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I placed my initial deposit on my 2025 SR5 4Runner on June 7th so i thought id write up a post giving my thoughts and feelings on the car after accumulating 7,500 miles. For background, my first/only car was a 2015 Jeep Wrangler which I drove from 2018 - 2025.
The main reason I decided to get the 4Runner was because my previous jeep required too much maintenance for my liking. Previously, I lived in the desert and wasnt working so the Jeep was loads of fun and I hardly put miles on it (40,000 in 7 years). Once I moved, the jeep's Rr DF tore itself up during the cross country drive(~$3000 for 2 rebuilds because the first shop did not know what they were doing but I was stuck in Amarillo with no other option), Fr driveshaft CV joint failed, Thermostat failed, engine tick and I was getting heavy death wobble every time I drove it. I wasn't rock crawling so It didn't make sense to have such a problematic rig that I was spending every afternoon after work trying to fix despite it only having 70K miles. I have always liked 4Runners and once i saw the 6G redesign I was sold.
I sold the jeep to another dealership and then found the 4Runner i wanted about 200 miles away. The final agreed upon price was around 44K (~$1500 discount from original quote) for a Underground SR5 4X4 with mats, drop steps and privacy etch.
First off Ill start with what I like about the car
-Power : I was mind blown when I first drove this car. I had driven a 5th gen as a rental car for a few days and my jeep and was kind of expecting a similar power/torque. I never test drove before purchasing (I did sit in one but couldnt test drive since it was in showroom) but figured it could not be a worse drive than the jeep. The 200 mile drive home from the dealership was probably the most fun driving of my life. I love how reactive the car is and how there is a noticeable difference when switching to sport mode. The jeep would struggled to go 80 MPH but this 4Runner easily can reach 95-100. I've taken it on two road trips so far and no complaints.
-Maintenance : Super excited for the fact I wont have to be replacing some obscure component every 3 months. So far I've switched my grille to the TH grille, swapped tires/wheels, did an oil change, installed a dash cam, and taillight tint and everything was super straight forward with exception of the grille.
-Features : I see lots of people complaining about non power seats in a 2025 vehicle but ive never had power seats so its not a big deal for me. I really like the adjustable lumber on long drives. The carplay and entertainment system work seamlessly (except for on remote start it bugs a bit). I really love the back window being able to go down and also how it has the button on the tailgate (which I of course use every chance I get). Also, the auto steering is fantastic especially on long desolate highway drives. The remote start is really nice for cold mornings. I really like the cargo space, lots of nooks and crannies to store stuff.
-Price : I saw a lot of buzz around how expensive these vehicles are but I just didnt feel that was the case for the Sr5. First off id like to mention that the MPG (around 21-23 for me) is amazing for my wallet compared to a 5th Gen or my jeep (~12 MPG). i didnt really see a point to get a higher trim when I would most likely replace the components I was paying so much extra for. When I first was shopping around, the used 5th gens were the exact same price or higher but with 40k miles. I got used TH wheels and tires for $1200, sold drop steps for $400, sold old Sr5 tires/wheels for $400, bought TH grille for $100, Bronze tailgate overlay $75, $120 on dash cam and stickerfab taillight black overlay for $20. So in total for about $700 net I was able to change it to my perfect vehicle from the stock. Eventually I'll do something with suspension but for right now I just use the car to get to work and back and maybe some light trails.
Now time for my extremely short cons list...
-Space : I am 6'6 and fit well in the drivers seat especially with the vertical height adjustment. As far as the back seat, Im so confused on who decided that was a good idea. Ive had coworkers who are close to 6 foot fit back there uncomfortably but I definitely think someone 6'3+ would really struggle on a longer drive. I also dont like how folding the seats up still takes a ton of space. I feel like for the units with a third row it would be hard to squeeze back there.
-Minor issues : when changing the oil, both the filter and drain pan stream will hit the crossmember and cause a mess. The auto start will not auto connect to carplay when you enter so you have to go into settings and do it manually. Sometimes despite doing the right sequence to drive after you auto start, it still shuts the car off. Brake squeal was annoying but remedied extremely quick. Finally, my phone died when I was buying the car (took like 3 hours to do the paperwork) and i asked if they could toss on a charger since I was in another state ive never been to and i had no idea how to get home without the map and they told me i could buy the usb package for like 70$. This last one has nothing to do with the car but annoyed me considering I was financing a $44K car through them lol.
In conclusion, i love this car and it makes me so happy when I leave work and see it in the parking lot. it drives great, can perform offroad, and it would be my first recommendation to someone looking for a new car! Very excited to spend the next (hopefully) 300K miles driving it. Heres a picture of it on the blue ridge parkway
The main reason I decided to get the 4Runner was because my previous jeep required too much maintenance for my liking. Previously, I lived in the desert and wasnt working so the Jeep was loads of fun and I hardly put miles on it (40,000 in 7 years). Once I moved, the jeep's Rr DF tore itself up during the cross country drive(~$3000 for 2 rebuilds because the first shop did not know what they were doing but I was stuck in Amarillo with no other option), Fr driveshaft CV joint failed, Thermostat failed, engine tick and I was getting heavy death wobble every time I drove it. I wasn't rock crawling so It didn't make sense to have such a problematic rig that I was spending every afternoon after work trying to fix despite it only having 70K miles. I have always liked 4Runners and once i saw the 6G redesign I was sold.
I sold the jeep to another dealership and then found the 4Runner i wanted about 200 miles away. The final agreed upon price was around 44K (~$1500 discount from original quote) for a Underground SR5 4X4 with mats, drop steps and privacy etch.
First off Ill start with what I like about the car
-Power : I was mind blown when I first drove this car. I had driven a 5th gen as a rental car for a few days and my jeep and was kind of expecting a similar power/torque. I never test drove before purchasing (I did sit in one but couldnt test drive since it was in showroom) but figured it could not be a worse drive than the jeep. The 200 mile drive home from the dealership was probably the most fun driving of my life. I love how reactive the car is and how there is a noticeable difference when switching to sport mode. The jeep would struggled to go 80 MPH but this 4Runner easily can reach 95-100. I've taken it on two road trips so far and no complaints.
-Maintenance : Super excited for the fact I wont have to be replacing some obscure component every 3 months. So far I've switched my grille to the TH grille, swapped tires/wheels, did an oil change, installed a dash cam, and taillight tint and everything was super straight forward with exception of the grille.
-Features : I see lots of people complaining about non power seats in a 2025 vehicle but ive never had power seats so its not a big deal for me. I really like the adjustable lumber on long drives. The carplay and entertainment system work seamlessly (except for on remote start it bugs a bit). I really love the back window being able to go down and also how it has the button on the tailgate (which I of course use every chance I get). Also, the auto steering is fantastic especially on long desolate highway drives. The remote start is really nice for cold mornings. I really like the cargo space, lots of nooks and crannies to store stuff.
-Price : I saw a lot of buzz around how expensive these vehicles are but I just didnt feel that was the case for the Sr5. First off id like to mention that the MPG (around 21-23 for me) is amazing for my wallet compared to a 5th Gen or my jeep (~12 MPG). i didnt really see a point to get a higher trim when I would most likely replace the components I was paying so much extra for. When I first was shopping around, the used 5th gens were the exact same price or higher but with 40k miles. I got used TH wheels and tires for $1200, sold drop steps for $400, sold old Sr5 tires/wheels for $400, bought TH grille for $100, Bronze tailgate overlay $75, $120 on dash cam and stickerfab taillight black overlay for $20. So in total for about $700 net I was able to change it to my perfect vehicle from the stock. Eventually I'll do something with suspension but for right now I just use the car to get to work and back and maybe some light trails.
Now time for my extremely short cons list...
-Space : I am 6'6 and fit well in the drivers seat especially with the vertical height adjustment. As far as the back seat, Im so confused on who decided that was a good idea. Ive had coworkers who are close to 6 foot fit back there uncomfortably but I definitely think someone 6'3+ would really struggle on a longer drive. I also dont like how folding the seats up still takes a ton of space. I feel like for the units with a third row it would be hard to squeeze back there.
-Minor issues : when changing the oil, both the filter and drain pan stream will hit the crossmember and cause a mess. The auto start will not auto connect to carplay when you enter so you have to go into settings and do it manually. Sometimes despite doing the right sequence to drive after you auto start, it still shuts the car off. Brake squeal was annoying but remedied extremely quick. Finally, my phone died when I was buying the car (took like 3 hours to do the paperwork) and i asked if they could toss on a charger since I was in another state ive never been to and i had no idea how to get home without the map and they told me i could buy the usb package for like 70$. This last one has nothing to do with the car but annoyed me considering I was financing a $44K car through them lol.
In conclusion, i love this car and it makes me so happy when I leave work and see it in the parking lot. it drives great, can perform offroad, and it would be my first recommendation to someone looking for a new car! Very excited to spend the next (hopefully) 300K miles driving it. Heres a picture of it on the blue ridge parkway
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