Powerful 2017 4Runner 4×4 Is Jeep’s Biggest Competition

With its impressive ground clearance and off-roading features, the new 4Runner puts modern crossovers to shame, says Car and Driver.

With the rise of modern crossovers, which are compact, fuel-efficient, and only concerned with offering consumers with a high-up seating position, old-school SUVs that excel at off-roading are disappearing from the market. The 2017 Toyota 4Runner 4×4 is one of the last off-roaders that drivers can buy, and Car and Driver got behind the wheel of one to see how it performed.

When looking at off-roading SUVs, the 4Runner and Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon come to mind. And Car and Driver took the time to compare the two SUVs against one another, starting with the Toyota’s ground clearance. While “9.6 inches of ground clearance and 33-degree approach and 26-degree departure angles aren’t as extreme as that of the Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon,” the 4Runner can still “scamper over the sort of obstacles that would leave most modern crossovers panting and begging for mercy,” says the outlet.

“We dirtied the 4Runner at a local off-road park and barely taxed its capability,” said the outlet. And while it’s off-roading characteristics are superb, the SUV’s easier to live with than the Jeep, as well. “In any event, the Toyota also is far more livable than the Jeep thanks to its fixed roof, independent front suspension, and better-appointed (and quieter) interior.”

The 4Runner’s off-roading capabilities are impressive, as is the vehicle’s on-road characteristics, but there’s also a lot more good news. “The cargo area is large at 47 cubic feet…the dashboard is pleasantly straightforward and easy to use…it is leagues more civilized inside than the Wrangler,” says Car and Driver. And while the materials on the inside are old, “they’re still okay.”

With its comfortable interior, similar off-roading capability, and better road manners, Car and Driver found the 4Runner to be the better choice over the Wrangler. And not only that, the outlet claims that the SUV is good for those that need a vehicle that’s capable of getting dirty.

“Either way, every 4Runner is a throwback to when SUVs existed under the pretext of off-road capability, not as the family-hauling minivan alternatives that they have become,” says the outlet. Forget about confused crossovers, consumers looking to get into a brawny SUV will find plenty to like with the new 4Runner.