The 2024 Toyota 4Runner is the last of the fifth-generation for this SUV. The 2025 model year will see a full redesign of the 4Runner and will, for many, mark the end of the model’s reign. I’m not that skeptical, but I see where they’re coming from.
Unlike other Toyota vehicles like the Tacoma the 4Runner has often shared parts with, the 4Runner has a unique fanbase that dislikes major changes. When the 4Runner was last redesigned, back in 2010, forums were full of fans lamenting the death of the rig. That’s, of course, happening again. This time based mostly on the 2025 model’s dropping of the V6 engine to go with the turbocharged four-cylinder engines used in the Tacoma and others.
So for many fans, this means that the 2024 4Runner is the “last of them.” As with most enthusiasts, however, I’d suspect that most of these fans also haven’t purchased a new 4Runner since 2015 or so.
At any rate, the 2024 Toyota 4Runner is certainly the end of the fifth generation of the SUV. As such, it’s a hallmark that should be noted. I was glad to drive it before it enters used car lots and eventually gets modified beyond recognition by those same enthusiasts.
The 4Runner is an enigma in the SUV world. It’s only competitors are car-based crossovers like the more expensive Jeep Grand Cherokee or the less capable Honda Passport and Subaru Outback. The 4Runner is a truck-based body-on-frame utility that has both two and three rows (depending on configuration), a V6 powerplant with a geared transmission, true four-wheel drive with low-range gearing, and all of the pros and cons of those things.
Negatives like terrible on-road presence and bad fuel economy are offset by the few packages for the 4Runner that are actually off-road-ready and capable. Or just super cheap and ready for modification. Basically, I’m just dogging on the Limited model. The SR5 and TRD models get a pass. They have a purpose. The Limited seems mainly to appeal to soccer parents who never actually leave the pavement and believe (wrongly) that high-centered 4×4 vehicles are great in bad weather. These are mainly my Gen X contemporaries who can’t see that the Highlander sitting right next to the 4Runner on the lot is actually the better choice for them.
Many 4Runner enthusiasts are probably now angrily penning screeds to point out that the 4Runner can hold its own against the Jeep Wrangler and Ford Bronco. They’re wrong. Modified, sure, it can be competitive against a stock Rubicon. But the 4Runner’s windows, doors, roof, etc. all remain in place while doing so. And it’s thin track means it’ll tip over easier than the Bronco or Wrangler will. Those two are not the 4Runner’s rivals. Not even in the extremely well-done TRD Pro model.
At any rate, what the 2024 4Runner is really good at is straddling the line between the car-based family hauler and the extreme off-road SUVs. It’s somewhere in between the Passport and the Bronco. It dips a little into both arenas and, while not particularly good at either, is at least competent in both.
Like the crossovers, it hauls people around (up to 7, depending on configuration) and schleps their stuff along with. But it gets bad fuel economy and you have to climb up into it and squeeze into a narrow seat. It off-roads with aplomb most of the time, provided you’re not in a hurry and aren’t trying to conquer Hell’s Revenge without taking a couple of bypasses. And no, that YouTube of the guy claiming to do it with a stock SR5 had help from people in a Tundra.
So, to reiterate, what the 4Runner is best at doing is straddling that line between family hauling as a daily and going out to have fun on the weekends. That’s the part that matters. And the 2024 Toyota 4Runner (yes, even in its Limited trim) is good for that. I suspect the new-generation will be as well.
