- First Name
- Gabriel
- Joined
- Feb 1, 2025
- Threads
- 6
- Messages
- 53
- Reaction score
- 96
- Location
- Laguna Hills, California
- Vehicle(s)
- 2025 4Runner SR5 4WD
- Thread starter
- #1
Picked up my SR5 4x4 on Feb 1st from a dealer here in sunny Southern California for MSRP 
My car is optioned as Underground with the Boulder color cloth interior, 3rd third row seats, and aluminum running boards / side rails.
I'm first including a huge photo dump then I'll add some comments below.
Whew that was quite the photo dump. I've been enjoying driving this car over the last 100 miles. The new powertrain in the car has not felt weak in the slightest and I have had no issues with any kind of turbo lag or hesitation in the system. Gas efficiency has been PRECISELY on the dot with EPA estimates and I'm currently averaging 22.6 MPG between 50/50 highway and hilly city driving down in south OC.
To cover the rest of the experience, I think the photos speak for themselves, but the SR5 is extremely utilitarian. Some highlight missing features that reviewers were mistaken about in the USA trim were the heated steering wheel, heated seats, and both the second row and trunk inverter plugs. None of these are present by default, but should be fairly easy (except the heated wheel) to add in myself in the future. No third row usb C is present in the SR5 either, which is kind of bizarre since its one of the few trims with the option for third row seats.
I struggle to convey the inherent build quality of this truck, but all I can say is that I've driven/owned at least 8 cars from base to top trim in the last 5 years and not one of them can hold a candle to this car. When you are driving down the road, the internal cabin makes ZERO rattles, squeaks or creaks, even with some extras loaded into the storage in the rear floor. Tires are quiet and the cabin is surprisingly isolated from road noise and wind noise. If I didn't have cloth seats and the small displays, I'd never know I wasn't in a top trim car.
Third row seats have a couple different benefits here. One is that it actually evens out the cargo load floor so there a minimal height difference between the second row seats when folded (better for car camping!). The second benefit is that you can seriously fit an additional two kids or two shorter adults (probably 5 foot 8 or under) into your car when you'd otherwise be stuck with 5 passenger seating. I don't think I'll be using this super often, but its very nice that its there and honestly a huge value add for the SR5 itself for just 700 bucks more.
I'm terrible at writing these kind of long form reviews, and I'm sure that it would have been better to comment on each individual photo, but instead of getting long in the tooth here, I'll open up the comments to any questions you guys might have and I'll do my best to take additional photos and provide information where I can.
UPDATE:
Door stickers: Payload and GVWR numbers:
Payload: 1160 lbs / 525 kg (reduced 61 lbs / 28kg by modifications - per yellow sticker)
GVWR: 6075 lbs
Adding a few more pics in daylight. In love with how the car looks
Some Q&A compiled from replies in this thread:
2. The seating position is perfect imo. I don't mind manual chairs since me and my wife share the same car and its significantly faster to adjust when you're not waiting for slow seat motors. Seats are extremely comfortable and feel durable even though they are cloth. I am 6 foot 2 inches tall and I don't have any issues with the seat box, but I'd say its somewhat narrow compared to other vehicles of this size. The center console does not "bulge out" in any way.
3. Ride quality is excellent and its much more agile feeling without the top sway that the last gen had. Coming to a rapid stop does still have the nose dive feel though, but I'd imagine that's improvable with a better suspension. SR5 has the worst suspension setup of any of the trims.
My car is optioned as Underground with the Boulder color cloth interior, 3rd third row seats, and aluminum running boards / side rails.
I'm first including a huge photo dump then I'll add some comments below.
Whew that was quite the photo dump. I've been enjoying driving this car over the last 100 miles. The new powertrain in the car has not felt weak in the slightest and I have had no issues with any kind of turbo lag or hesitation in the system. Gas efficiency has been PRECISELY on the dot with EPA estimates and I'm currently averaging 22.6 MPG between 50/50 highway and hilly city driving down in south OC.
To cover the rest of the experience, I think the photos speak for themselves, but the SR5 is extremely utilitarian. Some highlight missing features that reviewers were mistaken about in the USA trim were the heated steering wheel, heated seats, and both the second row and trunk inverter plugs. None of these are present by default, but should be fairly easy (except the heated wheel) to add in myself in the future. No third row usb C is present in the SR5 either, which is kind of bizarre since its one of the few trims with the option for third row seats.
I struggle to convey the inherent build quality of this truck, but all I can say is that I've driven/owned at least 8 cars from base to top trim in the last 5 years and not one of them can hold a candle to this car. When you are driving down the road, the internal cabin makes ZERO rattles, squeaks or creaks, even with some extras loaded into the storage in the rear floor. Tires are quiet and the cabin is surprisingly isolated from road noise and wind noise. If I didn't have cloth seats and the small displays, I'd never know I wasn't in a top trim car.
Third row seats have a couple different benefits here. One is that it actually evens out the cargo load floor so there a minimal height difference between the second row seats when folded (better for car camping!). The second benefit is that you can seriously fit an additional two kids or two shorter adults (probably 5 foot 8 or under) into your car when you'd otherwise be stuck with 5 passenger seating. I don't think I'll be using this super often, but its very nice that its there and honestly a huge value add for the SR5 itself for just 700 bucks more.
I'm terrible at writing these kind of long form reviews, and I'm sure that it would have been better to comment on each individual photo, but instead of getting long in the tooth here, I'll open up the comments to any questions you guys might have and I'll do my best to take additional photos and provide information where I can.
UPDATE:
Door stickers: Payload and GVWR numbers:
Payload: 1160 lbs / 525 kg (reduced 61 lbs / 28kg by modifications - per yellow sticker)
GVWR: 6075 lbs
Adding a few more pics in daylight. In love with how the car looks
Some Q&A compiled from replies in this thread:
1. The steering is extremely light overall, I can turn it easily with just one finger hooked into the edge of the wheel. The road feel is there but minimal. I'd say that you probably feel the lane keep assist more than anything else. Nothing bad, but of note.
2. The seating position is perfect imo. I don't mind manual chairs since me and my wife share the same car and its significantly faster to adjust when you're not waiting for slow seat motors. Seats are extremely comfortable and feel durable even though they are cloth. I am 6 foot 2 inches tall and I don't have any issues with the seat box, but I'd say its somewhat narrow compared to other vehicles of this size. The center console does not "bulge out" in any way.
3. Ride quality is excellent and its much more agile feeling without the top sway that the last gen had. Coming to a rapid stop does still have the nose dive feel though, but I'd imagine that's improvable with a better suspension. SR5 has the worst suspension setup of any of the trims.
The high build quality is great to hear. It's a common thing that the press drive reviewers mentioned too. Wonder if it has to do with it being built in Japan.
