Are SUV sales slowing? That depends on how you look at it. Compared to a couple of decades ago the sales of traditional sport

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utilities are now much lower, the 4Runner reviewed here one of just a handful of body-on-frame 4x4s still available, yet the 4,022 Canadian-spec models sold last year represented the model’s best volume in more than a decade, while Toyota’s US division enjoyed even better per capita sales of 76,906 units during the same 12 months. What’s more, this more than decent volume appears to be on an upswing for the first half of 2015 with 2,440 4Runners already down the road.

Comparing such numbers to the sale of crossover SUVs, the 4Runner certainly doesn’t come close to the 36,639 RAV4s Toyota Canada sold in 2014 or even the 9,749 Highlanders, but it’s not too far away from Honda’s tally of 6,113 Pilots, easily beats out the 3,886

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Traverse CUVs Chevy managed to peddle let alone the 1,779 Tahoes bowtie buyers bought, slaughters Mazda’s similarly sized CX-9 that only found 1,543 buyers, and while Dodge’s super cheap Journey found 24,715 new homes (it’s half the price of a 4Runner) its Durango (that competes directly against the 4Runner) only managed 2,977 sales last year. So Toyota can be proud of how well its mid-size 4×4 is doing in this ever-changing CUV/SUV market, especially considering the basic concept of the 4Runner hasn’t changed all that much since it was built off the back of a Tacoma pickup truck 31 years ago.

It’s

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difficult to find the similarities between the current Tacoma and 4Runner now, the latter based on the same tried and true undercarriage as the much pricier Lexus GX, which itself started off as Toyota’s Land Cruiser Prado. Putting 4Runner in the same sentence with Lexus and Land Cruiser is praise indeed, the former a luxury leader and the latter legendary for off-road prowess, but it truly deserves to be recognized alongside this lofty duo. The 4Runner actually has a highly respected cachet all it’s own, a premium appeal that attracts a wealthier demographic than you might realize, and my tester’s luxury-lined Limited trim was designed to appeal to just such a buyer.

Blizzard

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Pearl white is certainly a good colour choice for this ute. Somehow its new styling, updated last year, comes across a bit subtler than when doused in Barcelona Red Metallic, for instance, the hue I covered last year. My kids dubbed that one Angry Bird due its similar face when viewed head-on, and I must concur it portrays a certain cartoonish look in bold colours. It also helps that this year’s 4Runner was in Limited trim instead of the Trail Edition, because it loses its hood scoop and gets a totally revised front fascia with chrome across the upper portion of its massive grille, a large chromed bumper cap that spans the midsection of the grille before melding into new rectangular chromed bezels for the circular fog lamps that are reset into less aggressive looking front fender facings, and a simpler more professional looking lower valance highlighted by elegant chrome strips that bend around each corner. From this angle the 4Runner

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Limited is much more refined and easily more palatable to the country club set than the rough and ready Trail Edition or the similar in-your-face look of the base SR5.

The 4Runner Limited continues to play into its premium clienteles’ expectant wish lists with upscale add-ons like LED turn signal-infused side mirror housings that I must say are particularly attractive, plus chromed door handles, a gorgeous set of large 20-inch twinned six-spoke machine finished alloys with black painted pockets on 245/60R20 Yokohama Geolandar G96 tires, these also adding a sporty element, plus silver side rails up top, a rooftop spoiler just behind, and yet more chrome embellishment across the rear bumper. The protruding taillights impress too, with chromed inserts behind mostly clear lenses, while I also like the way the 4Runner

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nameplate is done out in satin silver while sitting atop a chromed rear applique. All-round the Limited limits the lesser 4Runner’s bold and brash side and replaces it with a more polished and sophisticated design.

No matter its trim level the 4Runner gains even more respect when pavement turns to trail. Part-time four-wheel drive comes standard, and I’m not talking about the soft-roading type of four-wheel propulsion offered up by the crossover set, more commonly referred to all-wheel drive even when the marketing material says otherwise, but true off-road capable four-wheel drive that lets you apply 4WD high when slippery conditions persist, whether from snow, gravel or otherwise, or a seriously low range for getting out on the trail or extracting yourself from really deep snow, sand, mud, etc. To this end few off-roaders are more capable than the 4Runner, and as you upgrade throughout its various trim levels

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it adds yet more impressive running gear, such as an X-REAS sport suspension, full-time 4WD, and those 20-inch aluminum rims I just mentioned.

Anytime I get my hands on a 4Runner and don’t take it off-roading I feel like I’ve shortchanged myself, but all too often time doesn’t permit. I experience the same feeling when Scion hands me the keys to an FR-S and there’s no racetrack in sight, but fortunately I’ve had many opportunities to hit the track in everything from sporty Scions to Porsches and Ferraris, while I also experienced the pre-facelift 2010 4Runner on the trail during its launch program and then a Trail Edition version in 2011 that I took off the beaten path myself. Thanks to Toyota I’ve had a 4Runner to test each and every year since then, including a 2012 Limited, 2013 Limited, 2014 Trail Edition and now this 2015 Limited, and each and every

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one was capable of the same kind of heavy-duty mud-slinging, rock-crawling and dirt flinging that I experienced in the 2010 version Toyota let us play with during its introduction.

That’s why I get so impressed at how civilized it is on the paved path, its ride wonderfully smooth and handling dynamics, thanks to an independent double-wishbone front suspension with gas shocks, coil springs and a stabilizer bar and four-link rear setup with the same shocks, springs and stabilizer bar, surprisingly good. While I won’t stop harping on Toyota to fit a diesel into this SUV, as it’s so perfectly suited to one, the 4.0-litre V6 on offer delivers respectable performance thanks to 270 horsepower and 278 lb-ft of torque, although it’s a bit loud at full throttle. This said I almost never delve deep into the gas pedal in a vehicle like this anyway, big SUVs more enjoyable when driven in a relaxed state where their inherently

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comfortable characters more easily shine through. The 4Runner still uses a five-speed automatic transmission, which on paper might not appear as slick as a six-speed or one of the eight- or even nine-speed gearboxes currently in vogue, but some of these latest-tech multi-speed units have caused their automakers and more importantly their customers problems, whereas the 4Runner’s five-speed autobox is a well-proven commodity boasting rugged dependability, which is exactly what I want to rely on when umpteen miles into the wilderness, let alone running errands around town.

It’s the same mix of rugged serviceability and posh luxury inside the 4Runner Limited’s cabin too, the latter coming by way of attractive metallic and woodgrain trim,

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nice padded and contrast-stitched door detailing that extends from the armrests right up to the foremost portions if the door panels, a leather-clad multifunction steering wheel that feels great in the hands, a padded leather-wrapped shift knob (ditto), perforated leather upholstery with multi-adjustable heatable and cooled ventilation up front, an extremely comfortable eight-way powered driver’s seat and four-way powered passenger seat, driver’s side memory, a gorgeous set of primary gauges, an auto-dimming rearview mirror, a really useful infotainment system with a rearview camera, navigation and a fabulous sounding 15-speaker JBL surround-sound audio system with

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satellite radio, plus dual-zone automatic climate control, proximity-sensing access with pushbutton ignition, puddle lamps, automatic headlamps, front and rear parking sensors, a nicely laid out overhead console with a handy sunglasses holder, a powered moonroof, powered windows at all seating positions, of course, as well as a powered rear window just like station wagons of yore, while its safety equipment list includes all the usual airbags plus driver and front passenger knee blockers, four-wheel disc brakes with ABS, electronic brake-force distribution, and emergency brake assist, traction and stability control, plus Toyota’s Smart Stop Technology (SST) that reduces power to the engine during braking.

And the price for all this premium equipment? Toyota asks just $49,625 for the 4Runner Limited 7-Passenger, which is $1,195 more than the five-occupant version will set you back. The base 4Runner starts at just over $39k, incidentally, while

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all models need to have a freight and pre-delivery prep charge of $1,730 added to the bottom line. My tester required $255 for its Blizzard Pearl paint, and while Redwood leather was available, Toyota finished its interior in traditional black hides. No additional factory options are available, but a long list of useful accessories can be had from your local dealer.

All of these features come in a cabin that’s not only impressive to look at and well built, but large and accommodating no matter which seat you’re sitting in. My tester was upgraded with a third row for a maximum of seven occupants, and while the rearmost 50/50-split bench seat can only be accessed from the passenger’s side it was quite comfortable after I squeezed between the folded second-row seatback and doorframe. I’m five-foot-eight and a smallish build, so therefore

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fit in quite easily with about an inch left over above my head and the same space ahead of my knees, so most teens won’t have a problem in the very back while smaller kids will likely love it. What’s even more impressive is the high quality mechanisms used for the third row’s construction. The bottom cushions slide underneath the cargo floor before laying the seatbacks flat, and they click together with a level of mechanical precision I rarely see in today’s auto sector. The seatbacks are sturdy too, which should go far to helping parents feel their kids are safely secured no matter where they’re seated. And believe me, I’ve experienced some third rows that were so poorly made that I wouldn’t let my kids use them, so to see this level of quality in the 4Runner makes me believe the rest of the truck is as solidly built.

That

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solidity nets an impressive payload of 771 kilos (1,700 lbs) and tow rating of 2,268 kg (5,000 lbs), while a somewhat tight 255 litres (9.0 cubic feet) behind the third row expands to 1,311 litres (47.2 cubic feet) behind the second. Drop all rows down, a relatively quick and easy process, and up to 2,540 litres (89.7 cubic feet) is at your disposal. That’s a lot of room for your gear, while the way Toyota configures the second row, with a versatile 40/20/40 split, makes optimizing passengers and cargo ultra easy.

In the end the 4Runner only has one weakness, fuel economy. Its five-cycle EnerGuide rating is 14.2 L/100km in the city, 11.1 on the highway and 12.8 combined, which when compared to the all-wheel drive Highlander’s 13.0 city, 9.8 highway and 11.6 combined rating is a bit on the thirsty side, but then again not by all that much. The truth is

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Toyota worked hard to improve the 4Runner’s efficiency for this fifth generation, with a redesigned platform architecture underpinning a stronger body structure made with higher strength steels, while an entirely new V6 replaced an outdated base V6 and top-line V8 with more power yet better fuel economy than both, the former improved by five percent and the latter by 17 percent. Drag was decreased by 10 percent too, so highway efficiency improved further, as did its quietness due to reduced wind noise. Continual year-to-year upgrades and the larger changes made last year for its mid-cycle upgrade only improved on the gains made in 2010, so today’s 4Runner is easily the best of its kind to date. No wonder it’s sales grew so much last year and appear to be on an even more steeply raked trajectory for 2015.

Take

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one out for a ride and you’ll likely understand why the 4Runner is experiencing another wave of popularity. Compared to so many soft-roaders and 4×4 wannabes the 4Runner is the real deal, yet its so wonderfully comfortable and accommodating it makes a person question why we ever left true SUVs for the ever compromised crossover in the first place. Don’t get me wrong as I’m a big Highlander fan too, but if my own money were making monthly payments it would be a 4Runner in my garage.
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