5th gen OR 6th gen 4Runner?

Hello everyone, I’ve never owned a 4Runner but I’m now preparing to purchase one. My conundrum is however 5th or 6th? Reasons for me are: love the look of both gens; not really going off-roading on weekends but do volunteer driving scouts to camping trips with light off-tarmac driving. I’ve driven a rental 4Runner from Minnesota to boulder co overnight but otherwise no idea of how it handles off-road. Any tips or ideas are welcome to help me make up my mind

 

I would never buy the first year or two of a new model. Also not a fan of the 4 cylinder drivetrain. In the end the decision is yours.

5th gen - Ol' reliable
6th gen - Tech brah and unproven

 

You are the prime customer for a Highlander.

 

Or a Pilot/Passport.

 

Which trim 4Runner would you recommend now I’ve described my use. I’m absolutely NOT interested in Highlander! Thx tho

 

Lexus LX700H. If you must buy a tough Toyota made BOF 4WD for light off tarmac driving ferrying some boy scouts on weekends, might as well buy the best. It makes any Prado based SUVs look like Tercels.

 

None of the offroad models.

 

Does anyone who own a 5th gen 4Runner & also mainly drive on paved roads want to describe how they experience their daily driving experience ? Thx

 

I daily mine and it's much better than my Tacoma ever could be but it is still a truck. There are much better riding vehicles out there that can perform decently offroad for most people like the Pilot or Passport I mentioned earlier.

 

I agree with you b/c I already own a 2019 pilot and a 2023 telluride. However I’m interested in the 4Runner and want to collect other people’s experiences & opinions on the 5th gen and or 6th gen 4runner

 

I'm of the same opinion, never buy the first couple of years of a new model. With that in mind, I bought a 2024 4R last year rather than wait for the 6th gen. If I had no plan to travel off-road, I'd get the SR5, or Limited. There's also the Rav4 if you've never considered that. It's about $10k cheaper than the 4R.

 

Bouncy, not as nimble, not as wide as the Pilot.

The Kia and Honda AWD’s systems are generally solid and are typically limited by clearance. Both will beat a part time 4Runner on anything on pavement.

Won’t be as sizable on the inside and don’t take fold flat seats for granted!

Regarding a fifth gen that is.

 

I had a 21 SR5P and it did everything I wanted. Handles like a truck. Put a Pedal Commander on it and RAV 4 mirrors and it was the bomb. I mainly drive mine on regular roads and the beach and it’s perfect for me. As has been said, I’d stay away from a new design for at least 2 years. Welcome and good luck.

 

If you can find an almost new 5th gen then go with that. If not I would wait until at least next year to get a 6th gen so that the bugs can get worked out and the demand/price drops.

 

Hey,
Until last year my wife and I actually daily’d our 2016 4Runner “Off Road” (owned since new). I’d recommend the 5th Gen Off Road with the KDSS suspension feature, because it drives more comfortably and handles curves more sturdy - city and highway.
My wife and I had the budget for it. You may be suited for an SR5 Premium, or Limited trim depending on ur budget. If you can afford the Limited, don’t, get the off-road and look cooler

 

@Ycc do you need a third row for the troop?

 

No 3rd row required. Thx

 

I would not buy a 2025 4Runner. There are bound to be some bugs to be worked out in a brand new model. I bought a 2024 last year for that exact reason. And, yes, there are other vehicles out there that may make a better on-pavement daily driver. But, like you, I wanted a 4Runner and I didn't feel like I needed to ask anybody else's permission to buy what I wanted.

I mainly drive my 4Runner on pavement. It's my daily driver. And, at least where I live, I'd bet a lot of money that about 99.5% of the 4Runners are used as on-pavement daily drivers, regardless of which trim level they are. In the grocery store and shopping center parking lots, I see plenty of lifted and modded 4Runners on dirt and mud oriented offroad tires. So, my advice to you is to find one you like, make sure it has a good service history and has had no accidents, drive it (more than a spin around the block) and make sure you are ok with it's power and handling.

I bought a Limited because it has full-time 4wd, real leather seating surfaces (vs. fake leather in the other trim levels except the TRD Pro), auto climate control, and a few other things that the other trim levels (except TRD Pro) don't have. The Limited model has too much chrome on it, but that can be dealt with later. The Limited also comes with 20" wheels that I didn't like, so I bought a set of 17" TRD Offroad take-off wheels from a local member here and bought a set of all-terrain tires. It looks and rides better than it did with 20" wheels.

My second choice for a 5th Gen, and probably the most popular one on this forum by far, is the TRD Offroad Pro. If you don't care about the Limited and TRD Pro features I mentioned above, the TRD Offroad Pro would be a great choice.

 

Thanks for the candid reply. Means a lot to me!

 

Agree with LastRide. Based on your desire for a 4Runner over a Highlander/Pilot/Passport - and your description of it's use - I would also suggest a 5th Gen full time 4WD 4Runner Limited - if you can find one. Nearly all of my driving (my 4Runner Limited is my daily driver) is on pavement. I do not intentionally off-road - but my wife and I are really into biking, hiking, canoeing (lots of outdoor stuff) - so there are definitely times when we are driving to a trailhead, river access, etc... on roads that are not paved and not in great shape. The clearance of the 4Runner is pretty much all I need for these - could probably get where I'm going in 2WD. However, I do live where we get a fair amount of ice/snow in the winter - enough that I would never be without at least one 4WD vehicle. Like LastRide said, I also would have preferred if the Limited came with 17" wheels and 265/17-70 all season tires. However, I think with the extra weight of the Limited - the 20" wheels & thinner/stiffer sidewall 245/20-60 tires helps the Limited have the same gas mileage as the other trims. On highway/pavement, the 245/20-60 tires do fine and provide a smooth/quiet ride. I've never had an issue with the stock tires in the light off roading and snow driving I've done over the last two years. If I lived in a climate that really got a lot of snow - I'd probably consider something like Falken Wildpeaks on the 20" wheels - but I'm fine with the stock Yokohama Geolanders and will probably replace them when they wear out with Michelin Defenders. I agree, the TRD PRO and TRD Off Road trims look cooler - but when I was considering how I would actually use the vehicle - the full time 4WD Limited pretty much checked all my boxes. The 5th Gen 4Runner is not fast and does not get very good gas mileage compared to other options, but it does provide drive anywhere in just about any conditions utility in a vehicle that, to me, is a pretty comfortable daily driver.

 

If you decide on a 5th gen, your decision is going to be heavily decided by what is available, since they are no longer in production.

 

I wouldn’t buy a 6th gen for a few years, give them time to work out stuff, see how they do.

I suggest buying a limited 5th gen or SR5 Premium

 

Ycc - in addition to what I said a few posts above - yeah, I could have probably gotten by with a Highlander/Pilot type of AWD vehicle - but I wanted the higher clearance and 4WD capability of the 4Runner Limited and was willing to pay for it. Sounds like you have a very similar use profile and also would just prefer the look and additional capabilities of the 4Runner over those other AWD alternatives. Just be aware - there are tradeoffs - a 5th gen 4Runner won't get the same gas mileage that a late model Telluride or Pilot will. It probably won't have the same power/acceleration - probably close though. I drove a 2010 Tacoma 4WD truck for over 12 years before I got the 4Runner - so I had a pretty good feel for how the 4Runner would drive/handle. One thing I wasn't really concerned with was winter driving. The Tacoma was great in the snow - and so is the 4Runner. However, I have discovered that the 4Runner Limited is just a really nice vehicle to drive in snowy, cold, winter conditions. The full time 4WD is great for when you've got snowy subdivision streets and parking lots - but the main roads are mostly clear - no repeatedly switching back and forth from 2WD to 4WD like in the Tacoma. 4Runner Limited has heated seats, steering wheel, windshield wipers, and side mirrors - my 2010 Tacoma TRD Sport had none of that. Didn't think those things would matter much to me - but if you live somewhere with a cold winter climate - they are really nice to have.

 

Very useful insights. Really appreciate the effort.

 

OP - Don't forget to come back here and let us know which model you decided to go with.

 

Absolutely. Will share for sure. Might take a couple of months though.

 

This video came out 1 day ago. The guy owns both a 5th & 6th gen 4Runner and does a side by side comparison and tells which he prefers.

 

I'm not here to talk you out of a 5th gen but I recently traded in my 2017 Tacoma TRD Sport that I purchased new for a 6th gen 4Runner TRD Sport. I was not happy with the low end torque of the Tacoma or the hunting of gears and I can say the 25 4Runner is night and day difference. This thing has plenty of power even with a 2.4L Turbo and is so much more comfortable to drive.

@Ycc we seem to have the same use and I dont think you would regret the purchase. I also understand why people are not comfortable buying one the 1st year or 2 of a redesign but it comes with a warranty and time will tell on the reliability but I took a chance. The diehards here say it sucks because its not a v6 anymore but check around, most cars are going to a 4 cylinder for fuel economy. 5th gen or 6th gen I don't think you can go wrong either way

 

I look forward to all of the upcoming information from the early adopters of the 6th Gen.

 

Robcm, that’s great info. Really appreciate the time and effirt