Toyota makes a lot of great cars, but not every single one necessarily hits the mark. The 2021 4Runner might be one of those cars, as some critics didn’t have many nice things to say about it. That being said, while it disappointed a few critics, the 2021 Toyota 4Runner does exceed in a few things.

A recap of Consumer Reports’ review of the 2021 Toyota 4Runner

With an overall score of just 64 out of 100, Consumer Reports didn’t think too highly of the 2021 4Runner. In its review of the Toyota SUV, Consumer Reports said that the 4Runner had plenty of cons, and it’s why it scored so poorly overall.

One of the main issues with the 4Runner had to do with its price points. It starts at just over $36,000, but Consumer Reports said that it’s a pretty expensive car given what it comes with.

That’s another sore spot, as the 2021 4Runner doesn’t come with that great of an interior. Not only did Consumer Reports say that it was tough to get into the 4Runner in the first place, but despite its size, the 4Runner’s interior was actually kind of cramped.

In addition to that, due to how cramped the 4Runner actually is, its driver visibility might actually be a bit worse than its competitors. 

These interior issues made the 4Runner a rather uncomfortable SUV to be in, but these weren’t the only issues that Consumer Reports had with the 4Runner’s quality of comfort.

Clumsy handling and a bumpy ride make this SUV a questionable choice

One of the worst aspects of the 2021 Toyota 4Runner, according to the review, was how it felt to drive. Off the bat, Consumer Reports said that the 4Runner had a “rough ride,” and that was still true even on the more expensive trims.

To be fair to the 4Runner though, Consumer Reports also said that the 4Runner’s cabin was relatively quiet despite how loud its engine is.

Ride quality aside, the 4Runner also didn’t handle really well, and Consumer Reports said that its handling was actually “clumsy.” The review even wrote that even when the 4Runner is doing “routine cornering maneuvers,” it doesn’t feel good to drive since the body leaned a lot during those basic maneuvers. 

In fact, Consumer Reports also said that the 4Runner’s steering felt “vague and disconnected from the road” among other things. U.S. News echoed these sentiments in their review of the new 4Runner. The review complained of an outdated interior and lousy ride quality.

While critics made a lot of valid criticisms about the 4Runner, most agreed on one thing, and that’s the fact that the 4Runner excels in what it was made to do, and that’s off-roading. 

The 2021 Toyota 4Runner is a great going off-road

Some SUVs are built for everyday errands and commutes, and other SUVs are supposed to be the epitome of comfort. Those things aren’t what Toyota built the 4Runner for, so naturally, it won’t score very well in those regards. Toyota built the 4Runner to go off-road, and it certainly does that very well. 

The 4Runner is built in such a way that it can handle off-roading without damaging itself too much, and its engine is also properly equipped for such adventures. It comes with a powerful 4.0-liter V6 that gets about 270-hp, and while it’s not exactly fuel-efficient, it does allow the 4Runner to tow up to 5,000-pounds. 

Furthermore, the 4Runner lives up to Toyota’s reputation for making reliable cars, and as such, it can be a workhorse for folks who want to go off-road a lot.

Indeed, Consumer Reports gave the 2021 4Runner a 5 out of 5 for its predicted reliability rating, since Toyota has managed to do exactly what it set out to do by building a reliable off-roading SUV.