2013 Toyota 4Runner vs. Its Competition

Bengt Halvorson Senior Editor

If you need true off-road ability, and you need it more than just once or twice a year, the Toyota 4Runner is an excellent choice, especially in Trail trim.

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 is more refined and comfortable on the road than the 4Runner, yet there's nothing quite like the completely off-road-focused Trail model.

An all-new Pathfinder, following more of a crossover design, is due later this year as a 2013 model; expect it to keep some off-road ability but place a greater focus on family comfort and usefulness.

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.

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

The GX doesn't cost much more than the 4Runner Trail, but with its complicated power-folding third-row seat and side-opening hatch, we'd rather have the Toyota.

And the most dedicated off-road weekend-warrior types should also consider the slightly more compact Toyota FJ Cruiser, which uses some of the same off-road hardware.