2014 Toyota 4Runner Photos, engines & full specs

Toyota introduced the fourth generation of the 4Runner truck-based SUV on the market in 2009, and four years later, it upgraded it for the 2014 model year with a substantial facelift.

While most other competitors started to morph their SUVs from body-on-frame to monocoque solutions, Toyota kept its 4Runner lineup based on a sturdy ladder-frame chassis for competent off-road situations. But that didn’t mean it was like a utility vehicle on the interior. It was just a rugged, seven-seat family car that could take everybody, and a trailer attached behind, to remote areas and bring them back to cities. Moreover, the automaker kept things civilized and user-friendly.

The rugged look of the 4Runner’s fourth generation made many people fall in love with it. Despite struggling with the world financial crisis from 2008-2010, the vehicle’s sales started to bounce back again. Toyota made some changes to the exterior, where the 4Runner got a new grille with chromed surroundings for the Limited trim level. The headlights kept their shapes but got projector beams instead of regular halogen lamps for the entire range. In addition, the taillights were fitted with LEDs.

Toyota offered the 2014 4Runner in three trim levels: SR5, Trail, and Limited, and the middle grade was the only one that didn’t receive the seven-seat option. On the dashboard, the first two levels could be optioned with a 6.5” infotainment unit running Toyota’s Entune system that featured GPS navigation. This was standard for the Limited trim level and offered as an option for the SR5 and Trail. This system allowed for music streaming via Bluetooth from mobile phones.

The wide, rugged dials for the climate control unit and other buttons allowed customers to use them with gloves on. Fronting the driver was a new instrument cluster with backlit illumination named Optitron. The automaker kept the same seating formula as on the non-facelifted model, with higher front seats and a lower-mounted middle row. The third row, when optioned, was in the trunk and was mostly for kids. With all the seats up, the trunk offered just 9 cu-ft (255 liters) of space, but with the third row folded down, there were 46.3 cu-ft (1,311 liters) available. By keeping just the front seats in place, the 4Runner morphed into a small utility vehicle with a total capacity of 89.5 cu-ft (2,534 liters) of luggage space.

The 2014 model year was available with just one engine, the four-liter V6 powerplant that was offered as an option on the previous model. Its power was sent to the rear or in all corners via a five-speed automatic transmission. Toyota offered the SR5 with standard rear-wheel-drive but included the part-time 4WD as an option.

For the Trail grade, this system was standard, and for the Limited, Toyota installed a full-time all-wheel-drive at no extra cost. Thanks to the independent, double-wishbone front suspension and the five-link axle in the back, the 4Runner was comfy, and it used gas-filled shock absorbers and coil springs in all corners.