2014 Toyota 4Runner Trail Review
The 2014 Toyota 4Runner is Sticking to the Rugged Old-School SUV Formula
Overview
One of the more popular moves on the market today is for manufacturers to switch to a unibody crossover design and leave behind the traditional, utilitarian heavy-duty SUV. While the 2014 Toyota 4Runner does offer a more luxurious interior than its predecessor, the old-school SUV formula remains for 2014 and beyond.
Built on a body on frame platform and offering an impressive amount of ground clearance (9.6-inches for 4WD and 9.0-inches for 2WD); this large and powerful SUV still offers a third row seat has a huge advantage in a market with very few bad boy SUVs remaining.
The body-on-frame type of construction makes this a much stronger vehicle for off-road and trail use and offers an impressive towing capacity of ~ 5,000 lb. As tested, the 4Runner Trail edition is made to perform better off-road and offers rock rails, upgraded wheels, crawl control, unique trim and styling details, rearview camera, power front seats and moonroof.
When it comes to the gas pump, the 4Runner offers 17/22 mpg for the four-wheel drive and 17/23 for the rear-wheel drive, which is quite typical for a big tough SUV like this, especially one rated at 270 hp and 278 lb-ft of torque.
So, more than anything else we urge everyone to bear in mind that the 4Runner is truly a truck with advanced electronic technology that allows it to be very practical as a daily driver and very comfortable and capable on dirt, gravel, rocks, small boulders, gravel … just about anything except for mud it would appear (you have to see our video below to understand this reference).
What's New for 2014
Looking at the front end of the vehicle, you will notice it has a newly designed grille with intricate detailing. Softening up and catching up with the times, the interior of the 2014 4Runner gets more refined and comfortable with options such as power front seats with 39-inches of headroom, almost 42-inches of legroom and over 47-inches of shoulder room in the front row.
Another advantage for 2014 4Runner is the ground clearance has been increased to 9.6-inches when equipped with 4WD, which gives the 4Runner more off-road ground clearance. For comparison, most cars have between 5 or 6 inches of ground clearance, while other SUVs such as the Chevrolet Tahoe boast 10.5-inches of clearance (however it is a much larger and heavier SUV). The 4Runner has been designed to balance between significant ground clearance while also reducing the likelihood of a high-speed rollover.
Interior/Exterior Features
As we mentioned before, the 2014 4Runner boasts some design changes, especially the very bold front grill and sleek exterior design. This is in-line with changes made to other vehicles in the Toyota Truck/SUV family where the strong features are readily apparent to even casual observers. The new front end has been completely restyled and comes available in three different options.
Designed to be big and bold, the 4Runner is a large SUV that provides plenty of room for passengers, cargo or both! When it comes to infotainment features, there are all the latest features including the Toyota enTune system, but the navigation system and radio controls are a bit on the finicky side and could be more user-friendly.
More than once in our test vehicle we accidentally changed radio/satellite channels while turning a corner and bumping the steering wheel controls with the palm of our hand. Moreover, there seems to be no easy way to scan through all of the stations in your market or on the satellite on these same steering wheel controls without first selecting them as pre-sets.
Rear cargo space is significant behind the second row seats and with that second row folded flat the 4Runner holds nearly 90 cubic-feet of total cargo volume, but still offers about 47 cubic-feet with the second row up. There’s an optional third row in the 4Runner, which reduces the cargo space to a tiny 9.0 cubic feet when it is in place, but still 46.3 cubic-feet when folded, which is the same amount of cargo room in the rear with the slide deck.
Performance/Drivetrain Features
Powered by an impressive 4.0-liter engine that produces 270 horsepower, the 2014 Toyota 4Runner is definitely not lacking when it comes to muscle. The 2014 Toyota 4Runner also boasts an impressive 278 pound-feet torque which is very helpful when you find yourself needing 4WD in 4LO.
Hitting the pavement with the 4Runner, the steering is well weighted and responsive and the vehicle handles extremely well with the typical body roll that you would expect from a SUV of this size. However it is worth making special note that sound-proofing has been a major focus of Toyota, so inside the cabin all passengers will enjoy a quiet and relatively smooth ride at freeway speeds.
At least two different drivetrain systems are available. 2WD models come with a standard automatic Limited-Slip Differential (Auto LSD) and 4WD models come with the 4Runner’s part-time 4WD with Active Traction Control (A-TRAC).
This “part-time” 4WD system is the same as the Toyota Sequoia and operates in a simulated 2WD mode until traction is needed. This allows the 4Runner to operate in 4WD mode on dry pavement, with the traction control system constantly monitoring to determine which tires need additional traction. However, this system can be locked into 4WD as well, thereby disabling this feature.
Safety/Mechanical Features
The 4Runner is amongst all the safest full-size SUV vehicles on the road today. It comes equipped with eight standard airbags and all the safety considerations you would expect to find on any 2014 model in this price range.
Braking is controlled by power-assisted 4-wheel ventilated disc brakes with advanced ABS control, Brake-force distribution (EBD) and Brake Assist control. There is an added emergency tool kit in case of any unforeseen circumstances present themselves along the road.
What’s it like to Drive?
What can we say? It’s fun! Since most other manufacturers have in fact moved to a unibody contruction for their “SUVs”, the Toyota 4Runner remains one of the last body-on-frame SUVs in this class that also boasts serious and significant off-road capability. It’s totally appropriate to suggest that the 4Runner is in a class all it’s own.
On the freeway, power is responsive and the vehicle rides very stable and quiet. Seats and amenities are very comfortable, which should be expected in a vehicle in this price range. Off-road, the traction control and other electronic ride control features will leave you wondering if you actually did go off-road.
In conclusion, the 2014 Toyota 4Runner is perfectly situated with a balance between comfort and capability, off-road features and go-get-the-groceries cargo space. Add in the optional 3rd-row seat and you’ve got a great vehicle that can seat up to 7 and still get you to your campsite while towing a 4700-lb trailer.
Watch Our Videos
Yes, we did get stuck in the mud after taking a very bad turn and went into some very wet and hidden mud. There was also a major mishap and "wrecked" our test vehicle while trying to get unstuck ... watch the ouTube video: 2014 4Runner Stuck in the mud
Watch our very own ToyotaFan (Steve) participate in Toyota’s KEEP IT WILD! Google+ Hangout, recorded in January 2014. This live web event was all about taking the 2014 Toyota 4Runner off-road and it was hosted by Rutledge Wood (Top Gear USA on History, winner of 2013 Toyota Pro/Celebrity race) and featured stunt driver Andy Bell (Nitro Circus, winner of the Baja 1000).
Comments are disabled for this review, please post all questions/comments in the Toyota 4Runner Forum on www.ToyotaTruckClub.com)