2025 4Runner SR5 Noisy Engine? Missing Hood Insulation....

I had a chance to drive a SR5 last weekend and was very disappointed that the engine noise was too loud and annoying every time I stepped on the gas. Anyone else felt the same way? Honestly, the sound felt pretty cheap and weak. SR5 is the only model missing the hood insulator. Could that be the reason was it is so loud?

 

They deleted that too?!

Probably best way for you to know for sure is to find a gas-only higher trim and see how it sounds in comparison.

 

I think part of the reason is the new turbo 4 cylinder engine is just naturally more noisey. It’s the nature of these new engines unfortunately.

The new Tacoma is the same way.

 

Automakers add hood insulators to reduce noise, whether that'll be noticeable or not without instruments, varies from model to model. Test drive a TRD trim and compare back to back.

If you want to stick to SR5 because of the lower MSRP, better waterproof sound insulation is available aftermarket, for example

KILMAT 80 mil 36 sqft Car Sound Deadening Mat, Butyl Automotive Sound Deadener, Audio Noise Insulation and dampening

https://www.amazon.com/Deadening-Automotive-Deadener-Insulation-dampening/dp/B0751CBXBT/ This also has the benefit of being less chewy for mice.

 

Toyota's 4 cylinders are not the best sounding. The lack of hood insulator will make it slightly worse.

 

that's a dumb thing to get rid of to save money Toyota. Those insulators also save the heat on the hood paint.

Maybe i'm looking too far into this. LOL.

 

With a turbo engine you also have to worry about heat soak (heat building up in the engine bay). Long term high engine bay temperatures lead to brittle plastic piping and brittle connectors.

 

Besides that, what did it feel like power wise? Other thoughts on the vehicle itself? They haven't gotten any here locally yet.

 

lol concerned with heat on the hood due to paint considerations…

 

Many current 4Runner owners will have serious issues with the noise levels & quality coming from the standard 2.4T. If someone is stepping up from a RAV/Subaru/Rogue, maybe not. In return, accessible power throughout all driving scenarios is noticeably improved. As bad as it sounds, I’d still wager it’ll be robust.

Greater issue is it’s overtly obvious that each development team within Toyota responsible for their respective area of the new 4Runner was asked to squeeze cost. Lift the hood on an SR5, and you see prop rods, no hood insulation, and no engine cover. That bargain feeling only grows when you sit in it.

There’s an automotive science of trimming cost without the owner ever even noticing, but Toyota bosses apparently said screw it.

 

I'm not sure that's an issue. Have you noticed how some cars engines have gotten so efficient that it takes them longer to warm up? I'm certain that more energy is wasted as heat in a 4.0L 4Runner than the new 2.4L turbo. Even then, the turbo is only going to add significant heat to the engine bay when under load. Most of the time, the turbo is not doing anything, which is (part of) where the fuel savings comes from. Most of the rest is reduced friction, which reduces heat.

 

Direct injection is louder due to the higher pressures. 4 cylinders are just noisy and unbalanced too but the DI makes them rattley. Just wait until the “is this noise normal” posts start. Everyone thought it was bad with the V6.

 

Love my 2022 SR5 Premium 4WD fifth gen. Gawd the thought of that pee-wee 4 banger in the new T4R is such a turn off to me. I have no interest in a sixth gen.

I have yet to drive the all new T4R. But I have driven a neighbor’s new fourth gen Tacoma. It didn’t wow me for as high priced as it was. I didn’t like the sound of the engine in it.

I firmly feel Toyota jumped the shark with the legendary fifth gen T4R. I think the sixth gen is going to be hard pressed to surpass it.

So is that tiny piss ant 4 banger in the sixth gen 100% Direct Injection only? If so, more no thanks.

 

My 2nd gen 4cyl 22RE 4R never had hood insulation but the V6’s did….more cost cutting.

 

No, it is not DI only. It also has port injection.

 

I haven’t driven one yet but from the off-roading videos I’ve seen the engine sounds like a small diesel tractor. Pretty strange.

 

No. The paint on the hood is baked on at far higher temperatures than it'll ever see from the engine. Early 5th gens like mine didn't have a hood insulator. It was a blessing when my upper radiator hose blew and sprayed coolant on the hood.

Some automakers don't paint the underside of the hood, relying on just the gray primer.

 

They also removed the hood struts among other things. Probably saved them another 10 dollars a unit between the hood insulation and the gas struts. A comparison between a 24 SR5 4wd and a 25 SR5 4wd will show all the things removed to be able to keep the base price increase marketable.

 

i think only the lower trims have no insulation. higher trims do

 

No accident that the upper trims saw large % increase in prices

eg

OR: 44500 to 49190, some items like power seats, underhood parts, possibly others deleted. 10% increase
ORP:47130 to 54970, 16.6% increase
TRD Pro: not 1:1 since no gas only option, but since hybrid is a 2800 on the ORP, call it 55000 to 64100(take 2800 off 25 price), 16.7% increase.

And the prices already increased substantially between say, 2021 and 2024.

 

new TNGA platform oriented on saving. everything will be cut back. sheet metal will be thinner, lighter. a lot of aluminum. if you install gas-powered hood struts, it will bend the hood. look under non-framed vehicles: Corolla, etc. you will see a bunch of reinforcement braces, for stiffening the body of the vehicle, to reduce flexing.

 

OK cool. Thank you sir.

 

It does not sound like my small diesel a new holland 3 cylinder tractor, lol. It is a sound however that you can get used to. My wife has a 24 GMC Acadia with a 2.5 turbo4. It’s well insulated but you still get that turbo type sound when you step on it. It sounds to me almost like a motorcycle. As an owner of a 23 OR, i wish mine had the same acceleration and smooth shifting tranny like hers. Plus on a recent 4 hour trip in AWD her car got 24.4 mpg all in snow and ice sometimes whiteouts the entire trip.

 

Modern Subarus are quiet and power delivery is smooth. Our Subaru ascent with 2.4 turbo + ample insulation + acoustic glass means engine can barely be heard under acceleration. It Is orders of magnitudes quieter than my 5th gen 4Runner.

 

When the Gen3 Tacos came out with D4S, a lot of new owners complained to dealers about the DI noises and self cleaning (“diesel mode”) during a hot idle. All normal.

The updated D4S port/DI in the 2.4T dumped self cleaning, but dealers will still probably get a lot of DI-specific noise complaints on the new 4Runner. Regardless, despite the various noises, drivability versus the 4.0 is next-level, and I believe these 2.4T’s will be very stout.

 

I think they deleted the hood insulation. Saw it on a YouTube test and when the guy opened the hood I was wondering WTF.

 

yeah when i bought my 2014 4R limited, the price of the vehicle was 41k i think after discount, i think 44k msrp. 2024 limited optioned exactly like i have my 2014 is 55k msrp and a 2025 limited is like 57k invoice and 60k msrp


previously, toyota would only do yearly price adjustments, like between 800-1500, but lately i have seen the tundra have mid year price adjustments

 

most of the 6th gen reviews that I have read complained about the sound of the engine

 

The increase would otherwise be understandable if it was made in the NAFTA zone and tracks more or less US inflation, until we take into account that the yen lost 45% of its value against the dollar since 2014

 

In the videos I've watched, the engine sounds like our 2.5L hybrids do when you get them reved up. Not the most pleasant sounding 4 cylinder I've owned.

The SR5 doesn't get the hood insulation, not sure what the lowest trim to get it is, but some do have it.