The new Toyota 4Runner is here, and I just reviewed it. It’s good! Not particularly remarkable, and a little pricey, but it’s decent. Writing this review had me thinking about other 4runners I’ve driven/ridden in, which brings me to today’s Autopian Asks: What’s your favorite Toyota 4Runner of all time?
I never knew that the Toyota 4Runner’s story began as a result of a specific Wisconsin dealership partnering with Winnebago to put campers on Hiluxes.
From Toyota:
It started with an idea. It was 1979 and Toyota had just announced that the Land Cruiser FJ40 would no longer be imported to the U.S. But in Brookfield, Wisconsin — home of the Jack Safro Toyota dealership — families had a particular need for a vehicle that could facilitate camping and hunting trips which took place, by necessity, off-road. With the Land Cruiser no longer available in the U.S., the company decided to design something new.
Two years later, in 1981, Winnebago Industries partnered with Toyota to begin production on the Toyota Trekker — integrating a camper shell on a Toyota Hilux model. The Trekker met the needs of families looking for a vehicle for their hunting trips and weekend adventures, but — perhaps more importantly — it made the case to Toyota that there was a market for a reliable off-road and more affordable vehicle than a domestic truck. With the Land Cruiser and Trekker as inspiration, Toyota built on those designs and, in 1984, the 4Runner was born.
Holy crap; this probably deserves its own story… oh wait, we’ve already written it! Check the Safro Trekker out! It’s quite awesome:
Anyway, that’s not technically a 4Runner; you might call it a forerunner to the 4Runner. The first-gen looked like this:
This one is my favorite generation because it’s the only one that offered a solid front axle, which is generally superior to independent suspension in terms durability and articulation (it’s a bit of a compromise in terms of ride quality, especially at high speeds in dunes, but I think it’s worth it).
When it debuted in 1984 it came with a 96 horsepower 2.4-liter “22R” inline-four hooked to a five-speed manual, a low-range transfer case, and manual locking hubs for the front axle. Classic!
In 1985 came fuel injection, bringing the power up to 116, which is not bad for that era. This vehicle, shown above, is to me the perfect 4Runner. Fuel injection, solid front axle, a fiberglass convertible top, a sub-3500 pound curb weight, two-doors, a stickshift — it’s a simple and rugged truck with a cap on the back, and that’s what I like.
Later model years gained independent front suspension, a turbo for the inline-four, and a more powerful V6, but I’ll take the 22R-E-powered, solid-front-axle 4Runner from 1985, thankyouverymuch.
I don’t mind the second-gen (which launched for the 1990 model-year)either, but it lost the convertible top and isn’t quite as angular and tough looking. Still, it remains handsome with its slightly more rounded shape, plus it gained a set of optional doors, which are useful.
Like its predecessor, it came with variations of the 2.4-liter inline-four and 3.0-liter V6, and transmission options included a five-speed stick and a four-speed auto. The rear springs went from leafs to coils, and a few tweaks happened all the way through the 1995 model-year, when the third-gen entered the fray.
The third-gen 4Runner is, at least in my eyes, the most legendary 4Runner ever. No, it’s not the first 4Runner and it doesn’t have a solid front axle, but this really marked the start of when the 4Runner became what it is today: a reliable, daily-drivable, safe (the first 4Runner with airbags), comfy SUV that’s as welcome on a farmer’s field as it is in front of a Four Seasons.
The third-gen was the 4runner’s “Glow Up,” and more importantly, its bigger 3.4-liter V6 (and a base 2.7-liter inline-four) could be had with a manual transmission until 2000 and an available locker Sure, these third-gens are known for catastrophic ball-joint failures and (like the predecessors: rust), but otherwise they’re widely beloved. And for good reason.
The 2003 to 2009 fourth-gen become a bit softer, but more powerful, with a 4.0-liter making 245 horsepower and a 4.7-liter V8 that in its final iteration made 268 horsepower. A five-speed auto also became available, and the fourth-gen was the first 4Runner to offer a third-row.
The fifth-gen is the one that just went away. Amazingly it stuck around between 2010 and 2024, offering a 2.7-liter inline-four for just a couple of years as the base engine, and then the same 270 horsepower 4.0-liter V6 all the way to 2024 with only minor tweaks.
The new 2025 model that I just reviewed has a 2.4-liter turbo with an optional hybrid motor to crank up the power and torque numbers. Still, it’s not that powerful at 278 horsepower for the non-hybrid and 326 horsepower for the hybrid. Suspension geometry is similar, though size is up a bit. The transmission now has eight-gears instead of five like its predecessor, so fuel economy is up a bit.
So that’s a quick rundown of 4Runner generations. My favorite is the rough-and-tumble first-gen, though the stickshift 3rd gen is a close second.
Images: Toyota unless otherwise stated
3rd Gen N180 is peak 4Runner. The 2nd gen N130 is a close second. My college girlfriend had a 3rd gen and that thing was an epic college do-anything vehicle.
A friend of mine had a 1st gen in high school. Even as a teenager I thought it was a noisy, tin box of a truck. But it was cool and maybe the best beach vehicle ever.
I loved my 1st gen dearly…however, that love soured a bit every time it encountered an incline. God, was that thing slow up hills.
First Gen, for sure. 2nd gen was just a 1st gen without the removable roof. 3rd gen was good. 4th was available with a V8….I’m too cheap for anything newer than that.
Ideally a fully loaded 87 SR5 with a mild lift, 33s , tube bumpers, and a 1UZFE swap. But I might be biased.
First generation. I have a soft spot for 40-year-old trucks with a removable top and a propensity to rust.
Removable top >>> fixed top. First gen all the way.
I had the pickup that the 2nd gen was based on. It was a good-looking truck, and I think also the best-looking 4Runner. But that V-6 was a dog. And the amount of rust underneath after two winters in Cleveland was disturbing. (Same with the Jeep GC we bought while there. It only saw one winter before we moved to Seattle, but it too had a lot of rust underneath.)
I was pleasantly surprised to see a pic of an early (2010-2013) “OG” Trail Edition representing the 5th gen. The one pictured is a twin to mine.
I like something about every gen.
1st gen is the coolest, with the 85 EFI/SFA being the coolest of the cool.
As far as the wagons go, I’m in the minority that thinks the 2nd gen looks the best. I love that they still have the tailgate. These need a swap though; they’re really let down by the engine options.
3rd gen is the best overall. Good space, reasonably roomy and comfy interior that is still fairly modern, multi-mode t-case and rear locking diff. I think this era is the pinnacle for all Toyotas, they were just so damn durable.
4th is ugly, less so when tastefully modded. V8 is the bright spot. I’d buy a GX470 though, looks better with a MUCH nicer interior.
5th has a lot of space, great aftermarket, and is super solid. I ended up with mine because I couldn’t find a rust-free 3rd gen here in the NE, so I basically quadrupled my budget and bought the 5th.
1st gen all the way. I like them all, but there is just no competing with the 1st gen. Best looks and sweet 80’s graphics packages, best drivetrain options (22R or 22RE, manual transmissions & transfer cases, front solid axle or IFS depending on your preference), removable top, that awesome combo mechanical altimeter and pitch/roll gauge on the dash…. did I mention the looks?! They are my favorite truck of all time.
I am biased having spent a large part of my childhood riding around in my dad’s ’87 and then having my own ’87 in college and grad school, but tell me I’m wrong.
p.s. Can’t believe I forgot about the power window tailgate!
I had a ’90 4-Runner which I imported to the Dominican Republic and it still serves my former next door neighbor. Then I had a ’92 4-Runner which spend several years in Guatemala & Nicaragua. I finally gave it to my sister-in-law because I was going to be forced to pay high import taxes due to its age. After decades of great service, Massachusetts salt finally rusted it away. My vote is for the second generation 4-Runner.
I have an 86. Manual ‘convertible’ 22RE, but with IFS. I don’t offroad. But the thing is so charming that once a month when I take it on 10 miles of gravel mountain roads to get lawnmower/tractor fuel I fall in love with it again and vow to never sell it. I probably need to start addressing the rust.
One of my friends have that generation, also “convertible.” It has sick graphics, it’s awesome.
I traded a KTM 990 supermoto for it while in colorado. Retired machinist owned and rebuilt the powertrain, but he painted the thing in truck bed liner. After ‘glassing over’ the rear fender rust. I am sure there is a nightmare in there.
Yeah, my friend’s is super original and clean. Here in Texas, there’s no rust to be found on a lot of older cars.
First Gen, 22RE, Solid Axle (though the IFS has its charms).
I owned a first gen with the 3.0V6 briefly because I didn’t do enough research on how bad that engine is. The half assed rebuild by the PO’s incompetent mechanic didn’t help either.
I bought a 5th gen last year (24MY) and I love it, to me it captures something I haven’t seen in many other vehicles of feeling analogue in a good way while also having all the modern niceties you could ask for short of like, autonomous driving. I’ve never had the chance to drive the other gens so I guess its my favorite by default but I have always found the 1st gens interesting.
4TH GEN with the 2UZ V8. As long as you keep up on maintenance, that would be a beast for a million+ miles….
Runner up is the 22RE. Those things are EXTREMELY stout.
3rd is the 1GR-FE.
A buddy of mine had a 3rd Gen but gave up on containing rust. The manual gear change was nice.
I am still rocking my 4th Gen Limited at 230k and would never part with it.
Just seeing the headline made me wanna come here and say the 85 solid axle removable top one. I absolutely loved my 82 pickup truck from Toyota. I have wanted a 84-85 4runner since 84-85. To this day, every time I see an old 4runner I look to see if it’s got a solid axle or that giant skid plate IFS.
3rd gen is the sweet spot. Keep up on rust protection and they’re indestructible, which would be 80% of the reason I would want a 4Runner.
My brother had a couple of first generation 4Runner. He bought a 1989 with black paint. However, the frame developed a massive crack due to the manufacturing defect. That frame couldn’t be repaired or replaced. So, Toyota offered my brother any choice of 4Runner at the sales centre regardless of whether it would cost more. He picked the SR5 version in red colour with V6 and automatic gearbox even though his first 4Runner was bit of a stripped version and had four cylinders and manual gearbox.
Fast forward to 1998, his 1989 4Runner had served my brother well. Like our father and his 1968 BMW 2002, two doors were impractical for his growing family. It was showing lot of wear and tear from frequent travels to the mountains and between Colorado and Texas. He bought a third generation with V6 and automatic gearbox. And in red colour. This becomes my favourite of all 4Runner and a “peak 4Runner” in my opinion.
To this day, his 1998 has accumulated more than 400,000 miles with engine and gearbox still original, not rebuilt or replaced. The original paint is still shining and doesn’t show any typical fading or splotching common with red paint. He still refuses to sell it…so don’t ask about buying it from him.
Third-gen. Still felt trucky, with an interior, road manners and engine that were finally “good enough.” The first-gen is a close 4runner-up, though. There’s something admirably pure and honest about it. Like an original K5 Blazer, it was unabashedly a truck disguised with an SUV moustache. It wasn’t fooling anyone, but it’s cute that it thought it could.
Fifth-gen is too needlessly chunky (and the interior is oddly uncomfortable). Fourth-gen rode well and had that lovely V8 option, but the styling, inside and out, felt designed by conmittee.The second-gen wasn’t bad, but completely undermined by the engine options. I loved having a tailgate. Bonus points for using the very uncommon two door in the article photo.
I looked a lot for a 4th gen a couple years ago that was 4WD, no sunroof (I don’t fit, same with the 5th gen that I would go on to buy) and side airbags. That probably would be my pick for peak 4Runner but I would skip the V8 personally. This was the last time the 4Runner had a top-mounted oil filter too!
Third row would have been nice to have especially since they can come all the way out without permanently taking up space (instead collecting dust in a garage) but seems like that would have been too much to ask for secondhand.
Sadly side airbags became standard right when sales took a dump (guess when!) and it was the last time the 4runner had the superior center-LSD 4WD system that you can use on-pavement available across the board.
It’s my poster child for how features get taken away and pushed up-trim actually. It would go on to lose the 2WD mode (but the V8 4WD already lacked that, NBD) and be gated behind the Limited trim. But since I don’t fit with a sunroof, that just wasn’t meant to be for me.
And now the 6th gen is here and no longer standard (or available) include the full-size spare, metal skid plates, auto-dimming mirror, frame bump-stops, 40/20/40 flat-ish folding seats, things we probably haven’t seen yet, etc.
And it’s full-size wide now too. It’s better than I would have expected though, but I’m still sad at the decontenting.