In year two of sixth-generation Toyota 4Runner, Toyota once again showed what it’s really good at — not messing with the success. The all-new model was largely fawned over last year and the 2026 model arrives basically with some cosmetic changes, but — smartly — with little else.
In year two of sixth-generation Toyota 4Runner, Toyota once again showed what it’s really good at — not messing with the success.
Purists loved the return to a boxier look on the exterior last year, and during my week in it, I got a slew of compliments, especially about the color: Wave Maker. I must confess, it lived up to its name as anyone who asked me about the 4Runner made it a point to telling me just how cool they thought the bright tealy blue color was. Women especially went out of their way to tell me they liked the color, which is unusual.
Men most often noticed how much it reminded them of the past version of the ute, especially the all-caps TOYOTA across the front grille. 4Runner fans seems to gravitate to that the way Jeep lovers do the 7-slot grille on the vehicles of their favorite brand.
What’s available
Again, just like last year Toyota offers nine different versions of the 4Runner, ranging from the entry-level SR5 through the Limited, Platinum, Trailhunter, TRD Sport, TRD Sport Premium, TRD Off-Road, TRD Off-Road Premium, and TRD Pro. We had the TRD Pro again came in Wave Maker with a gray SofTex interior.
During my week in the 4Runner TRD Pro, I got a slew of compliments, especially about the color: Wave Maker.
When you see the TRD Pro model, you feel like it’s capable of doing just about anything. Handle a muddy, rutted dirt road. No problem. Crawl up steep incline covered in rocks. No problem. Haul something filled with those rocks, dirt, and mud? No problem.
That’s because it comes equipped with Fox QS3 Internal Bypass shocks, which you can manually adjust the compression damping on to handle whatever terrain you’re conquering that day. Add in the 20-inch light bar, fog lamps, roof rack, and massive 33-inch tires on 18-inch black alloy wheels, and you get the picture very quickly.
That said, if you’re running to Kroger or pickleball, the imposter syndrome is real. I’d love to spend some time in the Trailhunter or Limited editions. I feel like those would let me tackle just about anything I want to do, including some limited off-roading.
Power punch
Just like last year Toyota offers nine different versions of the 4Runner.
Last year 4Runner fans worried about shift from a 6-cylinder to 2.4-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder, dubbed the i-FORCE MAX Hybrid. They need not have been concerned.
The i-FORCE MAX hybrid still produces up to 326 horsepower and 465 lb.-ft. of torque, which is plenty of power, and offers better fuel economy than past models. For the 2026 model year, it gets an EPA-rating of 23 mpg city and 24 mpg highway, which tallies up to 23 mpg combined.
The power coming from the hybrid power plant is still a pleasant surprise in Year Two. Last year, I felt the 2.4-liter hybrid offered a bunch of torque and smooth power. It inspires confidence, making you feel like you could do just about anything in it without any problems.
Cabin for cruising
The cabin is laden with off-road ready modern technology. It’s got big grab handles and a big 14-inch touchscreen.
Like the outside, not much has changed inside the 4Runner, which is good … and bad. The cabin is laden with off-road ready modern technology. It’s got big grab handles and a big 14-inch touchscreen. It comes with all the safety and convenience technology you’d expect, courtesy of Toyota Safety Sense 3.0.
However, the last time I reviewed the 4Runner TRD Pro, I wrote about the cabin, “… the center console is a conundrum. It has the goodies you want, like a wireless charging pad and some open storage, but the setup is less than ideal.
“It was hard to reach some items in the storage area and I was always afraid my phone would slide off the charging pad and on to the floor if I performed any type of aggressive move — I didn’t have to and it didn’t but Toyota’s engineers are smart and I think there’s a better answer here.”
It comes with all the safety and convenience technology you’d expect, courtesy of Toyota Safety Sense 3.0.
They may have a better answer, but it’s not in this year’s ute. It’s unchanged and its more irksome than anything else. If this is the shortcoming in a vehicle, you’re picking nits. However, for what you pay for the TRD Pro, you should be able to pick a few nits.
Would I?
For the second straight year, I can say I loved my week in the Toyota 4Runner TRD Pro — slight insecurities about how I drove it aside. And my feelings remain unchanged, I’d be happy to $7,000 less for the Limited with the i-FORCE MAX hybrid at $58,500 than the $68,200 for the full-on beast. And someday I will actually put it through its off-road paces.
0 Comments