2025 4Runner

Build & maintenance goals

  1. Accommodate driver, up to four passengers, and moderate cargo space for daily driving and long road trips
  2. Handle off-road recreation trails up to a difficulty level of 5 (out of 10 on Jeep BOH scale)
  3. Remain street-legal
  4. Remain safe and comfortable driving at at on-road speeds up to 85 MPH
  5. Facilitate daily driving, frequent day trips and long road-trips (up to several weeks) with light off-roading
  6. Facilitate transportation of two dogs
  7. Facilitate towing of utility trailer

We purchased a 2025 4Runner Off-Road Premium (ORP, non-hybrid) at a Colorado dealership in March 2025. We use this as a daily driver, for long road trips, and for some light-off-roading.

To help make the purchase decision, I test drove a 2025 4Runner Sport Premium (ORP was not available for test drive), a 2025 4Runner ORP, a 2025 Wrangler Rubicon X, and a 2025 Bronco Badlands Sasquatch. I also looked at several other vehicles online and in-person that I did not test drive for various reasons. For me, the Toyota edged out the Bronco, followed by the Wrangler, for predicted reliability based on brand history, creature comforts, higher speed handling, quieter cabin, and solid roof to accommodate a roof top tent. If off-roading capability alone was the determining factor, the Wrangler would have edged out the Bronco. The Bronco might have been the best “in the middle” vehicle to compromise between long road trips and off-roading capability. But we leaned toward getting the vehicle with the best on-road capability for our purposes now, with the idea to also get the best vehicle for off-road capability for our purposes (see notes on our 2025 Wrangler).

Production/delivery timeline

  • 2024-12-19: Production was confirmed
  • 2025-01-10: Vehicle was built
  • 2025-01-25: Departed Japan via ship
  • 2025-02-11: Arrived in Long Beach, California via ship
  • 2025-02-14: Departed Long Beach, California via rail
  • 2025-02-18: Arrived in Denver, Colorado vial rail
  • 2025-02-26 Arrived at dealership and purchased/picked-up same day

Trim and options

  • 2025 4Runner TRD Off-Road Premium i-FORCE 2.4L 4-Cyl. Turbo Engine Part-time 4-Wheel Drive 8672A
  • Transmission: 8-Speed Automatic Transmission
  • Color: “Underground” (dark gray)
  • Tow Tech Package — includes digital rearview mirror, Integrated Trailer Brake Controller (ITBC), and Trailer Backup Guide with Straight Path Assist (SPA)
  • Power tilt/slide moonroof with sunshade
  • Cross bars (I’ll be replacing this with a large roof rack for a roof-top tent)
  • All-weather floor liners

While Toyota provided an online “build tool” to select specific options, buyers are really limited to what Toyota decides to put together and ship to dealerships. However, the 4Runner we purchased was pretty close to what we would have chosen, with most of the differences that can be made up for with aftermarket products. The ORP, non-hybrid trim was my preference, but I likely would have selected Everest/green or white as the color. However, after looking at a lot of the Underground color pictures, it has grown on me a lot. Perhaps I would have eventually selected this as my first choice overall. I had a similar 4Runner on reserve before this one that was black and I was worried about how well it would show dirt (I had a black 2003 4Runner that was nice looking, but you had to keep it really clean and it got really hot in the summertime). I also would not have selected the moonroof (just not “needed”), but this has been a nice thing to have in retrospect (my old 4Runner had a moonroof as well).

When I got this vehicle, I drove it according to the break in procedure – following the 4Runner manual to the letter.

Modifications

I had intended to do more off-road related modifications to this vehicle at one point, but decided to keep the 4Runner somewhat stock for now while we build up our 2025 Wrangler for off-road purposes. We may eventually consider “more interesting” upgrades for this vehicle (lift/wheel/tire upgrades), but this is what we’ve done so far:

  • Replaced the two front composite plates with a steel engine/transmission plate (same one that comes stock on the Trailhunter trim)
  • Removed the front air dam (increases approach angle and front clearance, with a 0.8 mpg reduction in freeway fuel efficiency)
  • Removed the running boards (increases clearance a little, and they were kind of pointless)
  • Installed a GMRS radio, wire, and antenna (hood mounted)
  • Added an all weather cargo liner

Maintenance

  • ~2,000 miles: off-the-books DIY oil change (so I could inspect the oil, etc. during engine break-in)
  • ~4,800 miles: oil change (and other recommended service) performed at a Toyota dealership

Notes from original documentation

Some additional info copied from the spec sheet in case the link stops working (this vehicle has never been listed on the dealership website, but I got a spec sheet link from the salesman). This has been edited, mostly to remove some marketing nonsense and features I don’t care about (like “connected services” that require a subscription for things I don’t want):

Fuel economy

  • 21 mpg combined
  • 19 city
  • 25 highway

Cross Bars

The cross bars are designed to integrate with the 4Runner’s roof rails to secure cargo

  • Provides additional secure tie-down points for various roof rack accessories
  • Adjust by sliding along the side rails, and lock in place with thumb screws
  • Can support a maximum of 132 lbs. when weight is evenly distributed across both bars
  • Set of two black bars

All-Weather Floor Liners

Made from durable, flexible, weather-resistant material.

  • Injection molding uses Toyota’s original vehicle design data for a true fit
  • Includes rear liner
  • Liners feature ribbed channels to better hold moisture
  • Skid-resistant backing and driver-side quarter-turn fasteners help to keep the liners in place

Mechanical & Performance

  • Engine: i-FORCE 2.4L turbocharged inline 4-cylinder engine; 278 hp @ 6000 rpm; 317 lb.-ft. @ 1700 rpm
  • Valvetrain: 16-valve Dual Overhead Cam (DOHC), chain drive with Dual Variable Valve Timing with intelligence (VVT-i); 2393 c.c. aluminum engine block; 87.5 x 99.5 (mm.) bore x stroke; 11.0:1 compression ratio
  • Intake: Twin scroll turbocharger with wastegate valve control and air-cooled intercooler
  • Fuel System: D-4ST direct-injection and port-injection fuel system
  • Ignition System: Conventional 12V starter
  • Transmission: 8-speed Electronically Controlled automatic Transmission with intelligence (ECT-i), sequential shift mode, and uphill/downhill shift logic
  • Drive Modes: Drive Mode Select (DMS) with Eco, Normal and Sport Modes
  • Drive Modes: TOW/HAUL driving modes
  • Drivetrain: Part-time 4-Wheel Drive (4WD) with electronically controlled 2-speed transfer case (high/low range) and Active Traction Control (A-TRAC)
  • Drivetrain: Electronically controlled locking rear differential
  • Body/Frame: Reinforced body-on-frame construction with TNGA-F high-strength boxed-steel ladder frame
  • Suspension: Independent double-wishbone front suspension with coil springs and stabilizer bar; Multi-link rear suspension with coil springs and stabilizer bar
  • Suspension: TRD Off-Road – Bilstein® monotube shock absorbers
  • Steering: Electric Power Steering (EPS); power-assisted rack-and-pinion
  • Brakes: Power-assisted front and rear ventilated disc brakes
  • Brakes: Electric Parking Brake (EPB)
  • Off-Road: Multi-Terrain Select (MTS), Crawl Control (CRAWL) and Downhill Assist Control (DAC)
  • Off-Road: Front and rear recovery points
  • Towing: Integrated towing receiver hitch and wiring harness with 4- and 7-pin connectors
  • Weight Rating: 6240 lbs
  • 18″ inch machine finished alloy wheels (+55mm offset)
  • 32.6″ Michelin LTX A/T 2 tires (265/70R18)

Steering

  • Turning radius (ft.) 19.7

Exterior

  • 18-in. matte-black painted and machine-finished alloy wheels
  • Black honeycomb-style grille, mirror caps, door handles, and overfenders; color-keyed rear spoiler
  • Black roof rails
  • LED headlights with Daytime Running Lights (DRL), auto on/off feature and manual leveling adjustment
  • LED fog lights
  • LED taillights with red outer lens
  • Power windows with auto up/down and jam protection in all positions
  • Privacy tinted glass on rear side, quarter and liftgate windows
  • Power rear liftgate window with auto up/down, jam protection, and defogger with timer
  • Hands-free power liftgate
  • Rear spoiler with integrated LED center high-mount stop light and concealed rear wiper with mist cycle
  • Variable intermittent windshield wipers with mist cycle
  • Heated power outside mirrors with turn signal indicators
  • Fixed running boards (we will likely replace these with rock sliders)
  • Composite front skid plate, with underbody transfer case and fuel tank protection (we will likely upgrade the underbody protection)

Interior

  • Color: Black SofTex
  • SofTex®-trimmed heated and ventilated front seats; 8-way power-adjustable driver and front passenger seats with 2-way power lumbar support and driver position memory function
  • 60/40 split, reclining and tumble-folding second-row seat with center armrest and cup holders
  • Heated and leather-trimmed power tilt/telescopic steering wheel with audio and Bluetooth® hands-free phone and voice-command controls
  • Smart Key System with Push Button Start, remote keyless entry and remote illuminated entry
  • Qi-compatible wireless smartphone charging with indicator light
  • Five USB-C ports
  • One center console 12V auxiliary power outlet and two 120V/400W AC power outlets in the rear seat and cargo area
  • Single-zone automatic climate control with air filtration
  • Rear-seat air vents
  • Auto-dimming day/night rearview mirror with HomeLink® universal transceiver
  • Second-row and cargo-area LED illumination
  • 12 cup and bottle holders
  • TRD leather-wrapped shift knob
  • TRD Off-Road carpet floor mats (replaced with the optional floormats?)

Audio Multimedia

  • 14-in. Audio Multimedia Display with 14-speaker JBL Premium Audio system including JBL® FLEX portable Bluetooth speaker, subwoofer and amplifier, wireless Apple CarPlay & Android Auto
  • 12.3-in. digital gauge cluster with selectable gauge display screens and fuel economy, Driver Assist, vehicle/trip information, and warning messages

Safety and Convenience

  • Toyota Safety Sense 3.0 (TSS 3.) — Pre-Collision System with Pedestrian Detection (PCS w/PD), Lane Tracing Assist (LTA), Dynamic Radar Cruise Control (DRCC), Lane Departure Alert with Steering Assist (LDA w/SA), Automatic High Beams (AHB), Road Sign Assist (RSA), Proactive Drive Assist (PDA)
  • Multi-Terrain Monitor (MTM) with selectable front, side or rear views
  • Integrated backup camera display with projected path
  • Blind Spot Monitor (BSM) with Rear Cross-Traffic Alert (RCTA)  and Trailer Merge Warning
  • Front Cross-Traffic Alert (FCTA)
  • Traffic Jam Assist (TJA)
  • Trailer Sway Control (TSC)
  • Anti-theft system
  • Tire Pressure Monitor System (TPMS)
  • Driver and front passenger seatbelt pretensioners with force limiters
  • Power door locks with shift-linked automatic lock/unlock feature
  • Nine airbags — Advanced Airbag System with driver and front passenger dual stage airbags, driver and front passenger seat-mounted side airbags, driver and front passenger knee airbags, front passenger seat cushion airbag, and front and rear side curtain airbags
  • Child-protector rear door locks and power window lockout control
  • LATCH (Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children) includes lower anchors on outboard second-row seats and tether anchors on all second-row seats