Evolutionary: Toyota’s 4Runner is beloved for not changing

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In the classic Simpsons episode “Homer’s Enemy,” everyone’s favourite bumbling yellow cartoon dad is tricked into entering a children’s model-building contest. The Enemy in question, the long-suffering Frank Grimes, tries to ridicule Homer for competing against kids with his scale nuclear power plant, but the plan backfires.

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“Well, basically I just copied the plant we have now,” says Homer of his miniature replica of his workplace. “This racing stripe here I feel is pretty sharp.”

The crowd cheers enthusiastically! Grimes is so incensed he goes crazy and rampages through the real nuclear plant, sadly electrocuting himself to death. How can Homer – or anyone, for that matter – find such unbridled success by just doddering along doing the same old thing over and over again? Anyway, here’s the 40th anniversary Toyota 4Runner. Say—is that a racing stripe? Yay! First prize!

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Somewhere out there, the Frank Grimes of automotive design just lost their marbles. It’s 2023, and this is a ten-year-old truck that someone has just put some stickers on. Where’s the plug-in hybrid? Is that still a five-speed automatic transmission? Why is everyone applauding?

Because, at 40, the 4Runner fills its niche by being steadfast and unchanging. People like its simple, old-school nature. They’re willing to put up with its truckish foibles. Put a stripe and some bronze-look 17-inch wheels on it, and everybody not named Grimes couldn’t be happier. And furthermore, tucked under the lip of the rear liftgate, this 4Runner also has a little Easter Egg — a tribute to forty years of 4Runner heritage.

First Generation (1984-1989)

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The first outing of the 4Runner badge, launched in 1983 for the 1984 model year, is quite a different beast than the current family-friendly dinosaur. If you can find one of these two-door proto-SUVs in good condition, you should buy it immediately. Most of them have rotted away after hard use, and they are bound to be future collectibles.

Plus, the first-gen 4Runner is just plain fun. As small sport-utes like the Chevy Blazer and Ford Bronco II hit the roads, Toyota turned to its Hilux pickup truck as the basis for a competitor. The Hilux, sold simply as the Toyota Pickup in North America, still has a reputation for being as durable as a lump of granite.

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And also for having the performance envelope of a lump of granite. Initially, the first 4Runner’s 2.4L four-cylinder engine made less than a hundred horsepower, and as it was heavier than the pickup version, on-road performance was more like 4Stroller. However, off the beaten path, the 4Runner offered proper body-on-frame 4×4 capability. As the 1980s progressed, more powerful engines became available, with a 150-hp V6 showing up in 1989.

The best part was the removable fibreglass top, featuring an integrated roll bar. The vibe was pure SoCal surf truck, and indeed, in overseas markets the 4Runner was called the Toyota Hilux Surf. There are still plenty of forty-somethings out there who remember pulling off the roof of their battered Toyota trucks as a youthful rite of summer.

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Second Generation (1990-1995)

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If the first 4Runner was a bit of a toy for youths, the second generation pointed the compass in the direction subsequent models would go. There was a still a pickup truck frame lurking underneath the bodywork, but said bodywork was now a proper full steel shell. Both two- and four-door models were available, but as the two-door variant was mostly a styling exercise, most 4Runners sold were four-door versions. Canada got the two-door 4Runner for one year longer than in the U.S., but by 1994, 4Runner meant four doors.

These second-gen trucks are less lovable than the first-gen 4Runners, while still having some issues that were solved in later generations. The rear suspension of both first- and second-gen trucks, leaf-spring and coil-spring, respectively, has a tendency to sag over time. The V6 engines offer more power than the four-cylinders, but aren’t quite as long-lived, and not particularly efficient. Early 1990s 4Runners also offer up some pretty alarming crash-test results.

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Where you see this generation of 4Runner most often is as a built-up rig with various modifications done to make up for any deficiencies. If you can keep on top of the rust, a second-gen 4Runner makes for a good off-road project vehicle.

Third Generation (1996-2002)

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Midway through the run of the third-generation 4Runner, the entire SUV segment came in for a skewering from The Simpsons. You know the tune: “Can you name the truck with four-wheel-drive?/ Smells like a steak and seats thirty-five!/ Canyonerooo!”

The real-life Canyonero is probably best represented by a Ford Excursion or similar (the Sequoia, if looking for a Toyota badge) but the 4Runner was now roomy and comfortable enough to be a family daily-driver. The cartoon criticism remained – did you really need a 4×4 truck to just get groceries? – but the sales results proved Toyota right. The 4Runner was now a mainstream offering.

While still assembled in Japan, the 4Runner was now based on the North-American-spec Tacoma pickup, and received the same upgrades to the powertrain. The four-cylinder offering displaced 2.7L and produced 150 hp, while the V6 was up to 3.4L and 183 hp.

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This generation of 4Runner really established the cornerstone of the nameplate: not off-road capability, not a reputation for reliability, but unassailable resale value. Few vehicles can touch the 4Runner for retained value, and the prices these late 1990s 4Runners still fetch is impressive.

Fourth Generation (2003-2009)

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Simply put, the fourth generation 4Runner represented a fall from grace. The trucks themselves are still individually beloved — when he saw the 40th anniversary 4Runner parked out front, my neighbour came over to wax ecstatic about his V8-powered fourth-gen. However, sales tumbled as the 2000s progressed, back to levels not seen since the 1980s.

First of all, apparently having not watched the Canyonero episode, Toyota’s engineers decided the 4Runner needed to be bigger, heavier, and more powerful. Almost 200 kg heavier in some versions, the 4Runner was also visually bloated versus the previous model, at least in the lower trims with their unpainted body cladding.

But, arguably, this is the best 4Runner of them all. Never mind what the buying public thought, a V8-powered fourth-gen is basically a barely-disguised Lexus product. Especially if towing is a concern, the 2005-forward model 4.7L V8 comes with 270 hp and 330 lb-ft of torque. It can be a bit thirsty, but Toyota will never make anything like it again.

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Fifth Generation (2010-present)

The 4Runner is incredibly popular in North Vancouver where I live, and some seriously wild weather over the holidays gave it a chance to shine. Multiple days of snow and freezing rain brought traffic and transit to a standstill, but not if you happened to have a Toyota with some Neat Stripes^TM.

The long-in-the-tooth current generation of 4Runner was facelifted for the 2014 model year, but the basics are the same as they were back when the first Avatar movie hit theatres. Drivetrain specs are a 270-hp 4.0L V6 paired with a five-speed automatic transmission. The driveline is a true 4×4 system with low-range capability, and features manual shift-on-the-fly capability. There’s no automatic 4WD engagement on this SR5-based model.

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This is a big, heavy, body-on-frame truck with squishy-sidewall tires on 17-inch wheels, and vague steering. Driving it out to the Fraser Valley before the real snow hit really highlighted the 4Runner’s tendency to wander when hit by gusting winds. The ride is not punishingly firm, but you can really feel the bones of the previous-generation 4Runner poking through here. For about the same money – $54,380 after options but before freight and taxes – you could have a Highlander Limited with more options and better road manners.

Yet, when the deep snow hits, there’s something hilarious about how inexorable the current 4Runner is in poor conditions. Buyers need to opt up to the TRD Pro version for selectable terrain modes, but the 4Runner’s basic 4×4 functionality is solid and dependable. Even after the snow, you can always secure the best parking spot in the lot by simply ramming it into the pile of snow left by the plows, as it will always claw its way out.

The 4Runner feels old, it rivals the Jeep Wrangler for agricultural driving feel, and it lags behind in today’s tech-focused world. The Frank Grimes of the world leap to their feet, demanding to know why this lovable-but-lumbering machine is still so popular. Oh, pipe down, Grimey. The 4Runner is not that smart, but it’s certainly lovable. Want to see its Grammy award?