'25 4Runner versus '25 Wrangler for long roadtrips and offroading

[Ike582]

My last three vehicles have been Warnglers. I've had a Sport, a Sahara and my current is a 2018 Rubicon. I love the Jeep, and each iteration has gotten better and better. That said, it is loud on the highway. And the ride can be a bit harsh. But damn, I love driving it, it's just fun to drive. And I've had zero reliability issues with any of them.

I'm just ready for a change. I've rented 4R's in Colorado for years, and always enjoyed them. But the total lack of modern amenities and the underpowered engine were deal killer for me. Now that the '25 has been modernized, and the engine updated, I'm all in.

 

[Dead Horse]

I've never driven a Wrangler, and I wouldn't want to drive one long distances at highway speeds. But I have cousins who do that, so maybe it's not so bad.
It's a 4Runner for me.

You have to really want a Wrangler to tolerate it as a daily if you do much highway at all.

The most frustrating thing about those magnificent piles of shit is the fact that despite (or because of) all their flaws, they're a very engaging vehicle to drive. Objectively, you know it's awful. But you love it.

 

[dirtwheeler]

I think there's a lot of nostalgia around Wranglers that harkens back to simpler times (that's the way it is for me anyway). They're also more trail capable when you get into more difficult terrain (for the options I'm looking at). Even though I'm 95% sure at this point that I'm buying a 4Runner (again), I think I'll always have a Wrangler too. I know that's not practical or possible for a lot of folks, but I do a lot of offroading AND I'm a normal guy that get groceries, goes on road trips, etc. I see a lot of hate for the "mall crawlers" and I'm sure there's a lot of off-road equipped vehicles that never see a trail. But that's their business... just like it's fine to own a sports car that can go 200 MPH, but you just think it looks cool, want it, and can afford it. It is amusing to see a bedazzled Wrangler with high profile rims and glowing lights all over it. It's their canvas, not mine.

My latest thinking is to go ahead and get the 4Runner (should be at the dealership this week), keep my Wrangler TJ, and consider buying another Wrangler (probably a used LJ with low miles) "eventually" to replace the TJ. The 4Runner would become my wife's daily driver and the new Wrangler would become my daily driver and main off-road vehicle. We'd still use the 4Runner for long road trips and some off-roading, and my wife can drive the Wrangler when I'm using the 4Runner. I think this is her strategy anyway and why she's tolerating me getting a new 4Runner and pushing for the premium options!

I look at my old Wrangler as a street legal side-by-side, purpose-built (heavily modified) to get me to local trails and handle 95% of what I come across (before you get into the extremely difficult, dangerous, or expensive-if-you-screw-up category). If I could have a vehicle that did all of this and was as reliable, comfortable, fuel-efficient, safe, quiet, and reasonably affordable for me, I would get it. I was hoping to see if people think that Wrangler (or Bronco) is there yet. A lot of people think it is, but I think the consensus is that despite modern improvements, Wrangler and Bronco are still not "the best" choices for long road trip vehicles. I realize this is obvious to some folks and there's a lot of information out there already on this subject, however there's less information right now on these 2025 models, and not a lot of people with a significant amount of experience in all of these vehicles under a variety of driving conditions.

This is subjective, which is why I'm curious about other people's perspectives (to gain insight into things I might not have thought about yet). I test drove the Wrangler (LJU Rubicon X) and Bronco (4-door Badlands Sasquatch), and I would be very happy with either. I would lean toward Bronco over Wrangler if it was just about road trips on the freeway, but the 4Runner edges out Bronco for me for this part of the equation.

Assuming I get the 4Runner ORP (95% certain of this), I will take it on a lot of the same trails where I take my Wrangler TJ. I don't expect to be able to do the same things mainly due to vehicle clearance, suspension articulation in the front axel, and front lockers but I also know the 4Runner will have some advantages as well, so it might be an interesting comparison. Maybe the 4Runner is "good enough" or maybe I invest in increasing the clearance and aftermarket add-ons like a disconnectable front sway bar to make up some of the difference. In any case, I'm looking forward to getting it dirty and having fun learning what it can do.

I do appreciate reading through the comments here. It's always interesting to get different perspectives. It was also interesting to get some comments from the Wrangler JL forum. I was surprised that there was a lot of positive response for the 4Runner there too (at least responding to the description of what I'm looking for). But of course, there's a lot of brand loyalty for both Toyota, Jeep, and I'm sure Ford as well.

 

[dirtwheeler]

Everything went well buying a 4Runner, so no turning back now. I still might pickup another Wrangler in the future, but focusing on this 4Runner for now.

 

[Area 52]

I'll try to keep this simple.

I think you've thoroughly thought about your needs. It appears to come down to your off road vs street use and what % of each you choose to perform. I've been to Moab with both Jeeps and Toyotas. Different tools for different capabilities.

BLUF: I'd keep the TJ and get the 4Runner, as it sounds like that will be better for daily driving

Rubi is away more capable off road in my experience. I've had five of them: JKUR, JKR, JTR Gladiator, 2 JLR (one was a turbo, don't do that), and the other a normally aspirated JLR. I never had reliability issues with any of them, and I built up the JKUR with 4:88's, 35s, quality 2" lift, winch, etc. The turbo on the JLR was high revving, and the cooling fan never shut off in the heat. It was fast, but didn't have low end torque, and was my least favorite.

Overall, Jeeps in general take more work to control on the highway, with longer wheel base versions such as the Gladiator and 4 door Wranglers being less so, but they excel off road. The Rubi is far more capable than most drivers will ever push it. I recently took my non Rubi JT on a 1800 mile road trip to South Dakota with minor issues, that being the steering is sloppier than my IFS 4Runners. I also have a stiff off road suspension vs the OEM springs.

Previous 4Runners were bullet proof, and this is my fourth. It will take a lot of coin to get it anywhere near the performance of Rubicons writ large. I purchased mine for mostly long range travel, with off road use relegated to low challenge forest roads and no extreme off road, which sounds to me what you are looking at as well.

Below are some examples of machines I loved (except for the blue turbo Rubi).

 

[JoeYota4Runner]

I'm buying a new vehicle specifically with the purpose of long road trips (several days to weeks) to destination with off-road trails. My conclusion was that a '25 4Runner (Off-Road Premium trim) would be better for this purpose. However, I test drove a '25 Wrangler (Rubicon X) trim at a comparable price.

My two cents is still that the 4Runner is the wiser choice for my use case, but I will give up some off-road capability from the Wrangler. For background, I'm a fairly experienced offroader, have owned several offroad vehicles (including a previous 4Runner and a current older, heavily modified Wrangler). I "feel" like the Wrangler will be noisier, less reliable, worse drive experience on freeway, not as safe on the freeway, and harder to configure for a roof-top tent. However, I know from experience that I will occasionally miss the front lockers, lower gearing, solid front axel articulation, disconnectable sway bars, and better stock clearance and approach/breakover/departure angles. I may be able to modify the 4Runner for some of these differences, but I also want to maintain warranty, freeway safety, etc.

I'm guessing others have gone through similar decisions and the opinions here will weigh heavily towards 4Runner (I've also been on Wrangler JL forums and realize the opinions will be biased toward Wrangler there).

FWIW, the reliability argument is big for me. Toyota has a reputation for reliability. This is the first year of the 6th gen, but the powertrain has been tested in other platforms, which makes me less concerned there. I'm less concerned about the "turbo 4-banger" that you will see some hate for in places because I've read enough about the history and engineering of this engine and believe the turbo will have some advantages for the high altitude driving I routinely do. The Wrangler I am considering (but leaning away from now) has the 2.0L turbo and drove great, but I see a lot of issues reported by JL owners in forums. I almost pulled the trigger on a Wrangler before I started reading about engine issues and overall reliability issues (and road noise, leaks, etc.).

If you've contemplated this use case (4Runner versus Wrangler for long roadtrips and offroading), did you reach any different conclusions than me? What am I not thinking about?

I can walk into a dealership right now and buy my dream Wrangler Rubicon, but I suspect I'll have buyer's remorse. I can wait a little while and get the 4Runner I have on reserve, and have some remorse on the trail. I don't expect anyone on this forum to try talking me into buying a Jeep, but I'm still curious about the thoughts of other people that went through this decision before I spend roughly $60K.

Also relevant to me but less likely relevant to others... If I get a new Wrangler JL, I'll likely sell my old Wrangler TJ, whereas if I get a 4Runner, I'll hang onto the old Wrangler TJ for doing trails within a couple hours of my house (shorter trips). I'll be doing a lot of local trails, but the purpose of this new vehicle is to confidently and routinely get me to various locations across the continental US (and probably some trips to Canada as well) - and do some off-roading at these locations.

Buy what you want ! they say you only live once, not true, you LIVE EVERYDAY you DIE once !