4Runner vs LC250

[katekebo]

The 4Runner was an answer to low US Land Cruiser sales in the 1980s and has been very successful ever since at a lower price point with fewer features that most US buyers don’t want to pay for. The 5th generation 4Runner also easily outsold the FJ Cruiser, which continued to be sold in other markets after it was discontinued in the US.

That made sense when the only LC available in the US was the luxury 200 (and its Lexus twin), as Toyota didn't offer the Prado like they did in other markets. The 4Runner was the Prado for US market. Now that US gets the "real" Prado (LC 250), the 4Runner occupies a more niche space.

 

[jbe2289]

That made sense when the only LC available in the US was the luxury 200 (and its Lexus twin), as Toyota didn't offer the Prado like they did in other markets. The 4Runner was the Prado for US market. Now that US gets the "real" Prado (LC 250), the 4Runner occupies a more niche space.

Although, I think the LC250 in the US occupies the niche space as the 4R is and will remain the volume seller.

 

[katekebo]

Although, I think the LC250 in the US occupies the niche space as the 4R is and will remain the volume seller.

Quite possible. Which will make the LC more valuable over time, just like it happened with the FJ. Used FJs in good condition are extremely pricey.

 

[kmershly]

I have a neighbor who has more money than sense, many times he will buy a vehicle, hate it and then trade it for another vehicle that is hot at the moment, only to hate that and so forth and so on.

On rare occasion, he likes the vehicle, keeps it for a while until it starts giving him trouble, read takes it to the dealership and is slapped with a big bill that may or may not fix the issue, which is how I came to buy his 2016 F-250 off of him and I repaired it for $1,200.

Anyway, that is a long winded explanation for my neighbors latest acquisition, a 2025 Toyota 4Runner Platinum, he picked it up last week and let me drive it for a bit last night.

It feels very much like a Tacoma on the inside and that is a good and bad thing, I dislike the larger screen, nobody needs a 14" screen in their vehicle, but otherwise, it is nice on the inside with better foot and headroom than the Taco.

The seats are fine, I think my LC seats are more comfortable, however Toyota made the LC seats, they are some of the most comfortable seats that I have ever sat in.

The 4Runner is a very nice place to spend time, I am sure more offroad focused models would do well offroad, his Platinum model is meant strictly for the street and its street manners are fine, it feels much stiffer than my LC which is floaty in comparison (but the softer suspension is great for offroad use).

 

[PC3]

I have a neighbor who has more money than sense, many times he will buy a vehicle, hate it and then trade it for another vehicle that is hot at the moment, only to hate that and so forth and so on.

On rare occasion, he likes the vehicle, keeps it for a while until it starts giving him trouble, read takes it to the dealership and is slapped with a big bill that may or may not fix the issue, which is how I came to buy his 2016 F-250 off of him and I repaired it for $1,200.

Bide your time. If he is that fickle, you could possibly be the proud owner of a LC AND a 4Runner, the latter of which is purchased at a significant discount.

 

[YWG_YYZ]

I have just committed to buy a used 1958. I have test drove a 4R TRD Sport recently.
What made me chose a used 1958 was that:
Where I live, the used 1958 was 7k more than a base new 4R SR5. And as soon as you are adding some options, it becomes similar or more for the 4R (we don't get TRD Offroad non-premium here, and the TRD OR P is more expensive than a used LC25). Being used also came with a set of dedicated winter wheels/tires, dash cam, tow ball etc.
LC rides better
I prefer the inside of a base LC over a base 4Runner, because it doesn't feel like it is trying too hard.
Some material in the 4R feels cheaper like the headliner.
LC feels less claustrophobic than the 4R
I prefer the exterior of the LC
I am curious to tryout the Hybrid
LC will likely be more unique due to lower sales/higher price

 

[t3lcfe]

 

[GrayBeard]

Just saw my first of the new 4Runner in person last night on my drive home, and then ironically a different one on my drive to work this morning.
One was a black TRD Pro, which was frankly absolutely gorgeous (the only issue was the iForceMax badge which was inexplicably to me chrome, the only chrome trim on the truck). The other was probably a TRD Sport (no black flares and no badging I could see) in whichever name for white that model uses.

My take on them is that they look very nice (the TRD Pro was hands down far more to my tastes than the other, but neither was ugly), but they represent an entire different appeal in person.

While the LC250 (to me) is evocative of the J60 or even a modern Land Rover Series 3, the Gen 6 4Runner, especially the TRD Pro, reminded me of a rally car / truck. They also just look more compact than the LC, which apart from height is all from styling.

Looking at reviews, especially print or online article rather than videos, the framing of pictures was deceiving to me regarding the visual size. The 4Runner scratches an entirely different itch than the LC style wise. Having seen them in person now I entirely understand how they will coexist in the same market.

If I were buying again I'd still choose the LC, but if you offered to give me a 4Runner TRD Pro for free rather than buy a LC250, I'd take it in a heartbeat.

 

[PDPete]

Where I live, the used 1958 was 7k more than a base new 4R SR5. And as soon as you are adding some options, it becomes similar or more for the 4R

Yeah, that was a selling point for me as well... I had been waiting to see pricing for the 6th gen 4Runners as I was also looking into the LC, but once I figured that a hybrid 4Runner equipped as I'd want it would essentially be very comparable a 1958 LC, my cross-shopping became even more focused, and the LC won out for many of the same reasons that you list... (but also because the hybrid 4Runners were going to take a few more months to even come to market, and I was set on getting the hybrid engine).

It wasn't an easy choice though, and if there had been an i-forcemax TRD Off-road 4Runner available at my dealership when I bought my LC, it may have been even tougher.

 

[PDPete]

(the only issue was the iForceMax badge which was inexplicably to me chrome, the only chrome trim on the truck)

I mean, that's exactly why my iForceMax badge came off of the Land Cruiser within about 24 hours of ownership, haha.

 

[Skidaddl]

Things that pushed me to the 250 over a 6th gen 4Runner:

-I could get the 250 one year sooner
-I prefer the styling of the 250 (major point)
-I wanted full-time 4WD with locking rear differential
-The 250 is more unique, 4Runners are a dime /dozen
-Badge prestige

I can see how the 4Runner would be a quieter highway cruiser, but I would argue the 250 is quiet enough given the shape.

Much of the same reasoning for me.

 

[Skidaddl]

Thanks for a thoughtful comparison. I’ve not gotten to drive either yet, but sitting in the two back to back at the auto show recently, I was struck by just how different they both felt. I think Toyota has done a good job of differentiating the two and for most buyers which one they choose will be obvious. I kinda liked the headroom of the LC with the knee room of the 4R. Or I could just get a Tundra where I’d have both in the same price range, which is something that hadn’t yet occurred to me.

Remember, that Tundra will never see the inside of your garage. Ask me how I know.

 

[Gen]

You are misinformed. A premie has much more than that over the ‘58.
MTS
Leather
Power seats
Heated and cooled seats
Tires
Rims
Roof rack
Headlight upgrade
JBL stereo
Memory seats.
Digital rearview
Thigh extension
Larger infotainment screen.
360 camera to mention a few that I can think of off the top of my head. With the SDM if you can add all those things to a ‘58 for 8k … it will cost you that in parts then add another 5k+ for labor and you have the regrets that you have now. To purchase a new vehicle in 2024+ and that vehicle not have powered seats and then to complain about how it’s not comfortable really makes it sound like you created this post to troll. If you have no regrets, why you looking for something else?

AND HEATED MIRRORS which was a deal breaker for me when looking at the 1958 although I love the round headlights.

The 4R was missing a separate rear air control which was necessary as my dog (or grand dogs) often are traveling with me. Everyone has their own list of priorities.

 

[jbe2289]

AND HEATED MIRRORS which was a deal breaker for me when looking at the 1958 although I love the round headlights.

The 4R was missing a separate rear air control which was necessary as my dog (or grand dogs) often are traveling with me. Everyone has their own list of priorities.

Many 1958 owners, including myself, insist that they have heated mirrors. Just last week I was in conditions where the mirrors were completely covered in condensation, I turned on the defrosters and both mirrors cleared from the middle out in a round manner.

 

[PDPete]

Many 1958 owners, including myself, insist that they have heated mirrors. Just last week I was in conditions where the mirrors were completely covered in condensation, I turned on the defrosters and both mirrors cleared from the middle out in a round manner.

Same experience here

 

[Area 51]

Did a quality side by side at the dealer ast weekend. The Runner was the high zoot TRD Pro.
If the runner wasn't so ugly i could see it, that front end just sucks, especially next to a Cruiser premium.

 

[Gen]

Many 1958 owners, including myself, insist that they have heated mirrors. Just last week I was in conditions where the mirrors were completely covered in condensation, I turned on the defrosters and both mirrors cleared from the middle out in a round manner.

That is interesting! Although I will say according to the Toyota site NEITHER has it - and that was part of the reason for my delay in getting one and due to the tariffs ended up with underground instead of white at the last minute when I finally got someone to send me a pic to show the premium did have them (and they are indicated on the mirror ) interesting that the 58 is not and that it has them ?

I even called Toyota customer service about them bc at one point I was told that it was bc we are in the “gulf south division and it doesn’t get cold enough here”….. the customer service person tried every Toyota division to see if it was an option including whatever services Alaska ! She couldn’t find it available anywhere…. But obviously it is on there . I wasted 2 mos dealing with this and could have had exactly the one I wanted a couple of times during that

 

[LMiller]

The two Toyotas and the GX550 are still the same base vehicles. Each configuration will have a group that feel its the best choice for the price. But many buyers want to identify strongly with branding and don't want to hear about the shared development. Personally I would feel weird modding a Lexus and driving it off road. Not logical, but it is what it is.

A portion of buyers really should consider the Highlander, Sequoia, and their Lexus counterparts. The LC and siblings are trucks. The large majority of SUVs are upright cars.

When I was looking for my next vehicle, I tested the LC, 4Runner (my all-time favorite vehicle) and Grand Highlander, all on the same lot, all different engines (4-cyl, hybrid and max). I liked the Max engine the most. I wanted to like the 4Runner because it had a cockpit feel that I love. But I knew my tall husband and tall stepkids would not like it. So, I went with the LC. I haven’t looked back and found that I really like the open cabin of the LC. But I don’t think I could have gone wrong with any of them.

 

[ultane]

When I was looking for my next vehicle, I tested the LC, 4Runner (my all-time favorite vehicle) and Grand Highlander, all on the same lot, all different engines (4-cyl, hybrid and max). I liked the Max engine the most. I wanted to like the 4Runner because it had a cockpit feel that I love. But I knew my tall husband and tall stepkids would not like it. So, I went with the LC. I haven’t looked back and found that I really like the open cabin of the LC. But I don’t think I could have gone wrong with any of them.

Welcome to the asylum LMiller.

 

[Ike582]

When I was looking for my next vehicle, I tested the LC, 4Runner (my all-time favorite vehicle) and Grand Highlander, all on the same lot, all different engines (4-cyl, hybrid and max). I liked the Max engine the most. I wanted to like the 4Runner because it had a cockpit feel that I love. But I knew my tall husband and tall stepkids would not like it. So, I went with the LC. I haven’t looked back and found that I really like the open cabin of the LC. But I don’t think I could have gone wrong with any of them.

I also noticed the cockpit feel of the 4R. While there was a certain coziness to it, ultimately I preferred the comfort of the LC and the 4R felt cramped.