Some people on this planet simply don’t seem to age. You know the type — save for a few laugh lines and a smattering of grey at the temples they look about the same as they did in college … and is that the same leather jacket they wore on New Year’s Eve ’99? How on earth does that still look good?
Toyota’s current 4Runner is the automotive equivalent of this phenomenon. Despite showing up for duty as a fifth-generation model well over a decade ago, this SUV continues to rack up sales success, thanks to a capable skill set and seemingly ageless appearance.
In other words, it’s the Paul Rudd of trucks.
Photo by Matthew Guy
Photo by Matthew Guy
Photo by Matthew Guy
Photo by Matthew Guy
Photo by Matthew Guy
Photo by Matthew Guy
This is the TRD Sport trim, new for 2022. It combines features from the TRD Off-Road and Limited models, slotting in just below the former in terms of price. This new recipe involved taking the front bumper and suspension from a Limited, then mixing in the Off-Road’s hood scoop and Softex easy-clean seats plus a smattering of TRD badges. Stir in 9.6 inches of ground clearance and serve to an adoring fan base.
Not all tricks from the TRD Off-Road translate to the Sport, which is to be expected since Toyota needs to leave some customers a reason to make the roughly $1,200 walk from Sport to Off-Road. There are a few styling differences as well, such as a front bumper which looks like it provides a better approach angle but doesn’t. Its primary variances are underneath and can’t be seen until one ventures away from the pavement.
In deploying suspension bits from the Limited trim, we find what Toyota calls the X-REAS Sport Enhancement Suspension, a set of suspenders tuned for on-road handling versus off-road grip. It adjusts damping force of the shock absorbers when driving over bumpy surfaces or when cornering, with a centre control absorber cross-linking the shocks on opposite corners of the vehicle — this is where the “X” comes from — to help reduce pitch and yaw by offsetting opposing inputs.
Photo by Matthew Guy
Photo by Matthew Guy
Photo by Matthew Guy
How’s that different from the TRD Off-Road? On that trim, you’ll find a locking rear differential plus the so-called Kinetic Dynamic Suspension System (KDSS). That setup deploys plump stabilizer bars which use a hydraulic cylinder on one side. When the cylinder senses typical driving situations, it stays rigid to help prevent body roll while cornering or going over everyday road bumps. Its trick is the cylinder’s fluid ability to go loose when pressed into a series of whoops or rutted off-road terrain, permitting ample wheel articulation. It’s not unlike the electronic disconnecting sway bar on the Wrangler, except the driver doesn’t have to press any buttons in the Toyota.
Is that worth an extra 1,200 bucks? Depends on your priorities. A KDSS-equipped 4Runner is unequivocally superior off-road, to say nothing of the extra traction afforded by its locking rear differential and additional driving modes. This model will also, in the real world, be better suited to handling the weight of items like a rooftop tent — even if its rated capacity is no different from any other trim. However, the TRD Sport has equivalent ground clearance and arguably flatter ride over on-road bumps that disturb opposite ends of the truck at different times (think speed humps). Your author would choose the KDSS without hesitation, as it arguably provides the best of both worlds with a firm hand to reduce body roll during on-road cornering but bringing the goods with extended wheel travel when the going gets rough. Both trims have low-range settings in the 4WD system.
No matter which you select in a 2022 4Runner, power will be delivered by a 4.0L V6 making 270 horsepower and 278 lb-ft of torque mated to a five-speed automatic transmission. Yes, five-speed. Here’s the good news: while the relative lack of forward gears has a negative impact on highway fuel economy, it does permit good access to the engine’s torque-rich power band. Rare is the occasion when the 4Runner loses its momentum through deep snow thanks to a gearbox that’s hunting for the right ratio — generally, this thing chooses a gear and sticks with it while playing off-road or navigating a snowy parking lot. And your author will gladly take an ancient five-speed auto over a miserable CVT any day of the week. Towing tops out at 5,000 pounds.
Photo by Matthew Guy
Photo by Matthew Guy
Photo by Matthew Guy
Photo by Matthew Guy
Photo by Matthew Guy
Photo by Matthew Guy
Photo by Matthew Guy
Photo by Matthew Guy
Photo by Matthew Guy
Photo by Matthew Guy
Inside the 4Runner, we find a cabin which makes good use of some modern tech but continues to incorporate some handy features many SUVs have ditched while chasing convenience or cost-savings. Chief amongst these considerations is the electrically operated rear window, a pane of glass which slides into the hatch at the touch of a button to make hauling long items (or, let’s be frank, airing out the interior after a camping trip) a simple task. This feature used to be part and parcel of SUVs but, save for the Tahoe and its ilk which deploy a flip-up window, has largely vanished.
The seating position is also a throwback, harkening to the days when SUVs were trucks and proud of it. While the 4Runner is high off the ground, the seat bottom is close to the floor, inducing a legs-out driving position when your long-of-limb author placed the chair in its lowest setting to avoid constantly smacking his head on the sunroof. In fact, rear headroom is a smidgen better than the front by Toyota’s official measures, and the sunroof is standard kit on most 4Runner trims including this TRD Sport. Most controls are straightforward, though it wouldn’t kill Toyota to add some pre-wired AUX switches for electric accessory gear that off-roaders like to add. Also, an infotainment upgrade can’t come soon enough.
The rear cargo area is wide and well-shaped for accepting yer detritus, though there are more than a few cost-cutting swaths of cheap plastic just waiting to get scratched up by that Coleman stove you bought for camping. At least the area is easy to clean and well-lit thanks to dome lights mounted in the hatch and not in the compartment.
Make no mistake — this is an old-school rig. Since the 4Runner is built on a frame chassis and has the approximate aerodynamics of a barn door, no one should expect fuel economy anywhere near single digit L/100km figures. Your author spent $110 on 87 octane gasoline during the 4Runner’s stay, paying $1.40 per litre and covering about 600 kilometres. This works out to 13.1 L/100km, right in the ballpark of what NRCan says customers can expect from this vehicle in combined highway and country driving scenarios. A hybrid, this ain’t.
But nor is it supposed to be. The 4Runner is old-school cool, unapologetically retro and built for a purpose. Some customers will find that purpose taking it into the backwoods for a dose of socially distant overland camping, while other will pose it in front of their suburban homes as a statement which thumbs its nose at car-based crossovers. Despite flaws, it has a rugged appeal most competitors cannot match. Put it this way — if the Pathfinder still looked and operated like a 4Runner, Nissan wouldn’t be in half the state they are for that model, one which used to sell at equal pace to the Toyota, but last year found fewer than half the buyers.
Laugh lines and a smattering of grey? Good stuff. But we’ll leave the biker jacket from ’99 hanging in the closet.
Keyword: SUV Review: 2022 Toyota 4Runner TRD Sport