I just spent the week with the 2021 Toyota Rav4 Prime and was very pleasantly surprised. For those that don’t know, the Rav4 Prime is essentially halfway between a Tesla and a normal Rav4. As my week with the Rav4 came to a close I was left looking at my 4Runner thinking, “I can’t WAIT for Toyota to do this to to the 4runner!”
Before we jump into what a 6th Generation 4Runner could look like in PRIME form, let’s start with what the 4Runner is currently. Also, we’ll keep this very high level as there’s an entire build series in production with the Good Land 4Runner that you can see here.
What the current 5th Generation 4Runner boils down to is a very old-school body-on-frame SUV.
Under the hood is a naturally aspirated 4.0L V6 engine making 270 hp and 278 lb-ft of torque.
From there power goes through a 5-speed automatic transmission to the rear wheels. There’s a selectable 4WD or 4×4 system that will allow you to send equal torque to the front and rear axle along with a 2-speed transfer case for your 4LO gear ratios.
This formula has remained untouched since 2009 and it’s long overdue for an upgrade. However, all this results in one thing Toyota purists hail over all else – reliability.
But reliability often comes at the cost of technology, refinement, and fuel economy.
The New Generation of Toyota Off-roaders
However, there’s a new generation of ladder-chassis vehicles on the horizon, starting with the 2022 Toyota Tundra this year and then the 4Runner in 2023. We’ve already seen it with the Tundra, they’re moving away from naturally aspirated power and moving toward, at the very least, turbos. There will also be hybrids and, we know later in the lifecycle, there will be a full EV Tundra.
So that’s covered – those powertrain variants will be present in the forthcoming 4Runner as well so that means hybrids, plug-in hybrids and an EV down the road. All of which got me thinking about the Pros and Cons of “PRIME-ifying” the 4Runner.
2023 4Runner Frame
The new Tundra and Land Cruiser are debuting the new generation TNGA-F architecture. While the Tundra hasn’t debuted, we know the new Land Cruiser Series 300 shaved 400 lbs. of curb weight off the outgoing model simply by moving to the stronger, stiffer, and more lighter platform.
This doesn’t mean 400 lbs. are going to fall off every TNGA-F vehicle, but that’s a significant weight loss ballpark.
Additionally, since we have confirmation that there will be hybrids and full EVs, we do know that, while the frame is reported to not support a V8, it will be able to support a significant battery pack. Both in terms of size and weight. EVs are heavy and why is this? The batteries are heavy so that means Toyota has crafted a stronger, more rigid frame that’s also lighter.
Stronger frame, even with more weight means less flex off-road which is a win.
2023 4Runner PRIME Engine
This is where some of you purists could be pretty happy. Let’s assume we get the exact same engine and battery combo as the Rav4 because it makes more power than the existing 4Runner and the next generation will be lighter so the power increases should be more than adequate.
In the Rav4 PRIME there’s a 2.5L naturally aspirated 4-cylinder; so no turbos putting added strain on the internals. That engine is working in tandem with a 18.1 kWh battery pack, and together they make over 300 hp, which is over 30 more than the 4.0L V6.
This, to me, is the best of both worlds. Sure, you have some added electrical complexity with the hybrid system and battery pack, but from a mechanical perspective it’s still a tried-and-tested naturally aspirated Toyota motor. Compromise is key.
2023 4Runner PRIME Transmission
When it comes to transmission, this is where I’m not quite as sure what the system would look like. It would take the shape of one of two things. The Rav4 PRIME currently uses a CVT. Now, CVTs historically haven’t been good for off-roading, but more recently manufacturers have figured out ways to keep the transmissions cool which has greatly improved performance.
The most capable off-roaders, ATVs and UTVs use CVT transmissions, but with one big difference. Those systems are belt-driven and those parts are made to give and be easily swapped out, even on the trail, whereas a car’s CVT is chain-driven and would most often require a full engine and/or transmission out service to replace.
The other gearbox option would be the 10-speed that’s debuting in the Tundra. Normal torque converter, and it’s been fine. Plus, more gears means smaller gear ratios and the vehicle will be better at giving you the proper torque – not to mention better fuel economy.
2023 4Runner PRIME Drivetrain
Which brings us to the most complex component of the recipe: how does the power get sent to the wheels.
In the Rav4 it’s eAWD which means the gas engine only powers the front wheels, but there’s 2 electric motors. One for the front axle and one for the rear. So there’s gas torque and electric torque to the front and just electric torque to the rear. That, of course, means a very uneven split with the vehicle being predominantly FWD, which is not ideal for off-roading. In addition to that, there isn’t any mechanical connection to the rear axle. The electric motor simply provides power when the computer tells it to.
Obviously, that system is fine for an on-road Rav4, but that driveline won’t work for the 4runner. An all-time AWD system would be nice with the help of electric motors, but there needs to be a 4×4 system with equal torque split, a transfer case for a low range, or some sort of adjusted gear ratios, and honestly I don’t doubt a computer could handle that, but my Neanderthal brain tells me there needs to be a mechanical linkage between the front and rear axles at least.
Toyota engineers are smarter than me, and I know they’re not fitting the Rav4 driveline to the 4runner, but however they do get it to work will be more engineering than I can make sense of currently. See the Wrangler 4XE.
2023 4Runner Off-road Technology
Toyota already delivers some of the most capable and rugged offroaders in the world and they do so with old bones. This is helped by their more modern tech systems.
Atrac – individual wheel braking to send power to the other side of the axle.
Multi-Terrain Select – adds traction control to 4LO and adjusts slip tolerances depending on conditions.
Crawl control – modulates the throttle for you to keep you at a consistent speed so you can focus on steering inputs.
There are more, but I don’t really know that any of these systems need to be reinvented. I guess if I’m being greedy then maybe an air suspension with ride height adjustment would be nice, but then there’s always the risk of puncturing the air spring when crawling so I’m torn on that
2023 4Runner PRIME Refinement
Here’s the thing, the 4runner, with it’s independent front suspension and doors and roof that, yanno, stay on is already worlds more refined on the road than the Wrangler, but it’s not like it’s a Mercedes either.
The V6 sounds like a commercial van, it’s slow, and it’s hilariously inefficient.
Maybe this is a hot take for some of you, but you deserve to know the truth. From a day-to-day perspective EVs are better. They just are.
They’re quieter. They’re quicker. And they’re more efficient. So you can’t tell me you wouldn’t like that to drive your rig to and from work every day. Plus the electric torque fills in the gaps made by the transmission when you’re offroading so it’s a win-win.
So what that leaves us with, then, is a lot of pros with the one con of complexity within the driveline, but if anyone can figure it out it’s Toyota.
But you may feel some other way so let me know if you’d prefer:
Old inefficient N/A
Normal hybrid
Plug-in Hybrid
Or full EV