What’s It Like Off-Roading in a 2025 Toyota 4Runner TRD Off-Road?
Key Points
- Choosing the TRD Off-Road version of the 2025 Toyota 4Runner brings a collection of off-road equipment, including an electronic-locking rear differential, 33-inch all-terrain tires, and Bilstein shocks with remote reservoirs.
- While the 4Runner TRD Off-Road tolerates higher-speed off-roading, it prefers the low-speed variety.
- The TRD Off-Road’s underbody protection is modest, so you’ll need to tread carefully on rocky terrain.
One of the main reasons Cars.com bought a TRD Off-Road version of the redesigned 2025 Toyota 4Runner was to take it off-road and see how it performs. We recently did just that at Holly Oaks ORV Park in Michigan, doing some higher-speed dirt-road driving as well as low-speed sand crawling.
Related: We Bought a 2025 Toyota 4Runner Hybrid, And It Wasn’t That Hard
What Off-Road Equipment Does the 4Runner TRD Off-Road Premium Come With?
Here’s a quick rundown on our 4Runner’s off-road equipment:
- Transfer case and fuel tank protection
- Front bash plate
- Electronic-locking rear differential
- Monotube Bilstein shock absorbers with remote reservoirs
- Michelin LTX Trail 33-inch all-terrain tires
- Multi-Terrain Select with Crawl Control
- Multi-Terrain Monitor camera system
Before we hit the off-road park, we had to remove our 4Runner’s plastic front air dam. It was previously damaged from on-road driving (we’re not sure how, exactly), and it definitely had to come off before going off-road; it hangs extremely close to the ground and doesn’t make a lot of sense for an off-road SUV. Fortunately, the air dam is held in place by just a handful of screws and is easy to remove.
Related Video:
How Well Does the 4Runner TRD Off-Road Work for Higher-Speed Off-Roading?
- Takeaway: Some laps around an off-road course revealed the limitations of the 4Runner’s off-road suspension, resulting in a bumpy experience as speeds approached 25 mph.
Our 4Runner TRD Off-Road Premium wasn’t in its happy place on our higher-speed off-road course, but it gamely made a go of it and was fun to drive at times, like when sliding in the sand in a corner. We had it in 4-High, using the Multi-Terrain Select system’s Sand mode.
For the most part, this was a test of what it’d be like to take a 4Runner TRD Off-Road Premium down a rough dirt road, and it handled it just fine. Get going too fast, however, and the suspension lets you know; it hits hard on bumps when traveling around 25 mph. This is not a 4Runner TRD Pro, and you can’t drive it like one.
I liked the Multi-Terrain Monitor’s forward camera view, which helps you see what’s ahead when on a steep rise in the trail. The camera views appear in the big 14-inch touchscreen, but they don’t stay on when going above 9 mph or so, which is a drag. It’d be better if the speed threshold were a bit higher.
What About Low-Speed Off-Roading?
- Takeaway: Off-road technology like Crawl Control made steep, sandy ascents and descents easy even with the 4Runner’s modestly all-terrain tires.
After bouncing around in the 4Runner on the higher-speed off-road course, we decided to slow things down a bit for some trail cruising and crawling, which allowed the SUV to showcase some of its off-road technology, particularly Crawl Control. Crawl Control operates as an off-road cruise control feature that can walk the 4Runner up and down steep inclines without the driver ever having to touch the pedals, so you can focus on steering the SUV where it needs to go.
And even when you’re not using the SUV’s off-road tech, it’s not hard to get through some reasonably challenging off-road terrain just by working the gas and brake pedals. I took it through some deeper sand sections in the park, and it managed to get through them without breaking a sweat — despite the modestly all-terrain Michelin LTX Trail tires.
Is the 4Runner TRD Off-Road a Good Choice for Off-Road Driving?
- Takeaway: The 4Runner TRD Off-Road should be able to get through the vast majority of off-road situations owners are likely to throw at it, but if you’re really serious about wheelin’, you should consider the Trailhunter or TRD Pro versions — or be ready to modify the TRD Off-Road to make it more capable.
The 4Runner TRD Off-Road proved itself to be a light-off-roading champ that should meet the needs of someone interested in venturing a bit off the beaten path — but not too far off. For that, there are TRD Pro and Trailhunter versions of the 4Runner that are more capable and more expensive. The underbody protection of the TRD Off-Road is relatively minimal for something that has Off-Road in its name, but if you stick to the soft stuff, it should do just fine.
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