2020 Toyota 4Runner Venture Edition

Matt Posky
by Matt Posky

Toyota is updating the 2020 4Runner with more safety tech, infotainment options, and a compelling new trim. Based on the TRD Off-Road Premium trim, the 4Runner Venture Edition ditches the chrome to furnish customers with the ever-popular blacked-out experience. Mirrors, door handles, badging, and rear spoiler are all swapped for the darkest hue available.

The rest of the package plays to the body-on-frame 4Runner’s strengths. Toyota has fitted a Yakima Megawarrior roof rack as standard equipment as the vehicle’s crown jewel. Venture Editions also receive gunmetal 17-inch TRD wheels, while removing all other exterior references to Toyota Racing Development. The manufacturer suggests this provides the trim with “a cool, minimalist look,” and we find it difficult to disagree.

Despite the Venture looking like a streamlined version of the TRD Off-Road Premium, Toyota has actually upgraded the model to offer a bit more standard content. On the inside, Venture Edition owners will find all-weather floor and cargo mats, heated and powered front seats (with TRD lettering), and SofTex-trimmed upholstery.

Both models utilize a 270 hp, 278 lb-ft V6 sending power through a five-speed automatic transmission with part-time four-wheel drive and a dual-speed transfer case. A locking rear differential is also standard.

All 2020 4Runners have been upgraded with a new gauge cluster, keyless entry, and an 8-inch touchscreen that now includes Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and Amazon Alexa capability. Toyota Safety Sense P is also present, bringing with it automated emergency braking, automatic high-beams, lane-departure warnings, and adaptive cruise control across the lineup. The only other noteworthy inclusion is a couple of fresh USB ports for rear-seat passengers. Not bad for a vehicle that entered its current generation in 2009.

While this goes a long way to make the 4Runner more livable on the street, that’s not where the model can be its best self. The TRD Off-Road has, up until now, probably been the best version of the SUV to buy — and that’s entirely down to what it can do when not isolated to pavement. Put it on gravel, mud, or a steep incline and you’ll be extremely happy. Try to use it exclusively as a grocery getter and you may be left wondering why you didn’t buy something else.

If you’ve been considering the 4Runner for off-road use but want something slightly better equipped, the Venture Edition is your ride. At $45,405 (with destination), it’s only $1,800 bucks dearer than the TRD Premium — offering a few desirable inclusions and some understated style for the money.

While 4Runners begin at $37,140 SR5, the best rock-crawling content isn’t unlocked until you hit those TRD models. Considering the SUV may outlast everything else that’s in your garage, it might be worth making sure you get it configured exactly the way you want it.

[Images: Toyota]

Matt Posky
Matt Posky

A staunch consumer advocate tracking industry trends and regulation. Before joining TTAC, Matt spent a decade working for marketing and research firms based in NYC. Clients included several of the world’s largest automakers, global tire brands, and aftermarket part suppliers. Dissatisfied with the corporate world and resentful of having to wear suits everyday, he pivoted to writing about cars. Since then, that man has become an ardent supporter of the right-to-repair movement, been interviewed on the auto industry by national radio broadcasts, driven more rental cars than anyone ever should, participated in amateur rallying events, and received the requisite minimum training as sanctioned by the SCCA. Handy with a wrench, Matt grew up surrounded by Detroit auto workers and managed to get a pizza delivery job before he was legally eligible. He later found himself driving box trucks through Manhattan, guaranteeing future sympathy for actual truckers. He continues to conduct research pertaining to the automotive sector as an independent contractor and has since moved back to his native Michigan, closer to where the cars are born. A contrarian, Matt claims to prefer understeer — stating that front and all-wheel drive vehicles cater best to his driving style.

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  • MaintenanceCosts It's not a Benz or a Jag / it's a 5-0 with a rag /And I don't wanna brag / but I could never be stag
  • 3-On-The-Tree Son has a 2016 Mustang GT 5.0 and I have a 2009 C6 Corvette LS3 6spd. And on paper they are pretty close.
  • 3-On-The-Tree Same as the Land Cruiser, emissions. I have a 1985 FJ60 Land Cruiser and it’s a beast off-roading.
  • CanadaCraig I would like for this anniversary special to be a bare-bones Plain-Jane model offered in Dynasty Green and Vintage Burgundy.
  • ToolGuy Ford is good at drifting all right... 😉
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