This 2-Door Toyota 4Runner TRD Surf Concept Is an Awesome Throwback

This is one concept we really wish was headed to production

Toyota 4Runner TRD Surf Concept rear 3/4
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  • Toyota built a two-door 2025 4Runner with a removable roof for SEMA.
  • This Surf Concept pays homage to the original 1980s 4Runner.
  • It has the same turbocharged four-cylinder engine as the production truck, but it's wider, has 37-inch tires, a long-travel suspension and turquoise throwback graphics.

In the '80s, the first-generation Toyota 4Runner was a two-door pickup with a removable fiberglass roof that covered the rear seats and cargo area. And in an effort to pay homage to that beach-going SUV, Toyota is bringing this new 4Runner TRD Surf Concept to the SEMA show in Las Vegas next week. Based on a 2025 4Runner, it's got two doors, a removable roof and throwback graphics. We'd love to get it dirty.

To create this concept, Toyota's team started with a 2025 4Runner Limited. The roof was 3D printed and fabricated in-house, and Toyota says it's so light that one person can remove it on their own. There's even a roll cage behind the rear seats should things go upside down. The concept has waterproof flooring and a front seat that flips forward giving access to the second row. There's even a surfboard secured to the Yakima roof rack. And, of course, boards can be stored in the truck bed when the roof is off.

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Toyota 4Runner TRD Surf Concept interior

The TRD Surf Concept is 2 inches wider than a stock 4Runner and stuffs massive 37-inch BFGoodrich All-Terrain tires under the wide fenders. (Customers can only buy the 2025 4Runner with tires up to 33 inches tall from the factory.) The concept's suspension uses red TRD-branded billet aluminum front upper and lower control arms, and it has custom front axles and the more robust rear end borrowed from a Tundra. This thing looks like it would absolutely rip in the sand and be an immensely capable rock crawler.

Its removable roof grabs the most attention, but the TRD Surf Concept's paint job might be the best part. It's covered in a dark blue finish with turquoise graphics, and there's an awesome "turbo" decal, referencing the 2.4-liter turbocharged four-cylunder engine under the 4Runner's hood that makes 278 horsepower and 317 lb-ft of torque. A full-time four-wheel-drive system and two-range transfer case are also standard.

Toyota, we're begging you to put this one into production.

Toyota 4Runner TRD Surf Concept front
Connor Hoffmanby

Connor Hoffman has worked in the automotive industry since 2018 in both editorial and public relations. He has tested and written about hundreds of cars and helped lead the media launches of the 2024 Toyota Tacoma and Land Cruiser. Connor is a correspondent at Edmunds and started his career at Car and Driver after a summer internship. He has also contributed to U.S. News & World Report and Capital One Autos. He loves four wheeling and camping in his fourth-gen 4Runner and hopes to one day restore a 60- or 80-Series Land Cruiser.

Steven Ewingedited by

Steven Ewing has worked in the automotive industry since 2003. In that time, he's written thousands of articles and tested just as many vehicles. Steven is Edmunds' director of editorial content and has previously been on staff at Winding Road magazine, Autoblog, Motor1.com, CNET, and was the U.S. correspondent for Top Gear magazine. Steven has also contributed to Automobile magazine, Car and Driver, The Drive, Jalopnik, Porsche Panorama, and dozens of other publications. In his spare time, Steven loves to play the drums, cook, and drive his 2000 BMW M Roadster.

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