2025 Toyota 4Runner gets dragged into modern times

• The 2025 Toyota 4Runner is the 6th generation of the icon

• Every 2025 Toyota 4Runner has a turbo-4 under its hood

• The 2025 Toyota 4Runner costs between $42,265 and $68,350

The 2025 Toyota 4Runner has been dragged into the modern era like a toddler screaming and kicking at the mall. For the first time in 14 years, the 4Runner is new.

The old one was still going strong. Toyota sold 92,156 examples in 2024 and 119,238 in 2023. That’s despite the fact it was old enough to have its bar mitzvah and grow chest hair. The new one? From the frame to the powertrain and electronics, it’s new. This isn’t just a reskin. But it’s not yet clear how diehard buyers are going to adapt. Change is hard.

From a hybrid powertrain and more muscular look to bigger screens and even more compromised packaging, the outcry on social media has been swift. That’s before addressing the ever growing matrix of a lineup, which now stands at a confusing nine trim levels. Welcome, Trailhunter.

After crawling around and blasting around on- and off-road, in most of the lineup, I’ve learned the new 4Runner drives better, gets slightly better fuel economy, and has more power than its ancient predecessor, while being just as capable off-road. That makes it a better vehicle, and disgruntled enthusiasts will have to get used to the change as this will inevitably be the 4Runner the world lives with for the next decade plus.

2025 4Runner goes turbocharged and hybrid

The V-8’s long gone, and now the naturally aspirated V-6 engine joins it in the history books. RIP. The mob online seems angry about this.

Every 2025 4Runner has a turbo-4 under its hood. The base engine, a 2.5-liter turbo-4 rated at 278 hp and 317 lb-ft of torque, will power most 4Runners sold as it’s the only choice for the base SR5 model, which Toyota says represents about 51% of 4Runner sales. Torque comes on real quick down low in the rev range with peak torque arriving at 1,700 rpm. It’s easy to rip off the line and power delivery is smooth, but a high-pitched turbo whoosh is ever-present. 

Upper trim TRD-badged models like TRD Pro and Trailhunter, along with the most lux model, the Platinum, come standard with the new hybrid powertrain dubbed i-Force Max. Off-Road,  Off-Road Premium, and Limited models can be optioned with the hybrid system. It bolts a 64-hp motor powered by a 1.9-kwh battery pack into the transmission housing. Combined system output checks in at a healthy 326 hp and 465 lb-ft. That’s V-8-like, stump-pulling torque. Peak torque also comes in at 1,700 rpm, and it’s shockingly quick, for a 4Runner at least. My butt dyno estimates the hybrid 4Runner might hit 60 mph from a stop in 6.0 seconds. 

Every 4Runner now has a modern 8-speed automatic transmission. It’s a joy, and is bsolutely as swift and smooth as the ZF-sourced 8-speed in a Jeep Grand Cherokee. The 4Runner’s transmission cracks off shifts with ease, and the Sport and Sport+ modes hang onto gears longer for even better power. But don’t go looking for paddle shifters in any 4Runner, including the TRD Pro.

Full-time four-wheel drive is only on the more lux-oriented Limited and Platinum models. In a rather cheap cop-out move, Toyota equips all the other 4Runners, including the most expensive TRD-badged off-road-oriented models with part-time four-wheel drive. Every four-wheel-drive 4Runner has a 2-speed transfer case. The TRD Pro and Trailhunter models also net a rear locker and electronic disconnecting front sway bar.

Fuel economy improves from yikes status of 17 mpg combined for the last model—which wasn’t even attainable in the real world—to a borderline respectable 23/24/23 mpg in hybrid form. The volume SR5 with its turbo-4 knocks a few mpgs off for 19/25/21 mpg with 4WD. Opting for rear-wheel drive adds 1 mpg across the board. In brief on-road testing I saw an average of 15.3 mpg on the highway in a Trailhunter and 19.7 mpg in a Platinum. Both models were hybrids.

How to choose between the 4Runner TRD Pro and 4Runner Trailhunter

Buyers looking for the top of the 4Runner off-road foodchain now have a decision to make as the Trailhunter joins the TRD Pro. At $68,350 (including the $1,450 destination charge), the two off-roaders cost the same and even have the same off-road angles. It comes down to how these 4Runners ride and are equipped.

The important off-road TRD Pro and Trailhunter angles:

• Departure angle: 24 degrees

• Breakover angle: 24 degrees

• Ground clearance: 10.1 inches

Toyota gives the TRD Pro a set of three-way adjustable, 2.5-inch diameter Fox shocks with remote reservoirs for better heat dissipation. Trailhunters swap those Fox shocks for a set of 2.5-inch forged ARB Old Man Emu shocks with external piggyback remote reservoirs. Both ride on 33-inch all-terrain rubber from the factory, and no one from Toyota could answer whether 35s would fit without rubbing.

The Trailhunter sports skid plates covering every bit from the front bumper back to the behind the transfer case. The TRD Pro only has skid plates that cover to the back of the engine.

The skid plate differentiation highlights the intended use cases. The Trailhunters is designed to crawl over rough, rocky, slippery terrain, while the TRD Pro model is designed to go quickly over loose terrain.

Each revealed its personality quickly both on and off-road. The TRD Pro is set up to ride much firmer with shocks that are tuned to take impacts at speed. The Trailhunter swings to the other end of the spectrum with shocks featuring a soft tune. The Trailhunter rides the softest of the lineup, and exhibits the most body roll on the street and while slowly traversing over rough terrain. The electronic disconnecting front sway bar comes in handy in deep ruts, enabling the independent front suspension to drop farther.

The TRD Pro feels better tuned than its Tacoma TRD Pro counterpart. The shock tuning kept the 4Runner TRD Pro more planted, more settled, and overall less jittery. But after one lap on a somewhat tame “high-speed” off-road course, the 4Runner TRD Pro’s brakes smelled and a warning popped up in the gauge cluster noting the transmission oil temp was hot and that the vehicle should stop in a safe place.

The surround-view camera system also comes up short. In a Ford Raptor in Baja mode, the system will remain on at speed, showing the terrain ahead. That’s not the case in the new 4Runner. The forward-facing camera turns off within seconds of speeding up after an obstacle. Even in the MTS off-road modes. This is infuriating while trying to continually turn on the system while at speed to ensure you can see the lower terrain ahead. Ford gets it right. Toyota doesn’t.

The hybrid’s immense torque is a boon off-road, but the throttle tuning leaves something to be desired with a hair-trigger tip-in response that can break traction, even if the driver is attempting to feather the throttle to climb a hill. The throttle and brakes aren’t progressive, which makes it hard to be smooth. The Trailhunter’s pillar-mounted snorkel intake accentuates the turbo whoosh to the point of being comical and annoying.

Every 4Runner is quieter inside on the highway than the comparable Land Cruiser, which shares the 4Runner’s powertrain and platform, thanks to a less upright windshield.

4Runner gets muscular and tech stacked

The 6th-gen 4Runner didn’t skip leg day. Or arm day. Toyota made sure this SUV is ripped. It looks like a Transformer actively trying to morph. The sheetmetal ripples with muscles from the bulging fenders to the fake hood scoop on the TRD Pro. That hood scoop seems like it’s taped on, and it shakes to no end while off-roading at speed. The front grilles of the TRD Pro and Trailhunter get the LED driving lights from the same models in the Tacoma lineup with the same 10,000-lumen rating. That’s double the output of the weak lightbar on the full-size Sequoia and Tundra TRD Pro, which at 5,000 lumens has a lower output than an $80 flashlight. I didn’t get to test the lighting in the dark so judgement day comes later.

The overall shape and stance of the 4Runner hasn’t changed. The design’s evolutionary, at best, but the extra muscles might not be to everyone’s liking. Toyota made a big deal about the throwback rear side windows that wrap over the roofline as a nod to the first-gen 4Runner. They are a cool throwback, but opinions seem to vary. Thankfully, the tailgate glass still powers down into the tailgate to haul longer items or just to increase fresh air in the cabin.

Inside, the 4Runner evolves to be tech-filled. The hard plastic dashboard now sports an 8.0-inch touchscreen with a large plastic bezel in lower-rent SR5, TRD Sport, and TRD Off-Road models. That bezel is a painful reminder that you didn’t choose a more expensive model. The more expensive models have a hulking 14.0-inch touchscreen straight out of the significantly wider Sequoia hanging off the upright dashboard. It seems like overkill. A standard 7.0-inch digital gauge cluster only makes an appearance in the base SR5 model, while every other 4Runner gets a 12.3-inch digital cluster that shares its design with other recent Toyotas. At least there are hard buttons and knobs for the climate and audio controls.

Anyone hoping the 4Runner TRD Pro would sport the fancy front seats with built-in shock absorbers from the Tacoma TRD Pro will be disappointed. Toyota spokespeople said the Tacoma is a “me truck,” while the 4Runner is a “we truck.” Those neat-looking front seats in the Tacoma eat all the rear legroom, so they don’t make an appearance in the 4Runner. But the TRD Pro 4Runner still requires the choice of camo-patterned black or red leather, which is quite the life choice. Like in the Tacoma, “TOYOTA” is stamped across the passenger side of the dashboard in the TRD Pro and Trailhunter models, and can’t be removed. It’s a three-piece molding and part of the trim itself.

Packaging and materials quality seem to be a real issue with the 4Runner, just like its Land Cruiser sibling. Shut the doors and it sounds like a thin, hollow, tin can. Going down the highway the entire hood flexes in the wind. Lower-spec trims have cheap hard plastic on the door uppers, and even in higher trim models the soft-touch material on the door uppers just covers more hard plastic. It’s the same story for the soft-touch door-mounted armrests and center armrest, both of which allow elbows to sink into the hard plastic in seconds. The center console handle wiggles, and the roof-mounted grab handle on the passenger side felt like it might rip off if used to get into the 4Runner. 

Road trips might not be terribly comfortable in the 4Runner, and that would doubly so for those seated in back. Anyone finding themselves in the front passenger seat of the SR5, TRD Off-Road, or TRD Sport models will note the lack of lumbar adjustments. Passengers in back will find no room for feet or even toes under the front seats. The second-row seat bottoms are low, flat, and mounted above the rear axle. A tiny, barely existent, third row is an option on the base SR5 and Limited models. It’s not really habitable, and it’s not offered on the larger Land Cruiser, which indicates its lack of usefulness here. The cargo area of hybrids induces a higher liftover height because the load floor is raised to accommodate the battery pack. To ensure Toyota can claim there’s a flat load floor a plastic compartment under a cover is installed near the tailgate, like GM did on the last-gen Tahoe and Yukons. This type of packaging should make an engineer sad.

The 2025 Toyota 4Runner presents value equation

The 2025 Toyota 4Runner starts at $42,265 including a $1,450 destination charge, but that’s for a base rear-wheel-drive model. Tack on another $2,000 for four-wheel drive, which is almost a given. That’s the volume model, according to Toyota. A lux Platinum costs $64,310, while the TRD Pro and Trailhunter models cost a wince-inducing $68,350. 

The 4Runner carves out its own territory among its competition. The Ford Bronco and Jeep Wrangler are priced right on top of the entire 4Runner lineup, but those are louder, cruder SUVs with a more defined purpose that compromises livability. Plus, their doors and roofs come off. The Jeep Grand Cherokee undercuts the 4Runner at $38,290 to start, but the Trailhawk off-road model, which has a plug-in hybrid powertrain, costs a TRD-like $67,980. It’s also not as focused on off-roading as the 4Runner.

The 4Runner SR5 makes the most financial sense as, compared to the TRD Pro or Trailhunter models, buyers will have more than $20,000 left in their budgets to modify their vehicles with aftermarket parts rather than opting for the TRD-badged models. But factory-integration and a factory warranty are understandably desirable.

In the end the latest 4Runner is better than the outgoing model. It remains to be seen if customers will have to be dragged kicking and screaming to dealers to buy one or if they will be ready to accept lots of new technology in a vehicle that was beloved for its old-school appeal.

Toyota paid for travel, lodging, and all the dust in my hair and ears so Motor Authority could bring you this test drive review