The first Toyota 4Runner in almost 15 years comes as a hybrid
After weeks of teasers, the final product is finally here: the actually new, sixth-generation 2025 Toyota 4Runner is even more off-road capable than before, but with widely improved technology, handsome new looks, and new trim levels for greater visual impact and off-road prowess. It seems the new 4Runner may have been worth the fourteen-year wait. Read on for the full rundown.
Read more: Hybrid cars are back in as electric vehicle sales slow
AT-A-GLANCE SPECS:
Standard i-Force turbocharged
● 2.4-liter inline-4 engine with 278 horsepower, 317 lb-fit of torque
Optional i-Force Max hybrid
●
with 326 hp, 465 lb-ft
Standard 8-speed automatic
● transmission
Available with 2WD, parttime
● 4WD or full-time 4WD
New Stabilizer Bar Disconnect
● Mechanism
Up to 6,000-lb towing capacity
●
Multi-terrain system (Mud,
●
Dirt, Sand, Crawl Control) that functions in both 4WD High and 4WD Low
Standard power rear window,
● available power liftgate
8-inch touchscreen standard,
● 14-inch touchscreen available; 7-inch gauge cluster standard, 12.3-inch digital cluster available
PLENTY OF POWER
The sixth-gen 4Runner comes with two powertrain options. The first is the 2.4-liter turbochared inline-4 i-Force engine that makes 278 horsepower and 317 lb-ft of torque, an increase of 50 hp and 74 lb-ft over a base new Tacoma. This is the standard engine on the SR5, TRD Sport, TRD Off-Road, and
Limited trims.
If you’re more interested in being an owner of the most powerful 4Runner ever, then you’ll want to opt for the i-Force Max hybrid. This powertrain bumps your output to 326 horsepower and 465 lb-ft of torque (the same as the Tacoma) by pairing the 2.4-liter engine to a 48-hp electric motor and a 1.87kWh battery pack. This option is available on the TRD Off-Road and Limited models, and it comes standard on the TRD Pro, Trailhunter, and Platinum trims.
OFF-ROAD FOUNDATIONS
The new 4Runner is built on Toyota’s TNGA-F truck platform that you might recognize from other models like the Tacoma, Tundra, Sequoia, and Land Cruiser. This gives you a tough, boxy steel-ladder frame with multi-link coil rear and double wishbone front suspension. On the 4Runner Toyota is introducing an available stabilizer bar disconnect mechanism to increase suspension articulation without your tires needing to leave the road. Paired with a 32-degree approach angle and a 24-degree departure angle, plus a multi-terrain monitor that allows you to see potential obstacles from the center console, you might just become the most proficient off-roader out on the trail.
You have options between two-wheel drive (with an automatic limited-slip differential), part-time four-wheel drive or full-time 4WD. The latter two get an electronically controlled two-speed transfer case with high/low range, active traction control, and automatic limitedslip diff.
Every 4Runner comes with the multi-terrain select modes to allow you to cater your driving experience to the terrain at hand, and it functions in both 4WD High and 4WD Low modes. If you want a relaxed off-road drive, you also have access to Crawl Control, which serves as a low-speed off-road cruise control with multiple speed settings.
If you really want to hit the trail, Toyota has also introduced the new Trailhunter trim that is described as an overlandingesque upgrade to an already capable machine. Toyota partnered up with aftermarket offroad companies that so many overlanders already love, this time to create your ideal machine straight from the factory.
LUXURY UPGRADES
If the Trailhunter trim is too trailhunter-y for your tastes, then you’re in luck: the 2025 4Runner also has a new luxury trim called the Platinum. It still has all that standard off-road capability, but you’ll also get to bask in the glory of heated second-row seats, a standard tow tech package, a head-up display, and automatic rain-sensing wipers.
The new 4Runner’s looks harken back to the original machines, with lots of boxy flares, hard lines and angular elements. There are “wrap over” rear quarter windows like on the ‘80s models, and of course the 4Runner’s signature rear power window remains. Toyota is offering the 2025 4Runner in some great colors, too.