Toyota 4Runner 6th Gen

The 4Runner is Toyota's midsize body-on-frame SUV. The sixth generation arrived for the 2025 model year, the first full redesign since 2009. It moved onto the TNGA-F platform shared with the Tacoma, Tundra, Land Cruiser, and Lexus GX, and retired the 4.0-liter V6 that had served the 4Runner for two decades.

Body-on-frame construction is the reason the 4Runner still exists as its own thing. Almost every midsize SUV sold today is a unibody crossover. The 4Runner keeps a separate ladder frame, a coil-sprung solid rear axle, and a two-speed transfer case with low range. The penalty is weight and a less settled on-road ride than a crossover delivers. The return is low-range capability, rear-axle articulation on uneven ground, and the durability that comes from a drivetrain built to truck standards.

The sixth generation replaces the V6 with a turbocharged 2.4-liter four-cylinder, the i-FORCE, rated 278 horsepower. It also adds an i-FORCE MAX hybrid for the first time, pairing that engine with an electric motor for 326 horsepower and 465 lb-ft of torque. Both drive an 8-speed automatic. The lineup runs nine grades. SR5 and TRD Sport cover the road-biased end; TRD Off-Road adds a locking rear differential, Multi-Terrain Select, and Crawl Control; TRD Pro brings a TRD aluminum skid plate, prewired auxiliary switches, and a retuned suspension; and the Trailhunter is built for long-distance backcountry travel, with an ARB roof rack, steel underbody protection, an integrated air compressor, and bronze 18-inch wheels.

The 4Runner carries one of the deepest aftermarket catalogs of any SUV, built up over the fifth generation's unusually long fifteen-year run. Parts coverage for the new platform is still filling in, but the shared TNGA-F frame means suspension and armor developed for the Tacoma increasingly fit the 4Runner too. The hybrid finally addresses the 4Runner's long-standing weakness, fuel economy, at the cost of roughly 600 pounds over the lightest gas trim.