Ask anyone what their dad's favorite off-roader from the '90s was, and chances are you'd mostly hear the name of the third-gen Toyota 4Runner. For the third generation, Toyota gave the 4Runner an all-new body frame that was larger than ever before. This was the first time that the 4Runner managed to carve out its own identity, since it was no longer based on the Hilux pickup truck.
Always considered to be ahead of its time, the third-gen 4Runner ran between 1996 and 2002. Toyota's beastly SUV was inarguably the best off-roader on the market at the time, thanks to its new body layout and engine upgrades.
Even today, with the market having evolved by leaps and bounds, the 3rd-gen 4Runner still continues to go up in value, all thanks to its indomitable legacy. The SUV even backs it up with its off-roading chops that still hold up over two decades later. In that vein, let's take a look at 10 reasons why the Toyota 4Runner from its third generation remains one of the best off-road vehicles ever made.
10 Toyota Built The Third-Gen 4Runner On A Bigger Wheelbase Than Ever Before
The third generation of the Toyota 4Runner sported an all-new shell on top of an all-new chassis. This new body and chassis were unique to the 4Runner, and it was no longer just a closed-off Hilux like previous generations.
One of the most significant changes from the second generation was that the 4Runner now had a larger body, and also a longer wheelbase than ever. This gave the third-gen 4Runner its great interior room as well as added road presence.
9 The Iconic V6 From The Third-Gen 4Runner Remains The Stuff Of Legends
Toyota offered the 4Runner in 1996 with two engine options- a 2.7-liter inline-four engine making 150 horsepower, and a 3.4-liter V6 making 183 horsepower. The V6 engine of the third-gen 4Runner, known as the 5VZ-FE, has cemented itself in automotive history as one of the most reliable engines of all time.
The 183 hp and 217 lb-ft of torque the engine made kept it at the top of its class at the time. This engine is one that still runs well today if you manage to find a model from the '90s. Nearly faultless, the 5VZ-FE engine is one of the biggest reasons why the third-gen Toyota 4Runner remains such a strong sell on the pre-owned market.
8 A Redesigned Interior Made The 4Runner More Spacious
Thanks to its longer-than-ever wheelbase, the third-gen Toyota 4Runner could also have a bigger, more spacious interior for occupants. Toyota clearly kept things simple inside the cabin as they did for all their cars at the time.
There was ample room for all passengers in the third-gen Toyota 4Runner. The backseat was the place to be, however, with great amounts of legroom and headroom to stretch out over long distance rides. With SUVs being as popular as they have ever been today, people still consider the added spaciousness of the third-gen 4Runner as one of the reasons to bring it home from the secondhand market.
7 The Third-Gen 4Runner Paved The Way For Safety In Off-Roaders
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In 1996, SUVs were largely considered the unsafe vehicle segment in the market, and that was partly true, considering how manufacturers never cared too much about safety features in their SUVs. However, the third-gen Toyota 4Runner certainly changed that.
Toyota fitted the third-gen 4Runner with safety features like reinforced doors, ABS, and dual airbags. At the time, it wasn't the industry norm for auto-makers to fit their cars with these features, but the inclusion of these features makes the third-gen 4Runner safer than the rest of the competition at the time when considered today.
6 The Gen-3 Toyota 4Runner Was As Reliable As They Come
If someone in your family once drove a third-gen 4Runner, it's probably standing outside on the driveway as you read this. Thanks to its brilliant and indomitable 3.4-liter V6, the Toyota 4Runner from 1996 to 2002 became one of the most reliable vehicles of all time.
Well-maintained models of the gen-3 Toyota 4Runner rode for as long as 400,000 miles and more. Today, you can easily get a third-gen 4Runner driven less than 200,000 miles for under the $10,000 mark.
5 The 4Runner Boasted Plenty Of Impressive Features For Its Time
No true off-roading enthusiast would ever want a '2Runner' instead of a 4Runner. Toyota offered the 2001 4Runner with a multi-mode transfer case, which allowed you to switch to 4WD on the fly.
In fact, one of the biggest features of the 4Runner at the time was the ability to switch from H2-low to H4-low at speeds up to 50mph while sitting on the car. This was quite the futuristic feature for cars at the time, as it didn't require you to stop, get off the car, and lock the hubs.
4 Hardcore Off-Roaders Still Prefer The Traditional Body-On-Frame Construction Of The Old 4Runner
Many great SUVs from the nineties have today moved to a unibody construction. However, the 4Runner remains as it was- a body-on-frame construction which appeals to the truest off-roaders.
To this day, Toyota prefers their off-roading vehicles to have a body-on-frame construction, much like the 2023 Toyota Sequoia TRD Pro, which is easily one of the best off-road SUVs on the market today. What this traditional construction lacks in ride refinement, it more than makes up in the off-roading department.
3 The Third-Gen Toyota 4Runner's Off-Roading Equipment Still Holds Up Today
The most desirable of the third-gen 4Runners were made between 1996 and 2000, and came with a rear electronic differential locker. Toyota ensured that their 4Runner was a beastly off-roader, and for that, 2001-onwards models got a center differential locker, along with Traction Control.
With more cargo space, a lift-up tailgate, coil-spring suspension, and aerodynamically-contoured glass for comfort and durability, the third-gen Toyota 4Runner had plenty of features to brag about, which made it a hugely popular choice for enthusiasts at the time. Even today, this feature-list holds up, especially considering a used third-gen 4Runner's money-to-performance ratio.
2 The Third-Gen 4Runner Continues To Go Up In Value Today
There's no denying that the value for all SUVs has gone up in recent time due to lack of dealer inventory and chip shortages. Despite having been around for over two decades now, the third-gen Toyota 4Runner is still a greatly sought-after SUV on the pre-owned market.
Not only enthusiasts, but those looking for a spacious and affordable family SUV have the third-gen 4Runner on their lists, and we can't blame them. The V6 made the 4Runner one of the most reliable and tough SUVs out there, and today, you can get some models for under $15,000.
1 It Was The Last Generation Of The 4Runner With A Manual Transmission
A third-gen 4Runner with a manual transmission is incredibly hard to find today, and rightly so. When most of the automotive market was moving towards providing their SUVs with automatic transmissions, Toyota also offered their 4Runner with a manual.
The third generation of the 4Runner was also the very last that ever came with a manual transmission, as the market had made it clear by the late '90s that they preferred their vehicles with automatics in big vehicles like the 4Runner. However, for the hardcore and traditional enthusiasts, there is simply nothing that beats the fun and challenge of a manual old-school off-roader.