The 2020 Toyota 4Runner
is getting Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and Amazon Alexa compatibility,
some driver-assistance alerts as standard equipment, and a revised
instrument panel. But the SUV’s best new feature is the Army Green color
you can now spec on the TRD Pro.
This color will also be
available on the TRD Pro top-tier off-road trims of the Tacoma, Tundra,
and even the Sequoia as well as the 4Runner. Not the Land Cruiser,
though. “Midnight Black Metallic” is the special color on that right now.
Toyota introduced its “TRD Pro” line for the 4Runner, Tacoma, and Tundra 4x4s way back in 2014
to appeal to people who wanted the attitude of aftermarket shocks and
tires but either wanted to retain factory-endorsed build quality or just
couldn’t be bothered to open a parts catalog. (This year, the Sequoia got TRD Pro treatment too.)
These trucks are not as extreme as Ford’s Raptor, but they look great
and have pretty decent practical capability out of the box even if
they’re not quite natural rock crawlers or desert racers.
Before
getting too sidetracked into an essay on 4Runners and the history of
Toyota’s off-road trims, let’s reel it back to the “news” for the 2020
version: Army Green. It looks awesome, and I can’t imagine ordering a
TRD Pro in any other color. If the images on Toyota’s build-and-price
site can be trusted, Toyota’s managed to lay down a finish that’s unique
and tough without going full-matte militaristic in a way that’s very
sweet.
I have not been able to find a photograph of the 4Runner
painted this way outside, but there are a few shots of an Army Green
2020 Taco:
Spectacular.
Unfortunately, Toyota’s notoriously stingy with its good colors. That electrifying Voodoo Blue
you could order last year is now gone (though still available on the
less-extreme Tacoma TRD Sport it seems) so if you’re into Army Green
you’re going to have to order it for 2020 or be prepared for a long hunt
on the used car market down the road.
And in case you want to look beyond the sheet metal, here’s a
straight list of the significant changes coming to the 2020 Toyota
4Runner as announced by the factory:
- Pre-Collision System with Pedestrian Detection, Lane Departure Alert with Sway Warning System, Automatic High Beams and High-Speed Dynamic Radar Cruise Control (DRCC), standard on all trims
- Two more USB chargers
- New instrument panel design, high-resolution 8-inch touchscreen display for Audio, Audio Plus and Premium Audio systems
- Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and Amazon Alexa compatibility
- Standard Smart Key with Push Button Start for TRD Pro, SR5 Premium and TRD Off-Road Premium
- TRD Pro gets updated HVAC controls borrowed from the Limited
You might have noticed the radar cruise control sensor taking up a
chunk of the grille of the trucks in all these pictures, so it looks
like the safety tech on the 4Runner will be integrated to other models
as well. We know for a fact that TSS-P safety tech being standardized on the Tacoma line, at least.
I’m still a few tens of thousands of dollars short of being able to pick up a new 4Runner myself, but I’m looking forward to seeing them on the road.
I’m still a few tens of thousands of dollars short of being able to pick up a new 4Runner myself, but I’m looking forward to seeing them on the road.
