2025 Toyota 4Runner

The current-generation Toyota 4Runner is one of the oldest new cars you can buy, dating way back to the 2010 model year. Yet it remains one of the most popular vehicles in the country, outselling more than 90% of the new cars available today. Not even time can slow down a 4Runner, it turns out.

The totally redesigned 2025 Toyota 4Runner promises to be even more relentless. It’s bigger, bolder, more powerful, and more capable. But it’s also more refined, tech-savvier, and – judging by our time in the excellent new Toyota Tacoma with which the 4Runner shares virtually everything but the bed – so much more satisfying to drive. Which is great, because the country is going to rack up some serious miles on this thing.

What’s old is new again. Finally. The sixth-generation 4Runner midsize SUV is better in perhaps every measurable way than the beloved but aging star it replaces. It’s also a bit bigger and the lineup has grown to include a choice of engines, plus a well-equipped Platinum model and the overlanding-ready Trailhunter.

The 2024 Jeep Grand Cherokee starts at around $38,500, but with less equipment. That’s about as close as it comes to a direct competitor for the 4Runner. Expanding the search a bit, the 4-door Jeep Wrangler also starts at around $38,500, with the 4-door Ford Bronco lineup starting at around $42,000. The new-for-2024 Toyota Land Cruiser starts close to $57,000.

The Toyota 4Runner has long been a resale value all-star, a trend we’re confident will continue. Buy a new, $50,000 Toyota 4Runner today and in five years it could sell for $7,500 more than the midsize SUV average. Recouping more money when you sell a vehicle can mean a bigger down payment and lower monthly payments on your next one.

It would hardly be an oversimplification to say the 4Runner is the SUV version of the Toyota Tacoma midsize pickup. It’s built on the same body-on-frame truck platform, offers the same engines, and has essentially the same interior. So while nobody has driven the new 4Runner as we write this, our time in the new Tacoma likely gives us a pretty good idea of what to expect from the new 4Runner. And we expect very good things.

The 2025 Toyota 4Runner will be much more responsive and livelier than its predecessor in all phases. Steering response will be crisp, brake feel will be firm and direct, and the more powerful turbocharged 4-cylinder engine will quickly win over just about everyone wringing their hands over the move away from the V6. The new 4Runner will be more stable and confidence-inspiring on the highway, and less ponderous around town and in parking lots. The days of having to accept the 4Runner’s on-road shortcomings as a tradeoff for its off-road prowess are very likely behind us.

The impressively outfitted 4Runner TRD Pro and new Trailhunter (seen above, note the snorkel) promise to be exceptional off-road, of course, and the optional i-Force Max powertrain may very well propel the 4Runner to 60 mph in not many ticks beyond five seconds.

If the interior of the redesigned-for-2025 Toyota 4Runner looks familiar, then you’ve seen the redesigned-for-2024 Toyota Tacoma. And the similarity is just fine with us, because we think it hits all the right notes in both form and function.

Second-row legroom remains on the low side for a vehicle this size, but cargo room behind those seats is generous. The 4Runner’s optional third row made the cut for 2025, but keep in mind it’s also on the small side and best for occasional use by shorter humans on shorter trips.

We think Toyota’s designers hit it on the nose with this redesign. The new 4Runner is bigger, bolder, more contemporary, and still very much a 4Runner. See how the rearmost side window wraps into the roof? That’s a cool nod to earlier 4Runners. And it wouldn’t be a 4Runner without a retractable rear window. The 2025 Toyota 4Runner is a couple inches wider and almost five inches longer than the outgoing model.

The 2025 Toyota 4Runner will offer a choice of two strong engines. The 2.4-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder i-Force engine generates 278 horsepower and 317 lb-ft of torque. That’s more and better power than the V6 it replaces, with all that torque hitting much earlier in the rev range. When combined with a 48-horsepower electric motor, that same engine becomes the i-Force Max hybrid, delivering 326 horsepower, a whopping 465 lb-ft of torque, and the title of most powerful 4Runner ever. Both engines are matched with an 8-speed automatic transmission, offering 60% more gears than the outgoing model’s dated 5-speed auto. Power continues to the ground via rear-wheel drive, part-time 4-wheel drive, or full-time 4-wheel drive, in combination with an array of capability-enhancing hardware and software.

Fuel Economy

Fuel economy has never been a key selling point for the 4Runner, but we expect a bit of good news on that front. Using the Tacoma as our guide, 4Runner fuel economy could increase from 17 mpg in the current model to perhaps 19 mpg in the new one. That doesn’t sound like much, but at 15,000 miles per year and $4 per gallon, that’s a savings of about $30 per month. We’ll take it. The i-Force Max hybrid offering will use its gas-electric configuration for performance gains more than all-out efficiency, but we expect it will also be thriftier than the base engine by perhaps a few miles per gallon.

Warranty

Toyota will back the 2025 4Runner with a new-vehicle warranty that lasts three years or 36,000 miles, whichever happens first. Powertrains are covered for five years or 60,000 miles. These durations are typical among mainstream manufacturers. The hybrid components of i-Force Max models are covered by an 8-year/100,000-mile warranty, and the hybrid battery has a transferable 10-year/150,000-mile warranty. Toyota also provides free maintenance for the first two years or 25,000 miles, as well as two years of roadside assistance with no mileage limit.

Safety

The outgoing, fifth-generation Toyota 4Runner has a 4-Star overall safety rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). With a long and impressive list of safety systems included as standard equipment, the 2025 4Runner is sure to perform as well or better.