San Diego, CA - The 2025 Toyota 4Runner has just been unveiled, marking the debut of the SUV's sixth generation. Auto123 was on hand for the event.
Normally, models brought on to the market are renewed within periods ranging from five to seven years. Rare are the occasions when 10 or even 15 years elapse between two model generations.
Such is the case with the Toyota 4Runner, finally getting a facelift after 15 years on the market, with no major changes to its configuration.
It's a big deal, and it was a long wait. But hard to criticize Toyota since the SUV continued to enjoy robust sales over. In 2022, the 4Runner had its best sales year ever!
You can’t stand still forever though. The automaker has just introduced the sixth-generation 4Runner, which will make its market debut towards the end of this year as a 2025 product.
Please note that we did not test this model, we were just introduced to it in person. The first test drive will be for later.
Design of the 2025 Toyota 4Runner
The new 4Runner is based on the TNGA-F (Toyota New Global Architecture) platform, the same that underpins the Tacoma and Tundra pickups, as well as the Sequoia and Land Cruiser SUVs.
The vehicle benefits from a fresh design that has nothing in common with that of the outgoing model. Toyota says the 2025 4Runner was designed in its American offices at the same time as the Tacoma pickup. The two have a distinctly similar look, but with some variations. The grille, slimmed down at the front, offers something different. The bumper is gigantic.
Otherwise, the styling remains robust, with protruding fender and wheel arches.
At the rear, you may notice a signature characteristic of the 4Runner, and a fine nod to the first two generations with a third window, shaped in a peculiar way and slightly perched on the sides. Another feature is the power-lowering rear window.
For longtime 4Runner owners, this new model will take some getting used to. They’ve had the same SUV for 15 years after all.
Nine versions
The offering is plump and well-fed with nine variants: SR5, TRD Sport, TRD Sport Premium, TRD Offroad, TRD Offroad Premium, Limited, Platinum, TRD Pro and Trailhunter. More on that last one in a moment.
Pricing for the 2025 Toyota 4Runner’s different variants will be revealed at a later date as the model’s market launch date approaches.
Powertrains of the 2025 Toyota 4Runner
The 4Runner will be offered with two engines. You won't be surprised to learn that the 4.0L V6 that powered it is off to the retirement home. In its place we find the brand's 2.4L turbocharged 4-cylinder engine, which is making its way quietly under the hood of many Toyota models, including the new Tacoma.
This block is offered in two configurations: i-Force, good for 278 hp and 317 lb-ft of torque, then i-Force Max hybrid, offering 326 hp and 465 lb-ft of torque. This configuration benefits from a 48-hp electric motor, integrated into the vehicle's 8-speed automatic transmission. A 1.87-kWh battery is also part of the setup.
With the latter engine, towing capacity is rated at 6,000 lb.
The base engine is available with the SR5, TD Sport TRD Off-Road and Limited versions. The latter two are optional, and can be fitted with the electrified powertrain that comes standard with the Platinum, TRD Pro and Trailhunter versions.
Trailhunter: going further
The 4Runner has lost none of its off-road capabilities, as we shall see, but Toyota is offering an even more off-road-capable utility vehicle with a new version called Trailhunter.
This is a turnkey proposal by Toyota, as the Trailhunter is equipped for overlanding right out of the factory. The automaker collaborated with a number of off-road component manufacturers to further improve the quality of assembly and finish. For example, the Trailhunter model gets forged 2.5-inch OME (Old Man Emu) shocks with external piggyback reservoirs at the rear, as well as a uniquely designed ARB roof rack.
OME shock absorbers and 33-inch Toyo Open Country A/T tires give the Trailhunter version a two-inch gain at the front and an inch and a half at the rear. Rock rails and high-strength steel skid plates to protect the vehicle's vital organs are also included with this variant. The styling will also be unique, with a grille plated with TOYOTA letters in bronze, accompanied by a 20-inch LED light bar.
Across the range, we're promised just about everything you'd expect from such a model in terms of off-road capability, with a 32-degree angle of attack (24 out), a Multi-Terrain management system (operating in both high and low range), a stabilizer bar that can be disconnected for better articulation on rough terrain, differentials that can be locked - in short, everything you need to have a great time off the beaten track.
Gear configurations will also vary according to trim level, details we'll have a chance to dissect when we test-drive the model.
Interior of the 2025 Toyota 4Runner
The cabin is undoubtedly where the transformation is the most significant. Suffice to say, the living environment of the outgoing 4Runner was old-fashioned and outdated by today's standards.
There’s nothing particularly revolutionary here, but it is at least modern. The design is in line with that of the brand's most recent new models, all while paying some tribute to older 4Runners. Case in point? There are a number of oversized controls, easier to manipulate at all times, even with gloves, such as a thumbwheel for temperature and driving modes, as well as generously sized switches for a number of other functions.
Equipment varies from one proposal to another. We can tell you that the size of the multimedia screen is 8.0 or 14.0 inches, and that of the instrument cluster 7.0 or 12.3 inches, depending on the version chosen. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto applications are accessible wirelessly, and phone charging will also be available wirelessly.
Oh, and there's mention of an optional third row.
In terms of safety, Toyota equips all variants with the TSS 3.0 suite, which is frankly quite comprehensive.
The final word
After just over 40 years on the market, and having selling more than three million units sold, the 4Runner enters the new age for 2025.
We're not too worried about what's to come, given its strong reputation, but Toyota will have to watch out and offer a reliable model, which is what fans have come to expect from this product.
The rest in a few months, when the vehicle is launched.
