First Drive: 2025 Toyota 4Runner

If you were to ask me to name the vehicle in most need of a refresh and the vehicle whose rabid cast of owners would never want to change, the answer would be the same: the Toyota 4Runner.

Toyota’s adult-sized Tonka truck has gone without any real changes for 15 years; a new colour here, a new trim there is all we’ve seen over that time, really. It’s made do with the same 5-speed automatic transmission – the only vehicle sold in Canada with a gearbox of that vintage – and 4.0-litre V6; I mean, even the Jeep Wrangler has more powertrain choices than that, including a hybrid! And, in all honesty, the legions of 4Runner fans and owners are probably fine with that. It was a simple, no-nonsense off-roader that made no bones about its station.

Alas, the car world marches toward more electrification, emissions standards are getting ever more stringent and – let’s be honest – Toyota is feeling the pinch of attracting a greater variety of intenders to choose the 4Runner. So it was time to put the old girl out to pasture, to send her to that great off-road trail in the sky — it was for a change. Enter the new 4Runner, coming to Canada with two new engines – yes, there’s a hybrid – a new transmission and eight diverse trims, including the all-new overlander-from-factory Trailhunter version.

The Trailhunter provides specialized suspension (engineered by an Australian company called Old Man Emu. As you do), bumpers, and a select few other features (including a snorkel!) that make for an overlanding platform right out of the gate. It looks oh-so-cool especially in Everest Green paint, the switchable Rigid foglamps glowing against the smoky finish of the Trailhunter’s contrast-colour front fascia. For its part, the TRD Pro does away with the OME shock and swaps them for manually-adjustable Fox dampers. The Pro is more about fast desert running, the Trailhunter is better tuned for long off-road adventuring.

Overall, the 4Runner looks far less the chunkster than previous and much more lithe. If you want something a little more handsome than a Trailhunter, then both the Limited and all-new Platinum spec truck offer colour-matched fenders and larger wheels, as well as interior niceties like real leather seats and door inserts.

The big change comes in the form of the engine and transmission. Gone is that geriatric 4.0-litre V6, not the most fuel efficient or refined of engines by any means. It’s been replaced by two different choices: a turbocharged four-cylinder engine good for 278 horsepower and 317 pound-feet of torque as well as a hybrid version. It’s called the i-Force MAX Hybrid and it’s good for a strong 326 hp and 465 lb-ft. Each engine comes paired with an eight-speed automatic, also a big step up from the five-speed auto the old one offered.

The result is an impressively smooth operation, with the transmission and engine working nicely in unison to provide comfortable and efficient progress. That last bit is important because the gas tank has shrunk for this model year, which would mean more trips to the pumps unless they found a way to help it burn less.

Smooth as it is, there’s still a proper growl emitted from the non-hybrid four-cylinder when you really get on it that’s somewhat too gravelly for my liking. It just sounds like it’s working a little bit too hard, is all but then the 4Runner is nothing if not a little rough around the edges. While there are eight trims, only one of them – the $63,702 TRD Off-Road model – is available with the choice of either the gas or hybrid engine. The remaining seven are married to a single engine choice, with the top three trims being available with standard hybrid power. It comes as little surprise that the Off-Road was the trim offered with both choices; it represents a great mix of the rough and tumble and creature comfort facets of the new truck and has always been a top seller in the line-up.

The 2.4 turbo’s somewhat uncultured attitude is quickly metered out by the chassis, however. That’s especially the case if we’re talking about any of the models that have been engineered for more on-road comfort as opposed to off-road chops. Sure; off-road specific models like the Trailhunter (MSRP $87,841) and TRD Pro (MSRP $80,502) are great fun in the right environments, but when it comes to models like the base SR5 (MSRP $54,200), Limited ($72,639) or new Platinum grade ($77,338) you want a truck that works as a better day-to-day vehicle for hockey practice runs or road trips.

That’s why Toyota has crafted the chassis and chosen the tires of those trucks to return a better drive on smooth roads, always a pain point for the 4Runner.

Not anymore, however; the 4Runner may remain a truck-based body-on-frame vehicle (it shares its TNGA-F platform with the Tacoma pickup), but it sure doesn’t drive like one. The well-tunes suspension absorbs even the harshest bumps and even as the turns start to get more repetitive the body roll is kept nicely in check. Having driven the 4Runner in many forms of the years, it is a revelation just how well this latest take on the formula sets the pace on the highway.

The creature comforts don’t stop at the ride, either. The 4Runner can be had with ventilated seats, an 14” infotainment display with wireless Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and charging as well as a  moonroof and power liftgate. There’s even an optional 14-speaker JBL Audio system that provides a removable Bluetooth speaker.

There’s a lot going on when it comes to the new 4Runner, that’s for sure. Whether it’s the vast amount of trims on offer, the fact that there are now two engines to choose form or just the fact that it has undergone such a massive overhaul, it is a lot to take in. Our bet, though, is that the diversity is going to be a boon for 4Runner vets and neophytes alike. Here’s to the next 15 years!