Is there an unofficial official car of Southern California? Driving down the freeways, you might come away convinced it’s the ubiquitous Tesla Model Y. Of course, one might argue that the Model Y is the most logical car—relatively cheap, high tech, green, practical—for the nearly 24 million people who live here. On the other end of spectrum, you could make the case for the Porsche 911. We do love them here in sunny Southern California, and nothing announces to world that you’ve made it, as so many who come to Hollywood set out to do, quite like Porsche’s living icon. Though the 911’s huge price makes ‘em relatively rare. We’ll go ahead and make the case that in the land of ski hills, mountains, beaches, and deserts, the actual official car is the Toyota 4Runner. Especially the go-anywhere-and-look-tough-while-doing-it TRD Pro.
What’s New?
So much. After the longest run in the model line’s history (the fifth-generation, N280 4Runner was around for 16 years) the sixth-generation SUV is quite literally all new. It’s yet another vehicle spun off of the brand’s TNGA-F platform, the eighth such example when you count the Land Cruiser and Lexus GX as separate vehicles, which we do. The biggest news is the elimination of six-cylinder power in favor of either a turbocharged I-4, or a hybridized version of the same turbo I-4. With the TRD Pro being the top of the trim heap, or at least tied for top honors as the new Trailhunter that starts at an admittedly high $68,350, its available only with the hybrid option. Forget your feelings about the electrification of the automobile for a moment, the i-Force Max Turbo Hybrid powertrain here is good for 326 hp and an impressive 465 lb-ft of torque.
Toyota also dropped ye olde five-speed slushbox in favor of a much better shifting eight-speed automatic. As a result, mileage is way up, from 16 mpg city, 19 mpg highway to 23 mpg city and 24 mpg highway, which is laudable. Always remember, four-banger or not, the hybrid version at least is going to be heavier than the TRD Pro is replaces. So a substantial bump in gumption—horsepower rises by 53, and the torque is through the roof, increasing by nearly 40 percent—is truly impressive.
Perhaps most important to TRD Pro customers however, are the Fox Racing QS3 internal bypass shocks found both front and rear. These transform the Pro generation to generation. Up front sit 2.5-inch dampers with three-way adjustable compression. That’s what QS3 stands for, “Quick Switch 3,” and all you need to do is drop to one knee, reach under the 4Runner, and click through the three settings. The rear dampers are also QS3s, but feature remote reservoirs. If the new but maturing sport truck segment isn’t your thing, don’t worry about what you just read. If it is, then you’re well aware that Fox supplies real similar shocks on all the Ford Raptor products, including the Ranger Raptor that uses the same diameter dampers. Both the TRD Pro and the Trailhunter feature an increased lift and a widened track, as well as 33-inch Toyo Open Country III tires.
On the outside the best ways to figure out you’re looking at a TRD Pro are the “functional” hood scoop and the big “TRD Pro” that’s stamped into the rear tailgate. Of note: the glass in said tailgate still drops down, as Toyota said abandoning it would upset 4Runner loyalists. Both the Trailhunter and the TRD Pro have larger, black fender flares to cover the wider tracks.
The interior is a big improvement, though it’s virtually identical to the Tacoma midsize pickup truck. Were you to go back and forth between the two, you’d come away thinking that the 4Runner had a little bit of Lexus sprayed into it. The various grades of plastic just feel five percent more upscale. One odd trait about the old 4Runner was that you essentially sat on the floor. In the new one, Toyota has raised the seat up higher than the previous-gen’s butt-on-the-floor position, but taller drivers will wish it could go an inch or two lower.
The Results?
This ain’t your father’s TRD Pro. It’s not even close. When we last drove a fifth-generation version, we liked it, but we hit the thing with enough backhanded compliments to set off the air bags. Choice pepperings like, “Ride motions are nautical,” “The body sashays this way and that,” and, “The way it gently bobs down the road is nicely old-school and trucky, encouraging you to slow down and just roll.” We even had a section titled, “Drunken Dynamics to Lower Your Blood Pressure.” None of that applies in 2025. The new TRD Pro is basically a 4Runner-shaped Raptor. We knew that a new TRD Pro would be a better driving 4Runner, but we really were not prepared for the amount of fun we’d have driving the big, fat tires off it.
Toyota stuck us on a dirt motorcycle track loaded with Baja-style burms, yumps, jumps, and table tops. The TRD Pro ate it all up. The thing was in its natural environment, the happiest puppy at the park. The increased, electrified torque is just what the doctor ordered, as the 4Runner easily blasts its way up everything and out of tight, off-road corners. By jumps we mean jumps, and just like a Ford Raptor, the 2025 4Runner TRD Pro loves getting airborne and might like landing even more. Cards on table, we (totally accidentally) exceeded the takeoff velocity Toyota recommended, and landed much harder than they had planned for us. Result? No problem. The new Fox dampers, along with the rest of totally improved suspension and much stiffer frame and body, just loved it.
Surely there’s some bad stuff?
Yes, and aside from price, the big one has to be the fact that the hybrid’s battery eats into the rear luggage space, raising the load floor by a good four inches. This not only cuts down on space, but makes life harder for shorter, weaker people. We feel this is a mistake, just like on the Sequoia, and shows a surprising lack of engineering excellence. It’s not like anyone at Toyota was surprised by the fact that the 4Runner would be offered as a hybrid. Adding salt to that wound is the fact that the rear seats do not fold completely flat. Back to the official vehicle of the Southland nomination, skiing and snowboarding, surfing, camping, exploring, antiquing, road tripping to Santa Barbara wine country—all native SoCal activities that will be compromised by the battery.
Then there’s the price. Even in an age of inflation, nearly $70,000 for a 4Runner strikes us as too expensive. True, the entry-level, rear-wheel-drive 4Runner SR5 starts at $42,220, and the other eight trim levels go up in chunks from there until you get to the high-falutin’ Trailhunter/TRD Pro strata. Also true, starting at $68,350, the TRD Pro offers essentially no options. It’s just loaded. Still, natural off-road competition like the $49,090 Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 and $57,315 Ford Ranger Raptor offer similar go anywhere-ness and utility, and even the platform-mate Toyota Tacoma TRD-Pro is cheaper at $65,230. (Side note: we drove the Tacoma TRD Pro on the same course and prefer the 4Runner greatly. The 4Runner’s shortened wheelbase makes everything feel better.) Yes, those are all sport pickup trucks, but there does seem to be a dearth of sporty off-road SUV competition aside from the Ranger’s sibling, the Bronco Raptor.
Maybe that’s the thing. As far as great-jumping, Baja-ready SUVs go, the 4Runner TRD Pro morphs into a relative value against the ridiculous and—reminder—$92,920 Bronco Raptor, which is both more hardcore and more powerful than the 4Runner. Within Toyota showrooms, there is the Land Cruiser available for as low as $58,150, but it’s just a different animal, one meant for lower speed, non-aviation-style-trail cruising, essentially what the previous TRD Pro was good at. This new one, despite its two notable short comings, is the first 4Runner we’ve ever lusted after. High price and compromised gear utility aside, Toyota has built a literally fantastic SUV. One that we think even people outside of Southern California will be buying.