By James Kelly
It is no secret that we celebrate Toyotathon in my house. If it really were a holiday, the entire house would be strung with little Toyota logo lights. We would gift neighbors zero-percent APR financing on new Highlanders and send letters to Jan from Toyota.
Toyota’s next gift to us is the 2025 4Runner, which has received major changes to its overall design and powertrain options. The current generation has been on sale for nearly 15 years, and both its design and powertrain are practically medieval, so needless to say, it was time for a major overhaul.
Now packing a turbocharged 2.4 liter 4-cylinder engine, the 4Runner will lose some of that charming grunt we’ve come to love. Power is rated at 278 horses with the four-banger mill paired to an 8-speed automatic transmission. Very different from the outgoing V-6 affixed to a 5-speed dog of a transmission.
The new 6th-generation model can be optioned with a hybrid powertrain, with max power output rated at 326 horsepower. An electrified 4Runner? Blasphemy! Of course I don’t mean that; I think it’s about time Toyota did something about the 4Runner’s economy to make it even more competitive in the small-SUV market.
A lot is riding on the shoulders of this new model. Fifteen years is a long time for a car to be in production, but it also means that whatever replaces it has to be as robust as its predecessor. It has a reputation to uphold for cryin’ out loud! Sure, the current 5th-generation is a dinosaur, but it’s one of the last rough and rugged, tough-as-nails automobiles on sale today. I wish I could say the same for its replacement, granted it’s still too early to tell.
Redesigning a popular car is always a double-edged sword. Companies can’t always please new customers while keeping legacy buyers happy, but Toyota never seems to have this problem. Toyota owners, especially owners of iconic nameplates like Camry, Corolla, Land Cruiser, and Sienna, will happily keep coming back no matter what.
The 4Runner is the same story. And while it might seem like Toyota muddied the waters with a new powertrain, I guarantee you they did not. Loyal owners will happily flock to trade in their 200,000 mile-plus 4Runners for a brand new one in the same trim level and color. Anything less than the stated mileage would be a disgrace to its 4Fathers.