Everyone and their dog appears to be rendering the next-gen 4Runner nowadays, but few pixel artists paid attention to what’s really coming for the 2025 model year. That’s why the latest design studies of the body-on-frame sport utility vehicle look a bit iffy, having more in common with concepts and the RAV4 instead of the Tacoma and Land Cruiser.
The folks at AutomagzPro went down the concept vehicle route with a somewhat futuristic-looking 4Runner. Their speculative rendering doesn’t look half bad at first glance. But once you notice the different wheels and lower body cladding from the front- and rear-quarter views, said proposal is rendered (pun fully intended) borderline amateurish.
Next up, REC Trends imagined the all-new 4Runner in a rather inconsistent fashion. The front end is closer to the RAV4 and Highlander in styling, whereas the rear appears to have been inspired by General Motors and Lexus in equal measure. In other words, the front and rear don’t match at all.
The C pillars are different from the front- and rear-quarter views, and the same applies to the mirror caps. Once again, we’re dealing with an overly amateurish rendering of an important future vehicle that will not look anything like these renderings.
Less than three months ago, an insider source close to the 4Runner6G forum admin spilled the beans on what’s in the offing for the sixth generation of the three-row sport utility vehicle. For starters, the front is similar to the 2024 model year Tacoma pickup truck in the sense that it’s angular and aggressive.
Photo: 4Runner6G
Further still, the tipster has also mentioned a more upright C pillar. On the one hand, this structural change to the cabin may have been made to improve side impact protection. Similarly important, the redesigned C pillars make ingress/egress that little bit easier, especially for the third-row occupants.
Other details shared by said insider source include 2.4-liter turbo inline-four muscle across the board (hybrid option not confirmed), July 2024 for the start of production, and the 2025 model year. Oh, and prototypes of the all-new 4Runner have been reportedly testing stateside since March 2021. A six-speed manual such as the iMT2 of the Tacoma hasn’t been confirmed, although we’re not holding our breath for one if Toyota couldn’t give the 250-series Land Cruiser a good ol’ stick shift as well.
As for the outgoing 4Runner, the 2024 model has little in the way of novelties compared to the still-available-to-configure 2023 model. The biggest change is $300 added to the sticker price of the SR5, meaning $41,850 with the $1,395 destination charge.
Highlights further include two new colors: Underground and the TRD Pro-exclusive Terra. Every single grade of the 2024 Toyota 4Runner comes with Toyota Safety Sense P (includes High-Speed Dynamic Radar Cruise Control and Pre-Collision System with Pedestrian Detection). Last but not least, every trim further gets Blind Spot Monitor with Rear Cross Traffic Alert standard.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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