The Japanese automaker is giving a little love this holiday season in America with a couple of personalized ads for Christmas – maybe they have finally ended the tidal wave of novelties for 2023. At least in the real world.
It has been like a non-stop action movie at Toyota as the company strives to fulfill all wishes across all major regions. However, do you think that everyone is satisfied? Not at all, even though Toyota can brag about having just about everything for everyone, from the 2025 Camry's all-new generation to the 2024 Tacoma pickup truck superstar.
Alas, if you ask the imaginative realm of digital car content creators, there is one nameplate that was left alone for far too long. According to the parallel universes of vehicular CGI, that would be the 4Runner mid-size off-road SUV, which has been around in its fifth iteration since 2009! Sure, Toyota upgraded it to 2024MY status earlier this year, but more is needed for diehard fans.
No worries, numerous folks will gladly take the opportunity to imagine what's next for the mid-size SUV. Among them, the peeps from the TheAutoReport channel on YouTube have not only dreamed about the potential redesign of the 2025 Toyota 4Runner but also added a spicy hybrid powertrain into the virtual mix.
Aided by the modern solutions of AI software, the channel's pixel master has envisioned the unofficial design of the sixth-generation 4Runner, and unlike other hypothetical design projects, it doesn't take much from the Tacoma styling. Instead, this SUV carves its own path forward – it is easy to recognize as a tough and rugged 4Runner but also finally comes with enough modern cues to represent a significant challenge for the Ford Bronco and Jeep Wrangler.
Additionally, the host talks about the potential introduction of a hybrid powertrain instead of the outgoing 4.0-liter V6, which is dumped in favor of turbocharging. However, we do not agree with the assessment that Toyota might give the 4Runner access to a twin-turbo V6 hybrid like the i-Force Max from the big Sequoia – the 2024 Land Cruiser uses the same 326-hp inline-four turbo mill as the N400 Tacoma, and it would be logical to offer it with the 4Runner, too.
Alas, it remains to be seen if Toyota thinks that a Land Cruiser and 4Runner using the same powertrain as the 2024 Tacoma is feasible. Instead, it remains to be seen if the Japanese automaker won't relegate the new 4Runner to base 2.4-liter duties and keep the Land Cruiser a pure hybrid as the flagship of the mid-size SUV sector.
What do you think – should we prepare for a cheaper 4Runner than the current $40,455 base model? As such, here are also a couple of non-hybrid interpretations of the 2025 Toyota 4Runner as reimagined by the good folks over at the Auto Om TV channel on Youtube.
Aurel has aimed high all his life (literally, at 16 he was flying gliders all by himself) so in 2006 he switched careers and got hired as a writer at his favorite magazine. Since then, his work has been published both by print and online outlets, most recently right here, on autoevolution. Full profile
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