As you get into the back seats, you’ll find yourself sitting quite high, which presents a great view from the comfortable bench seating. The seats recline and offer acceptable head room – it was OK for me (at 5’10”) but taller passengers will balk. Leg room should be enough for most folks, and the middle seat is big enough to accommodate an adult.

Rear passengers get two 12V plugs  and the middle seatback folds down to become a nice armrest with a couple of cupholders. Our three kids had plenty of space back there, and if you need to accommodate child seats, there are two sets of LATCH anchors.

How do you like our new top of the line Limited trim 4Runner so far? Want to see the cargo space? Sure, just let me pop that trunk open for you here… oh wait, I’ll have to do that by hand. Because this nearly-$50,000 SUV doesn’t have a power lift gate – it’s not even an option.

Not only is the tail gate manual, but it weighs more than any other I’ve had to open by hand. There’s a good reason for it though – what other SUV can boast about its power rear window? Yes, the 4Runner still has this feature. Activated by a rocker switch on the centre console, you can still slide that rear window down into the tail gate. And that’s cool.

The large 1,300L trunk has a 12V and 120V household plug. The rear seat backs fold down, but first require you to tumble the cushions forward and flip down the headrests. Very old-school. Go through the motions and you have an almost-flat 2,500L space. That’s a lot.

Toyota gives the 4Runner a 4.0-litre V6. It’s rated at 270 horsepower at 5,600 rpm and 278 lb-ft of torque at 4,400 rpm. Fuel economy has never been the 4Runner’s strong suit. It’s rated at 14.2 L/100 km city and 11.1 L/100 km highway. I averaged an unsurprising 15.9 L/100 km during my week in it. I was thankful for the ample 87L fuel tank.

The big V6 pairs well with the smooth five-speed automatic, providing ample torquey power to make this 2,111 kg beast jump off the line. Once you’re on your way and need to find some more power, you might find yourself frustrated with the transmission’s unwillingness to shift down quickly, and even its Sport mode doesn’t make things sporty. It’ll hold the revs longer, but that’s about it. I occasionally found myself wanting a little more get up and go – especially on the highway.

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