New off-road SUV will include a hybrid engine

Toyota Motor revealed a new 4Runner SUV for the first time in nearly 25 years — completing a recent redesign of the automaker’s current trucks and SUVs.

Aside from its new looks, which are similar to the recently redesigned Toyota Tacoma pickup, the 2025 4Runner will be offered with a hybrid engine for the first time as well as new “Platinum” and “Trailhunter” high-end trims.

“This all-new 4Runner has incredible versatility and capability that nicely rounds out our truck family,” Dave Christ, Toyota group vice president and general manager, said in a release. “We’ve sold over 3 million 4Runners over the past 40 years, and this sixth-generation model offers a cool new look and incredible features yet retains the rugged style and capability our customers love about this adventure icon.”

Toyota’s “truck family” is also known as the “five brothers”: the Tacoma and Tundra pickup trucks and the 4Runner, Land Cruiser and Sequoia SUVs. The 4Runner is the last to be redesigned and built on Toyota’s global truck platform, which debuted with the Land Cruiser and Tundra in 2021.

Toyota said pricing of the 2025 4Runner will be released closer to its on-sale date. Starting prices for the 2024 model range from about $41,000 to more than $55,000.

While Toyota is known for its fuel-efficient vehicles such as the Prius, its larger “brother” SUVs, including the 4Runner, had much worse fuel ratings prior to being updated — at 17 mpg combined or less, according to federal ratings. The current 4Runner has been on sale, with some updates, since 2010.

Toyota said miles per gallon ratings for the new 4Runner will be released closer to the vehicle arriving in showrooms in the fall. Toyota’s other redesigned trucks and SUVs have notably improved fuel economy.

Jack Hollis, executive vice president of Toyota Motor North America, last month told CNBC that the company continues to balance out its truck and SUV portfolio, including potential hybrid, plug-in hybrid and all-electric models.

“Those brothers, they all have a lot of similarities, and they have a lot of differences,” he said. “How do we curb carbon emissions fastest with everyone, everywhere? It’s having the right mix between those five products.”

The 4Runner’s available hybrid engine is a turbocharged 2.4-liter engine with a 48-horsepower electric motor integrated into the eight-speed transmission to produce up to 326 horsepower and 465 foot-pounds of torque. The vehicle’s standard turbocharged 2.4-liter engine produces 278 horsepower and 317 foot-pounds of torque.

The 2025 4Runner will be offered in nine models: SR5, TRD Sport, TRD Sport Premium, TRD Off Road, TRD Off Road Premium, Limited, Platinum, TRD Pro, and Trailhunter.

The new Trailhunter model features additional off-road styling and equipment including rock rails and high strength steel skid plates, while the Platinum model is geared toward more convenience and luxury features.

Production of the 2025 4Runner is taking place at Toyota’s Tahara plant in Japan.