All I can say is that after owning a 4Runner 13+ years, that the mediocre fuel economy from the 4.0L V-6 with 4 speed tranny (it is a 5 speed currently, but the fuel economy did not change with it), gets real old, real fast with frequent, thirsty fill ups. “I am really not sure if a hybrid is the answer to modernize the 4Runner. I found reactions to be mostly positive, but with some comments against it as well.ĭigitaldoc wrote. I also looked at comments from my “Toyotajeff” YouTube channel viewers. I recently wrote a Torque News story about the possibility of a Toyota 4Runner Hybrid. This could be beneficial at lower speeds in tougher conditions and terrain. Maybe the upcoming 2022 Tundra will give us a clearer picture of what this type of vehicle could get for fuel estimates.Īnother benefit of a Toyota Hybrid is increased low-end torque. While Toyota 4Runner Hybrid probably would not quite reach those lofty figures, perhaps it could give owners 30 miles per gallon. Or the all-new 2021 Sienna Hybrid – also 36mpg combined. Just look what adding a gasoline engine-electric motor combination has done for 2021 Highlander Hybrid – 36mpg combined. First, people will pay less money at the gas pump. Manufacturing a 4Runner Hybrid for 2023 model year makes sense in a couple important ways. MPG estimates are 16 in the city and 19 on the highway. This delivers 270 horsepower and 278 lb.-ft. Many 4Runner fans and enthusiasts have been asking for a way to keep 4Runner tradition intact, but with more power and increased fuel efficiency.Ĭurrent 2021 4Runner powertrain features a 4.0-liter V6 engine and 5-speed automatic transmission. And a new powertrain.īut a hybrid? Interesting. A new set of technology and safety systems. Since the current 5th generation 4Runner has been in production since 2009, it is probably time for a redesign. They can keep going for hundreds of thousands of miles. People who know them and own them realize 4Runner is solid and reliable and trustworthy. This is one tough beast and has been making people and families happy for nearly four decades. In the case of the 4Runner in particular, I hope a new platform breathes life into this ancient SUV, because while it’s a stellar off-roading star as it is, it’s time to give it a leg up.One of my favorite vehicles to write about is Toyota 4Runner. If I’m reading the tea leaves properly, Toyota will continue to move toward more consolidation of its platforms, which will help the brand improve the ride for its trucks and SUVs across the lineup. Whether Toyota will take the lessons the engineering team learned and build on them for the small-truck platform remains to be seen. “It was a Herculean task to get these together.”
#6th gen 4runner plans how to#
“There was a lot of discussion on how to run the best parts,” Sweers told me at a Tundra look-see near the company’s headquarters in Plano, Texas. This includes the F0, F1, and F2 platforms with the goal of creating flexibility to adapt its modularity across the board and make room for a wide variety of powertrains. They reviewed all of the facets of the TNGA (Toyota New Global Architecture) F series, which underpins the brand’s full-size SUV and full-size pickup truck body-on-frame vehicles. Mike Sweers, the executive chief engineer for Toyota’s trucks, says that he and a group of more than 40 engineers met up in Japan to create a new platform when they were building the Tundra.