When it comes to making a profit in 2026, automakers know that offering a wide range of SUV options is arguably the best way to get it. Whether it takes the shape of an urban hero that is as soft as an ice lolly in the sun, or a rugged off-roader that feels just as at home on the farm as it does on the highway, the buying public is obsessed with them. Toyota has a diverse line-up as a result, across both its own and luxury brand Lexus' range.Toyota's Rav4 tends to be the darling when it comes to outright sales figures, but the 4Runner is the car raising eyebrows in recent times, Following several years when sales have continuously dropped, an amazing Q1 2026 performance means it's on target to regain a share of the market that it once achieved for fun. This is no accident either, as there are a couple of key reasons why this 4Runner is immediately tempting people when its predecessor couldn't. The 4Runner Sits Towards The Serious End Of Toyota's Range ToyotaThe 4Runner is one of Toyota's longest-standing models, with the nameplate having first reared its head way back in 1983. It was angled as a compact SUV that had a rugged undertone, an approach evidenced by the fact that it was based on the underpinnings of the tough-as-a-rock Hilux pickup truck. Six generations of the vehicle have been unleashed on US audiences during its lifetime, with the latest arriving for the 2025 model year.Whereas models like the Rav4 and Highlander are geared more toward road use as dependable family transport, the 4Runner is designed to make mincemeat of whatever off-road trail you decide to throw at it. Its rugged styling is crafted to ensure it can take more punishment from the various environmental furniture you'll come across, while its tough underpinnings and raised ride height afford the confidence to throw it around like a tank. At the same time, it's practical enough to carry your family and their cargo in adequate comfort. Toyota's Off-Roader Is Priced Solidly In The Middle Of Its SUV Line-Up ToyotaAs a result of its off-road focus, the 4Runner isn't the cheapest Toyota SUV on the market. The cheapest version you can get starts from $41,570, which puts it squarely in the mid-section of the Japanese brand's offerings. The entry-level Corolla Cross can be had for a shade over $25k, with the base Rav4 demanding just $31k. The 4Runner is a good $4k cheaper than the Highlander though, while the higher-end Land Cruiser and Sequoia nameplates won't come home with you unless you hand over $57k and $65k, respectively. The 4Runner Struggled To Get The Better Of The Land Cruiser In 2025 Toyota Interestingly, despite its off-road focus at a lower price than what a full-fat Land Cruiser will cost you, the 4Runner didn't perform as strongly in 2025 as you might expect. After all, while the Land Cruiser's 43,946 sales performance in 2025 was its best by miles, with the old version lucky to reach the yearly 3,500 mark, the 4Runner has tended to comfortably eclipse the 100,000 barrier every 12-month stretch.This wasn't the case in 2025 though as, on paper, the 4Runner looked to be in difficulty. It started at the end of 2024, when just 2,965 examples were shifted in the Q4 period, but carried on in Q1 2025, when 8,435 cars were sold. The Land Cruiser vastly bested these figures, with 10,817 and 15,416 vehicles being carted off to new owners over the same time frames. As it would turn out though, these numbers would be temporary outliers, as the 4Runner was quickly back to its best. The 4Runner Is Really Finding Its Stride Now ToyotaToyota waved goodbye to 21,716 examples of its new 4Runner in 2025 Q2, which wasn't far off double the number of Land Cruisers that found new homes. This pattern continued to make itself known over the rest of the year, with a total of 36,849 and 31,804 4Runners disappearing from Toyota dealers in Q3 and Q4. This resulted in total yearly sales of 98,804, nearly double the Land Cruiser's performance despite its sub-par Q1 performance.The mid-range SUV's momentum has continued into 2026, with 33,244 cars being delivered in the first quarter of the year. This is a huge 294% increase year-on-year, and a number larger than the number of Land Cruisers, Sequoias, and not to mention Lexus GX and LX models, sold during the same time. Combined. In fact, if the car can keep its momentum going, it's on track to achieve its best sales year since 2021. New Hybrid Option Bundled With The 4Runner Is A Key Catalyst For This Increase ToyotaInterest has boomed with the sixth-gen 4Runner, and a key reason for this is twofold. An all-new platform after nearly 20 years of the same car, with the fifth-gen machine having debuted back in 2009, is part of it. The main pulling point of the new 4Runner is arguably that it is now available with a hybrid powertrain option, which ensures it's vastly more fuel efficient than its forerunner, which was only on the market with a naturally aspirated 4.0-liter V6 powerplant. This makes it a more sensible choice, especially versus competitors that had already debuted hybrid options with their own contenders.As for why the number of sales dropped so sharply across a six-month period, well, that's largely to do with production. Toyota struggled to get its hands on enough components to produce the number of new 4Runners it wanted during the summer of 2024, which ultimately led to a severe inventory backlog towards the end of the year and into 2025. Toyota had to gradually build up the number of cars it could pump out per month, a restriction that had been lifted by the end of Q2, hence the return to normality. It may be no Rav4, but the 4Runner has returned to being one of Toyota's stronger sellers, especially alongside its larger and more expensive siblings that have become harder to justify for many Americans during these tough financial times. The More Efficient Sixth-Gen 4Runner Better Suits Today's Society ToyotaWith gas prices having increased so vastly in recent times, the sixth-gen 4Runner couldn't have arrived at a better time. Even though it'll set you back just under $53,000, it provides not only superior fuel efficiency, but also performance versus its V6-powered forerunner. Whereas the V6 kicked out 270 hp and could manage 17 MPG on average, the 2.4-liter inline-four-based hybrid powertrain found in the new one makes 278 hp, while also boasting an average MPG figure of 23. It also produces around 40 lb-ft of extra torque, ensuring it's a considerable all-round improvement.That said, the standard non-hybrid version of the turbocharged four-pot produces a similar amount of power, and can still hit 21 MPG on average. Alongside this, it provides a more palatable entry point of $41,570. These crucial improvements over the aging fifth-gen 4Runner have nicely set it up for the future, and have come at a good time when you consider sales of the model had begun drastically falling off in the few years prior to the new model arriving.It's hard to keep a good Toyota down, and the sixth-gen 4Runner is proving this with its strong sales performance in recent months.Sources: Toyota.