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David Dewhurst Photography
The Angry 4Runner
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David Dewhurst Photography
The Angry 4Runner
Off-road performance is enhanced by greater ground clearance while a skidplate keeps the underside protected.
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David Dewhurst Photography
The Angry 4Runner
The TRD 17” wheels get 31.5” Nitto Terra Grappler all-terrain tires to help bite into terrafirma.
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David Dewhurst Photography
The Angry 4Runner
Hill Descent Control and a four-setting multi-terrain select system will make impressive hills rather unexciting.
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David Dewhurst Photography
The Angry 4Runner
Toyota now has this badge on as many vehicles as Jeep paste the Trailhawk badge on… we got a fight.
By Budd Stanley
We’ve been saying for a while now that the Jeep Wrangler has had the off-road focused SUV market all to itself for much too long. Well, within a couple of weeks we’ve seen two automakers throw down the gauntlet to Jeep, one of which will be the Wranglers long lost rival, the Bronco, into which Ford will once again breathe life. However, the Bronco will not arrive for another three years. Thankfully Toyota have stepped up to the plate and given us exactly what we have been asking them for – a 4Runner in TRD Pro trim.
The 4Runner TRD Pro was recently announced at the launch of the Tacoma TRD Pro, and promises to feature many of the same off-road focused modifications that the Tacoma and Tundra variants will receive.
We are not easily impressed by manufacturers pushing feeble off-road trim packages that consist of more styling cues than actual off-road hardware, so we were properly excited when Toyota gave us the list of improvements. The 2017 Toyota 4Runner TRD Pro will feature TRD-tuned off-road front springs, TRD Bilstein high-performance shocks with rear remote reservoirs, 31.5” Nitto Terra Grappler all-terrain tires on 17” matte black aluminum wheels and a TRD-stamped aluminum front skid plate,
Of course, a little cosmetic enhancement always helps, so Toyota is including a heritage Toyota grille, TRD shift knob, TRD Pro-badged floor mats, black TRD Pro badging on the C-pillar and tailgate, black accents on the front and rear bumpers, and more.
These are in addition to the off-road features also found on the 2017 Toyota 4Runner TRD OFF-ROAD edition, including 4-wheel crawl control, manual shift 4WD selector, four-setting multi-terrain select system (to tailor wheel slip to specific off-road conditions), Toyota’s Kinetic Dynamic Suspension System, multi-terrain ABS, high-visibility Optitron instrumentation, black seats with red stitching, a hood scoop, TRD logo on the front headrests, and black end caps for the roof rails.
“The 4Runner is an authentic, body-on-frame SUV that already has a solid and well-deserved global reputation as a truck that can tackle just about any terrain on the planet – and with the enhancements included on the TRD Pro edition, it’s ready to conquer the rest,” said Cyril Dimitris, Vice President, Toyota Canada Inc. “We’re pleased to offer Canadians this true off-road warrior as part of our expanded TRD Pro series, which also includes the Tundra and Tacoma pick-up trucks. The 2017 4Runner TRD Pro combines rugged performance upgrades with styling to match its awesome capabilities.”
The 2017 4Runner TRD Pro will continue to make use of the rather long in the tooth 4.0L V-6 engine that may not get the best fuel efficiency, but still generates a very useable 270 hp and 278 lb-ft. This is mated to a five-speed automatic electronically controlled transmission with lock-up torque converter and transmission cooler, which gives the 4Runner the ability to tow 2,268 kg (5,000 lb).
The 2017 4Runner will be available in five configurations: the 2017 Toyota 4Runner SR5, the 2017 Toyota 4Runner TRD Pro and 2017 Toyota 4Runner OFF-ROAD, the 2017 Toyota 4Runner Limited 5-Passenger and 2017 Toyota 4Runner Limited 7-Passenger.
Two years ago we peer pressured Toyota to give us the TRD Pro line, and they did so with the Tundra, and more recently the Tacoma. We then pressured them to give us the 4Runner in the Pro trim and now they have confirmed this as well, with 2017 Toyota 4Runner TRD Pro’s scheduled to go on sale in the New Year across Canada. Hey Toyota, don’t you think we could use a Rav4 TRD Pro… just sayin’.