Fans Warn Against this Next-Gen Toyota 4Runner Redesign Feature

Please add a manual transmission as an option. FJ cruisers had them so why not the new 4 Runner. I have a 6 sp FJ and love it. Would buy the new 4 Runner if it also comes with a manual.

My wife and I bought a 2020 offroad premium model 4runner. We love it! It's everything you could ask for in an suv. If it were a unibody vehicle, we would have chosen something else. This truck is ready for anything! An off-road utility vehicle should be on a frame! Anything else can't perform as well! SUVs were bred from trucks! It's a truck!

Could not agree more on the body design. I have owned 4-runners since 2005. Hope it does not change.

All I know is if they cheap out and make the next gen 4runners unibody I for one will be out and trying out the Bronco instead.

Frame on makes the 4runner unique among SUVs so changing to unibody will mean the end of the 4runner Era. Will instantly increase the value of all the old ones.

If we got a 70 or Prado in the US, then I would be okay with the 4runner going unibody, as long as that 70 or prado was reasonably priced like the 4runner. 'Froaders like us would not buy it but most 4runner owners are soccer moms and mall readers anyway.

As for the engine, the reason it hasn't changed is because the reliability beats almost any engine of its type, and any redesign might mess that up.

I own a 2018 4Runner and I enjoy driving this beast daily. I wouldn't look at another 4Runner if they made it into a unibody (couldn't). Toyota should retune the engine for better fuel economy and find ways to keep it body on frame and decrease the weight. I'm all for the 6 speed trans if the power increases with greater torque. And please make them sit level without the rake. Better fuel economy (22 city/28 hwy) more power (keep the v6) and slightly increase the interior room and watch the units move off the lots.

A 4Runner isn't a 4Runner if it isn't body on frame.
It's a Highlander. Nice car, but not for Colorado rock ledge roads.

Unibody - no
Turbo - Hell no
I like the engine / tranny combo they have now, but I also drive a 3rd gen, so gears, gas milage and power are not my priority, just reliability. The reality is that it's getting harder for toyota to keep the 4 runner alive, so I think we are at the end of an era.

I just got a new 4 runner this year and love because it is a true s.u.v. if become something like every other such know a unibody I will have no chose to look else where or get a well take care of used one. I agree the engine and transmission could use a little updating but other then that I love the thing. If you want a squishy suv then get an escape, renegade, blazer.

In total agreement that a unibody is a non-starter, but then Toyota must know that! Better fuel economy would be nice. And keep all the various trim options (ours is 2016 SR5 Premium 4x4). On thing I don't hear much about is lack of seat comfort? Around town not an issue, but we bought it to travel too, sometimes 2-4 day road trips. Nav system has got to have Apple Play, another non starter if it doesn't.

PLEASE DONT MAKE IT A UNIBODY. If they go that route I will have to look elsewhere for my next SUV. Lastly bring back the 2uz-fe engine or any 8 cylinder in general. I think the 6 is underpowered.

I have purchased three 4Runners in the last 10 years, all new. The last was a 2016 Limited. I am a big guy and since 1987 had wanted a 4Runner but could never comfortably fit until I bought my first in 2011. I have since learned the many positives of the renowned abilities of a 4Runner. Not least in the the basics of a 4x4 true SUV is what this truck can do, to great extent, because of it’s body on frame construction. I plan to keep my current 4Runner for a few more years. If, however, the changes in the next gen 4Runner include a unibody design, it will be my last.

I have been a car guy my whole life and my son suggested a 4 Runner Limited 4x4 and love this truck. The body on frame was the deciding factor. I would like to see more power and torque....we didn’t buy these for fuel economy. Small V-8.

Yes I bought the new 2020 Nightshade. It is the most amazing 4 Runner I've been in. Lots of my friends have older models My nightshade came completely with every option that Toyota offered I decided to not have the automatic sideboards La besides that I've had it a year and I got 13,000 miles on it. Just totally fantastic I get so many comments especially the wheels the 20in black gloss awesome totally spoked perfect fit Toyota engineers spent some time thinking about this all the way along to the black gloss tailpipe the third row is a very comfortable if your under 15 did ride I set back there on a trip was quite tight but it wasn't uncomfortable good airflow the air condition all the way through the vehicle the back window automatically goes up and down is an awesome feature

It would be really nice to be able to put 33in or even 35in tires on without cutting pieces of the vehicle off. Also different gearing ratio options would be nice, the 5th gen is geared way too tall.

Please keep the full frame platform as opposed to the unibody. It is on of the features which make the 4Runner a GREAT vehicle.

They better show thier worth. Bronco raised the bar, gonna be stiff competition.

Keep the frame on body design. I have owned 4 different generations of the 4Runner and enjoyed them all. The current. V6 motor if maintained is the most reliable of it kind . Friends had them with over 400k and still running . What I would like is a 600 hp fully electric 4Runner option that can get 500 miles to a charge. Certainly doable as seen in the hummer and if Toyota does it , it will be reliable.

Keep the full frame! Keep the slide down rear window (another unique great feature)! I miss the drop down tailgate. I've owned 4runners since 1986 and getting too old to lift my kayaks on the roof.
Improved fuel efficiency is another wish. I would consider hybrid version if available.
More color options would be nice

I just bought a 2021 4runner, just turned 3,000 miles love it! I wasn’t wanting to wait for the next gen to find out they changed everything good about the 4 runner . The 4.0 V6 with the 5 speed is and has been bullet proof , when I heard they might use the 3.5 V6 ,it was a no brained to buy now, and get a 4runner still built in Japan,not built in Texas or Mexico.... I don’t have a heavy foot , so gas mileage isn’t a big issue for me.I’m getting 21.5 -23.5 miles per gallon, engine has lots of torque, does all I need .
I’ve wanted a 4runner for years, now I have one !
No regrets what so ever, nice rig !
I upgraded from a 2015 Tacoma sr5 access cab 4cyl which I also bought new.

I own a 2013 4Runner and am seriously considering trading up when the 6th gen arrives. It will be body on frame. Anyone who has done a little research knows about the TNGA-F platform. It is body on frame and doesn't support a V8 so people can stop making weird speculations about unibodies or V8's. I love the current 4.0 V6 but would like to see refinements and an 8 speed to boost economy, as well as a higher towing capacity (7500lbs) and better brakes. Standard lockers would be nice too. If Toyota doesn't come through, I'll just keep my 2013 forever.

Rumors were the 4 runners weren’t going to be built in Japan, possibally Mexico or Texas…
I wasn’t chancing a redesign that would ruin the 4runner…. I bought a brand new 4runner in March of 2021….. 6,000 miles on it now absolutely love it, much better than my 2015 Tacoma that I traded in with 150,000 miles that still looked like new and with the used prices through the roof I got $14,600 for my trade, stepping up to the 4 runner was a no brained for me, I wanted the 4.0/5 speed bullet proof drivetrain, wasn’t chancing a smaller engine with turbo, a unproven transmission and any chance of it going unibody instead of body on frame….. I’m very happy with my choice to buy the 2021 4 runner, over waiting to see what they changed for model yr 2023
“ the next gen 4 runner”

Yes, keep frame on body, but also so want a 4Runner with a back seat that folds flat again, with no gaps, for sleeping and hauling.