2023 Toyota 4Runner Interior and Cargo

Don't expect Mercedes-Benz levels of luxury here. In its base form, the 4Runner is offered with fabric upholstery in Sand Beige or Black/Graphite; the TRD Off-Road only offers the latter option.

The TRD Sport, TRD Off-Road Premium, and TRD Pro get a Black/Graphite Softex upholstery. The SR5 Premium models have the choice between Sand Beige or Black/Graphite Softex. Leather is standard on the Limited model in the same color schemes as the SR5 Premium, with the addition of Redwood. 40th Anniversary Editions get bronze and orange accents throughout the cabin.

Being a Toyota, the overall build quality is good. This interior should last you a long time if taken care of. Our TRD Pro tester came with Toyota's SofTex synthetic leather, something we think will be more durable long-term than leather. It's also easier to clean and wipe down, a key factor for off-roaders.

Other than its ability to go off-road, the 4Runner's primary purpose in life will be to haul people and their stuff around town, and for that, you need a ton of cargo space. If that's important to you, then you're in for a treat: the 4Runner offers class-leading figures, although if you're planning on going for three-row seating, those figures drop significantly. Behind the third row, you'll get nine cubic feet of space, and behind the 40/20/40 split reclining and fold-flat second-row seat, you'll get 46.3 cubes. With all the seats flat, you'll get 88.8 cubes of space. Go for the standard two-row seating configuration, and you get an impressive 89.7/47.2 cubes behind the first and second row respectively.

Inside the cabin, you get your standard small-item storage features such as a glovebox, door pockets, ten cup holders (or 12 in three-row models), and a center console storage compartment. You also get an overhead sunglass compartment and optional storage systems such as a sliding rear cargo deck with under-floor storage.

Toyota knows that people buy its vehicles, especially off-road ones, for their dependability. That's why the brand can charge a slight premium on its cars, but modern car buyers are expecting more and more these days, especially when Korean brands pump their vehicles full of standard features. The 4Runner doesn't do too bad at all in this regard. The base model gets a standard intelligent key system with push-button start, manual air conditioning, a backup camera, an eight-way power-adjustable driver's seat with power lumbar support, a four-way adjustable front passenger seat, and a leather-trimmed steering wheel. In terms of driver assistance tech, all models come with Toyota's Safety Sense suite, including a pre-collision system with pedestrian detection, lane departure alert, automatic high beams, and dynamic radar cruise control. A blind-spot monitor with rear cross-traffic alert is available higher up in the range.

Moving up through the trims, the TRD Sport gets SofTex-trimmed seats, a TRD shift-knob, and TRD Sport floor mats. The SR5 Premium includes a HomeLink universal transceiver and an auto-dimming rearview mirror. TRD Off-Road models mainly benefit from mechanical features such as a locking rear differential, while the Off-Road Premium gets TRD red lettering on driver and front passenger headrests. The Limited model includes dual-zone automatic climate control, perforated leather-trimmed, heated and ventilated front seats, front and rear parking assist, and a panoramic view monitor. The TRD Pro is fitted with a Multi-Terrain Monitor with selectable front, side, or rear views and an overhead console with Multi-Terrain Select and Crawl Control switches.

The infotainment system on the Toyota 4Runner is nothing to write home about: it's basic and functional, and that's just fine for this rig. All 4Runner vehicles come with an eight-inch touchscreen display with AM/FM radio, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto integration, Amazon Alexa compatibility, Bluetooth streaming, voice recognition, Wi-Fi connectivity, an eight-speaker sound system, and SiriusXM Satellite radio. The TRD Off-Road gets HD Radio, and the SR5 Premium gets dynamic navigation. Limited and TRD Pro models get a premium JBL sound system with 15 speakers and a subwoofer.

The infotainment system in the 4Runner is easy enough to use and can be controlled by a rotary controller, physical switches, and voice control. We were actually surprised by how much we got to like the touchscreen. Sure, it's outdated but it wasn't complicated to use, unlike Toyota's previous Entune system. Best of all, it proved reliable and didn't suddenly reboot, an experience we had in a far more modern Mercedes.