I Took a 2026 Toyota 4Runner TRD On a 2,000-Mile Road Trip: Here’s The Good, The Great, and The Gritty.
The Toyota 4Runner Off-Road Premium’s name implies it’s ready to handle tough terrain. But does that mean it can handle a 15-hour road trip?
The Toyota 4Runner, especially nowadays, is very high on the list of capable off-roaders right out of the box—next to other SUVs like the Jeep Wrangler and Ford Bronco. The redesign of the 2026 4Runner brought more than just a new face; it meant the end of the V6, a peppy new i-FORCEMAX hybrid engine and updated, meaty off-road trims: TRD Off-Road, TRD Off-Road Premium, Trailhunter, and TRD Pro. I had the privilege of driving the gas-only TRD Off-Road Premium from San Francisco to Moab, Utah—a trek of 950 miles one way.
Being off-road-focused with a locking rear-differential, a part-time four-wheel drive system, a quick sway bar disconnect and all-terrain tires, would it be a pain to drive the distance on the highway? Yes and no. Here’s what I took away from my time with the $58,000 Toyota 4Runner.
This story is 100% human researched and written based on actual first-person knowledge, extensive experience and expertise on the subject of cars and trucks.
First, The Mileage Wasn’t as Good as I’d Hoped
Toyota’s website says the gas-only 4Runner is rated for 27 mpg on the highway compared to the hybrid’s 25 mpg. I didn’t even come close to 27 mpg, or even 25 mpg. But, to be fair, I drove against heavy winds on both California’s 80 East, 50 East in Nevada, and then Utah’s 70 East, and the trunk was full of my and my dad’s luggage and gear. I didn’t get a break until 191 South, where the wind was calm. If I kept my speeds closer to the speed limit, I got about 22 mpg. However, when I was in Nevada and parts of Utah where the speed limit was 80 mph, mileage dropped to about 19-21 mpg, depending on the wind direction (and therefore, how much the turbo had to intervene).
Therefore, pit stops at gas stations were frequent. My dad and I thanked the driving gods that the 4Runner TRD Off-Road Premium doesn’t require premium gas, as everywhere we stopped—even in Nevada—premium was over $5 per gallon, if not close to $6 per gallon. Every top off cost us about $65-$85, and we’d typically travel about 270 miles before needing to fuel up. By the time we arrived in Utah, we’d spent just over $300 on gas. Ouch.
But when you factor in how large and heavy the 4Runner is, it isn’t too bad. Especially if we want to compare it to the V6 that everyone misses so much. My sister has a 2024 TRD Off-Road with that 4.0 V6, and she says it’s exceedingly rare for her to get over 20 mpg on the highway, especially when she and her husband would pack it full of luggage and gear as we did. She noted it abided by the dreaded 17/19/17 rating that V6 is known for. So, compared to the V6 that caused such a stir, it wasn’t just better—it was exceptionally better. Especially with an 8-speed automatic instead of a 5-speed. The extra torque, thanks to the turbocharger, came in handy, too. The transmission rarely had to downshift against the wind. The turbo would simply provide more boost.
The Power Was There When I Needed It, and When I Did, I Was Very Glad to Have it
When a new SUV is just 200 or so pounds away from weighing 5,000 lbs, a 2.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine making 278 horsepower and 317 lb-ft of torque doesn’t sound like a lot. In fact, I assumed that the power balance would be way off—like pulling a large cart with a pony. But I was wrong. Toyota’s 8-speed automatic transmission did an excellent job prioritizing torque and horsepower when it was needed, and there was barely any—if at all—turbo lag if you had to give it the beans now and again. It’s also rated to tow 6,000 pounds, even without the hybrid system, which is more than enough for a turbo-four.
And I’m not kidding when I say that system absolutely saved my bacon. As I was heading home, it was dusk by the time I came into the Stockton, California area. Highway 580 was under construction, and the very left lane was closed down, forcing me and the semi truck I was stuck behind into the middle lane. The truck and I slowed down and kept close to one another. To my immediate right, another semi truck merged onto the highway going about 50 mph, and without looking, started to merge into the middle lane, leaving me with two choices: slam on the brakes and pray to any deity or messiah that would hear me and hope I could stop sharply enough to let the semi to my right in front of me without being slammed into the pylons to my left, or goose it, and hope there’s enough room between the front of the merging semi and the one I was tailing to this point.
I chose to goose it, and the responsiveness of that engine and transmission setup got me in front of the merging semi just in time for them to see me and slow down. My dad, who was in the passenger’s seat, looked out of the window and confirmed that the driver didn’t see me until the very last second. The sun was in our windshield, and the light was waning, so I gave the driver the benefit of the doubt—but my dad and I were sweating buckets, having barely escaped that situation. There’s plenty of power under that gorgeous Everest hood, and I was very, very happy to have it there, and that the setup was as responsive and snappy as it was. If it wasn’t, I’m not sure I’d be here typing this out. From the bottom of my heart, thank you, Toyota. I will be sure to mention that the gas-only option is plenty.
The Cargo Space was Plenty—But My Family Wasn’t a Fan of the Rear Seats
Just as I suspected, there was enough room in the trunk for both my and my dad’s luggage heading to Moab, Utah. I had to take two small suitcases since I couldn’t find my larger one, and I brought my camera bag, my filming gear, and my laptop. That was five bags total for me, and my dad brought two bags. There was still room for more luggage if we needed to bring more, and I attribute that to it being the gas-only model. Since it didn’t have the hybrid battery under the floor, there was more vertical space, allowing us to stack our items without it eating into our outward visibility from the rear view mirror. The tonneau cover came in handy, too.
When it came to hauling my Uncle and his girlfriend in the back seats to take the 4Runner on Long Canyon Drive, though, they were not impressed with the lack of legroom. My Uncle stands at about 5’10”, and my uncle’s girlfriend is a tad taller, and both of them noted how cramped it was back there almost immediately. They liked having the A/C vents back there, charging ports, and the large windows, but both were shocked at how little legroom there was for how big of an SUV the 4Runner is now. As the driver, I had to slide my seat quite a bit forward to accommodate them, too. So, if you’re looking at a 4Runner as a family car, you may want to look elsewhere. The Jeep Wrangler Rubicon I took off-road had more legroom, and to me, that says a lot. Especially for the price of $58,000.
It Was Easy to Drive, Both Off-Road and On-Road
Around town, I loved the large windows, the parking assist technology, and the off-road cameras in tandem with the 3D 360-degree view that was added to the 4Runner. Since it was easy to see out, I never really needed to use it—but when I was pulling into something I couldn’t quite gauge, or if it was dark and I didn’t want to scratch those beautiful wheels, accessing the cameras was easy. All I had to do was press the button near the shifter that looked like a movie camera, and the feed immediately popped up onto the larger 14-inch screen. I could toggle a myriad of angles, from the front, rear, side mirrors, and the 3D 360-degree view. The cameras themselves weren’t as high-quality as I’d hoped they’d be at the price point, but they were helpful if I ever felt unsure.
Other than that, the engine and transmission worked together beautifully to keep the RPMs lower, so you’re not burning too much gas. I do wish it were easier to reset the odometer or to access different mileage readings (like overall vs per trip), though. I figured it out, but it involved a fairly deep dive into the menus for the driver’s display. My dad found the digital gauge cluster to be “overwhelming,” but I found it to be one of the least clustered and busiest displays I’ve seen in any new car. I quite enjoyed it.
The Technology is Great—I Just Wish it Were More Consistent
I’ve had this issue with every brand-new Toyota I’ve reviewed: the multimedia display randomly losing connection with my phone, the phone mirroring software randomly crashing or intermittently crashing and losing connection, forcing me to manually select my phone as the default device, and to toggle Android Auto for it to restart. Before anyone tries to bash me for choosing an Android, it did the same thing with my dad’s brand-new iPhone, too. So, it isn’t an Android vs. Apple scenario. My dad would get frustrated when I asked him to toggle it for me, with how many menus he had to leaf through—so I’d have to do it while driving if I wanted navigation to work.
When it did work, though, I loved it. The screen’s size was a bit intimidating at first, but when I took it off-road, the screen was the perfect size. I was able to see all the camera angles, the options I had for off-road camera angles were clear, and it was a blessing when it came to navigation. If I were towing, the larger screen would be especially appreciated to keep an eye on your precious cargo. For me, the larger screen is a non-negotiable, especially if you’re planning to use it as intended, and not just a grocery getter.
I’ll Fondly Remember the 4Runner as a Road Tripper
The 4Runner doesn’t come without a few shortcomings, but I was so glad I had it in multiple instances for my long, winding trip to Moab, Utah, back home to the San Francisco Bay Area. I was happy I had it on the steep inclines into Utah and out of California, ecstatic I had it for the semi incident, glad to have it off-road (more on that later), and especially glad it was able to hold all of my gear and my family. The only time I felt myself wishing I had something else was when it came to paying for gas, and that’s not the 4Runner’s fault—it just fell victim to circumstance. Getting over 20 miles per gallon is excellent for its segment, and I was very impressed with the 4Runner. My dad wants one for himself and is currently trying to talk my Uncle into buying a TRD Pro. So, we’ll see how that goes. I’ll remember this road trip fondly.
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