Toyota's 4Runner shows up ready for off-road romps

Mark Glover’s AutoGlo car reviews also can be seen in the Northern & Central California Cruisin’ News magazine published monthly out of Folsom, California.

Sacramento, California -- Not all sport-utility vehicles are created equal.

This obvious -- and, yes, borderline philosophical -- thought occurred to me as I recently put a 2019 Toyota 4Runner 4X4 TRD Pro V6 sport-ute through its paces.

Just coming off a review of the 2020 Kia Telluride, I couldn't help but be struck by the difference between the two sizable SUVs.  While the Telluride is a velvet hammer, the 4Runner is a spiked war club.

In simpler terms, when the tested 4Runner shows up at your door, it all but screams to be taken off-road. Listen and you can almost here it speaking from under the hood: "Take me out where I can crunch over rocks and fallen trees, and splash through mountain streams."

I hear you, big boy.

I'm sure I disappointed the tester's mechanical soul by taking it on a relatively modest off-pavement excursion, but even that was enough to demonstrate the big-shouldered, muscular off-road chops of this latest addition to the 4Runner trim levels.

My ride, priced at $47,810, showed up wearing a stunning "Voodoo Blue" paint job that never failed to turn heads when I took it out for a drive.  However, that stylish paint scheme, did not detract from the vehicle's true nature: Thick, deep-tread tires; vented disc brakes front and rear; a stamped aluminum front skid plate; big-time shocks and springs; and crawl control were just part of the rugged adventure package.

Solid roof rails offer drivers plenty of room to tie on what they have not already loaded in the back of this attractive brute.

Speaking of that, opening the back of the 4Runner revealed a sliding rear cargo deck.  And the liftgate has something else you don't see too much of these days, a power sliding rear window.

Interior comfort/convenience features are plentiful, and on the fly, the tested 4Runner showed good muscle and pretty fair acceleration, courtesy of a 4-liter V-6 engine rated at 270 horsepower.  The 4Runner needs firm hands on the wheel in slalom runs and on high-speed corners, but it's off-road agility is pure mountain goat.

Fuel mileage is a tepid 17 miles per gallon in the city and 20 mpg on the highway, but my guess is that many 4Runner buyers only care about getting this vehicle and their gear to the nearest lake or alpine meadow or secret camping hideaway.

For those purposes, the 4Runner is a champ.