Ladies and Gentlemen, I am about to rock your world. The vehicle that you know as the Toyota 4Runner is a fraud. Yes, I know, shocking revelations. This fraudster has taken the 4Runner’s name and identity, forcing the real one to take a name that’s close enough to be recognizable, but without any overlap.
The fraudster made way with the name without anyone noticing or caring, in 1995. For it was then that Toyota decided that the 4Runner would cease to exist in the way that we knew it until then, that is, an SUV version of the unkillable Hilux. The new 4Runner needed to be more comfortable and luxurious if it wanted to succeed in conquering the hearts and wallets of the suburban families that wanted to buy one. Less 2-door models, more coil springs. It worked beautifully, and even now where the Unibody is king and most SUV’s have evolved into crossovers they still have their own small space in the market alongside the Jeep Wrangler.
There weren’t any SUV’s built on the Hilux platform (as far as I can tell) for nearly a decade. It wasn’t until 2004, when a new Hilux was built around an entirely new platform that a true successor would be commissioned.
The Fortuner arrived a year after the Hilux, as a 2005 model. Unsurprisingly, being built on the Hilux platform means that it has the same engines and transmissions as its pickup sister and it’s also available with rear and four-wheel drive system. What is surprising is that all the gasoline engines available for it would be familiar for American buyers. You can have the 2.7-liter four and the 4.0-liter V6 that you get in the Tacoma. If you’re in the correct market and have taken complete leave of your senses you can even get the 4.6-liter V8 you get on the Lexus GS and the Toyota Tundra. Despite the ample choice of gasoline engines, a large number of buyers would likely choose a member of the KD line of diesels, either the 2.5 or the 3.0-liters.
Inside it’s the pretty much the same interior of the Hilux, again to be expected considering this sticks to that original formula of “Wagon Hilux”. It’s not going to win any awards for the sumptuousness of its materials, but I’m pretty sure that those same suburban mothers that want luxury crossovers would appreciate an interior that is as easy to keep clean and that will wear as well as this one.
2015 brought with it a new Hilux for all the markets that can buy it, which means that this year we’re also getting treated to a new Fortuner. I’m still not sure of the front, it looks as though it was designed for a lower, smaller car and then glued on to the Fortuner as a last-minute fix to meet a deadline, but I’ll probably get used to it. More importantly than all of this, I’ll have to answer the question some of you are probably having right now: if the car is already designed, built, and uses engines that are commonly used in the U.S, why aren’t they selling it here? Simply put; neither you nor anyone else would buy it.
Remember what I said about the 4Runner having a small space on the market? I really mean it. In 2010, the first year of the current generation, it only sold 46k units. A far cry from the 128k that it managed in 1997. The crossovers have taken over. High driving position and no need to keep the pretense of it being able to conquer any jungle other than the urban one means that the ‘ol traditional SUV’s are at a disadvantage and now only cater to a very traditional customer. Thank God for that, and the sales have been increasing steadily since 2010 (96k on 2015, likely thanks to the 2014 facelift and the new TRD Pro trim level) but it means that it would be utterly pointless to have two vehicles fighting for the same small slice of pie.
How is it pronounced?
Fortune-r?
Fore-toon-er?
Vehicles shouldn’t need a pronunciation guide.
The latter one’s right, at least over here. I’m sure both are valid depending where you buy it
That’s an interesting ride ! I’ve heard of the 4Runner, but not of the Fortuner.
It must come very close to Toyota’s own contemporary Land Cruiser 120-series (Prado). BOF, IFS and with the same 3.0 liter commonrail turbo-intercooler diesel.
Minor detail: the functional hood scoop says that the Fortuner in the first picture has a turbo-intercooled diesel under its hood. It’s the air inlet for the intercooler, placed on top of the engine.
The Prado models (LC 90, 120 and current 150-series) never had one.
4Runner was a decontented Surf for thw US/Aussie/NZ markets Surf continued in production throughout the 90s with a major change/upgrade in 95/6 it was always the Hilux ‘SUV’.
Mine is at 95 and I couldn’t be happier. I seem to be aging faster than it is so that may not last. I don’t think you’ll find me in a CUV. economics can be a real wet blanket.
Well, I’m not sure what you mean when you say yours is “at 95” but mine is a 97. It has 252,000 miles. One would be hard-pressed to convince me that Toyota, or anyone, could build a more durable, reliable vehicle. At 230k it made a round trip from Vermont to CA without nary a hiccup. I finally had the front brakes done after my return, logging somewhere over 100k on the ones that were replaced. In my 6+ years of ownership, unscheduled repairs was limited to 2 sway bar links and a starter. That’s it.
@Packardfan: What it means is that I was setting in the cellphone lot at Intercontinental airport in Houston waiting for my wife’s flight. Not real competent with a cell phone. I have a 3.0/5mt 1995 Toyota 4Runner. It’s the last year of the 2nd gen (I think). The next year they had a bigger engine and used the landcruiser frame instead of the Tacoma. I am starting to have knee problems and that is a new thing to me. The clutch is no problem but the height is starting to become one. I think I would ranter bolt on running board extenders than dump the truck. At that age and 206k miles everything still works. Intermittent CEL that I have not seen for a while but it matters not. One year pre-OBDII means it still passes inspection with that.
Serves as a truck, car, and tractor on my 5 acres. Absolutely love it. Think I might be more comfortable with the 4 cyl but am real happy with what I have. I think it looks better than the thing in the picture here but that’s just me.
With another kid on the way I upsized from a 2000 4Runner to an F150 crew cab pickup. Real full size SUVs have just gotten too expensive to justify.
I don’t regret it at all though.
I’m surprised 4Runner sales are up. That thing is hideous.
I would guess that has less to do with the facelift and more to do with SUV competition dropping off or going upscale.
My brother agrees with you, Phil. He wanted to replace his 1998 4Runner but couldn’t understand how could 4Runner has gotten uglier and uglier as well as more posh with each generation.
He loves his 1998 4Runner so much that he continues to drive it every day. So much that he accumulated 300,000 miles on its original motor and gearbox. Of course, lot of components were replaced over the time due to normal wear and tear.
My brother lucked out finding a 2002 4Runner in excellent condition and bought it to supplement his 1998 and for his older sons to drive.
I love to hear these high mileage stories, my ’96 Limited is a baby by comparison at 126k miles. I bought it with 99k miles back in 2013, it was only driven regularly from 96-00 by the original owner, a fastidious engineer who had it ziebart-ed when new. He then spent winters out of country so the 4Runner missed 12 years of salted roads. I followed that up with yearly applications of Fluid Film.
I went through it completely when I bought it (axle seals, muffler, fan clutch, full tune up with t-belt/plugs/wires/filters, brakes, shocks/struts and rear springs). Have driven it all over including vacations down to Hatteras NC from Indiana, out to my parents’ farm in Central NY more times than I can count, including towing a trailer and a canoe on the roof at the same time. Only ‘surprise’ over these past three years has been a failed fuel injector ($50 for a new one), and I rebuilt the starter ($20 in copper contacts). Had the steering rack bushings replaced and lower control arm bushings as well, tightened up the steering and cut down on unwanted wobbles at high speeds. Still chasing down an occasional vibration at high speeds (suspect driveshaft). The factory alloy wheels are extremely sensitive to balancing, seems that only the Toyota dealership technician with 30 years experience has been able to get it right for me.
All in all I’ve been extremely pleased with the truck and wouldn’t trade it for any new vehicle short of a brand new 4Runner Trail Edition Premium.
The Jeep Wrangler has been the only SUV that has stubbornly remained true to its roots. And every year Consumer Reports puts it on their do not buy list because they can’t comprehend the purpose of it. The 4Runner has stayed truer than most. Others can still tow and haul but they no longer have any ground clearance and prices are sky high. I moved on to a full size crew cab pickup…which works better for me.
Fortuner looks and sounds like “Landcruiser Light” but I mean that in a good way.
Principal Dan, the best way to think of Toyota’s global truck model is to keep Land Cruisers and Hiluxes separate: The Land Cruiser Prado line (upon which our US 4Runner and GX460 are based) is already a lighter-duty Land Cruiser. The ’96 4Runner did infact leave the Hilux platform and transitioned to a ‘medium duty’ chassis that it shared with the Land Cruiser Prado 90. The US Tacoma shares a lot of the front suspension and drivetrain of this Prado, but with a unique c-channel frame out back rather than the fully boxed unit that the Prado/4Runner gets. The really confusing bit is that both the 96-02 4Runner and the later 03-09 4Runner were sold in Japan as the “Hilux Surf.”
I wouldn’t discount the 3rd generation of 4Runner as being a suburbanite’s play-thing, they are very sturdy and serious off-road capable trucks. In terms of off road capability, even more so than the previous generation owing to increased front and rear wheel travel and availability of factory rear diff locks. The move to a new double-wishbone front end allowed for both an increase in ride quality and wheel travel, it also came with a more responsive rack and pinion steering rack. This was not without downsides: the new front IFS is generally regarded as somewhat weaker than the old torsion bar setup, with lower balljoints that are kept under a pulling force rather than being pushed together. Likewise the rack and pinion is not quite as sturdy as the old recirculating ball setup. Keep in mind this is on a relative scale, these are still VERY durable trucks.
Now that is interesting. Toyota does quite a mix ‘n’ match for different markets, but I didn’t know how it went for their trucks.
I’m still waiting to see if the new USA Ford Bronco is actually just a carbon copy of the Everest SUV. If so, I’ll be very interested (far more interested than I am in a FourRunner.)
Surely I can’t be the only person who has noticed that “4runner” sounds like “foreigner” ? ?
My next door neighbor bought a brand new 4Runner this year, I was honestly surprised it was still being made in ANY form.
I also thought it was a Mitsubishi, don’t know where I got that idea…
Looks like it has a nasty headlight infection.
Toyota styling seems to have taken a turn to the bizarre. Pity.
The current 4Runner is an ugly box and the Fortuner isn’t much better. They could have kept tweaking the classic 3rd gen 4Runner, it had a timelessness like the Grand Wagoneer.
Getting accused of blandness for 20 years will do that.
It’s like watching the nerdy book worm in elementary/middle school go goth for high school
What ?
I’ve seen ads for the Fortuner here in Australia, but not being in the market for a truck or any sort of truckoid car (or caroid truck), I’ve just ignored them.
I am not a fan of nor (thankfully) in the market for a 4Runner or Fortuner, however, I am kind of ticked that the U.S. market gets the Tacoma while the rest of the world gets the HiLux. From the pictures here the HiLux, both in and out is very attractive/tastefully styled, neither of which are at all appealing in the new or old model Tacoma.
And I agree: Toyota’s and Lexus’s styling has long ago crossed into the realm of the bizarre.
BTW, many guys I know prefer the looks of the new 4Runner to those of the Tacoma and more than 1 wondered if the 4’s front clip could be transplanted to a Tacoma.
I don’t think I’d call the 4Runner a fraud. I believe it has better suspension articulation than the Tacoma making it the superior off-road vehicle. Or at least, it used to.
Hilux Surf, Forunner, Prado are all the same vehicle theres a Lexoid model in there too, Toyotas mix n match game seems to have fooled many.
IIRC, the name Fortuner is used in Asia and Africa. The same vehicle is called Hilux-SW4 in South America (Toyota has a plant in Argentina).
In Brazil they sell pretty well, considering being expensive as hell. Apparently they are unkillable, unlike some “cute” luxury SUVs, which can’t handle terrible streets and roads so ubiquitous around here.
Well if you really must have such a thing, here in Austria there’s the below (the Hilux p/u). Put a canopy on the back and you are more or less done.
It does seem a headscratcher how Toyota ended up building three different midsize BOF FUVs for different markets and why they don’t extract themselves from that and come up for a unified offering in that dwindling segment.
Although the latest 4Runner front end is a bit much, hats off to Toyota for continuing to offer a BOF SUV in the US, and pretty offroad friendly in Trail Edition or TRD versions. And they seem to be selling well, and have become quite popular with serious off-roaders. They are pretty much equivalent to the 80 series Land Cruisers (in terms of market positioning) now that the big V8 Cruiser has priced itself out of the market. In this case, I think the Fortuner is a rare example where the ROW gets a less capable vehicle than the US (diesel excepted).
A guess why the 4Runner ain’t selling much in the US – is that the Highlander probably takes up most of the market share. Kind of makes sense – the Highlander is based on a passenger car chassis (related to the Camry) while the 4Runner is a truck based, and the former would have a more comfortable ride than the latter, but the 4Runner of course has better off-road or rough terrain capabilities.
Given that most of these vehicles are driven in urban/suburban duty, it shouldn’t be surprising that the Highlander outsells the 4Runner by far.
I’m a bit late here, but the Fortuner has just been launched here in New Zealand, where it sells alongside the Rav, Highlander, Prado and Land Cruiser. There seems to be a move back to these pick-up-based SUVs here, as Ford has launched the Ranger-based Everest, Holden the Colorado-based Colorado 7, and Mitsubishi the Triton-based Pajero Sport. Most are Thai-built. The Fortuner is rather hideous, but loses the FUV (Fugly Utility Vehicle) award to the Mitsi: