2025 Toyota 4Runner TRD Pro: We're Living With One for a Year

• This 2025 Toyota 4Runner TRD Pro is the latest addition to our One-Year Road Test fleet.
• The TRD Pro has all of the 4Runner's best off-road equipment plus a hybrid engine.
• We paid more than $71,000 for our 4Runner TRD Pro.

What did we get?

We bought a TRD Pro, one of the 4Runner's two hardcore off-road trims at the top of the lineup, the other being the Trailhunter. While the latter is better suited for overlanding adventures, the TRD Pro leans more desert-runner, which makes our truck's sand-colored Mud Bath paint job even more fitting. 

Toyota has increased the 4Runner TRD Pro's price by about $500 since we bought our truck — at that time, the TRD Pro started at $68,350 including a $1,495 destination charge. As you might expect, ours comes standard with tons of off-road kit, including a part-time two-speed four-wheel-drive system, an electronically controlled locking rear differential, Fox QS3 adjustable shock absorbers, a set of chunky all-terrain tires, and more. Under the hood is a turbocharged 2.4-liter four-cylinder hybrid powertrain good for 326 horsepower and 465 lb-ft of torque. That, combined with all the off-road goodies, make this one seriously capable SUV.

Aside from off-road upgrades, the interior gets a solid amount of niceties, too. The seats are trimmed in Toyota's SofTex faux leather and the front buckets are heated and ventilated. There's also a heated steering wheel, plus a massive 14-inch touchscreen and a 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster, as well as a 14-speaker JBL sound system. Lastly, Toyota includes its full suite of active safety tech, including adaptive cruise control, blind-spot warning, a 360-degree camera with off-road-specific views, and more.

The only options available on the TRD Pro trim are an LED tailgate light and digital key functionality, both of which are equipped on our truck. We've also got a few accessories, like a retractable cargo cover and lockable center console safe. All in, we paid a rather eye-watering $71,003. That's ... a lot of money for a 4Runner.

Why we bought it

This is the first truly new 4Runner in 15 years, and the automotive world has changed a ton since the previous model first went on sale. With its 2025 redesign, the 4Runner promises a thoroughly more modern experience — but just how far it's been improved over its predecessor, and in the face of better-than-ever competitors, remains to be seen. And, while it might not be the highest-selling trim, the TRD Pro packs the most off-road capability of the 4Runner lineup, and we aim to test the heck out of it. 

Plus, as you might've noticed, the 4Runner's price has substantially increased compared to the outgoing model. For context, a 2024 4Runner TRD Pro started at $57,960, while the 2025 model now starts at $68,895. That's a huge jump, and while the new model certainly provides more contemporary amenities and extra off-road goodies, a price increase like that is a hard pill to swallow. We're setting out to see if it's really worth your hard-earned dollars.

 Photos by Ryan Greger