Toyota 4Runner

In a world built for crossovers, the 4Runner is one of the last mid-size SUVs to share DNA with a pickup truck. That’s great for drivers who need a 5000-lb tow rating or who spend weekends off-roading; for those accustomed to the smooth ride and swanky interiors of car-based crossovers, however, the 4Runner may fall short. Available with just one powertrain—a 4.0-liter V-6 with 270 hp and 278 lb-ft mated to a five-speed automatic transmission—this beast is outdated and a little sluggish

When carbon-dating a car’s age, there are a few options for taking the necessary samples. Consider this Toyota 4Runner. You might know that it’s old because the truck’s basic structure (dressed up with new styling for the 2010 model year) can be traced to its last full redesign for 2003. Or perhaps you’d notice that its order form lacks even the option to add increasingly common safety features such as automated emergency braking, lane-departure warning, or blind-spot monitoring, all of which are available—mostly as standard equipment, even—on nearly every other Toyota.

Instead, the 4Runner has a steering wheel, accelerator and brake pedals, windows to see out of, four-wheel drive, and big ground clearance for off-roading. The focus is even narrower with the TRD Off-Road trim level tested here; the biggest update on this model for 2017 is a name change from the previous Trail. Sitting just beneath the hard-core TRD Pro and above the base SR5 on the 4Runner’s performance pyramid, the Off-Road lacks the Pro’s Bilstein shocks, special springs, and TRD-branded (Toyota Racing Development) skid plates and black-painted wheels. Even so, it’s set up to get dirty with a standard electronically locking rear differential, Toyota’s Multi-Terrain Select and Crawl Control electronic traction aids, and substantial Dunlop Grand Trek tires.