Every once in a while my husband and I like to test out new vehicles just to see what may work out for our family as we contemplate vehicle purchases down the road. Our latest adventure was trying out the 2017 Toyota 4Runner TRD Off-Road Premium. When I told my husband which vehicle we were going to be trying out for a week, he was pretty excited because he loves being able to go off-road to have a little fun. 

Taking the 4Runner Off-Road

The first thing we did after the vehicle was dropped off was hop in and give it a drive — and we had to test out the features right away so we headed to some low-maintenance road areas we know of that are close by. 

Toyota 4Runner TRD Off-RoadDon’t worry, we didn’t drive into the water. 🙂

While this first little drive was fun, we wanted to go a bit more off-road so later that week we did just that. We herded cows in the pasture, found an old car graveyard, and we took it truly off-road back in the hills and valleys where we live. 

 Check out this fun video showing just a bit of our fun.

Features I Liked

Overall I was quite impressed with the way the 4Runner handled both on and off-road. The seats were comfortable, and the features inside the cab were nice. I was a bit disappointed in the lack of lane departure signals like we had in the 2016 Toyota Camry we tested, but with the off-road version, I can understand as the sensor would probably be going off constantly. 🙂

The second row was really roomy, and while I only had two car seats in the back row, a third could definitely fit if needed. Although this model wouldn’t work for our family of six as it only comes with five seats, other models do come with an optional third row if needed. 

The cargo space is phenomenal. With the ability to fold the rear seats flat, you really can get all your gear in here and then some. There are also cargo hooks for strapping down your gear, and outlets that allow you to plug in your devices as needed. 

About the 2017 Toyota 4Runner TRD Off-Road Premium

Find more info about the Toyota 4Runner HERE, and check out all the features available below:

Options
• Power tilt/slide moonroof with sunshade
• Running boards
• Sliding rear cargo deck with under-floor storage box
Drivetrain
• Part-time 4WD system with Active Traction Control (A-TRAC)
• Hill Start Assist Control (HAC),32 Multi-terrain Select and
Crawl Control (CRAWL)19
• Locking rear differential
Exterior Features
• Integrated fog lights
• Projector-beam headlights with smoked trim
• Skid plates — on engine/front suspension, fuel tank
• Heated power outside mirrors with turn signal indicators
• 17-in. 7-spoke alloy wheels with P265/70R17 tires and
black-painted accents
• Color-keyed front and rear bumpers with silver accents and
color-keyed hood scoop
• “TRD Off-Road” external hard badges
Interior Features
• Backup camera13 with projected path
• SofTex®-trimmed heated front seats; 8-way power-adjustable
driver’s seat with power lumbar support; 4-way power-adjustable
front passenger seat
• SofTex®-trimmed 40/20/40 split reclining and fold-flat
second-row seat
• Entune™ Premium Audio with Integrated Navigation14 and
App Suite, and 6.1-in. high-resolution touch-screen display
• HomeLink® universal transceiver
• Auto-dimming rearview mirror
• Overhead console with Multi-terrain Select and Crawl
Control (CRAWL) switches
• TRD shift knob
• TRD Off-Road floor mats
• “TRD” red lettering on driver and front passenger headrests
Options
• Running boards
• Power tilt/slide moonroof with sunshade
• Kinetic Dynamic Suspension System (KDSS)
• Sliding rear cargo deck with under-floor storage box

Final Thoughts

Overall we really enjoyed driving the 2017 Toyota 4Runner TRD Off-Road Premium. It handled well, I felt really safe in this vehicle, and for the week we had it we seemed to get really good gas mileage. It was fun taking it off-road for the little we were able to, and longer trips to town were great as well (I live about 45 minutes away from the closest town). 

While we’d love to have one of these for our own, our larger family just doesn’t allow it to fit in our lifestyle, but if you are looking for a vehicle like this, the 4Runner is an excellent option!

 

Thanks to DriveShop and Toyota for loaning us this vehicle for a week. The Toyota 4Runner TRD Off-Road was fun to drive and all opinions are our own.