A promising redesign that is long overdue.
Long overdue for a serious update, Toyota’s popular–and off-road capable–4Runner midsize SUV has been redesigned for the 2025 model year. The popular truck, which serves as a rugged alternative to Toyota’s refined Highlander crossover, has gone largely unchanged since 2010.
2025 Toyota 4Runner
The new 4Runner moves to the Japanese maker’s versatile TNGA-F architecture, which is shared with the Tacoma midsize pickup, Land Cruiser SUV, Tundra large pickup, and Sequoia large SUV, as well as a number of Lexus models.
The new 4Runner grows slightly in over length (from 191 inches to 194), and gains 2 inches of wheelbase, which now stretches 122 inches.
Gone is the old truck’s dated 270-horsepower V6, replaced by a pair of 4-cylinder engine. The standard mill is a turbocharged 2.4-liter unit (dubbed i-Force) rated at 278 horsepower. Available on some trim levels is a turbocharged and hybrid 2.4-liter engine (i-Force Max) rated at 326 horsepower. Both engines mate to an 8-speed automatic transmission.
The 2025 4Runner can be had with rear-wheel drive, part-time 4WD, or full-time 4WD. The full-time system is limited to premium trim levels.
Speaking of trim levels, the new 4Runner will be offered in an expanded number of price and equipment grades, starting with the entry-level SR5, and ascending through TRD Sport, TRD Sport Premium, TRD Off-Road, TRD Off-Road Premium, Limited, Platinum, TRD Pro, and Trailhunter.
Per Toyota, the new Trailhunter trim level represents a new, higher-level of off-road capability for the 4Runner, which should be impressive, as the current-generation truck is no slouch in the rough stuff.
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The 2025 Toyota 4Runner comes standard with Toyota’s Safety Sense 3.0 suite of safety features, including:
- Pre-Collision System with Pedestrian Detection
- Lane Departure Alert with Steering Assist
- Full-Speed Range Dynamic Radar Cruise Control
- Lane Tracing Assist
- Road Sign Assist
- Automatic High Beams
- Proactive Driving Assist
No word on pricing, but Toyota promises the new 4Runner will arrive in showrooms this fall.
CG Says:
Despite being almost 15 years old, the 4Runner remains incredibly popular with Toyota loyalists. American consumers snapped up more than 122,000 examples in 2023, which speaks to the truck’s reputation for off-road capability, reliability, and bank-vault resale value. We’re glad to see the old ‘Runner’s cranky and inefficient V6 disappear, though serious off-road enthusiasts may miss the big engine’s easy, low-rpm torque. That said, this is Toyota’s game to lose, but we suspect the new truck will continue to please its loyal core audience. We do wonder, however, how the new 4Runner will be priced relative to the new, down-market Land Cruiser.
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2025 Toyota 4Runner Gallery
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