The Japanese automaker is like an automotive superhero – or supervillain if you ask its competitors, given the barrage of world-shattering, tidal wave-like novelties it has mounted this year.
Even if we only look at the most important introductions this year for the American car market, Toyota still revealed the Corolla Cross Hybrid, Prius Prime plug-in hybrid, an extensive roster of Nightshade special editions, a trio of limited GR series (GR86 Trueno, GR Corolla Circuit, GR Supra 45th Anniversary), the first-ever Grand Highlander three-row SUV, the all-new N400 Tacoma and the return of the 2024 Land Cruiser, plus the 2025 Camry and Crown Signia crossover SUV.
Of course, that's hardly enough for the rumor mill and its friends from across the imaginative realm of digital car content creators. For example, the good folks over at the AutomagzPro channel on YouTube have some AI-assisted CGI thoughts about the next generation of the off-road-focused 4Runner mid-size SUV after ranting for a while about compact Toyota stuff like the Corolla Cross Hybrid & Electric or the RAV4 EV, plus highly hypothetical models like the Toyota Land Hopper / Land Cruiser FJ.
Now, though, they are settling in with a most logical design project from the resident pixel master – the upcoming sixth generation of the 4Runner. The SUV, also known as the Toyota Hilux Surf until 2009, has remained in fifth-generation (N280) attire ever since – and subsequently turned into a staple of the American car market alongside other rugged models like the Jeep Wrangler and the reborn sixth-generation Ford Bronco.
Currently, the oldest representative of the rock-crawling and dune-bashing mid-size SUV sector, the 2024 Toyota 4Runner was subtly upgraded to resist until it gets an all-new generation. Logic also dictates it will adopt the TNGA-F body-on-frame architecture of all the other rugged Toyota models – Tacoma, Land Cruiser, Sequoia, Tundra, etc. As for the design, the channel's resident pixel master has come up with a couple of different variants – all thanks to some nifty AI software assistance.
The first variant presented in the video embedded below is subtly piggybacking on the rugged design of the current iteration – there are many contemporary cues like LED head- and taillights plus ritzy touches like black plastic trim pieces. The second version is a lot more rugged and seemingly prepared for any adventure, so we could easily consider it a proper (albeit unofficial) representative of the Trailhunter series.
As for what's under the hood, the host quickly speculates that Toyota will give it access to one or more of its hybrid powertrains. However, don't expect 326 horsepower and a standard i-Force Max powertrain, as we will see under the hood of the 2024 Land Cruiser SUV. Instead, we might see the 2.0-liter option from the Corolla Cross Hybrid updated for more than 200 ponies rather than just 196 like on the crossover SUV.
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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