The Toyota 4Runner is a highly capable trail vehicle. It will get you over the rocks and through the muck, but it won't make you regret its durable construction when you're cruising the Interstate. It's smooth and quiet on the road and there's plenty of room for family and friends. The V8 delivers an excellent response. If you want serious recreational capability with quality, durability and reliability, the 4Runner is an excellent choice
The Toyota 4Runner is a rugged SUV with impressive off-road capability and legendary Toyota reliability and build quality. A full-framed truck with a solid rear axle, plus the latest in off-road electronics, the 4Runner delivers everything it promises. Yet the 4Runner is no rough rider. It's quite comfortable around town and on the highway, with a nice ride quality, almost luxurious.
The 4Runner can go anywhere a truck can go, and slog through the worst mess you can imagine. Its traditional design gives it an advantage in long-term durability especially over rugged terrain and tow 7300 pounds which is not a number to scoff at.
The Sport Edition V6 2WD ($30,325) and 4WD ($32,600) are upgraded with high-contrast cloth upholstery, a leather-wrapped tilt-telescope steering wheel with integrated audio and cruise controls, a leather-wrapped shift knob, power heated outside mirrors, cargo cover, X-REAS Sport Enhancement Suspension, bigger brake rotors, and 17-inch alloy wheels.
The cloth upholstery that comes standard is nice. The seats in the SR5 are comfortable, with side bolsters to keep the driver in place when cornering or driving off-road. All seats offer adjustable headrests and the driver's seat power adjusts eight ways, The driver and front passenger sit up high, as one expects in an SUV, yet flatter to the floor, as in some low cars like a Ford Mustang. The driver's legs stretch out, rather than down, toward the pedals. It's a feeling we've noticed in some Jeeps, going back quite some years, and is a result of the high floor, low roofline design for off-road use.
A two-tone dashboard houses the instruments. Gauges illuminate in orange, set in three deep binnacles that prevent the front-seat passenger from reading them and aiding legibility for the driver in bright sunlight. Automatic climate control is standard on all models. The fan, airflow, and temperature controls are big and easy to locate; they are long on style and a little awkward at first, but become easy to use with familiarity.
The stereo buttons are easy to operate. A display located just above the climate controls reveals time, ambient temperature, and trip data. An unusual feature is a pair of small convex mirrors at the rear corners of the interior, designed to help the driver see approaching vehicles when backing out of a parking space. The mirrors work on the same principle as those big convex mirrors mounted at the corners of large parking garages. In the 4Runner, they help the driver detect motion in a busy parking lot.
The 4.7-liter V8 is smooth and tractable and never struggles when thrust is needed. The V8 features variable valve timing with intelligence (VVT-i) and electronic throttle control with intelligence (ETCS-i), turning it into a real performer. It's rated 260 horsepower and 306 pound-feet of torque and adds about 200 pounds to the overall weight. The torque figure is the key number here. In the case of the V8, torque is important for pulling a trailer. The V8 is EPA-rated at 15/19 with 4WD.