Sixth-Gen Toyota 4Runner Teased on Instagram
Sneaky sneaky, Toyota. In an Instagram post released today, the ToyotaUSA account gave us our first glimpse at the forthcoming, sixth-gen 4Runner. At the end of a gallery showing a shot of each of the five previous generations, a sixth image shows the baby blue tailgate of a yet-unseen model.
There’s not a lot to go on here, but we can deduce a few things. First, it appears that the rear of the new 4Runner is quite square. Judging by the cut of the tailgate, we expect that this door will be hinged at the top, rather than at the side. (A rear door that opens upward wouldn’t be new; the current car, which has been in production since 2009, also has a tailgate that opens this way.)
There are whiffs of the Lexus GX 550, mostly in the tucked lower bumper that should aid departure angles. The taillamps of the new 4Runner appear very similar to the ones found on the new Land Cruiser, and while the GX features a neat light bar that spans the width of its caboose, we’d expect the 4Runner’s rear end to do without that.
On the outgoing generation, the 4Runner badge sits above the license plate, centered across the tailgate. On the new model, the name will sit below the plate, reaching farther to the edges thanks to added space between the letters.
Relative to the Land Cruiser, the 4Runner’s rear end seems hiked up a bit more; perhaps Toyota intends this model to be the most capable off-road SUV in its lineup? Tough to say, but since the existing 4Runner is a favorite among those who like to get dirt and mud on, well, everything, don’t expect Toyota to dial back those capabilities for the new model.
The new 4Runner will ride on Toyota’s TNGA-F platform, the same body-on-frame architecture that underpins the Tundra, Tacoma, Land Cruiser, Lexus GX, and Lexus LX. Currently, two powertrains motivate these offerings: A 3.4-liter, twin-turbo V-6 that’s sometimes paired with a hybrid system, or a turbocharged, 2.4-liter four-cylinder, also occasionally offered with hybrid tech.
We can only speculate on the powertrain, but it seems reasonable to think that the new 4Runner will use the hybrid and non-hybrid versions of the turbocharged four-cylinder engines that power the Land Cruiser and the Tacoma. Cross your fingers, but the Tacoma does offer a manual transmission on non-hybrid versions, and we might get lucky enough to see that gearbox offered on the 4Runner. For manual-equipped Tacomas, output of the unelectrified turbo four drops slightly—by 8 hp and 7 lb-ft—compared to automatic-equipped versions. If rowing your own in a 4Runner requires a similar sacrifice, fine by us.
Expect to hear more about the new 4Runner later this year. We’re thinking it will debut in full in either the late fall or the winter of this year, if not in 2025. When it finally does break cover, you can bet we’ll have detailed coverage.
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If this is actually getting a manual, I’m definitely getting one
I hope both a 4 and a 6 cylinder option are available
If it has any electric drive components you can count me out, and I have had a 2008 4 Runner for 280,000 miles. It runs like the day it came from the factory. I change the oil every 3000 miles (as I have done since I was 16 with a 10 year old1956 Crown Victoria Ford 289.) If something breaks, I fix it and follow closely the recommended fluid changes and maintenance. I’ll take the tubo V-6 thank you, with stick if you please.