The first-generation Toyota 4Runner (1984-1989) was built on the Toyota Hilux pickup platform and sold as a two-door body with a removable fiberglass top over the rear cargo area. It used 2.4 liter inline-four engines, the carbureted 22R and the fuel-injected 22R-E, plus a turbocharged 22R-TE offered on the 1986-1987 SR5 Turbo, with a 3.0 liter 3VZ-E V6 replacing the turbo for 1988. Front suspension began as a solid front axle and switched to independent front suspension (IFS) for the 1986 model year. In the United States it was sold only with four-wheel drive.
Other Toyota 4Runner generations
Platform and body
The first-generation Toyota 4Runner (1984-1989) shared its chassis and front sheetmetal with the contemporary Toyota Hilux pickup, effectively a short-bed pickup fitted with a fiberglass canopy over the rear seat and cargo area. It was offered only as a two-door. Early examples carried the rear top as a removable fiberglass unit. The rear bench seat was tied to trim rather than standard on every truck: the base DX omitted it, while the SR5 package included it.
Engine lineup
- 22R, 2.4 liter carbureted inline-four: the base engine at launch, producing roughly 96 horsepower. The carbureted version remained available until 1988.
- 22R-E, 2.4 liter fuel-injected inline-four: the electronically fuel-injected version of the same block, introduced for 1985 and rated at about 116 horsepower.
- 22R-TE, 2.4 liter turbocharged inline-four: a turbocharged, fuel-injected four offered on the 1986-1987 SR5 Turbo, rated at about 135 horsepower. It was the only factory forced-induction 4Runner sold in North America and always came with the automatic transmission.
- 3VZ-E, 3.0 liter V6: added for 1988, rated around 145 horsepower, replacing the turbo four as the top engine.
Drivetrain
In the United States the first-generation 4Runner (1984-1989) was sold only with part-time four-wheel drive; a two-wheel-drive version did not arrive until the second generation. Four-wheel-drive models used a two-speed transfer case with low range and a solid rear axle.
Transmissions
A five-speed manual was the standard gearbox across the run. A four-speed automatic was offered on later models and was the standard transmission on the 22R-TE turbo. The manual remained the more common transmission on early four-cylinder trucks.
Year-by-year notable changes
- 1984-1985: two-door body on a solid front axle chassis, four-cylinder power from the carbureted 22R and, from 1985, the fuel-injected 22R-E.
- 1986: front suspension changed from a solid front axle to Hi-Trac independent front suspension (IFS), and the turbocharged 22R-TE arrived on the SR5 Turbo.
- 1987: final year for the 22R-TE turbo.
- 1988: the 3.0 liter 3VZ-E V6 was added, replacing the turbocharged four as the top engine.
- 1989: final year of the two-door first generation before the four-door second generation replaced it.
Trims and variants
The first-generation 4Runner (1984-1989) was sold in a base DX trim and the better-equipped SR5, with the SR5 gaining a rear seat, additional gauges, and upgraded interior fabrics. For 1986-1987, the SR5 Turbo added the 22R-TE engine. All were two-door with the fiberglass rear top over the cargo area.
Asked all the time
What engines did the first-generation Toyota 4Runner (1984-1989) offer?
It used the 2.4 liter carbureted 22R and the 2.4 liter fuel-injected 22R-E inline-fours. A turbocharged 2.4 liter 22R-TE was offered on the 1986-1987 SR5 Turbo, and for 1988 Toyota added the 3.0 liter 3VZ-E V6, which replaced the turbo four as the top engine.
When did the first-gen 4Runner switch from a solid front axle to independent front suspension?
The front suspension changed from a solid front axle to Hi-Trac independent front suspension (IFS) for the 1986 model year. So 1984-1985 trucks have the solid axle and 1986-1989 trucks have IFS.
When was the V6 added to the first-generation 4Runner?
The 3.0 liter 3VZ-E V6 was added for the 1988 model year, replacing the turbocharged 22R-TE four as the top engine and joining the 2.4 liter four-cylinders.
Did the first-generation 4Runner come with a turbocharged engine?
Yes. The 22R-TE, a turbocharged 2.4 liter four rated at about 135 horsepower, was offered on the 1986-1987 SR5 Turbo. It was the only factory forced-induction 4Runner sold in North America and always came with the automatic transmission.
How many doors did the first-generation 4Runner have?
Only two. The first-generation 4Runner (1984-1989) was a two-door built on the Hilux pickup platform with a removable fiberglass top over the rear area. The four-door body did not arrive until the second generation.
Which years of the first-gen 4Runner should a buyer wanting a solid front axle seek?
The 1984 and 1985 model years, which used a solid front axle. From 1986 onward the truck moved to independent front suspension (IFS).
The wall · registered 1984–1989 4Runners
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