Toyota 4Runner Review

The sixth-generation 4Runner is the first genuinely new one in fifteen years, and it drags Toyota's off-road icon into the present without softening it. The old V6 is gone, replaced by a turbocharged 2.4 liter four, with an optional i-Force Max hybrid making 325 hp and 465 lb-ft. It keeps a rugged body-on-frame chassis, offers five or seven seats, and starts at $40,770, with hybrid trims running from the low fifties into the high sixties.

The appeal is time tested. This is a proper, durable, go anywhere SUV with real trail hardware in TRD Off-Road, Trailhunter, and TRD Pro trims, now wrapped in a modern cabin with a big touchscreen and far better on-road manners. Toyota's reliability record and the 4Runner's famously strong resale value make it easy to recommend and easy to own.

It is not without gripes. Fuel economy is only fair for a vehicle of this size, the turbo four lacks the smooth character of the old V6, and the top trims get expensive fast. The interior is tough and sensible rather than plush.

For a buyer who wants one vehicle that can tow, explore, haul a family, and still be worth strong money in ten years, the new 4Runner is squarely back on the shortlist. It modernizes the recipe without breaking it.