I had the chance to finally get my 5th Gen 4Runner and my new 6th Gen side by side for a detailed comparison video. I'll link my video below for you all if you want a detailed comparison, but I'll sumarized it here for you all too.
Looks:
The 5th Gen is gonna go down as a classic. The 6th Gen has the vibes of the pre-facelift 5th Gen. Kinda hard to love the front end. I also wish the 6th Gen had thinner paint matched fenders like the 5th Gen vs the thicker black plastic over fenders. Aside from that, the new 4R has the DNA of all gens before it.
Powertrain:
Hands down the new 4R is better to drive. It has more power, gets better MPG, rides better on the road, and doesn't really gear hunt while on the highway.
Build Quality:
The 5th Gen has higher quality materails through out. It is built like a tank honestly. The new gen for sure cut some corners, and I don't like it. In all fairness, it is the first model year, where as my 5th Gen is 8 years into its life cycle. So I hope Toyota improves the 6th Gen over time with better materials and less plastic.
Technology:
6th Gen clearly wins here. Better tech, saftey features, comfort items, and more. The 5th Gen was clearly lacking in this department, so it is nice to finally have a 4Runner on par with all modern vehicles available on the market today.
Back Seat Space:
Weirdly the 5th Gen has a little bit more space here. It is marginal, but when sitting behind myself as a rear passenger, I had more room in my 5th Gen then I did with my 6th Gen. The 6G offers better accesibility to more outlets, cup holds, and easy of access to the 3rd row (if equipt).
Cargo Area:
The 6th Gen 4Runner has significantly more cargo space when you solely measure from the back of the second row to the tailgate. However, after that, the 5th Gen out measures the 6th Gen in every way. I have a full break down in my YouTube for cargo area measurements.
YouTube Video:
Looks:
The 5th Gen is gonna go down as a classic. The 6th Gen has the vibes of the pre-facelift 5th Gen. Kinda hard to love the front end. I also wish the 6th Gen had thinner paint matched fenders like the 5th Gen vs the thicker black plastic over fenders. Aside from that, the new 4R has the DNA of all gens before it.
Powertrain:
Hands down the new 4R is better to drive. It has more power, gets better MPG, rides better on the road, and doesn't really gear hunt while on the highway.
Build Quality:
The 5th Gen has higher quality materails through out. It is built like a tank honestly. The new gen for sure cut some corners, and I don't like it. In all fairness, it is the first model year, where as my 5th Gen is 8 years into its life cycle. So I hope Toyota improves the 6th Gen over time with better materials and less plastic.
Technology:
6th Gen clearly wins here. Better tech, saftey features, comfort items, and more. The 5th Gen was clearly lacking in this department, so it is nice to finally have a 4Runner on par with all modern vehicles available on the market today.
Back Seat Space:
Weirdly the 5th Gen has a little bit more space here. It is marginal, but when sitting behind myself as a rear passenger, I had more room in my 5th Gen then I did with my 6th Gen. The 6G offers better accesibility to more outlets, cup holds, and easy of access to the 3rd row (if equipt).
Cargo Area:
The 6th Gen 4Runner has significantly more cargo space when you solely measure from the back of the second row to the tailgate. However, after that, the 5th Gen out measures the 6th Gen in every way. I have a full break down in my YouTube for cargo area measurements.
YouTube Video:
