6th gen owners - why did you jump on a year 1 model of the refresh?

[ugahairydawgs]

Conventional wisdom has often been to skip year one of a new refresh of a vehicle. For everyone who has decided to go against this to purchase a 2025 year model of the new 4Runner, what made you decide to go against that prevailing wisdom? Have you run into any strange first gen issues? Has there been anything that has caused you to regret taking the plunge?

I am currently in the market now for one and was close to pulling the trigger on the purchase, but the brake squeal issue, and Toyota’s seeming inability to find a lasting fix for the problem, has given me some pause.

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[Darkchief22]

I always wanted a 4runner but became very interested once the rumors started flying of the refresh. So far im extremely happy with my decision. My last car didnt give me confidence in its longevity being almost 10 years old. As far as 1st year issues, I can ignore a few hiccups because i know what i bought, bigger issues I trust in Toyota to correct within a reasonable amount of time to fix.

 

[Nodak]

cause its taken 10 months to just to fulfill an allocation reserve request (i put mine in dec-2024 and it was finally built on 8-22-25 and ships out 9-3-2025 and its not suppose to arrive at the dealer until oct-2025)

 

[Formidable]

Great question. First off, it’s a Toyota. Now that may sound cliche. But when you consider their track record for building reliable vehicles and hybrids it’s not a difficult choice. Second, the 4runner is built in Japan. Great for quality control… however Trump’s tariffs are here now. I preferred to secure my purchase before Toyota is forced to adjust the prices due to Trumps tariffs. Not sure how this will shake out. All I know is the consumer will end up footing most of the bill.

 

[get.outside.75]

For me: tariffs. Toyota isn't going to eat a 15% tariff for long. Prices will almost surely be going up for 2026.

 

[Nodak]

the tariffs are being challenged and the federal appeals court has ruled against it.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-tariffs-federal-appeals-court-rules-illegal-what-happens-next/

 

[Tarekith]

I was driving a ‘22 Tacoma and hated it as a daily driver. It’s a pig on the highways and I wasn’t using the bed enough to justify the crappy winter driving it caused going snowboarding every day. Plus I didn’t like all the super outdated electronics after getting used to a BMW which is my other car.

The 6th gen 4Runner fixed all that and more. It drives 100x better than the older models.

Personally I wouldn’t stress about the squeal TSB, there are many of us here and elsewhere with no issues at all on our 4Runners. And given how bad it is for the few people unfortunately dealing with it, there’s no way Toyota is not going to make it right one way or another.

 

[John2112]

Primarily I went with the 6th gen 4Runnerunner Trailhunter because I just sold my motorhome and I had a Jeep Wrangler POS that I needed to use to flat tow since that's not practical with a Toyota product. Once I got rid of the motorhome that jeep was like a hot potato, couldn't get rid of it quick enough. Once they announced that they were upping the power and introducing a hybrid similar to the way my Jeep worked I was on board. Got rid of my Tacoma years ago because that V6 and that dog of the transmission didn't do what I needed to do especially on high altitude highways. After driving a pre-production 4Runner hybrid I was absolutely sold. Yeah I know about buying the first year model but on the other hand my generation 1 4Runner which I drove for 21 years never let me down except maybe for rust, but that was partially my fault. I figure I'll drive this for 10 years and then stop driving all together so this will work out fine, I bought Toyota's longest warranty. But being able to tow at high altitude pulling a 5000 lb trailer and the trailhunter doesn't even breathe hard, awesome!

 

[sliver]

great question. and the response is as much emotional as technical. on the emotional side i saw it and fell in love, i e en had the chance to test drive it and loved it.

for the technical side, the tariffs were announced and paused, so i ordered mine right away. i did had a first year refresh of a tundra a while ago and didn't have any gremlins. i know if i ever do, they will be addressed. the down part is they most likely were some that were addressed already, the 4 runner got stuck in quality hold for 3 months. but i've had it for 3 months now, still love it, no issue, no break squeal, no tariffs so all in all no regrets

 

[SC4Runner]

I’ve never owned a 4Runner, and I liked what I was seeing in the 6th generation, lots of new technology and features on a brand new platform. However, there’s nothing new that Toyota is doing. There have been obvious glitches with the Tundras and Tacomas that received the new technological advancements and smaller engines. From my perspective, those models were trial and error. Seeing the Land Cruiser lead the way with no major hiccups indicated that I could proceed with my planned purchase. I test drove a LC as well as 2024 and 2025 4Runners, hybrid and non-hybrid. I was happy with it and pulled the trigger!

 

[Coldwiz]

Yeah never ever buy the first year of a redesign is what I always say! But I guess I forgot lol. I had a Tundra with 37s and really wanted something that got better gas mileage and having had 4 other 4Runners, I was really excited about the new one so I went for it. Since the Land Cruiser and Tacoma came out in 2024, and use the same engines (LC being hybrid only of course) and drivetrain, I wasn't really worried about any quality issues. I am 12k in since May and haven't had any issues. I have heard a faint squeal from the brakes a couple of times.

 

[Rbaz]

It felt relatively low risk with it being a Toyota. I was also at the end of a lease on my previous car and had to make a decision relatively quickly. My other choice was a Lexus GX 550, but that had a several month-long waiting list at the time I needed to make a purchase. It was also something like $25,000 more expensive, and I felt that that the 4runner gives you 99% of what the Lexus does. I got lucky with my TrailHunter, as somebody else had ordered the vehicle but then backed out at the last minute and the dealer was happy to see someone snap it up quickly. I even got a little bit of a discount.

So far I haven't had too many issues, and nothing that I'm concerned about. My dashboard in front of the driver seems to have developed a pretty minor rattle, which the dealership is looking into right now, and one of the fender flares doesn't fit perfectly. Everything else about the car has been fantastic. It's smooth, capable, and more than powerful enough to do everything I want it to do. It also looks super cool, and you know that there will be a ton of aftermarket parts that support more fun and interesting build-outs as time goes by.

Even with all that said, I've never kept a car for more than three or four years, so I'm quite likely to get the good mileage out of this and then sell it anyway, even if my next car is just another 4runner.

 

[Flexte]

I'm 55 years old with a dangerous job and not the best of health. I Enioy and live life in the here and now. tomorrow isnt promised. I never thought like that when I was younger but now I do not wait on what I want.

 

[Marty60]

My 23 Tacoma 4 cylinder was weak and underpowered.
I wanted to get back into a body on frame SUV. My wife had a Lexus TX, with the same Turbo 4 hybrid. Other than torque battery was a waste

 

[John2112]

My 23 Tacoma 4 cylinder was weak and underpowered.
I wanted to get back into a body on frame SUV. My wife had a Lexus TX, with the same Turbo 4 hybrid. Other than torque battery was a waste

Remove the battery and you won't have that torque.

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