Looking for Towing Information

Hi,

I'm here on behave of my daughter (she hates car shopping and relies on me to handle that for her). Her 2017 Kia Sorento is on its last legs and she is looking for a new (to her) ride. She tows a large pop-up camper - 3,200 lbs when loaded with a tongue weight close to 300 lbs. Her Sorento has the V6 and could pull it, but didn't have the suspension setup and even adding airbags, it sank too much. She wants a 200,000+ mile vehicle. Her Sorento has 150,000 miles and goes thru a quart each fill-up

Her budget is the 40s. Can you 4Runner owners weigh in on how comfortably the 4Runner will pull this trailer? I see the V6 (in the new models) is replaced with a turbo four. Is there adequate power for this load?

I drove a Lexus GX 460 yesterday, but I take it that is based on the 4Runner frame so basically a 4Runner with a V8. Is that right?

Lastly, the 4Runner, like the 460, is a bit long in the tooth. I see the 2025 model year is a new gen - gen 6. Is it ground up new, a refresh, or something in-between.

Thanks in advance for your help.

Here's the camper:

 

5K limit on the Runner.

 

It’s going to suck but it’ll do it lol

the new models will be a better option

 

I saw that, with the exception of one of the trims, which is rated at 5,500 lbs. So she is well within that, although the truck itself would be loaded with kids and a dog.

Anyone routinely pull something similar in size?

 

4runners are not ideal as tow vehicle for highway use. But for offroading where traction is everything they are the best. You did not mention she drives off pavement or travels on slippery surfaces-mud, snow.
So perhaps a 2WD SUV with V8 would better suit her. Less drivetrain maintenance costs and more power.

 

Thanks! We've talked about that and my son drive a Yukon Denali, but those are expensive vehicles, even used. He has had over $20,000 in repairs on his. Thankfully he purchased an extended warranty for the first time in his life. Anyway, the 4Runner hit our radar because of the price.

My daughter basically drives her camper and the family to a campsite and then parks the trailer. That's it, but they do that many times a summer and tow it from the Kalamazoo area to the Upper Peninsula twice a summer.

Anyone familiar with the GX 460? It's the Lexus equivalent of the Land Cruiser. Will it have more pulling prowess? Low mile 460's can be readily found in the $40

 

I was going to say the Runner barely tows itself around. People do it though and they seem fine but they more than likely know what to expect.

The GX is basically the 4Runner. The big boy LX was the LC but they switched all that up with this new generation of everything.

The GX will do what you're daughter needs but don't expect good MPGs. It is also the better on road vehicle while still retaining some offroad capability.

 

I would buy a gx for sure.

in fact, I’ll be in the market for one as a second vehicle eventually.

 

I would read about 4WD maintenance before buying a Toyota. The front diff, transfer case and front drive shaft more than double the under vehicle maintenance compared to a 2WD.
Her trailer with 300 lbs tongue weight is practically the max for a 4runner.

 

@enGage ,
While Hungryhawk is correct on maintenance requirements 2WD vs 4WD, imagine your daughter needs 4WD in the UP.
We tow a 2k lb. teardrop with 200 lb. tongue weight easily thru CO/UT/ID mountains in 4th or 3rd gear, but these things aren't very good at it. A good, used GX would be better from a drivetrain standpoint, but the chassis and suspension still wanting compared to your son's Denali.
Best of luck on your hunt.

 

GX460 for the win!

 

I definitely agree with those saying that a used GX460 would be a better choice for regularly towing 3,000+ lbs. That V8 is just going to pull it better.

The 4Runner will tow it, though. I've towed over the max, not that I recommend it.

If you choose the 4Runner, tow in S4, don't exceed 65 MPH (this probably applies to the GX also), take your time and enjoy the scenery.

The turbo 4 in the new 4Runner makes much more low end torque than the old V6, so it should actually tow better. Most of what I've read about towing with the new Tacomas (same turbo 4) is very positive. But, this is a fairly new drivetrain, so longevity and reliability are unknown at this point.

 

I just pulled a similar trailer 4 hours round trip with some inclines and declines. Pulled quite well.

 

I appreciate all the replies. This is a great forum!!!!

 

I know the frame is the same, but I thought in addition to the drivetrain, much of the GX suspension is different?

Edit: I'll say it again, the response on this forum is fantastic and that alone makes me feel good about the 4Runner in general.

 

Something makes Toyota comfortable rating the old GX 1500 lbs higher (6.5k vs 5k), but they are fundamentally the same vehicle with a different engine. It's possible the frame and suspension are slightly different, but overall vehicle dynamics will be the same.

If she's used to towing with the Sorento, and only pulls the popup a few times a year, I'd be absolutely fine with the 5th gen 4Runner or GX. You will deal with some sag while loaded, ideally you put most of the stuff in the trailer and keep the car as light as possible.

For power: there is plenty of power for sane towing speeds. And if I remember correctly, Michigan is quite flat anyway.

Edit: GX is actually rated for 6500, not 6000

 

Yeah it's slow, but I don't feel like it's much slower pulling a small trailer.

 

Sequoia and enjoy life

 

I just did a test drive of the new GX and the newer TX which is basically a GX but it has a 3rd row seat. I opted for the 4Runner Trailhunter which is like a GX. I can’t speak to the older 4Runner models. I can tell you the TX has more room for a family with the 3rd row seat. I believe the GX is similar to the 4Runner, at last that was my impression, and it doesn’t have a 3rd row seat. I take my camper fishing, I don’t spend weeks on the road traveling thousands of miles. I would rather stay in a hotel.

We had planned to keep my husbands newer GMC Sierra to pull the camper and as a 2nd car, but we sold it. Made sense, with high mileage we still got 25k. The truck was too big for everyday driving. It mostly sat until we needed it to pull the camper.

My husband was setting up our new Trailhunter this morning for our camper. There aren’t very many YouTube videos on towing because it’s so new, but I came across this one:
Surprise! The 2025 Toyota 4Runner Beat the Land Cruiser on the World's Toughest Towing Test!

 

Why not a clean 3rd gen Tacoma? With a trans cooler?

 

Lots of different opinions here about the V8 4Runners and GX460s. These are both excellent tow vehicles. I have towed from Kentucky to Oregon, Washington DC, Florida, Texas and other places; never had a problem. My 2004 V8 FT4WD has been great. Weight distribution hitch, no airbags.

The Airstream is about 5500 LBS. before loading and GVWR is 6,000 LBS.

700 LB tongue capacity
7000 LB towing capacity