IKE Gauntlet: 2025 4Runner Towing Test -- Beats Land Cruiser Again [TLDW Summary]

TLDW Summary / Video:

2025 4Runner Towing Test on IKE Gauntlet - Beats Land Cruiser Again


6th gen continues to impressive in real world testing, doing well in this towing test on the IKE Gauntlet by TFL. It outperformed the Land Cruiser again. LC becoming a tougher buy now that we're seeing 4Runner real world test.

 

Both 4R and LC have 6K tow capacity, but LC is about 600-1000 lbs more GVWR. Probably what makes the difference.

 

So between the tow tests, and the fact that the LC is slower than even the 5th gens in acceleration, sounds like people should skip the hybrid in the 6th gen 4Runners and stick to gas SR5s or ORs

 

Yea that's why the new gas Tacomas have far outsold the hybrid model.

 

lol i guess people really need that 7 sec suv. if you really need something that fast, go get a tesla x or a macan or cayenne

for me 7 secs doesnt do crap for 4-6 months of the year up in ND snow, and 8 secs still doesnt make anything worse up here in ND winters.

 

Toyota screwed up the messaging on the hybrid powertrain. They just splashed the “465ft/lb!”specs, and called it a day. And as we see, because the battery pack pushed weight over 5000lbs, they don’t necessarily win stoplight races. Well, boo-hoo.

However…..in virtually all other driving scenarios where that mass is already rolling, like interstates & around town, iforce max is a complete revelation versus a Gen5, and absolutely crushes the regular 2.4T in overall day-to-day refinement.

Skip the “car experts” opinions on YouTube.…if it’s a budgetary choice, prioritize the hybrid powertrain over superficial amenities like moonroofs, etc..

 

The level of copium is conspicuously copious these days.

 

I don't even have a TLDW :sadface: do I?

 

How can carrying around all of that extra weight be better in any driving situation?
TFLs latest This or That video comparing the two is useful. I didn’t realize that the 6th gen and the LC are pretty much the same size. I assumed the LC was going to be bigger. There honestly seems like no point in buying the LC over the 6th gen.

 

Everything’s too heavy these days, but in this application my big issue is not so much the weight as the packaging. In every truck with iforce max, there’s legitimate grief over reduced storage & seating, high lift-over, and uneven floors….not to mention the crappy fuel tank capacity. Packaging for hybrid kneecaps the LC.

I can see a near future when Toyota might offer only tiers of hybrid powertrains, but the packaging issues will remain broken until TNGA-F is overhauled or Toyota redevelops their batteries.

 

for me the LC250 competes directly to the TRD Pro and Trailhunter than anything below those grades. once you start going down to TRD OR or around those trims, the 4R comes out ahead cost wise but not ability wise out of the box.

i never considered the LC250 since i need more creature comforts than off road ability. winter wise the 4R is a cheaper choice than the LC250 for the same ability.

creature comforts being the same, the 4R comes out cheaper in my case.

a LC250 (not 1958 version) optioned out like i have my 25 4R Platinum comes out to 68k msrp vs 66.5k msrp for the 4R

 

And it’s all for what? One mpg and a little more power.

 

The actual sale price of the LC is probably cheaper as they aren’t selling very well and there are discounts available.

 

well since i can get invoice it will still be cheaper to go with a 4R long term.

getting a platinum cause right now the wife is on the fence of keeping her 23 tundra, down grading to a tacoma or im hoping switching to a 4R, hence the platinum trim on the 4R.

if she doesnt want a 4R i dont mind the plat, but if she takes it, i might option out a limited HV just like a platinum and save about 2-3k on invoice.

plus the limited you get color keys mirrors and door handles and you get rid of those ugly gloss black wheels vs the platinum black door handles, mirror backs and gloss black wheels.

but you lose out on the premium leather (i dont mind the blue shaded seats on the platinum) hud only on platinum and a few minor QoL you dont get on the limited.

 

well, the hybrid owners can bask in the "feel" and "revelation" of the new drivetrain while getting passed by 15 year old 5th gens on the freeway onramps and stoplights.

 

That's impressive towing performance. "Plenty of power" towing 5500 lbs up a 7% grade where the 5th gen struggles with much lighter loads. 2025 4R now has a real towing advantage vs all of the big crossovers rated for 5000 lbs.

 

Hell, the 5th gen I rented in Denver struggled with 2 adults and 2 kids in the car. I wanted to love it so bad, and there were things I did love about it, but when it hit third gear at 75mpg leaving Moab, I was done. I'm very interested in a 6th Gen, or a LC250.

 

It did pretty well. It doesn’t look like a need to upgrade to the hybrid.

 

I’m assuming this was climbing the hill out of town. How fast do you need to go?

 

Also, what's wrong with using all of the gears available? If you don't drop a gear, you're not getting into the powerband.

I think everyone who complains about Toyota engine performance doesn't use the full range of the gas pedal. Although I won't argue it's not a fat pig, but there's no way a 4Runner is insufficient for normal driving with 4 people as a payload.

 

This was on I70, between Moab and Grand Junction, with the cruise control set to the speed limit.

Have you ever driven one at altitude? I don't want a vehicle turning 5500RPM (or whatever it was) when the cruise control is set to 75mph. This isn't an unknown issue.

 

Why not just slow down on the uphills? What’s the point of burning a ton of fuel to race up the hill?

 

There's your problem. Cruise control has always sucked on hills, and with the slow-shifting 4R, it makes it even worse, as it tries to react too late.

I only deal with east coast mountains, so nothing too extreme, but I don't have problems keeping up, even when towing.

I am heading to the PNW in a few weeks though, so I'll personally see how it does crossing the Rockies (I'll be towing a trailer too).

 

The people who complain the 5th gen are too slow up hill and do too poorly in fuel economy are gonna find out first hand what turbos do with gas to get up hill faster.

On steep hills I toggle the shifter to S4 and let it do its thing. The gas tank WAS only 23 gallons and only getting smaller on the 6th gen.

 

LOL, you guys are living in 2003.

I have seen what turbos do, I've owned a 3.5TT since 2018 and, in a much larger vehicle, I get 18-19mpg tank averages making 100 more hp and tq. It rarely downshifts out of 10th gear and rarely makes more than 5psi. Modern engines make significantly more power below 2k RPM than they did 20 years ago.

I have shopped the 5th Gen 4Runner multiple times (since 2014), even rented one for a week, and the drivetrain let it down. If you guys like it, that's great, it's a fantastic vehicle.......I call it the Goldilocks. But for me, the new 2.4T/8speed combo is probably more my speed (with the exception of Toyota's terrible sounding 4 cylinders). Toyota claimed it will go up an 8% grade without downshifting.

 

the old 4R is great if you understand the downfalls of the engine and transmission.

1. if you are not more than 1/2 gas pedal it has problems getting out of the way of itself at times.
2. mpg is great if you know how to work it, i get as low as 9 mpg, avg around 16 mpg, and get 20-21 mpg during long trips from ND to GA and back, even in the mountains from TN to GA on i75
3. to get the 4R to move, you really have to get that gas pedal past 1/2 way but even then it still takes time to get going and moving, but it will scoot

granted the whole platform is bullet proof pretty much if you want dinosaur tech and mechanicals that will last like the old 22R series engines

but i am of the mindset that after 11 yrs with my 2014 i am ready to move into more creature comforts than what i have now. i am getting close to retirement and have been spoiled by driving the wife's 23 tundra platinum.

i am looking forward to my 25 platinum and no matter how much negativity i see on the any of the 2 4R forums i visit, it wont faze me in not being happy and ready to move on from my 2014.

and yes i have had issues with my 2014, but they have all been fixed under warranty. i mean our 23 tundra is part of the long block replacment list, but we are not in a tizzy about it or worried about it. our 23 is doing just fine and when it comes time to replace the engine, we will be ok with it. i mean there are people that are waiting before us with complete engine failure that i understand need to be replaced before us.

i guess ultimately, we are more easy going for the process than most people, but then again we are getting closer to retirement where things dont bother us as much as they use to

 

Why do you care so much about downshifting? That’s what a transmission is supposed to do.

 

Doubt

Double doubt.

You know a transmission with more gears is going to shift more, right? (Not that there's anything wrong with shifting).

And Beluga had it right: the 4th or 5th gen 4R in 4th gear will pull any highway grade and any highway speed (unloaded, a trailer will cause it to downshift (oh god!) on steeper grades).

It's great the new one has more power in the lower rev range, but it's not like driving the 4.0 is the end of the world. I'd actually argue it's one of the best Toyota engines of the past decade. Although comparing it to a full size Ecoboost, you will be disappointed in sheer power.

Finally, since this is a towing thread: there is much more to towing than power. The 5th gen's limitations have always been the wheelbase and soft-ish suspension, and I'm betting those aren't significantly better on the 6th gen (although the footprint is a little bigger, which will help).

 

You don't know what you don't know.

LINK

Now, I cannot verify Toyota's claim, but there it is.

Regarding the 10 speed shifting more, that's not always true. My 2018 truck skip shifted and would use about 6 gears (1, 3, 5, 7, 8/9, 10) to get up to highway speeds. Seven is the 1:1 gear. It would only hit all 10 gears when in tow haul mode. My brother's Tundra behaves this way as well.

My 2023 truck is tuned differently and hits all 10 gears when accelerating, even under light load.

If you don't think a 3.5TT/10speed will stay in 10th gear at 60mph+, even on grades, that's on you. I've lived it for the last 6 years. My coworker traded in his coyote F150 for a 3.5TT once he rode in mine, because he liked that it would add in a little boost rather than downshifting. My brother's Tundra drives similarly to my trucks as well, so it's not specific to Fords, it has to do with the ability of newer engines to make more power under high loads at low speeds (where detonation is more likely to occur).

 

If you like the 3.5 then the GX 550 is the suv that you should be looking into getting.