2025 Toyota 4Runner: Four things we love and some we don’t

It has a nameplate that’s well known in Australia and has attracted loads of attention since its unveiling in the US last week – the 2025 Toyota 4Runner has got everyone talking, and for good reason.

When the wraps came off the 2025 Toyota 4Runner, it confirmed one thing – Toyota’s designers have finally found their groove.

The new-generation Toyota Prado has been criticised for being too boxy and radical – even a reject from the Lego Masters TV show – while historically the Japanese auto giant’s SUVs have been, well, a bit dull to look at.

The 4Runner design straddles a happy medium between wild and mild, bringing lots of aggressive angles to the design and even hints of a military aesthetic, but without making it look like a box on wheels.

There’s no diesel engine confirmed for the Toyota 4Runner yet, but given how much demand there’s been for a petrol-powered Toyota Prado in Australia, it may not be a bad thing if it gets the go-ahead for Australia.

Two powertrains will be offered at launch for the US-market 2025 Toyota 4Runner – a 2.4-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol, and a hybrid version based on the same powerplant.

The base-grade engine pumps out a very respectable 207kW/430Nm, but it’s the hybrid version – featuring a 35kW electric motor integrated into the eight-speed transmission, combining with a 1.8kWh NiMH battery – that sounds most appealing with 235kW and 630Nm of torque.

That’s sounding like an excellent combination of muscle and economy.

Towing capacity isn’t mind-blowing at 2.7 tonnes for the US market, but it isn’t piddly either. While that figure is 400kg less than the 3100kg braked towing limit for the ageing Toyota Fortuner, it’s possible the 4Runner could replace the Fortuner in due course.

The Ford Territory did it to widespread acclaim and now the next-generation Toyota 4tuner… sorry, 4Runner is doing it – leveraging a split-opening tailgate.

One of the most-loved features on the Ford Territory, especially for those with families, was an ability to open a smaller, lighter section of the boot for the quick stowage of items, from kids’ toys to shopping bags.

The new Toyota 4Runner will be built in Japan, which is the country of origin for many Toyota vehicles sold in Australia, and although it’s not yet confirmed for right-hand drive, there’s a strong chance this will happen – potentially even at another factory.

It’s related to the incoming next-generation Toyota HiLux, so the 4Runner could foreseeably replace the Fortuner and roll down the same production line in Thailand as the ute from 2025.

Toyota has thus far refused to rule out the 4Runner for Australia, a nameplate that has existed here in the past.

Although Toyota Australia told carsales it had no announcements to make concerning the 4Runner’s Aussie arrival, it confirmed that it is “continually studying the market for new opportunities to offer exciting new products to Australian customers”.

There’s also a chance the 4Runner as you see it here could simply be rebadged as Fortuner, reducing research and development costs for the car-maker.

We couldn’t write this list without including a couple of things we didn’t like so much, starting with its off-road gadgets – or lack thereof.

The 2025 Toyota 4Runner is based on the brand’s widely-used TNGA-F ladder-frame platform, shared with the likes of the LandCruiser 300 Series, but unlike that vehicle it misses out a locking front diff, and only certain top-spec model grades gets a locking rear diff.

The new 4Runner will be offered with part-time and full-time four-wheel drive options in the US, which brings us to our last gripe – it’s not pencilled in for Australian deliveries.

Then again, it hasn’t been ruled out either… watch this space.

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