2026
Toyota 4Runner Hybrid

What Car Shoppers Need to Know

• The Toyota 4Runner is a rugged mid-size SUV that shares its body-on-frame platform with the Toyota Tacoma mid-size pickup truck.
• The 4Runner has a standard turbocharged four-cylinder engine that comes with rear- or four-wheel drive, as well as an optional 4WD-only hybrid powertrain.
• Most 4Runners have two rows and five seats, but the SR5 and gas-only Limited trims offer an optional third-row seat, upping seating capacity to seven people.

The Toyota 4Runner mid-size SUV mixes hardiness and build quality in a way that has earned it great popularity among adventure-seeking buyers. It rides on a body-on-frame platform that contributes to excellent off-road capability but adversely affects on-road driving manners and interior room compared with SUVs that use car-based unibody platforms. Even so, the 4Runner is by most measures more civilized and comfortable than its primary off-roader rivals, the Jeep Wrangler and Ford Bronco.

What’s New for 2026?

The Toyota 4Runner was redesigned for 2025, when it switched from a V-6 to a turbo four-cylinder engine and gained its first hybrid powertrain. It sees only minor changes for 2026: Electronically disconnecting anti-roll bars are newly optional on the TRD Off-Road Premium trim (they continue to come standard on the high-end TRD Pro and Trailhunter trims).

Pricing

The 4Runner is an off-roader at heart, but just how much of an off-roader it is depends on the trim level you choose. Toyota offers nine trims for the 4Runner, four of which are equipped for higher levels of off-road capability. The following prices are correct as of July 2026 and include a $1,595 destination fee (manufacturers sometimes change a vehicle’s pricing over the course of a model year).

• SR5: $43,665
• TRD Sport: $50,145
• TRD Off-Road: $52,085
• TRD Sport Premium: $55,505
• TRD Off-Road Premium: $57,865
• Limited: $58,295
• Platinum: $65,755
• Trailhunter: $69,795
• TRD Pro: $69,995

Trims and Features

Every 4Runner comes standard with Toyota Safety Sense 3.0, which includes forward collision warning with pedestrian detection, automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, lane departure alert with steering assist, lane-centering steering, road-sign recognition and automatic high beams. While they’re not part of Safety Sense, front and rear cross-traffic alert, blind spot warning and traffic jam assist also come standard.

SR5

Standard features of the base SR5 include cloth upholstery, manually adjustable front seats, an 8-inch touchscreen, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, an eight-speaker audio system, keyless entry and start, heated side mirrors, a power liftgate and 17-inch alloy wheels.

TRD Sport

The TRD Sport adds heated front seats, automatic climate control, a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, wireless phone charger, black hood scoop and 20-inch wheels. The TRD Sport Premium features synthetic leather upholstery, ventilated and power-adjustable front seats, a heated steering wheel, power-adjustable steering column, 14-inch touchscreen, 14-speaker JBL audio system and hands-free power liftgate. It also upgrades to a 360-degree camera system.

TRD Off-Road, TRD Off-Road Premium

The TRD Off-Road adds more off-road capability in the form of a locking rear differential, Multi-Terrain Select drive modes for various surfaces, an inch-higher ground clearance than the SR5 trim, running boards, Bilstein remote-reservoir dampers and matte-black 18-inch wheels wearing 33-inch all-terrain tires. In addition, it has skid plates to protect the transfer case, oil pan and fuel tank.

The TRD Off-Road Premium gets the same features as the TRD Sport Premium and adds Toyota’s Multi-Terrain Monitor, which uses the 360-degree camera system to help drivers see obstacles and place the wheels when off-roading.

Limited

The 4Runner Limited has more of a luxury bent. Its 4WD system adds a locking center differential, and on top of the TRD Off-Road Premium and TRD Sport Premium models’ content, it adds leather upholstery, dual-zone automatic climate control and a power moonroof. Also standard are front and rear parking sensors.

Platinum

The Platinum is also focused on luxury. It adds upgraded leather, heated and reclining second-row seats, a digital camera rearview mirror, rain-sensing windshield wipers, smartphone-as-a-key functionality, and black 20-inch wheels and exterior accents.

Trailhunter, TRD Pro

The two most dedicated off-roaders are the Trailhunter and TRD Pro. They come with a lot of the same features and are priced only a couple of hundred dollars apart. Both add another inch of ground clearance over the TRD Off-Road for a total of 10.1 inches. Both also have disconnecting sway bars for greater suspension articulation, plus modified front bumpers for better approach angles so they can climb steeper hills without scraping their undercarriages. They also have synthetic leather upholstery, a distinctive grille with block “Toyota” lettering, an LED light bar, and prewired auxiliary switches for aftermarket accessories.

The TRD Pro also gets a black hood scoop, power moonroof, sport exhaust, Fox adjustable remote-reservoir shocks and matte-black wheels. The Trailhunter is distinguished by its intake snorkel, matte-bronze wheels, Old Man Emu-brand shocks that balance off-road and on-road needs, rock rails and an onboard air compressor. Also included are skid plates for the transfer case, oil pan, rear differential and fuel tank. In place of the moonroof, it has an ARB-brand roof rack.

Powertrains and Fuel Economy

The 4Runner’s base engine is a turbo 2.4-liter four-cylinder that Toyota calls i-Force; it makes 278 horsepower and 317 pounds-feet of torque. The i-Force Max uses the same engine but with the addition of an electric motor to create a hybrid powertrain; it ups output to 326 hp and 465 pounds-feet. The i-Force Max comes standard on the Platinum, TRD Pro and Trailhunter trims, and it’s optional on the TRD Off-Road, TRD Off-Road Premium and Limited. Both engines are mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission. RWD is standard on the SR5, TRD Sport, TRD Sport Premium and Limited, with 4WD available. Every other trim level comes standard with 4WD.

With the base engine, the 4Runner’s EPA-estimated fuel economy tops out at 20/26/22 mpg city/highway/combined with RWD, and adding 4WD drops that to a high of 20/24/21 mpg. The hybrid powertrain is focused more on added horsepower than improved fuel economy; it’s available only with 4WD and is rated 23/24/23 mpg. That’s around 10 mpg less than most other mid-size hybrid SUVs.

Interior

The 4Runner comes with two or three rows and up to seven seats, but the available third row is only offered on the SR5 and non-hybrid Limited trims — and it’s rather cramped to boot. The 4Runner’s interior has a sturdy, high-quality feel, but some competitors have a classier ambiance. Cloth upholstery and manually adjustable front seats come standard on the base model, and moving up one trim level adds heated front seats. Step up to the Sport Premium to get synthetic leather upholstery, power-adjustable front seats and a heated steering wheel. The Limited gets leather upholstery, while the Platinum adds upgraded leather and heated and reclining second-row seats. The two top off-roaders, the TRD Pro and Trailhunter, revert to synthetic leather for easy cleanup.

An 8-inch touchscreen is standard, but Premium and higher trims get a 14-inch touchscreen. Overall, the 4Runner’s infotainment system is on par with those in rival vehicles, though we wish its touchscreen had a “home” screen and that the controls for the available digital instrument panel were more intuitive. Thankfully, the dashboard layout favors physical buttons and knobs over touch-sensitive or virtual controls, which is a setup our editors much prefer.

The 4Runner’s cargo space is mostly on par with other two-row mid-size SUVs. By factory measurements, the two-row gas-only models have 48.4 cubic feet of space behind the backseat and 90.2 cubic feet behind the front row with the second row folded flat. Two-row models with the hybrid power plant have 42.6 and 82.6 cubic feet, respectively. Three-row versions come only with the gas engine and have 12.1 cubic feet of space behind the third row, 44.8 cubic feet behind the second row and 84.4 cubic feet behind the first row.

Versus the Competition

The 4Runner is frequently cross-shopped against the smaller Jeep Wrangler and Ford Bronco, two purpose-built off-roaders that come with removable doors and tops and available two-door body styles. Both are more capable off-road than the 4Runner, but they’re not as roomy overall nor as comfortable as the 4Runner. The Honda Passport and Subaru Outback, both redesigned for 2026, are five-seat mid-size SUVs with an outdoor-adventure focus and better everyday comfort. Another rival is the Jeep Grand Cherokee, which offers a third-row seat in its long-wheelbase L trim. It’s a more comfortable choice with more luxurious appointments, and while a hybrid version is no longer available, its new turbo 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine is just as efficient overall as the 4Runner’s hybrid powertrain.

Do We Like the Toyota 4Runner?

As an alternative to the Bronco and Wrangler, the 4Runner makes a strong case for itself — if you plan to regularly use its off-the-beaten-path capabilities. For everyday use, though, most other compact and mid-size SUVs will be more practical choices with better on-road driving manners, comfort, space efficiency and fuel economy. Most similarly sized competitors are also much more affordable than the 4Runner; like the Bronco and Wrangler, the 4Runner is relatively pricey to start and gets eye-wateringly expensive at the upper end of its model line.