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A 2020 or newer fifth-generation 4Runner is the sweet spot. That is the model year Toyota made the 8-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto standard on every trim, alongside the Safety Sense P driver-assist suite. On a tighter budget, a 2015 to 2019 gets you the same engine and the same reputation for less.
The 4Runner is unusual among used vehicles: the mechanical story barely changes for fifteen years, so you are mostly choosing how modern you want the dashboard to be.
One model year did the heavy lifting here. For 2020 Toyota fitted an 8-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto to every 4Runner, and made Safety Sense P standard across the line. Before that you were hunting for a specific trim to get either. After it, every single one has both. Same 4.0-litre V6 underneath as the 2010 car, so nothing was traded away for the tech.
Mechanically the same truck, meaningfully cheaper. You give up the modern infotainment and you shop trim by trim for driver assists, and that is genuinely all you give up. If the 4Runner is going to be a weekend vehicle rather than a daily commuter, the older screen costs you very little and saves you real money.
The cheapest sensible way into a 4Runner, and the only generation that ever offered a V8. These are twenty-year-old body-on-frame trucks now, so condition matters more than the year on the title. Buy the best-maintained one you can find rather than the newest one you can afford, and read the inspection section below before you go looking.
Most 4Runner questions are really engine questions. This is the whole nameplate in one table, so you can work out what a listing actually is before you drive across town to see it.
| Generation | Years | Engines | What it means for a used buyer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sixth | 2025 to now | 2.4L turbo four, or the same engine as an i-FORCE MAX hybrid | All new, and the first 4Runner without a six-cylinder option. Up to 326 horsepower and up to 7 seats. Very few have reached the used market, and those that have are close to new money. |
| Fifth | 2010 to 2024 | 4.0L V6 | Fifteen model years of one engine, which is why the used supply is deep and the mechanics are well understood. The 2020 model year is the line worth knowing about. |
| Fourth | 2003 to 2009 | 4.0L V6 or 4.7L V8 | The only 4Runner ever sold with a V8. The budget end of the market now, and the generation where a careful inspection matters more than the model year. |
| Third | 1996 to 2002 | 2.7L four or 3.4L V6 | The last generation offered with a manual gearbox. Now firmly in enthusiast territory, and rarely seen on a franchise dealer lot. |
| Second | 1990 to 1995 | 2.4L four or 3.0L V6 | Collector territory. Bought for what it is rather than as transport. |
| First | 1984 to 1989 | 2.4L four, 3.0L V6 from 1988 | Collector territory. Prices depend far more on condition and originality than on the year. |
This table covers general generation differences. Engine availability varied by trim, drivetrain and market within each generation, and condition, mileage and service history vary enormously between individual vehicles, so treat it as a starting point rather than a verdict on any specific listing.
Ask for the service records before you argue about the model year. A 4Runner with 150,000 miles and a complete history is a better buy than one with 80,000 and nothing, and these trucks routinely run well past either number when someone has looked after them.
Once you have done those four, the model year matters much less than it looks like it should. Two 2018 4Runners can be very different vehicles depending on who owned them.
If you would rather have a factory inspection and added coverage doing some of that work for you, the Toyota Certified Used Vehicle program is worth reading about. Cross-shopping? The best year for a used RAV4 covers the crossover side, and if you want to know how the current truck drives, our guide to using 4Runner four-wheel drive is a good place to start.
A 2020 or newer fifth-generation 4Runner for most buyers. That is the year Toyota made an 8-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto standard across the range, along with the Safety Sense P driver-assist suite. Before 2020 you are shopping trim by trim for those features. From 2020 on, every one has them.
The fifth, 2010 through 2024, is where nearly all the used supply sits and where the 4.0-litre V6 ran for fifteen years. The fourth, 2003 through 2009, is the budget end and the only one that ever offered a V8. The sixth arrived for 2025 with a turbo four, so used examples are still close to new money.
It is the reason people buy these. Toyota ran the same 4.0-litre V6 from 2010 all the way to 2024 with a four-speed then five-speed automatic behind it, which means fifteen years of the same well-understood hardware. It is not quick and it is not efficient, and neither is why anyone chooses a 4Runner.
Fewer than you would think for most vehicles and more than you would think for this one. A 4Runner with 150,000 miles and a complete service history is usually a better buy than one with 80,000 and no records. Ask what was serviced and when before you judge the odometer.
No, and it catches people out. 4Runners have been sold in two-wheel drive for years, and plenty of them ended up in the Southeast where nobody needed four-wheel drive. Check the badge and the transfer-case lever before you fall in love with a listing.
A third row has been an option rather than standard equipment across the fifth and sixth generations, usually on SR5 and Limited. It is a small third row best suited to children. If you need one, filter for it specifically, because most 4Runners on any lot are five-seaters.
Get underneath it. Any body-on-frame truck of this age deserves ten minutes with a flashlight on the frame rails and the rear spring perches, whatever the badge on the tailgate says. Then run the air conditioning at full for the whole test drive, because an Alabama summer finds a weak system fast.
Yes, and the live listing is the only accurate answer, because used 4Runners move quickly and stock changes weekly. Browse it online, or call us at (205) 553-3325 with the years you are considering and we will tell you what is actually on the ground at Skyland Boulevard.
We will tell you what we have, what is worth driving, and when the honest answer is to wait for a better one.
Tuscaloosa Toyota | 3325 Skyland Blvd E, Tuscaloosa, AL 35405
