2025 Toyota 4Runner: All The Tech On The New 6th-Gen SUV
Fifteen years after the Toyota 4Runner received its last generational update, Toyota has finally given the famed SUV a much-needed upgrade. The sixth-gen 4Runner is here, and this time around, the reliable SUV gets a complete makeover; built new from the ground up compared to the outgoing fifth-gen model. This update was due long ago, considering the fifth-generation 4Runner — despite several mid-life upgrades — traces its origins back to 2009.
Some 4Runner fans and purists may not be happy with the radical design, tech, and platform changes the 2025 4Runner has undergone. However, considering the overall age of the platform on which the outgoing vehicle was based, this upgrade is necessary.
The outgoing fifth-gen 4Runner is among the most reliable cars one can buy in the U.S. What it isn't known for, however, is for sporting the latest technology. With the 2025 edition of the vehicle, it seems Toyota wants to shed this long-held image of the 4Runner being a tech dinosaur alongside potent 4-wheel drive.
Of course, while most discussions surrounding the sixth-gen 4Runner may center around its Tacoma-inspired design, some of the modern tech Toyota has incorporated into the new car is worth praising.
Goodbye, analog dials
The 2024 Toyota 4Runner was among the last of the traditional SUVs to feature good old, traditional analog dials and a plethora of physical buttons to control every infotainment feature. While the updated sixth-generation 4Runner isn't entirely devoid of physical buttons, the familiar analog instrument cluster has now been replaced with an 8-inch display on entry-level trims. On the higher tier variants, the instrument cluster gets an even larger 12.3-inch panel. This is in addition to a massive 14-inch multimedia touchscreen display that dominates the dashboard.
The overall experience of using this improved touchscreen interface should be leaps and bounds better than the clunky and dated 8-inch infotainment display used on the outgoing model. The new display (unsurprisingly) supports wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and sports many connected tech features. With a Qi-compatible wireless charging pad and a plethora of fast-charging USB-C ports scattered around the interiors, the 2025 Toyota 4Runner is quite gadget-friendly.
Displays aside, the 2025 4Runner also gets a Smart Key System with push-button start being offered as standard on all variants. There is also the option to subscribe to Toyota's Remote Connect subscription to get the ability to unlock the doors and start the vehicle using a smartphone. This subscription also adds a digital key function, which you can use to "share" the key with others when required.
A bucketload of safety features
The outgoing fifth-generation 4Runner, despite its 15-year-old origins, did not fare too badly on the safety front. Thanks to frequent and timely upgrades, the last iteration of the car came loaded with seemingly newer safety-focused features. These included a pre-collision system with pedestrian detection, dynamic radar cruise control, lane departure alert, and automatic high beams.
With the 2025 4Runner, Toyota is adding all the safety-focused features that are part of Toyota Safety Sense 3.0, the company's suite of active and passive safety features. These include an updated version of Lane Departure Alert with Steering Assist, Full-Speed Range Dynamic Radar Cruise Control, Lane Tracing Assist, Road Sign Assist, and Proactive Driving Assist. This is in addition to other vital additions like Blind Spot Monitor, Rear Cross-Traffic Alert, and Hill Start Assist Control, the latter being offered as standard on all trim levels.
While not entirely new tech, also part of the 2025 Toyota 4Runner experience is the new i-FORCE MAX hybrid powertrain, combining the power of a traditional turbocharged 4-liter, four cylinder ICE engine with an electric motor. The combined power output of both these engines reaches 326 horsepower, with a plentiful 465 pound-feet of torque. The 4Runner will also be offered in several grades, allowing drivers to pick which Toyota is right for them.