2023 Toyota 4Runner

History/Overview

The Toyota 4Runner is a rarity these days as a mid-size SUV with unabashed off-road intentions. This year marks the truck’s 40th anniversary in Canada; that four-decade run has seen five different generations of this much-loved vehicle.

What’s New/Key Changes From Last Year

New this year is a standard heated steering wheel for all trim levels. There’s also a special 40th Anniversary Edition package that is available in limited numbers.

Available Trims

Toyota offers the 4Runner in SR5, TRD Sport, 40th Anniversary, TRD Off Road, Limited, and TRD Pro trims. In all, power is from a 4.0L V6 engine, a five-speed automatic transmission, and part-time 4WD.

Standard Features

SR5 trim comes with passive keyless entry, a power tailgate window, 17-inch alloy wheels, LED headlights/taillights/fog lights, and a front wiper de-icer. Inside, there’s seven-passenger seating, an integrated garage remote, eight-speaker audio, an 8.0-inch touchscreen, and heated front seats and steering wheel. You also get power-adjustable front seats, Softex upholstery, dual-zone A/C, an auto-dimming rearview mirror, and a sunroof.

Also included is a Safety Sense suite of forward collision mitigation, automatic high beams, lane departure alert, and radar cruise control.

All of the 4Runner’s trims build on the base model, so you’ll see some features repeated in the description of each configuration.

TRD Sport trim adds a hood scoop, X-Reas sport suspension, 20-inch wheels, panoramic view cameras, and black roof rails. This package deletes the third-row seat.

The 40th Anniversary package is largely cosmetic, adding black roof rails, bronze 17-inch wheels, premium audio with navigation, bronze interior stitching, special badging and floor mats. This is also a five-seat model.

TRD Off Road gets a hood scoop, black roof rails, navigation, crawl control, trim-specific 17-inch wheels, a locking rear differential, multi-terrain view monitor, kinetic dynamic suspension, and TRD badging. Again, there’s no third row here.

Limited gets three-row seating, the X-Reas suspension, 20-inch wheels, navigation, driver’s seat memory, front parking sensors, ventilated front seats, full-time 4WD, all-season floor mats, leather upholstery, and a 15-speaker stereo.

Finally, TRD Pro is a five-seater that gets navigation, crawl control/multi-terrain select, a locking rear diff, multi-terrain view monitor, rock rails, unique 17-inch wheels, a hood scoop with matte-black finish, Fox shock absorbers, a basket-style roof rack, front skid plate, and TRD Pro badges.

Fuel Economy

Toyota’s fuel consumption estimates start at 14.8/12.5 L/100 km (city/highway) for trucks with the standard part-time 4WD system. The Limited package’s full-time system is rated for 14.9/12.6 L/100 km.

Competition

The Toyota 4Runner is designed to keep up off road with the Jeep Wrangler Unlimited, Ford Bronco, Jeep Grand Cherokee, and Land Rover Discovery Sport. If you’re considering the more street-focused Limited trim, you may also want to look at the Ford Explorer Timberline, Subaru Outback Wilderness, and TrailSport versions of the Honda Passport and Pilot.