The Toyota 4Runner is a strong and tough SUV that people often use for outdoor adventures like camping or off-roading. It's built to handle rough roads and has a lot of space inside for passengers and gear, making it a great choice for families or anyone who loves exploring.
The manifold is a part of the engine that helps mix air and fuel together before it goes into the engine's cylinders. It's important for the engine to work well.
These are special tires made by Nitto that can handle rough off-road conditions while still being good for regular driving. They are 17 inches in size, which is a common size for many SUVs.
Sixth generation means it's the sixth version of a car model. Each new generation usually has improvements and new features compared to the older ones.
Foldable mirrors are mirrors on the side of the car that can be pushed in to avoid hitting things when parking in tight spots. They help protect the mirrors from getting damaged.
Predator ProStep bars are steps attached to the sides of some trucks and SUVs that help people get in and out of the vehicle more easily. They can also make the vehicle look nicer.
SR5 is a name used by Toyota for a version of their cars that usually has more features than the basic model. It used to mean 'Sport Rally 5 Speed' back in the day.
A tilt and telescoping wheel is a steering wheel that can be moved up and down and also pulled closer or pushed away from you, so you can find a comfortable position while driving.
Car
Toyota SR5
The Toyota SR5 is a version of Toyota's trucks and SUVs that comes with basic features, making it a good choice for those who want a reliable vehicle without extra frills.
Four-wheel drive means that all four wheels of the vehicle can get power from the engine at the same time, which helps the vehicle drive better on rough or slippery surfaces.
Locking differentials help both wheels on the same axle turn at the same speed, which is great for driving on rough or slippery surfaces. It makes it easier for the vehicle to get through tough spots.
A 3.4-liter V6 is a type of car engine that has six cylinders shaped like a 'V'. The '3.4-liter' part tells you how big the engine is, which helps determine how powerful it is.
Tow mode helps a car perform better when it's pulling something heavy, like a trailer. It changes how the engine and gears work to make towing easier and safer.
Leather seats are car seats made from animal skin, which makes them look nice and feel comfortable. They are usually easier to clean than regular fabric seats.
Wood grain trim is a design feature inside a car that looks like wood. It makes the inside of the car look nicer and more upscale.
Term
AC
AC means air conditioning, which is what cools the air inside a car to keep it comfortable when it's hot outside.
LIVE
Welcome to the Zero to Sixty podcast by LeithCars.com.
I'm your host, Mark Arson, and you are listening to a special audio version of our Zero to
Sixty TV series, which you can see on Facebook and our YouTube channel, LeithCars NC.
On today's episode of Zero to Sixty TV, we're taking the all-new sixth generation Toyota
4Runner into the wild and putting it up against what the internet says is one of the best
4Runners of all time.
It's coming up now on Zero to Sixty TV by LeithCars.com.
So Hector, our videographer is along with us today, and we asked if we could borrow
his dad's third generation 1997 4Runner as our comparison vehicle to the brand new sixth
generation 2025 Toyota 4Runner, and this is the SR5.
But first, let's see what's under the hood.
In the new sixth generation, all models have a 2.4-liter engine.
This is called the I-Force.
It is turbocharged.
You can step up to a I-Force Max 2.4-liter turbo in the upper six trim levels.
The model we've got here today is the SR5.
This is all the power that most of us are going to need anyway, whether you're taking
the thing down the road to run errands or you're taking that on the trail.
278 horsepower, 317 pound-feet of torque, which is stronger than the last fifth generation
with the V6.
Just like the review that we did last year on the Land Cruiser, it is the same engine
setup as the Land Cruiser platform, and this is all that you're going to need, really.
But if you do want even more torque and more horsepower and a little bit better fuel efficiency,
then you can get into the upper six trim levels of the new 4Runner.
One of the things I love about this is I'm looking at it here with the hood popped up.
There's no more plastic engine cover.
This is not a beauty contest.
You actually get to see the engine, which to me is gorgeous, but you see the engine,
the manifold, you see all the plumbing, but I want to see that stuff.
And then everything else is easily accessible, all your fluid, your brake, your coolant,
your battery is back here.
Obviously, when you get the hybrid powertrain, which is the i-course max version of this
2.4 turbo, then you got the little electric motor sitting up here in the upper passenger
side of the engine department.
Closing the chiseled hood of the new 4Runner, got a lot of the heritage blue.
These things come in a pretty nice selection of paint colors, and for me personally, you
can't go wrong with that classic Toyota or heritage blue, as they call it.
Look at that front, you got your blacked out grille and a very familiar curvature of the
snout, which is very similar to the third generation that we brought along today, the
1997 model, with that signature 4Runner look.
It's pretty much had that look since the third gen 4Runner.
Got your fog lamps down here, your headlight area and your DRLs, much smaller space, low
profile, compared to the fifth generation.
Now, below, when you off-roaders, I know you're probably going to remove this, and you can.
This is for fuel efficiency.
The 17-inch Nitto Ridge Grappler all-terrain tires are being made available on the 4Runner
in this generation for the first time, so that's a really nice upgrade.
Starting with the chiseled hood, that exterior styling continues down the profile of the
sixth generation.
You got foldable mirrors, always nice to have, especially in tight parking areas, and your
Predator ProStep bars here for easier entry and exit, and a little bit of body armor down
there, a little bit of protection for you.
Coming down here, this one has the optional crossbars on the roof rack, and again, this
is the entry-level trim.
So this is a good model to start with, you can build it up from there.
And fun fact, SR5 back in the day, now what it stands for, Sport Rally 5 Speed.
Now we already mentioned with the front grille on the sixth generation being similar to the
third gen that we brought along today.
If you look at this three-quarter glass here on the profile, I really like how Toyota for
the sixth gen has kind of brought it all the way up to the top, and even kind of curves
over the body a little bit.
That takes it back to the original first generation forerunner, which of course, back then, this
whole roof section was removable ever since the second gen.
We've had a solid roof, and ever since the fourth generation, we've had the smaller window.
But the styling wrapping over the top, that takes it back to the beginning.
Again, perfect complement to the heritage blue.
You got new tail lights here that wrap around your reverse lights in the center.
Big piece here for your lights and your lip with Toyota embossed.
And always a great trait of the forerunner is the cavernous cargo space.
And you'll notice with this one, these little pockets here are actually cup holders if you
want to get the optional third row seat.
And in case you were wondering, yes, all the way back to the very original, the forerunner
has always been known for its retractable rear window.
I got to be honest, the only thing I wish Toyota would do, like some off-roaders, is
to have a grab handle right here.
You've got one on the passenger side.
Tilt and telescoping wheel, I'm 6'4", so you know I need that.
We've gone to a configurable digital dash.
Now again, this is the SR5 with just some basic options on it.
So this is an 8-inch screen here for your infotainment.
I love that Toyota has stuck with buttons, especially since this is a truck, an off-road
vehicle.
They're kind of like toggle switches here.
Large knobs up here for the AC heat controls.
Since this is the entry-level SR5, you've got your basic four-wheel drive controls.
Press the silver tab here, you can switch it four low, four high, and then obviously
back in two high for normal driving.
Since this is the SR5, you don't have any little goodies down here.
You step up to the higher trends, that's where you're going to get your locking differentials
and everything else that you would need for the trail.
I like how Toyota has given you some good grab handles here that goes the same for the
handles on the doors and the kind of crate-like covers over your storage spaces in the doors.
Very functional.
You've got a good, solid glove box, plenty of room.
Look at that.
A lot of reading material stored in there.
And your center console, good enough box to put a few things in.
Your cup holders, nice and big, but notice they're kind of square to fit the squared
styling of the entire vehicle.
If you step up to the other trim levels or you option for the JBL sound system, not only
would you get the JBL speakers, but one of those speakers will be a portable, meaning
removable speaker right there in the center of your dash.
That's going to come in handy at tailgates, at the football game, or obviously when you're
out overlanding in your four-row.
All right, let's hop around back.
I'm 6'4".
Let's see what the room feels like in the rear.
So we do have the passenger seat at the same distance from the dash as the driver seat
was.
It's just a little sunnier on this side.
The 6th generation four-runner has a little bit longer wheelbase than the last gen.
And yeah, my knees are against the seat back, but if we had a nice buddy up here that doesn't
mind angling the seat up, I got plenty of room.
I'm wearing my hat.
I got plenty of room here at the top.
The seats feel really good and strong, like these things are going to last a long time.
These are cloth seats.
In the SR5, obviously, leather is available as an option in the higher trim levels.
And a cool feature, these rear seats do recline just a little bit, but on a long trip, I
could lay back, take it easy.
But reclining is not the only thing that these cool seats do.
Actually, they are tumble forward seats.
So you can get them completely out of the way.
Now the price for entry of the Toyota SR5 in the new 6th generation, if this was a two-wheel
drive standard model, it would be $41,270.
This is the $2,000 upgrade to four-wheel drive, so it's $43,270, and the way we've got this
one option here from LeapToyota on Capital Boulevard in Raleigh, it tops out at $50,712.
Now, if you're thinking, wow, $50,000 for the SR5, let's take you back to the third generation
that we brought along today.
And according to AI, that third generation 1997 four-runner back in the day was around
$26,000, $27,000, and again, that same vehicle today would be around $50,000, $52,000.
So this is priced just right now for the classic 1997 third generation Toyota four-runner.
This is the limited trend, and a trait that I've always loved about these third-gen four-runners,
this is a real metal-crowned bumper.
Here, wrap it around on the front, and then you've got it in the rear.
And with the hood popped up, a little similar in some ways to our 6th generation new four-runner,
in that there is no plastic engine cover.
This is back of the day when you could see what you bought under the hood,
and this is a 3.4-liter four-cam V6 with 183 horsepower, just about 100 less than our new
2025 model.
And stepping away to the front end of the 1997 third gen, again, that curvature of the grille,
the front snout, the face of the four-runner is carried on into our new 6th generation model.
I love back in the day how you had the big fog lamps down here, your parking lamps nice and
amber, your reflector on the side.
This is a limited, so it's got the silver painted fender flares, and in case you're wondering,
yes, those wheels are off of a fifth gen four-runner.
So that's a nice little upgrade that Hector's dad did to his rig.
Also, and you got to love this back in the day, you had these composite glass headlights.
A little bit of an aerodynamic there, but also they're going to stay nice and clean.
I first up, as I notice here, a mechanically shifted four-wheel drive.
Whereas you had the electronic with the dial in our 6th gen 2025 four-runner.
But if you step up to the TRD level in the new four-runner, it is also
manually, mechanically shifted a four-wheel drive system.
But you still have the knobs for the drive modes, just not the four-wheel drive.
Of course, back in the day, you got nice big analog gauges.
Of course, your control for the rear window, as we mentioned.
And in our 97, the tow mode control is right here, which holds the gears longer
when you're in the towing situation.
Everything else you would pretty much expect traveling back in time to 1997,
like we've done here with this third gen four-runner.
This, again, being the limited trim level, it's, you know, luxury for that time period.
So you get your leather seats, you got your wood grain trim in the center stack,
and on the door trim panels.
But one feature this 97 has that I do wish the 2025 model had,
grab handle on the driver's side.
Yes, interesting little quirky feature in the 1997 four-runner that we're in here.
You had heater controls with your fan high and low, but no AC in the back.
This is for heat.
So one of the vents comes from under this seat right here for the driver's side.
It comes out of that little cutout.
So you have heat control for the rear passengers, but no AC.
And the new one, of course, you have both.
You can't beat an adjustable flip out cup holder either.
So I want to thank Allen and the team at Leaf Toyota and Raleigh for letting us
borrow the 2025 Heritage Blue Toyota SR5 and take it out into the wild today,
and the Hector's dad for letting us take his 97 third gen four-runner out with us today.
Now, when you're ready to try the new four-runner on for size, go to leaftoyota.com.
I'm Mark Arson.
Thank you for watching Zero to 60 TV by Leafcars.com, part of the Holman Automotive family.
About this episode
The latest episode dives into a detailed comparison between the all-new 2025 Toyota 4Runner SR5 and the classic 1997 third-generation model. Host Mark Arson highlights the new 2.4-liter turbocharged engine, improved styling, and functional interior features of the sixth generation while reminiscing about the charm and simplicity of the older model. The discussion covers performance specs, design elements, and pricing, providing insights into how the 4Runner has evolved over the years. Listeners will appreciate the hands-on review and nostalgic look back at a beloved SUV.
We pit two generations of 4x4 icons against each other in our "4Runner 4Ever" episode of Zero to 60TV. Join host Mark Arsen for this special "podcast" to hear an overview of the all-new 6th-generation 2025 Toyota 4Runner SR5 versus a classic third-gen 1997 Toyota 4Runner Limited.
