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The new 2025 Toyota 4Runner is an entirely new vehicle from the ground up. It looks tough enough, but will it tackle the trails as well as its predecessor?
Finally 4Runner
After more than fifteen years, Toyota is finally sunsetting the fifth-generation 4Runner for a new sixth-generation. While we’ve always admired Toyota’s focus on incremental improvements, the fifth-gen 4Runner was beginning to show its age … about five years ago. Toyota’s new(-ish) TNGA-F platform now underpins over half a dozen Toyota and Lexus vehicles including the Tacoma, Land Cruiser, and Lexus GX. Now it is time, after low these many years, for the 4Runner to make the leap into the future as well.
The Toyota 4Runner enters 2025 as a wholly new vehicle: new looks, new chassis, new powertrain, new interior. So, does the thoroughly reimagined sixth-generation 4Runner live up to its reputation for ruggedness? We’ve got all the details below.
Goodbye V6, Hello Hybrid
Yes, the 4Runner is trading out it’s V6 for a four-cylinder hybrid (in most cases). But before the gnashing of teeth and the rending of garments commences, know that the prior 4.0L V6 wasn’t just aging but aged, anemic, and thirsty making just 270 horsepower, 278, lb.-ft. of torque, and netting a lackluster 16 city mpg.
The 2025 4Runner’s new powertrain is a 2.4L four-cylinder offered in gas and hybrid varieties. The gas-only version, the i-Force, makes 278 horsepower and 317 lb.-ft. of torque, roughly the same output as the departing V6, but delivering much improved fuel economy at 20 mpg city and 26 mpg highway. The i-Force is the only powertrain available for the two lowest of the 4Runner’s seven trim levels: the SR5 and Limited. As compensation, those and any other non-hybrid equipped versions do get larger cargo areas as space isn’t eaten up by the hybrid’s battery pack (48.4 cu.-ft. for the non-hybrids versus 42.6 cu.-ft. for the hybrid) as well as access to third-row seating.
The i-Force MAX, the hybrid version of the 2.4L, makes 326 horsepower and a very robust 465 lb.-ft. of torque while achieving 23 city and 24 highway mpg. The hybrid version ticks a lot of boxes: it’s more efficient, quicker, and more powerful. The 2.4L’s one weakness is that it’s a buzzy engine and can sound stressed under hard throttle application. And yet, the powertrain still manages to deliver plenty of reserve power despite apparent strain. It’s our guess that for most buyers, the 2.4L’s efficiency and power will likely outweigh any complaints about a buzzy engine note.
Technical Features & Driving
The 2025 Toyota 4Runner is, of course, one of the company’s more rugged builds, positioning itself right alongside off-road focused body-on-frame vehicles like the Tacoma and Land Cruiser and adjacent to the more crossover-like Highlander. Ensuring the 4Runner remains a darling within the off-road community, Toyota equipped this next-generation with plenty of go-anywhere goodies. Ground clearance ranges from 8.1 inches in the entry-level SR5 all the way to 10.1 inches for the top-trim TRD-Pro and Trailhunter. In the middle, the TRD Sport, Limited, and Platinum measure 8.8 inches while the TRD Off-Road get 9.1 inches of ground clearance.
Of the above trims, the two tip trims, the Trailhunter and TRD-Pro are the most heavily equipped for off-roading (and priced accordingly with both starting at $68,350). Toyota split the difference with two top models in order to better cater to different off-roading tastes. The Trailhunter focuses on overlanding and rock crawling with its Old Man Emu shocks, snorkel, and roof rack. The TRD Pro is positioned as more of a Baja-style desert runner with Fox suspension and burly 33-inch Toyo all-terrain tires. Both versions come with standard all-wheel drive, the 2.4L hybrid powertrain, and off-road features like locking differentials, multi-terrain select, and crawl control.
Another major change from the old 4Runner to the new is the improvements in on-road performance. While the 4Runner is still a body-on-frame truck underneath, Toyota has managed to dial out a lot of the former ponderousness; body roll is more limited and steering much sharper. Given the inevitable compromises when tuning a suspension for off-road duty, the new 4Runner manages to provide a much-improved daily-driving experience.
Interior & Pricing
The 2025 Toyota 4Runner also takes major strides in updating its cabin, shared almost entirely with the Tacoma pickup. Toyota made sure to keep the most use interior features analogue with pleasantly chunky switch gear for HVAC and audio. The new 4Runner gets significant revisions to its infotainment system, 8.0 inches in lower trims, upgradable to a 14.0-inch screen. The infotainment software is responsive, intuitive, and graphics are bright with large, easy-to-read font. The 4Runner’s camera system, including 360-degree view, provides an excellent view of the vehicle’s surroundings, a major plus when out on the trails. Toyota even made sure the 4Runner retained its power tailgate window, a signature feature.
With all the updates and upgrades, the next-gen Toyota 4Runner doesn’t come cheap. The entry-level SR5 starts at $42,220 and prices climb all the way to $68,350 for the top-trim Trailhunter and TRD-Pro. That top-end price puts the 4Runner on par with supposedly swankier options like the Toyota Land Cruiser and not too far from their Lexus-badged iterations. But given where markups have been over the past few years and what similarly capable off-road pickups are going for, the new 4Runner probably isn’t overpriced, especially in its many mid-tier trims.
The wait for a new 4Runner is finally over and it looks like Toyota has delivered on the much-needed update.
