For a lot of guys who grew up wrenching on trucks in the driveway and spending weekends on back-country two-tracks, the Toyota 4Runner has always been more than just transportation. It was the rig that never left you stranded, the one you could beat on all day and still drive the kids to school Monday morning. After years of watching Toyota stick with the old fifth-generation 4Runner longer than anyone expected, the company finally rolled out a completely new one for 2025, with carry-over into 2026. And when the editors from CarBuzz, HotCars, and TopSpeed sat down to hand out their first-ever Buzz Awards, they didn’t hesitate: the 2026 Toyota 4Runner walked away with Best Off-Road Warrior.
What makes that win mean something is how they judged it. These guys didn’t just look at brochure numbers. They wanted a vehicle that’s ready to tackle serious trails the minute you drive it off the dealer lot, without dumping another ten grand into lift kits and skid plates the first month you own it. They factored in price, real-world value, how the thing drives both on pavement and in the dirt, and how much you can personalize it later if you want to go deeper down the rabbit hole. Out of everything on the market right now, the new 4Runner checked every box, and then some.
The heart of the new truck is still a proper body-on-frame setup riding on Toyota’s TNGA-F platform, the same tough backbone you’ll find under the Tacoma, Land Cruiser, and big Tundra. That means it’s built like the trucks most of us remember, not some crossover wearing hiking boots. Under the hood, the old V6 is gone. In its place sits a 2.4-liter turbo four-cylinder called the i-FORCE. It puts out 278 horsepower and a stout 317 lb-ft of torque, numbers that actually beat the old V6 in every way that matters when you’re pointed uphill on loose shale. Hook it to an eight-speed automatic and you’ve got smooth power whether you’re merging onto the interstate or crawling over rocks in low range.
Toyota didn’t stop at one engine, either. There’s a hybrid option called i-FORCE MAX that pairs the same turbo four with an electric motor for 326 horsepower and 465 lb-ft of torque. Plenty of owners will never need that much grunt, but it’s nice knowing it’s there if you ever hook up a big camper or boat.
Where the new 4Runner really starts separating itself from the pack is the trim walk. Nine different levels let you decide exactly how serious you want to get. At the top sit two factory-built trail machines that finally give Jeep and Ford something to sweat about.
The TRD Pro has been the king of the hill for years, and it’s still ridiculous. FOX QS3 adjustable shocks, a thicker front stabilizer bar you can disconnect with the push of a button, and a full complement of armor underneath. Testers said the way those FOX shocks soak up high-speed washboard while still keeping body roll in check makes the truck feel half its size when you’re hauling down a forest service road.
Then there’s the new kid on the block, the Trailhunter. This one might be the smartest factory off-roader any company has ever offered. Toyota basically took everything overlanders beg for and bolted it on before you even sign the papers: Old Man Emu 2.5-inch lift with remote reservoirs, 33-inch Toyo Open Country all-terrains, a factory 2-inch receiver hitch rated for serious tongue weight, an ARB roof rack, a 2400-watt inverter, and even a built-in air compressor with outlets front and rear. Ground clearance climbs to 10.1 inches, approach angle hits 33 degrees, departure 24 degrees, breakover 24 degrees. In other words, you can drive it home from the dealership, throw your camping gear in the back, and head straight for the Rubicon if you feel like it.
Inside, Toyota finally dragged the 4Runner into the modern age without ruining what made it great. There’s a 14-inch touchscreen if you want it, but they kept a whole row of honest-to-God buttons and knobs for the climate and volume, exactly what you want when you’re wearing muddy gloves. Rear cargo space is actually useful now, the back seats fold flat without a fight, and there’s still a roll-down rear window because some traditions are worth keeping.
CarBuzz journalist Ian Wright summed it up best after spending a week beating on both the TRD Pro and Trailhunter:
“Cars and trucks don’t need to be logical, but they do need to make sense when they evolve. The new 4Runner has all the right boxes ticked: The engine upgrade is on point, while the hybrid delivers more than most buyers will ever need. The ride and handling is now among the best, and the off-road ability is exactly what you expect from a 4Runner. The TRD models are exceptional, and the Trailhunter might be Toyota’s best off-road vehicle yet.”
It wasn’t an easy win. The refreshed 2025 Ford Bronco Sport with the new Sasquatch Package came awfully close. Testers called it the best soft-roader in its class, especially now that it finally gets real all-terrain tires, steel skid plates, and a Rally mode that makes sliding around on gravel an absolute riot. And then there was the curveball: the Hyundai Ioniq 5 XRT. Yeah, an electric crossover. With its raised suspension, all-terrain tires, and instant torque, it turns loose-dirt roads into playgrounds. The editors admitted it’s probably the future for a lot of people who just want to go have fun without worrying about gas stations in the middle of nowhere.
But when everything was tallied up, neither of those rigs could match the 4Runner’s combination of proven durability, family-friendly space, towing ability, and the kind of factory off-road gear that used to require years of weekends in the garage.
Starting price sits right around $41,570 for a base SR5 rear-drive model, which is honestly fair money when you see what else is out there wearing a similar price tag and can’t make it past a gravel parking lot. Load it up to Trailhunter or TRD Pro territory and you’re looking at the mid-to-high sixties, still cheaper than a comparable Jeep Wrangler Rubicon or Ford Bronco Wildtrak once you start checking option boxes.
For the guys who’ve owned 4Runners for decades and worried Toyota might finally water it down into something soft, relax. They didn’t just keep the soul of the truck alive, they gave it new life. The 2026 Toyota 4Runner isn’t chasing trends. It’s the same honest, bulletproof adventure rig it’s always been, only now it’s faster, quieter, more capable, and ready for whatever trail you point it at straight from the factory.
If you’ve been holding onto that third-gen or fourth-gen waiting for the right moment to trade up, this might just be it.
