2010 TOYOTA 4RUNNER

	Starting MSRP	Invoice
4Runner 4dr 4x2 SR5	$27,500	$25,025
4Runner 4dr 4x2 SR5 V6	$29,175	$26,548
4Runner 4dr 4x4 SR5 V6	$30,915	$28,132
4Runner 4dr 4x4 Trail V6	$35,700	$32,487
4Runner 4dr 4x2 Limited V6	$37,765	$34,365
4Runner 4dr 4x4 Limited V6	$39,800	$36,218
Destination Charge: $800

Toyota has redesigned the 4Runner for 2010. The truck-based SUV gets beefier off-road hardware, new styling inside and out, and improved gas mileage — though its efficiency falls short of most car-based crossovers'. And, returning for the first time since the 2000 model year, the 4Runner features a four-cylinder engine. There's also a V-6, but the optional V-8 is no longer available.

Rear-wheel drive is standard, with two types of four-wheel drive optional. Like its predecessor, the 4Runner offers up to three rows of seats. Trim levels include the base SR5, off-road Trail edition and well-equipped Limited.

With a squared-off nose and sharper-looking creased headlights, the redesigned 4Runner adopts a similar face to Toyota's Sequoia SUV and Tundra pickup truck. However, it's not a radical departure from the outgoing 4Runner, whose grille had the same massive bar across the middle. In back, the tailgate features a power-sliding rear window.

17-inch alloy wheels and roof rails are standard. The 4Runner Limited adds 20-inch wheels. Trail editions trade the body-colored exterior appointments — the mirrors and door handles, plus a few trim pieces elsewhere — for black ones; they also get darkened lights and a hood scoop.

The dashboard carries similar themes to Toyota's Land Cruiser SUV, with a bulky gated shifter and plenty of silver trim. The optional third-row seat brings maximum seating capacity to seven. Both the second and third rows fold flat. There is also an optional sliding rear cargo deck — much like Dodge offers in its Nitro SUV — that can extend several inches beyond the rear bumper to form a makeshift picnic table or seat. It's rated to hold 440 pounds.

Standard features on the SR5 include power windows and locks, a CD stereo with an MP3 jack, rear parking sensors, air conditioning and cruise control. Options include water-resistant cloth seats, a backup camera, dual-zone automatic climate control, power front seats and heated leather upholstery. A moonroof, a navigation system and the third-row seat are among other options.

All stereo systems include a "Party Mode" button that routes more power to the liftgate speakers for tailgate parties. Full USB/iPod connectivity is optional.

Rear-wheel-drive SR5 models get a 157-horsepower, 2.7-liter four-cylinder; it works with a four-speed automatic. All other configurations pair a 270-hp, 4.0-liter V-6 with a five-speed automatic. Maximum towing capacity with the four-cylinder is 2,000 pounds; V-6 models raise that to 5,000 pounds. That matches the outgoing 4Runner's V-6 rating but falls short of the V-8's 7,300-pound maximum capacity.

There is an optional four-wheel-drive system with a two-speed transfer case; the four-wheel-drive Limited gets a full-time system that doesn't require driver intervention.

A long list of off-road equipment includes available locking center and rear differentials and a terrain selection system that allows drivers to match drivetrain settings to the exact off-road conditions. A crawl mode can keep the 4Runner moving at a constant slow speed so drivers don't have to feather the gas pedal in tight off-road situations, and Toyota's A-TRAC system purports to distribute power to any wheel with traction, even if the other three are slipping. A downhill assist feature can restrict the 4Runner to a slow downhill crawl — again, to help drivers work through serious off-road muck without having to worry about managing vehicle speed. There is also an optional disconnecting stabilizer bar system to allow even more suspension travel for extreme off-road situations.

For better on-road comfort, there are optional adaptive shock absorbers that automatically adjust to changing road conditions.

Standard safety features include eight airbags — frontal chest and knee airbags, side-impact airbags for the front seats and side curtain airbags for all three rows — as well as antilock brakes, traction control and an electronic stability system.