Toyota reminisces with 2023 4Runner
Retro looks, modern technology seen for 40th year.
Dear loyal readers, I am nearing my 50th trip around the sun. I’m throwing this in not because I’m nearing a midlife crisis, but because I have a fondness for yesteryear. The days of old. Nostalgia.
I’ve become that guy. Where things were better back in the day. So needless to say, my tester this week scratched where I itch as it was a throwback from 40 years ago.
This week’s tester is the 2023 Toyota 4Runner 40th Anniversary Special Edition. Toyota will only produce 4,040 of these retro 4Runners, and I was lucky enough to drive one. The initial reaction from friends and family was love/ hate. And on my Instagram poll, it was split nearly 50/50, whether people were digging the “groovy” looks or hating the heritage graphics. I was in the camp of loving the old-school looks.
The first 4Runner was built on the Toyota pickup platform, which itself founded the heritage of Toyota’s off-road racing. As an homage to those early racers, the 4Runner 40th Anniversary Edition will be wearing some very cool, retro-inspired yellow, orange and red body graphics. I thought the yellow, orange and red graphics were not only eye-catching, but appealing. Others felt quite the opposite. To each their own.
Otherwise, this 4Runner looks the part of a modern 4Runner, standing tall and stout. The 40th Anniversary 4Runner is based on the SR5 Premium trim and is only available in 4x4 (as it should be). Additionally, it will only be available in three colors: White, Midnight Black Metallic and Barcelona Red Metallic. My tester was the Barcelona Red, where the Orange/Yellow graphics really popped, although came close to looking too garish.
Today’s SUVs lack distinction and personality. This 4Runner has that in spades, and it’s on full display.
Inside, the 40th-anniversary theme continues. There is exclusive badging on the center console and a bronze-colored, crossstitch shift knob, and matching bronze-color seat stitching. It ties the interior together. There are also 40th anniversary floormats and a 40th-anniversary logo on the seats.
Thankfully, there’s no technology throwback, as there’s still an easy-to-use infotainment system that integrates with smartphones. I almost was hoping for an eighttrack player. If you’re going to go retro, go all the way. But I probably would have griped about that.
There’s nothing retro about the performance, as this 4Runner comes with a 270-horsepower 4.0-liter V6 engine. This gives this SUV plenty of power both off the line and at cruising speeds. With four-wheel drive, it’s also quite capable off the road. Varying road conditions are no problem thanks to the Variable Valve Timing, which optimizes the torque provided and enhances the driving conditions.
The five-speed automatic transmission felt a little too “retro,” and this time I don’t mean that in a sentimental way. Sadly, this transmission felt outmatched and outdated. The 4Runner can tow a maximum of 5,000 pounds, according to Toyota.
Special editions do come with special price tags, although for one so special (and limited) the base price seemed reasonable, as it was priced at $44,620. Features like sliding rear glass window, running boards, moonroof and Kinetic Dynamic Suspension System added to the bottom line.
The final price of my throwback tester was $48,199.
The Special Edition 4Runner had a throwback fuel economy rating that would’ve made then President Jimmy Carter not very happy. The EPA rating is 16 mpg/ city and 19 mpg/highway. In a week’s worth of suburban driving, I averaged a mere 17 mpg. Talk about a fuel crisis.
When I was 10 years old, the Toyota 4Runner first came out. And now 40 years later, I’m turning 50 and Toyota is paying respect to the 4Runner with this cool, groovy, retro throwback edition.