“Best” generation?

Facebook and the Google giving lots of conflicting information so figured I’d turn to the pros…

Looking to buy the wife our first 4Runner as a daily driver, and not sure on what year/generation I’m looking for. I’m hearing a lot of 2018-1019 but figured is come here first.

 

5th gen is 10-24. They’re all basically the same with some changes here and there like update headunits and LED lighting.

 

Is there a specific year within that generation that’s more reliable or less prone to problems, per se?

 

Unless there's something specific you're looking for in previous generations, pickings will probably be slim and probably enough of a pain to generally skip.

Figure out budget and minimum requirements and see what comes up. Ex. mileage, age, not salvage/rebuilt title, rust, rental, etc. It's a sliding scale and up to you ultimately what compromise you want.

the last few years have push-button start, 2020+ have the driver assist stuff which you may or may not want, 2014+ is the facelift.

https://www.edmunds.com/toyota/4runner/2024/

If you scroll through the years above you can get a sense of what changed year to year.

The __ Premium trims have "Sof-Tex" leatherette seats and if that's good enough, there you go. I don't know if Limited trim is genuine leather. There's always the option of getting the seats reupholstered.

Eh, not really and not by enough to really make a bigger difference than their individual history, maintenance history, driven by someone who doesn't know part-time 4WD, etc.

If you don't want to deal with camera calibration (if replacing windshield), radar sensor, etc. and the risk of them going bad, skip 2020+ but that's up to you. 2021+ has LED headlights standard but you might like the easier to replace halogen bulbs.

it's possible to swap them into older years but also depends on your penchant for DIY.

Anyways, you'll still have to go look at models you're considering and see how they look underneath, any mismatched panels, etc.

 

My vote is a well maintained low miles 5th Gen 4Runner Limited. Full-time 4WD is the biggest feature on 4Runner Limited.

I prefer 2019 as the last year before Toyota safety sense. But If you like features like 360 camera, blind spot , etc you may look at 2024.

If your wife is an aggressive driver like mine I would not buy 2025 with 4cyl turbo as my wife have absolutely no patience to let the turbos cool down to avoid damage.
On the same line, I changed the 20in wheels to 17in 4runner wheels as 20in is very likely to get damaged the way she drives.

 

2018-2019, mainly because those are that last years before covid destroyed QC and doesn't have any of the nanny 2020+ systems. Older 5th gen are good too, but will likely have higher milage/use.

 

The best looking is 3rd gen, then 5th gen

 

No. They’re all pretty reliable.

 

Welcome from Wisconsin! My preference is the 1st Generation, I like the '86 with a 22RE engine. For practicality I would pick a 5th Generation, there are lots of them around with low mileage/not beat, they have plenty of creature comforts and parts availability. Good luck.

 

History Archive...https://www.top4runners.com/runhist/index.html

 

welcome, I'd get a 5th Generation. I have a 2011 and a 2018 both have had no problems.

 

The Gen3 4Rs look great and are a little more rough and tumble, but the Gen5 is more refined, likely to have lower mileage, is heavily supported by the aftermarket, and most available. I had a Gen3 (2000) with a manual transmission and loved it, but when it came time to get my current ride I went for a ‘24.

 

The 5th gen production run is long enough that I’d hesitate to look at anything earlier for a daily driver.

Although I’m biased, the 2021 was a sweet spot I think.
-It comes with built in navigation in the head unit, so you don’t need to rely on your own cell signal/phone. At some point after 2021 Toyota started to charge monthly fees to use the nav unit in the vehicle.

-It also has LED low beams and fog lights from factory, but still retained halogen high beams (which work better than newer 4runners with LED high beams).

-No cross traffic alert, which means no sensors hanging on the back bumper.

-And you start it with a physical key, not the push button nonsense.

 

yep. the LED lows are so good that by comparison the bi-LED high beams are a big let down IMO. For night driving with no traffic and no other people, I much prefer my 20 year old sedan with the 9005 high beam running Osram nightbreaker bulbs.

 

I have Nightbreaker Unlimited 9005's in my '19 and they're excellent! Will definitely buy again when they go out, if I can find them.

 

Added Nightbreaker HB3's to list/cart!

 

I'm biased as well. But 5th Gen is the best generation to daily drive. 4th Gen being a close second. Anything older and you may be pushing the limit of "Toyota reliability"

My 2022 has 360 cameras, cross traffic radar detection, blindspot monitoring, and keyless entry/ push to start. After getting accustomed to these features I wouldn't want to give them up.

Now the best generation for wheeling is the first gen... but that's a conversation for another day.

 

Agreed. But, only the '84 and '85 models.