In an automotive world that caters to crossovers, the Toyota 4Runner SUV is a purebred in a dying breed. It's a mid-size SUV with body-on-frame architecture and seating for up to seven (when equipped with an optional third-row seat). Offered with a V-6 powertrain, the 4Runner faces competition from the Jeep Grand Cherokee, among others. As one of the market’s few mid-size SUVs with a bona-fide off-road passport, ready to take you beyond where the pavement ends, the 4Runner is ideally suited for drivers with an appetite for adventure and a tolerance for its sometimes-clumsy street manners. It comes in a bevy of configurations for a range of budgets.
Off-Road vehicles include four-wheel-drive SUVs and pickup trucks with the extra feature of a dual-range transfer case or dedicated crawl mode for extreme off-road driving. May require specific trim level and/or optional features.
Towing vehicles can tow a minimum of 2,000 pounds (see specifications for maximum). May require specific trim level and/or optional features.
Small Family vehicles include mid-size and larger sedans, hatchbacks, wagons, SUVs and minivans with four doors and five seats.
The current iteration of the 4Runner brought boxier styling when it debuted for 2010. It’s offered with rear- or four-wheel drive, and its standard 4.0-liter V-6 pairs with a five-speed automatic transmission. The 4Runner received aggressive new front-end styling for 2014, and for the 2015 model year the TRD Pro trim level was introduced in the United States.
Changes in this generation included an all-new body on an all-new chassis. With a larger body on a longer wheelbase, larger cargo area, more cabin space and more aerodynamic styling, this 4Runner shared little with the pickup truck from which the nameplate originated. This 4Runner was also available with a selectable electronic-locking rear differential, a first for the 4Runner.
This second-generation 4Runner featured a newly designed body mounted on the existing frame. It gained a new coil-spring rear suspension that proved to be just as vulnerable to sagging as the leaf springs of the outgoing 4Runner. A wide-body version was introduced in 1991 featuring extended wheel arches and wider wheels and tires.
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