The Car Connection Expert Review
Likes
- Rugged looks
- Rugged ability
- Big lineup
- TRD versions
Dislikes
- Busy, bouncy ride
- Neither quick nor frugal
- Cramped cabin
- Almost comically dated
Buying tip
features & specs
The 2024 Toyota 4Runner makes for a great exploration companion for those who use their weekends to live a John Muir lifestyle. For everyone else, look at the competition.
What kind of vehicle is the 2024 Toyota 4Runner? What does it compare to?
The 4Runner is a classic SUV with bulky proportions, a high stance, and impressive off-road credentials when fitted with four-wheel drive. Compare it to Toyota’s own, not-that-much-pricier Land Cruiser as well as the Jeep Grand Cherokee.
Is the 2024 Toyota 4Runner a good SUV?
Unless your weekends consist of off-road treks, the 4Runner is not a great choice. It’s capable and more refined than a Jeep Wrangler, but that’s about it. We rate it 4.8 on the TCC scale as this body style is more than a decade and a half old. (Read more about how we rate cars.)
What's new for the 2024 Toyota 4Runner?
A new paint hue marks 2024 for the 4Runner, which has seen limited updates since debuting in its current form all the way back in 2010.
That’s not to say it’s a bad-looking SUV with its feline front end, boxy side profile, and chunky fender flares. It’s best in TRD Off Road or TRD Pro forms, both in terms of capability and styling. Those models have just the right stance. Inside, look for a modest 8.0-inch touchscreen and a remarkably cramped cabin for such a large vehicle. Don’t look for high-end materials.
The 4.0-liter V-6 pairs with a 5-speed automatic transmission to deliver acceptable acceleration and horrendous 17-mpg combined fuel economy. With a ride that’s busy and bouncy, the 4Runner can handle bumpy roads reasonably well. It’s cumbersome around town but truly comes into its own away from pavement—so long as you’ve selected four-wheel drive, that is. Rear-wheel-drive 4Runners exist, but they are mere styling statements.
The 4Runner’s tight cabin can be dressed in cloth, synthetic leather, or real hides. The front seats are reasonably comfortable, while second-row passengers will find fairly cramped leg room. There’s an available third row, but it’s best suited for pets and not people. The big cargo area can swallow plenty of gear.
Lousy crash-test ratings are buoyed somewhat by a decent array of crash-avoidance tech including automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, blind-spot monitors, and lane-departure warnings.
How much does the 2024 Toyota 4Runner cost?
The 2024 4Runner costs more than $42,000 in its cheapest form before cruising past $56,000 for a TRD Pro.
We’d put our money on a TRD Off Road for around $64,000 with its various off-road drive modes, locking rear differential, and standard four-wheel drive.
Where is the 2024 Toyota 4Runner made?
In Japan.
2024 Toyota 4Runner Styling
The Toyota 4Runner is a three-day beard in SUV form.
Is the Toyota 4Runner a good-looking car?
It’s properly rugged, with its boxy proportions and traditional SUV stance. We like the 2024 4Runner’s brawny exterior styling enough to score it a 6 on the TCC scale. Its interior is nothing special.
Toyota styles the 4Runner in two basic forms: SR5, TRD Off-Road, and TRD Pro versions have the same basic styling with a tall, bisected front grille and bumper arrangement designed to improve its approach angle. Limited and TRD Sport versions have a busier front end that looks a bit more urban, if not necessarily better. Go for a TRD model and you’ll also net a nifty, if not functional, hood scoop.
The 4Runner’s cabin is overstyled with its cartoonish knobs and buttons, plus a plethora of painted and grained hard plastic surfaces. It’s easy enough to sort out most controls, though some secondary buttons are located in unexpected places.
2024 Toyota 4Runner Performance
The 2024 4Runner is far happier away from pavement than on.
Toyota endows the 2024 4Runner with plentiful ground clearance, big tires, and skid plates. It’s ready to go off-road. We applaud its ability, but we dial back a point for its plodding feel. It’s a 5 for performance.
Is the Toyota 4Runner 4WD?
It should be, even though SR5, Limited, and TRD Sport versions can be had with rear-wheel drive. Most versions with four-wheel drive use a simple part-time setup, though the Limited adds an automatic mode suitable for use on any kind of terrain.
If you want maximum four-wheeling capability, look to either the TRD Off Road or the TRD Pro. The former’s locking rear differential, crawl control, and off-road drive modes are enough for most drivers. Step up to the Pro and you’ll find beefy Fox shocks ready to swallow big bumps, plus an even higher ride height and more skid plates.
How fast is the Toyota 4Runner?
Fast it is not. The 270-hp 4.0-liter V-6 was a modest choice a decade ago and it’s no peppier today. It’s tasked with lugging around a heavy, boxy SUV, and it’s saddled with one of the last 5-speed automatic gearboxes you’ll find. It’s reasonably quick to downshift in order to access more power, but it’s never rapid.
It’s also never nimble or remotely sporty, even though the 4Runner has good steering heft. It leans into corners and bounces over the road. One option worth adding is the Kinetic Dynamic Suspension System available on TRD Off-Road models, which reduces body lean yet improves wheel articulation off-road. It’s not a game changer, but it does make enough difference to justify its price tag.
At highway speeds, the 4Runner tends to wander more than car-like crossovers such as the Toyota Highlander and Honda Pilot. If you’re a road warrior and pavement pounder, the 4Runner should be at the bottom of your list.
The 4Runner’s 5,000-pound maximum towing capacity is a byproduct of its limited power output.
2024 Toyota 4Runner Comfort & Quality
Big outside but cramped inside, the 2024 Toyota 4Runner is not an ideal family choice.
The 2024 Toyota 4Runner makes poor use of its interior space. We rate it at 6 out of 10 because it has a big cargo area, but it earns no points for passengers or ambience.
The front seats are reasonably comfortable, but they sit somewhat low to the floor and accessing them requires a huge step inside. Rear-seat riders will find a modest 33 inches of legroom once they squeeze through tight door openings. There’s a third row on the options list, but it’s barely acceptable for kids. Your dog might like it. (And Fido will really love the tailgate window that slides down at the tap of a button.)
Cargo-wise, the 4Runner grows from an impressive 48 cubic feet to about 90 cubes when the rear seatbacks are folded. An available slide-out tray helps cancel out the tall liftover height, too.
Toyota does a nice job assembling 4Runners, but it does so with hard-wearing plastics rather than luxurious trim.
2024 Toyota 4Runner Safety
The 2024 Toyota 4Runner shows its age in its crash-test record.
How safe is the Toyota 4Runner?
It’s not a great choice. Though there’s plenty of standard tech to avoid crashes, the 2024 4Runner has not done well in NHTSA and IIHS testing.
The NHTSA rates it four stars overall, while the IIHS notes a mixed record including a “Marginal” score in the small-overlap test on the driver’s side.
That poor record would nudge the 4Runner down to a 3 out of 10 if not for its standard automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, adaptive cruise control, active lane control, and blind-spot monitors.
2024 Toyota 4Runner Features
The 2024 Toyota 4Runner can be a decent value if you’re after a capable off-road machine.
Dig through its trim levels and you’ll find that some versions of the 2024 4Runner are a good buy against rivals such as the Jeep Wrangler and Ford Bronco. We rate the range at 7 out of 10 thanks to the 8.0-inch touchscreen with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay compatibility, crash-avoidance features, and wide lineup. The 3-year/36,000-mile warranty includes two years of maintenance, too.
The 4Runner range starts at about $42,000. That money buys an SR5 with cloth trim, power features, and rear-wheel drive. Add $2,000 for four-wheel drive.
Which Toyota 4Runner should I buy?
We’d put our money on the TRD Off Road, which for about $46,000 adds a few niceties to the SR5 plus proper off-road kit including additional traction control modes and a push-button locking rear differential. We’d also add KDSS, which can also be bundled with easy-clean synthetic leather seats and a sunroof.
We’re less interested in the Limited and TRD Sport trims that are designed more for on-road use than off. You’re better off in a crossover if pavement is your priority.
How much is a fully loaded Toyota 4Runner?
The top 4Runner TRD Pro costs more than $56,000, which buys Fox shocks, more skid plates, a (totally) tubular roof rack, a sunroof, JBL speakers, and a few other niceties. If you’re interested in a TRD Off Road but plan to modify it for more capability, you may be better off with a TRD Pro.
2024 Toyota 4Runner Fuel Economy
The 2024 Toyota 4Runner is one of the least-efficient SUVs on the market.
Is the Toyota 4Runner good on gas?
It is not. The EPA test pegs it at 16 mpg city, 19 highway, 17 combined, which is near the bottom of the SUV charts. Some off-roady competitors easily top 20 mpg on the highway, including several midsize pickup trucks that are larger and can tow more.