Toyota's 4Runner TRD Surf Concept Hides a Secret That Hits All the Right Retro 'Runner Notes
You might see a neat new 4Runner, but look closer—it's a two-door... convertible?
We’re still anxiously awaiting our first crack at the all-new 2025 Toyota 4Runner, and Toyota has decided to make that wait even more excruciating with this "TRD Surf" concept landing at SEMA. Sure, it looks like a showcase for Toyota's in-house TRD performance parts division, just as any proper, OEM-backed SEMA project based on a hotly anticipated new model would, but there is a lot more going on here than simple bolt-ons and a cool paint job. Where are the rear door handles, for starters? And what's with that odd body seam beneath the rear quarter windows?
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Toyota has, in effect, turned back the clock on its newest 4Runner back to the 1980s, when the original 4Runner cemented its beach-roamer status in California's surfer culture. How? Follow the 4Runner's shoulder line over the rear wheels forward, past where the rear door would be—that cut line's gone, notice?—and suddenly, you start to realize it. The entire back half of the roof comes off, just like the caps on the 1984.5 to 1989 4Runners' did. With the roof removed, you’ll find a full roll bar that protects the rear occupants and probably lends a tiny bit of structure to the area freshly shorn of a fixed roof. The bar is yet another first-gen 4Runner callback.
What’s also wild is the fact that the rear windows still function as normal, including the sliding rear window in the liftgate. Well, tailgate is the more appropriate thing to call this since it doesn’t lift anymore. Top on or off, the rear seats are accessed by flipping the front passenger seat forward. The top itself is secured to the chassis by a set of recessed quick-release latches, like those you’d find on a IMSA race car. Two hold the roof at the rear, and one latch on each B-pillar pillar are more than enough to secure it.
The interior is revised to emphasize the open-top nature of the 4Runner TRD Surf concept. The fabrics that cover the seats and flooring are all changed over to waterproof materials. The floor mats also bring about classic surfer tones with their wood-like appearance and that extends to the custom cargo mat in the cargo area. The interior plastics are finished off with aqua trim accents while the fabrics see the same color with contrast stitching. Oh, and of course the 4Runner TRD Surf concept comes with a pair of custom Russel surf boards with logos and TRD stripes in the blue tricolor that are stored inside a custom travel quiver mounted to the roof rack. Of course, you could just let them hang out of the tailgate when you have the roof off.
Toyota didn’t stop at the roof job on this concept, which started life as a 2025 4Runner TRD Limited. The suspension gets a set of TRD Pro billet aluminum upper and lower control arms—front and rear—and a billet aluminum Panhard bar (or “track bar” if you’re more Mopar inclined). The rear housing is from the Toyota Tundra but modified to fit the 2025 4Runner (we’re starting to wonder when that will become an upgrade for the Tacoma and 4Runner, considering we saw this with the 2023 Toyota SEMA concepts). The steering links and front axles are also upgraded to match the durability of the billet front arms. They are also better designed to handle the 37x12.50R17 BFGoodrich All-Terrain TA KO3 tires mounted to fully-custom machined and beadlocked Musart wheels in 17x8.5 all around. These wheels are then covered by a set of wider fender flares that still look Toyota-factory for the 2025 4Runner.
Motivation for the 2025 Toyota 4Runner TRD Surf concept remains the same, a turbocharged 2.4-liter i-Force I-4 producing 278 hp and 317 lb-ft of torque. The exhaust, however, is a custom system to give the Surf concept a better, muscular exhaust note. Regardless, that power also still goes through Toyota’s UA80E “Direct Shift” eight-speed auto with its full-time four-wheel drive and electronically shifting dual-range transfer case.
If you want to see the 2025 Toyota 4Runner TRD Surf concept in real life, you’ll be able to at the 2024 SEMA Show that takes place November 5th to the 8th. Toyota’s booth is in the same Central Hall location it was in 2023. Finally, come on, Toyota, you gotta put this body style on sale. You just gotta do it.
Having experience in many forms of the automotive industry, Justin Banner has done more than just write about cars. For more than 15 years, he's had experience working as an automotive service technician—including a stint as a Virginia State Inspector—service advisor, parts sales, and aftermarket parts technical advisor (a fancy way of saying he helped you on the phone when you had trouble fitting your brakes over your aftermarket wheels and the like). Prior to his tenure as a full-time editor, Justin worked as a freelance writer and photographer for various publications and as an automotive content creator on YouTube. He’s also covered multiple forms of motorsports ranging from Formula Drift, drag racing, and time attack, to NASCAR, short course off-roading, and open desert racing. He's best known for breaking down complex technical concepts so a layperson can more easily understand why technologies, repairs, and parts should matter to them. At MotorTrend, Justin is part of the news team covering breaking news and topics while also working as a judge for MotorTrend Of the Year events and other major comparison tests.
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