2025 Toyota 4Runner Is Finally Here and Appears Worth the Wait
The 2025 Toyota 4Runner lineup features two new trims—an overland-focused Trailhunter and a high-end Platinum—that join the SR5, TRD Sport, TRD Off-Road, Limited, and TRD Pro.
Most models will be powered by an i-Force 2.4-liter turbo four that makes 278 horsepower, while others get an i-Force Max hybrid with an added electric motor that ups total output to 326 horses.
Appearing more like a Tacoma SUV than it has in decades, the new 4Runner shares many exterior styling cues and interior features with the recently released pickup, while also nodding to its past.
After an impressive 15-year run, the fifth-generation Toyota 4Runner finally hands the baton to the 2025 Toyota 4Runner to kick off the model's sixth generation. The previous model's popularity hardly waned, but its time had finally come thanks to the arrival of the new crop of engines, eight-speed automatic transmission, and the TGNA-F frame and suspension architecture that recently came online with the newest Toyota Tacoma and the reintroduced Land Cruiser.
More Like a Tacoma SUV Than Ever Before
The 4Runner's new front-end styling is not a direct Tacoma carryover, but it does bear a striking resemblance. Its stance is similar too, with a wider track and three extra inches of overall body width. Like the Tacoma, much of the extra width comes from prominent fender flares that protrude farther to cover the suspension’s wider track. Many specific dimensions have not yet been released, but the Toyo Open Country AT III tires fitted to the TRD Pro and Trailhunter are sized at 265/70R-18, a sizing that translates to 33 inches tall.
Larger tires of this sort are now possible because, like the Tacoma, the 4Runner's wheelbase has been lengthened at the front to gain more body-mount clearance. Fitting larger tires to past versions of both trucks was problematic because of the relative lack of daylight in that area. For the 4Runner, this amounts to a 2.4-inch wheelbase increase (from 109.8 to 112.2 inches), which matches the new Land Cruiser, Lexus GX550, and even the Lexus LX600. Further back, the 4Runner's new styling jogs up past the rear doors in a way that makes its rear haunches appear even more muscular, while the rear side window's upper edge rolls into the roof in a way that pays homage to its first- and second-generation forebears.
Inside, the instrument cluster, center stack, and all the various buttons, switches and knobs look identical to those found in the new Tacoma, right down to the controls for the part-time four-wheel-drive transfer case (full-time on the Platinum and some versions of the Limited). The same 14.0-inch infotainment touchscreen is available on some trims, standard on others, and includes wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The overall interior styling is a dead ringer too, apart from different material and color choices for the TRD Pro and Trailhunter examples we sampled. This is outstanding news, because our recent test of the Tacoma TRD Off-Road proved that this interior is thoughtfully laid out, has handy storage features, and is easy to get familiar with.
Two Familiar New Engines
Under the hood, the 2025 4Runner's base engine is the 2.4-liter i-Force, a turbocharged inline-four that makes the same 278 horsepower and 317 pound-feet of torque it does in the Tacoma. Backed solely by an eight-speed automatic, this engine will be the lone offering in the SR5 and TRD Sport and will be the base fitment in the TRD Off-Road and Limited. We were highly impressed by this setup in a recent comparison between a Tacoma TRD Off-Road and a Chevy Colorado ZR2, where the i-FORCE punched well above its weight by matching the significantly more powerful Chevy step for step and recording an identical 6.8-second 60-mph time. Meanwhile, the outgoing 4Runner's 4.0-liter V-6 produced just 270 hp and 278 pound-feet and feels lazier than that deficit suggests because of the dated five-speed automatic transmission it's hooked to. Fuel economy for the new model hasn't been revealed, but it's bound to be a leap forward from the thirsty V-6/five-speed combo.
Even more power is available with the 2.4-liter i-Force Max 4Runner Hybrid, which sandwiches an electric motor between the 278-hp engine and eight-speed transmission to up total output to 326 hp and 465 pound-feet of torque. It'll be optional in the TRD Off-Road and Limited; it will be the standard fitment in the TRD Pro, Trailhunter, and full-luxe Platinum. This engine has not yet surfaced in the Tacoma, so we have not tested it. But the extra power and torque are significant and can only make an already strong combination that much more compelling. Increasing fuel economy over the standard setup isn't necessarily the prime objective here, but fuel economy is bound to nudge up anyway because the system can recapture deceleration energy and redeploy it strategically later on.
An optional third-row seat returns to the 4Runner lineup. Toyota isn't saying, but based on what we've seen we think it'll be restricted to the standard i-Force engine. The hybrid's battery pack resides under the rear cargo floor, and its presence would seemingly make it impossible for that powertrain to coexist with the third-row seat. Expect the third row to be available on the SR5 and on Limiteds that lack the hybrid powertrain option. Access to that third row has been carved out by a change in the rear seat, which does away with the current two-step flip/fold design and switches to a one-step tumble that's faster and creates a third-row entry point.
New Suspension Thinking
Because the new 4Runner shares the TGNA-F architecture with the Tacoma and Land Cruiser, its suspension layout utilizes the same sort control-arm suspension up front and multilink live axle arrangement in the back. It's the same basic concept as before, but the geometry has been thoroughly rethought. Details about the full range of offerings across the entire model range are scarce, but we do know that the TRD Pro will be fitted with Fox QS3 dampers with manually adjustable compression “clicker” adjustments, while the Trailhunter will ride on ARB/Old Man Emu dampers. Both will have external reservoirs at the rear.
As with the Tacoma, the TRD Pro's suspension tuning will be geared more toward high-speed desert running, while the Trailhunter's is optimized for overland-style off-road exploration and rockier trail work. As such, the Trailhunter has additional skid plates and more robust rock sliders that are bolted directly to the frame. The one we saw had a built-in air compressor that looked stock, with a Trailhunter-branded roof basket and snorkel air intake that may or may not have been standard equipment. Time will tell.
Toyota has said that the electronic rear differential locker is standard fare for the TRD Off-Road, TRD Pro, and Trailhunter, which matches the Tacoma's strategy. We also spied a disconnecting front anti-roll bar on the TRD Pro and Trailhunter and were told this feature will be optional on the TRD Off-Road. Whether that'll be a stand-alone option as it is on the Tacoma or a part of some yet-to-be-announced option package remains to be seen. What all this means, though, is the current-generation 4Runner's optional KDSS system of hydraulically defeatable front and rear anti-roll bars is a goner.
Coming This Fall
We know enough about the new 2025 Toyota 4Runner to be excited about it, and the announced fall 2024 release means we won't have to wait long to drive one and learn how much the various trim levels will cost and what sort of fuel economy the two powertrains can deliver. It has clearly been a long time coming, but the new sixth-generation 2025 4Runner seems well worth the painfully long wait.
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