2025 Toyota 4Runner 4WD Limited - Review by David Colman +VIDEO

Setting a new benchmark for the 4-By Category

David Colman

Photos and Story by David Colman
Special Correspondent
THE AUTO CHANNEL

Toyota's latest iteration of its long lived 4RUNNER is the most pugnacious-looking example yet to carry that fabled nameplate. When I think back to my first test of the 1987 4RUNNER, I remember it as a bare bones Tacoma pickup fitted with a camper shell. Its hard interior surfaces were designed to keep you bolt upright and awake on long drives. Beyond its tough ride and ability to store valuables out of sight, that precursor of today's 4RUNNER had little to recommend it beyond cowboy good looks.

Here we are, more than 40 years later, and Toyota has just introduced the 6th generation of its golden goose, the SUV that forever killed the station wagon. Over the years, 4RUNNER has become the go-to SUV for rugged individualists, with a mind-boggling array of models ranging from suburban grocery getters to backcountry conquerors. New for 2025 are no fewer than nine different grades: SR5, TRD Sport, TRD Sport Premium, TRD Off-Road, TRD Off-Road Premium, Limited, Platinum TRD Pro, and Trailhunter. Prices range from $42,000 to more than $65,000, with Platinum and Trailhunter grades new to the model array. Our Limited test model (base price $57,400) is billed by Toyota as offering "the more sophisticated driving experience," with heated and ventilated leather trimmed seats, and available (meaning $1,005 extra) automatic power running boards. The Limited probably represents your best bet for commuting and errand running. But if you plan on tackling the Baja or the rocks at Moab, go for one of the TRD variants, or the new Trailhunter.

Which is not to say that even the semi-citified 4RUNNER Limited is toned down very much compared to its more boisterous outback brethren. Indeed, one look at the Limited's squinty headlights and blocky massive grill will have you convinced this Toyota means business both on and off the paved road. For starters, its lofty 71in. height justifies the purchase of those retractable running boards. With its curb weight nudging 5,000 lbs., the jacked-up Limited is rather an unwieldy beast. Helping it stand tall in the saddle are a set of 12-spoke, 20 x 8J, machine-cut alloy rims shod with sticky Dunlop Grandtrek PT5A mud & snow radials (265/55R20) rated TW 360. Toyota's Adaptive Variable Suspension and Full Time 4WD offer a wide variety of ride settings (Eco, Comfort, Normal, Sport S and Sport S+) all easily available from a large circular knob mounted atop the center console. This button shares its space with a TOW/HAUL Control knob that regulates the Trailer Driving Assist program baked into the 4RUNNER's circuitry. Maximum tow rating is 6,000 lbs, and the Limited comes standard with a Tow Hitch Receiver and 7/4 pin connectors. You'll pay $65 for an optional "towing-ball mount."

Prime mover for the 4RUNNER Limited is a 278 hp inline-4. This turbocharged engine produces 317 lb.-ft. of torque and drives all four wheels through an 8-speed automatic gearbox. An optional Hybrid version (i-FORCE MAX) is available for the Limited, which boosts horsepower output by 48 hp to 326 hp. Depending on the engine selected, 0-60mph times range from 7.2 seconds for the base motor to 6.7 seconds for the hybrid, with quarter mile times ranging from 15.5 seconds for the 278 hp down to 15 seconds flat for the hybrid. If you opt for the hybrid model, do not expect much of a bump in economy, as both models rate 20-21 MPG overall. However, one useful option available only to hybrid buyers is a center locking differential, which is a boon to off-road performance. If I were buying a 4RUNNER Limited, I would definitely opt for the hybrid i-FORCE MAX version because I found the performance of the base turbo 4 to be underwhelming for freeway merges or passing requirements.

Even in Normal Mode, the ride of the Limited is rambunctious, with lots of head toss from upper body whip provoked by rough pavement. So you have to be willing to give up some cushion comfort to gain this Toyota's legendary off-road stability. The leather trimmed, mocha colored front seats were handsome to behold, but rather hard and unsupportive in action. The dash layout retains the Big Knob look of its forebears, with fully graspable temperature controls, 7 discrete buttons for HVAC manipulation, and a trio of rubberized grabs serving as door pulls and center console handhold. Toyota has managed to retain the Wild West look and feel of the 4RUNNER that's been its hallmark since inception. If you want the toughest truck you can buy, this one still sets the standard by which all other 4-bys are measured.

2025 TOYOTA 4RUNNER 4WD LIMITED

• ENGINE: 2.4 liter inline-4, turbocharged and intercooled, aluminum block and head, DOHC 16-valve, direct and port fuel injection
• HORSEPOWER: 278 hp@6000rpm
• TORQUE: 317 lb.-ft.@1700rpm
• FUEL CONSUMPTION: 20MPH City/24MPG Highway
• PRICE AS TESTED: $62,785

HYPES: Go Anywhere Potential, Seamless Cruise Control

GRIPES: Running Board Hinges and Exposed Fender Flare Screws Look Chintzy

STAR RATING: 8.5 Stars out of 10

©2025 David E Colman