The 2025 Toyota 4Runner marks the start of the 6th generation of a much-loved off-road capable SUV. It’s always been reliable. It’s also been relatively affordable, as long as you didn’t go overboard on the options or pay a stupid markup for a TRD Pro version. All of that changes, it seems, for this latest version.

Toyota is struggling out of the gate in terms of powertrain reliability as it relates to this latest hybrid setup. That’s quite surprising, too, considering the automaker has produced hybrids for decades now, and they’ve all been pretty damn rock solid. I do believe Toyota will figure this setup out. And it’s a setup that delivers fantastic power, too, which is something the 4Runner could use (and its Tacoma sibling).

But you don’t need to go hybrid with the 4Runner, of course. The problem there, though, is that the absolute base RWD SR5 non-hybrid 4Runner starts at $42k. To jump one rung up the ladder to the TRD Sport, you instantly add about $6,500 to the starting price. To climb all the way to the much better looking and more capable Trailhunter or TRD Pro (which are both hybrid-only and 4WD only), you are now staring down a $68k starting price.

That nearly $70k MSRP (before any options, accessories, or inevitable greedy dealer markup) gets you a vehicle with a payload capacity of barely over 1,000 pounds. So I hope you like off-roading or camping alone. Sorry, kids, no smores on this trip—we need to stay trim.

If you are considering a 6th-gen 4Runner at the top of its trim walk, I suggest you instead look at the Lexus GX550. It looks nicer on the outside, is nicer on the inside, has good power, and has a much more usable payload capacity. Otherwise, the smart buy in the 4Runner lineup may be the non-hybrid TRD Off-Road… but you’re still in the $50k range.

This whole thing feels like an odd misstep for a typically rock-solid automaker. Or, maybe they just want to push people into Land Cruisers or up into that aforementioned GX550.