When contemplating purchase of a 13-year-old truck, go for the one that channels its pickup-based Toyota Hilux Surf origin story.
The fourth-generation global Toyota Hilux pickup got transformed, like an original Chevy Blazer, from a short-bed pickup into an SUV by unitizing its box and cab, removing the bulkhead behind the front seats, installing rear seats, and then bolting on a removable roof over the rear seats and cargo area.
is channeling that OG ute—not with a removable roof or sliding rear side windows, but with Totally '80s retro-tastic stripes.Most SUVs have already crossed over to car platforms, but the 4Runner has remained true to its pickup-truck roots. Sadly, those roots still tap the 2004-2015 Tacoma pickup. The Tacoma that today's 4Runner shares showroom space with is a generation newer, and it's scheduled for replacement next year.
We strapped our test gear to a 4Runner 40th and found it to perform just like the seven previous fifth-gen models we've tested, which is to say on the slower end of the midsize, rear-drive-based 4x4 class. A Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon or Ford Bronco with a four-cylinder, and loaded, V-6-equipped versions of the Jeep Grand Cherokee L and Explorer hybrid each perform within the same 7.5-8.0-second 0-60 and 16-ish-second quarter-mile time window as the 4Runner.
The 8.0-inch touchscreen and even tinier driver-information screen in the cluster really lean into the truck's retro motif, as do the sea of buttons that come from not relying on the touchscreen to control much. The three giant rotary knobs for climate control and a fourth to operate the four-wheel-drive system also have a vintage pickup-truck feel to them, but at least they're easily operable with gloves on.
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