2023 Toyota 4Runner 40th Anniversary Edition Review: Automotive Anachronism

There's a joke that says Toyota created the 40th Anniversary Edition 4Runner not to celebrate four decades of this storied nameplate, but because this specific generation of the company's stalwart SUV feels 40 years old. (Hardy har-har.) Are some parts of the 4Runner downright archaic? Sure. Is it outclassed by more modern SUVs? You betcha. Yet, this long-serving SUV remains popular.

Believe it or not, the 4Runner outsold both the Ford Bronco and Jeep Wrangler in 2022. And, while sales of Toyota's SUV are slowing down through the first quarter of 2023, it's still putting up an impressive showing for a model that's 14 — not 40 — years old.

The 4Runner's 40th Anniversary package doesn't alter anything mechanically; it's really just a styling up-do. It's a good look, though, with rad 17-inch bronze wheels, bronze badges, and those sweet throwback stripes. You can only get the 40th Anniversary 4Runner in black, red or white, and I personally think the bronze wheels and stripes work better with the monochromatic shades.

Only 4,040 examples of the 40th Anniversary 4Runner will be sold, priced from $49,055 including a $1,335 destination charge. That's... kind of a lot of money, though because this birthday brute is based on the 4Runner's SR5 Premium grade (itself starting at $44,550 including destination), you at least get a bunch of standard amenities like four-wheel drive, heated seats, a heated steering wheel, sunroof, LED headlights, and more.

The 4Runner uses a traditional body-on-frame SUV construction, which isn't great for on-road handling, but makes it super tough and capable off-road. Toyota offers two-wheel-drive 4Runners, but every 40th Anniversary SUV has part-time four-wheel drive with a low-range transfer case — it's the hella chunky dial on the center console just ahead of the gear shifter. Overall, the 4Runner has a well-built, long-lasting vibe. This SUV genuinely feels indestructible, like you could drive it to the end of the Earth and back.

With 33-degree approach and 26-degree departure angles, plus 9.6 inches of ground clearance, the 4Runner can handle just about anything you throw at it — provided you fit the right tires, anyway. The 40th Anniversary Edition comes with 265/70-series all-season rubbers, but the all-terrain tires found on other 4Runner trims are much more adept at serious off-roading.

The all-season tires improve the 4Runner's paved-road ride, at least, and aren't annoyingly noisy at highway speeds. That said, the 4Runner's freeway manners can be described as ponderous at best, with incredibly vague steering and a ton of body motions. Not that I'd ever advocate for one-handed driving, but at 75 mph, having two hands on the 4Runner's wheel is a must.

Toyota only sells the 4Runner with an ancient 4.0-liter naturally aspirated V6 engine, putting out a relatively anemic 270 horsepower and 278 pound-feet of torque, the latter of which doesn't fully arrive until a lofty 4,400 rpm. The five-speed automatic transmission shifts smoothly but slowly, and you really have to slam your foot into the throttle to get the gearbox to kick down for on-demand acceleration. No matter the situation, this powertrain is kind of a pain in the butt.

That's especially true when you bring fuel economy into the picture. The EPA says you should expect to see 16 mpg city, 19 mpg highway, and 17 mpg combined. With how often you need to force downshifts in order to get this SUV to pick up speed, though, good luck ever seeing more than 15 or 16 mpg in day-to-day use.

The lousy engine and transmission put the 4Runner at a serious disadvantage compared to its rivals, since you can get both the Ford Bronco and Jeep Wrangler with several different powertrains — including Jeep's excellent plug-in hybrid — depending on your needs. Truly, the least-modern thing about the 4Runner is the way it drives, even if it can still off-road with the best of 'em.

As I mentioned, the 4Runner 40th Anniversary Edition has a surprisingly long list of standard creature comforts, but their execution leaves a lot to be desired. Because the 4Runner's cabin still uses a 14-year-old design, you can tell some buttons and knobs were just added haphazardly through its lifespan.

Want to turn on the heated steering wheel? Look for a button hidden on the dash under the engine start button. Did you know the rear hatch glass rolls down? It does, but the toggle is on the console near the gear shifter, not by the other window switches on the door. Also, how come this trim level has heated everything but doesn't include automatic climate control? Automatic headlights are weirdly absent, too.

It's not all bad, though. Both front and rear passengers have plenty of head- and legroom, and the cargo hold can carry 47.2 cubic feet of your belongings. Fold the back seats down and you get 89.7 cubic feet, though if you install the slide deck in order to create a flat load floor, the usable space is reduced slightly, to 88.8 cubic feet.

The 4Runner has a relatively basic suite of multimedia tech, starting with an 8-inch central display that's weirdly prone to washing out due to sun glare. Honestly, the best part about Toyota's native infotainment software is that you can plug a phone in and use Apple CarPlay or Android Auto instead, though don't expect to find any USB-C outlets. In an interior this old; are you kidding?

Good on Toyota, one of the 4Runner's most modern attributes is its roster of standard driver-assistance technologies. Pre-collision braking with pedestrian detection, lane-departure warning, adaptive cruise control, blind-spot monitoring, and a bunch of other features are included on every 4Runner. Plus, because there aren't a jillion digital menus to work through, most of the assist systems can be turned on and off with physical buttons on the steering wheel.

The 40th Anniversary Edition sits right in the middle of the 4Runner lineup, squeezed between the TRD Off-Road Premium and Limited trims. Pricing runs the gamut from $41,490 including destination for the base 4Runner SR5, while the go-anywhere-do-anything TRD Pro commands $55,955.

Old as it is, there's still an ounce or two of charm baked into the Toyota 4Runner. There's just enough to like about this SUV to keep it holding on until its successor — based on the brand-new Tacoma pickup truck — arrives in the not-too-distant future. Here's hoping its inevitable 50th Anniversary Edition package looks just as cool.