthfully, this is all the oomph the truck really needs, but the i-FORCED MAX hybrid’s torque does help fill in some slight dips in the power delivery of the base engine. In both cases, the 8-speed automatic is the only transmission available and it’s well-matched to the engine, snapping off very swift, yet smooth shifts to keep the 4Runner happily humming in the sweet spot of its revs. Mind you, it’s a very broad sweet spot with peak torque coming on at only 1,700 rpms and riding a very flat torque curve throughout most of the rev range.
These smaller power plants deliver better fuel efficiency than the old 4Runners, too, with non-hybrids averaging 2 L/100 km improvement, and the hybrids saving almost 4 L/100 km in the Combined cycle.
Takeaway
It’s taken a decade and a half, but the 2025 4Runner represents a quantum shift compared to the outgoing model. More spacious, comfortable, better-equipped, more capable off-road, more-composed on-road and with far more technology, the new truck objectively improves every metric, while expanding the model range to appeal to more buyers’ needs. While crocodiles and sharks have evolved slowly, this evolution for the 4Runner is dramatic, and worth the wait.
