Toyota 4Runner: Which Should You Buy, 2020 or 2021?
Most significant changes: Standard LED headlights on all models; TRD Pro gets new wheels, retuned suspension, new paint color; new Trail Special Edition model
Price change: Destination fee increases $55 to $1,175, so all prices increase $55 plus:
- SR5: $220
- SR5 Premium: $235
- TRD Off-Road: $465
- TRD Off-Road Premium: $480
- Venture Special Edition: $235
- Limited: $410
- Nightshade: $85
- TRD Pro: $605
On sale: Mid- to late August
Which should you buy, 2020 or 2021? If you’re interested in the new Trail Special Edition, or want the updates to the TRD Pro, you’ll have to get a 2021. As for other models, relatively modest price increases include the new standard LED headlights, making the 2021 seem like the better choice.
Toyota’s 4Runner SUV, one of the few remaining body-on-frame SUVs, enters 2021 with modest updates. LED headlights are now standard, replacing units that received a poor rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, and the off-road-focused TRD Pro model gets new wheels and a retuned suspension, and Lunar Rock exterior paint replaces Army Green.
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Shop the 2020 Toyota 4Runner near you
There will also be a new Trail Special Edition based on the SR5 trim that includes four paint colors (Cement, Army Green, Super White and Midnight Black), dark gray wheels from the TRD Off-Road, a Yakima-brand roof basket and a custom lockable cooler that will be color-matched to Cement and Army Green examples, and Cement-colored in those painted Super White and Midnight Black. No matter the trim level, power still comes from the same 270-horsepower, 4.0-liter V-6 paired to a five-speed automatic transmission.
Including a $55 destination fee increase to $1,175, prices for the 4Runner increase modestly. The entry-level 2021 SR5 is priced from $37,515 (all prices include destination), while the new Trail Special Edition starts at $39,490. The 2021 SR5 Premium carries a $40,725 price tag, while the Limited costs $46,570. The blacked-out 4Runner Nightshade starts at $47,985. All of these models are available in 4×2 or 4×4 configurations, and upgrading to 4×4 will cost an additional $1,875.
Versions of the 4Runner that come only in 4×4 configuration include the TRD Off-Road and TRD Off-Road Premium, Venture Special Edition and TRD Pro. The TRD Off-Road costs $41,480, while the TRD Off-Road Premium is priced at $44,225. The Venture, meanwhile, has a price tag of $45,795. The range-topping TRD Pro is the most expensive 2021 4Runner, with a price of $51,645.
Toyota says the new 2021 4Runner will go on sale in mid- to late August.
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