2012 Toyota 4Runner vs. Its Competition

Bengt Halvorson Senior Editor

The 4Runner is a great choice, especially in Trail trim, if you really need the off-road ability front and center, while all else follows in priority.

With the available KDSS system, the 4Runner won’t rattle you as much as a Pathfinder or Grand Cherokee, while still offering as much ability for most types of off-roading.

The new Jeep Grand Cherokee might just have the 4Runner beat in many respects; the Jeep is more refined and comfortable on the road than the 4Runner, yet there's nothing quite like the completely off-road-focused Trail model in the Grand Cherokee lineup.

The 4Runner also maneuvers and rides a bit better than the Pathfinder, and it has a far better interior than the Nissan.

The Ford Explorer was all-new last year and is now built on more carlike underpinnings; it might provide adequate off-road capability for those who occasionally take to the trail, and with a turbocharged four-cylinder engine on the way, should be a much more fuel-efficient choice.

Yet another alternative is the 4Runner's cousin, the Lexus GX 460.

While sharing the same underpinnings, the GX 460 is a luxury SUV of the sort that was popular earlier last decade, with running boards and a V-8 engine.

And it doesn't cost much more than a loaded 4Runner Trail.

But with a complicated power-folding third-row seat that takes up cargo space, and a side-opening hatch (the wrong side), there's really no reason to hit the Lexus showroom.