The latest 4Runner is here, now featuring a hybrid option among its notable updates, and not everyone is feeling it.
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The upcoming 2025 Toyota 4Runner, following in the footsteps of the Tacoma, is set to feature Toyota's advanced iForce Max hybrid system. This addition marks another step in expanding Toyota's diverse range of hybrid vehicles. It addresses the concerns of consumers hesitant about fully electric vehicles by offering an increasingly appealing hybrid option.
The 4Runner's hybrid system combines a 48-horsepower electric motor with a turbocharged 4-cylinder engine, delivering up to 326 horsepower. This makes it the most powerful 4Runner yet, though more affordable, gas-only versions will be available.
Gearheads Roast the New 4Runner's Hybrid Option
That said, the choice for a hybrid option is leaving some gearheads scratching their heads. "Why lug around 2 drivetrains," one X denizen asked. "And you still have to do the maintenance on your gas vehicle. To make matters worse hybrids are 10x more likely to catch fire than gas car," they added.
"It's like a dinosaur trying to become more extinct. Or a horse and buggy trying to add a leaner more athletic horse rather than move to the next-gen technology," another gearhead agreed. "Thinking hybrids are the future is like betting on Blackberry during the Nokia to iPhone/smartphone transition," a third X user wrote.
New Toyota 4-Runner ? pic.twitter.com/jcRnC3DbFs
— Car Dealership Guy (@GuyDealership) April 9, 2024
Other automobile enthusiasts simply thought it was hilarious how behind the times Toyota seemed by finally adopting hybrids. "The Prius came out in 97. They've been making hybrids for 27 years. Nice to see they're betting big on it in 2024," an X user joked.
Incorporating a hybrid variant into the 4Runner lineup is a strategic move by Toyota to introduce electrification across its range. Currently, the automaker offers only a handful of fully electric models, such as the BZ4X and a luxury Lexus EV, in the United States. Toyota executives argue that hybrids, combining electric motors with gas engines, reduce greenhouse gases at lower costs and with less inconvenience than fully electric vehicles.
Meanwhile, others are digging the more traditional design of the new 4Runner as opposed to futuristic models like Tesla's Cybertruck.
The new 4-Runner looks absolutely incredible pic.twitter.com/Qpg2uwKjrS
— Gannon Breslin (@gannonbreslin) April 10, 2024
"[I'm] so happy we are going back to tactile design," one X user wrote before adding, "I hate teslas from the bottom of my heart." However, at the end of the day, others just poked fun at all the hoopla over an SUV suited for domestic life. "Perfect for going to the grocery store," one X user joked.
