How Does the 2024 Wrangler Compare to the 2024 4Runner?

Comparisons between similar products are inevitable. Even if they have substantially different designs, such as the Toyota 4Runner and the Jeep Wrangler, vehicles that are intended to occupy a similar niche will compete with each other. These two midsize SUVs stand out in the sea of crossovers, and both vehicles obviously draw upon an extremely dedicated fanbase of drivers who love the off-road capabilities of these models. But if you were specifically looking for a Jeep Wrangler for sale and were constantly coming across reviews, fans, and owners of the 4Runner trying to convince you to consider buying the off-road Toyota SUV, you might be left wondering, what exactly are the advantages and benefits that the 2024 Jeep Wrangler has over the 2024 Toyota 4Runner? Well, there are quite a few advantages you get with the Wrangler over the 4Runner, and we’ll cover a few of them.

When it comes to off-road SUVs, pure horsepower isn’t the be-all, end-all of performance. Torque is actually the more important feature. The way to get the most out of an off-road vehicle is to make sure it is getting enough low-end torque to all four wheels, and in that regard, the Wrangler just has way more options for powerful engines than the Toyota 4Runner. This is due to the 2024 Wrangler having four different powertrain options, whereas the 2024 4Runner only has one powertrain option.

The 2024 4Runner comes with a very rugged and utilitarian 4.0-liter V6 paired with a five-speed automatic transmission. The displacement enables the 4Runner to output 270 hp and 278 lb-ft of torque. Those aren’t bad stats for a midsize SUV, especially for off-road purposes. However, it definitely comes up short in terms of performance when compared to the Wrangler’s options. The starting Wrangler powertrain is a 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 that makes 285 hp and 260 lb-ft of torque that can be paired up with a six-speed manual or an eight-speed automatic.

There is also a 2.0-liter turbocharged I-4 that makes 270 hp and 295 lb-ft of torque, a 6.4-liter HEMI 392 V8 that makes 470 hp and 470 lb-ft of torque, and the Wrangler 4xe plug-in hybrid that pairs a 2.0-liter turbocharged I-4 with a 17 kWh battery pack and electric motors to generate 375 hp and 470 lb-ft of torque. Every powertrain other than the base V6 comes equipped with an eight-speed automatic transmission––that’s three more gears than the 4Runner has.

Every powertrain other than the Pentastar that is part of the Wrangler’s line-up also generates more torque than the 4Runner’s V6. So for rock crawling, hill climbs, mud runs, dirt trails, or even overlanding, the Wrangler’s powertrain configurations are designed to get you across all manner of terrain. The plentiful low-end torque output means you’re less likely to get stuck, more likely to gain and maintain traction, and have overall better performance when traveling off-road.

The four-wheel drive systems offered by the Wrangler and 4Runner are both capable, yet couldn’t be more different. There are two options present for the 4Runner: a part-time four-wheel drive system that has to be manually engaged and a full-time four-wheel drive system for precision torque distribution. With both systems, you have high and low-range settings. The 4Runner also has a Multi-Terrain Select system that can make use of the traction control system to reduce wheel spin and improve grip, as well as a Kinetic Dynamic Suspension System for articulation across all types of terrain.

As impressive as those features are, they just don’t compare to the Wrangler when looking at the complexity and depth that Jeep’s SUV offers. The 2024 Wrangler is available with four different and very advanced four-wheel drive systems designed for snow, rock, water-fording, sand, gravel, pavement, and mud. The entry-level option for the Wrangler is the Command-Trac part-time system that features high and low-range settings. This can be equipped with a limited-slip rear differential for superior traction.

Next is the Rock-Trac system, which is available in part-time and full-time configurations. The full-time option gives you access to a 4H Auto mode, enabling automatic four-wheel torque distribution. Both versions of the Rock-Trac system can provide a best-in-class 100:1 crawl ratio for maximum torque distribution. The Tru-Lock front and rear electronically locking differentials also help to get the most out of the Rock-Trac system. Finally, the Select-Trac full-time four-wheel drive system can dynamically and automatically switch between different settings based on where you’re driving, with two-wheel drive on flat paved roads for maximum fuel economy and four-wheel drive when traversing across uneven terrain or wet, slippery, snowy, or muddy roads.

When you think of utility vehicles, off-road traversal, or overlanding, you may not immediately consider shopping based on fuel economy, but fuel economy is an important thing anyone considers when using their vehicle for daily driving. How often do you really want to be standing out in front of the gas pump and how much money do you really want to keep putting into the tank of your SUV? If fuel economy is important to you, then the Wrangler is the one that you should be looking at.

Both the rear-wheel drive and four-wheel drive 4Runner models have the same fuel economy for 2024, sporting 16 MPG in the city and 19 MPG on the highway for an abysmal 17 MPG combined. The Wrangler has a lot more options for powertrain configurations, so you have more ways to configure the SUV based on what you want, allowing you to conserve money at the pump while still having a rugged off-road SUV. At the top end of the fuel economy ratings, you have an estimated 49 MPGe if you opt for the hybrid Wrangler 4xe model, which is great if you’re all about getting a lot of performance and travel range out of your off-road SUV.

The 2.0-liter turbocharged I-4, even with standard four-wheel drive, offers an estimated 20 MPG in the city and 23 MPG on the highway, while the V6 provides 18 MPG in the city and 24 MPG on the highway, handily exceeding the 4Runner. You basically get some great gains out of the Wrangler, even with the less efficient gas-powered options.

Even if infotainment may not be a big selling point to some SUV shoppers looking for a rugged midsize vehicle, it can still play an important role in how you can navigate, park, utilize safety features, or even listen to tunes while you jump sand dunes or make a few runs to the store. In this regard, the Toyota 4Runner offers a very basic eight-inch touchscreen across the entire trim line-up for the 2024 model year. It’s not bad by any means, but it is rather underwhelming by modern standards.

The 2024 Wrangler, however, offers a much larger 12.3-inch HD touchscreen with all of the infotainment support you would expect from the Uconnect 5 system. This gives you a lot more screen real estate to work with and makes a big difference when using features like the multi-camera system for monitoring views beneath or around the Wrangler when traveling off-road or rock-crawling. A larger and more clearly defined screen means better visibility when you need to use those extra cameras, and that improves not only accessibility for infotainment functionality but also travel efficiency as well, especially for things like parking assistance or avoiding objects in front of or behind the vehicle.

Even though we only scratched the surface of some of the differences between the 2024 Jeep Wrangler and the 2024 Toyota 4Runner, the advantages the Wrangler offers when it comes to range, capabilities, and infotainment are still rather significant. What’s more, we didn’t even go into features like the open-air design, advanced suspension systems, and tuning capabilities. If you are shopping for a potential midsize SUV and looking at various Jeep Wrangler models for sale, then hopefully, this has helped clear up a few things if the 4Runner was another midsize SUV you were considering as an alternative to the Wrangler.