Toyota made the 4Runner TRD Surf idea for the 2024 SEMA show, which opens next week in Las Vegas. The TRD Surf takes two doors away from the regular SUV and adds a movable roof to make it look like the original 4Runner. Toyota also improved the handling, put on 37-inch tires, and made the inside waterproof. The first Toyota 4Runner came out in 1984. It had two doors and a plastic rear canopy that could be folded down. The 4Runner is still a close relative of Toyota’s medium pickup trucks, but it has become more useful over the years by adding four doors and a roof that stays in place. Toyota turned a 2025 4Runner TRD Limited into the 4Runner TRD Surf idea for the 2024 SEMA show. This car is a throwback to the original. The TRD Surf has two fewer doors than the other car, which gives it a short wheelbase and a purposeful look. In addition to being two inches bigger, the design has huge 37-inch tires wrapped around 17-inch custom wheels, which gives it a tough look. Turquoise adds to the deep blue color and can be seen in the stripes on the hood, the Toyota logo in the grille, a lowercase “turbo” type along the doors, and a series of stylized curves that are meant to look like waves on the outside edges of the front bumper. The 4Runner TRD Surf also has a top that can be removed by one person. The top was made with 3-D printing to ensure it fits right. Toyota also made the inside waterproof and added a front seat that flips forward so people can slide into the back seats. The people in the back will be glad to see a big roll bar in case the car flips over on the hills. Inside, fake wood floor mats carry the blue and green theme through. There is a light bar over the windshield and a roof rack on top of the Surf when the top is on. Behind the scenes, the 4Runner TRD Surf has the same normal turbocharged 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine as the regular SUV. The engine sends its 278 horsepower and 317 pound-feet of torque to a full-time four-wheel-drive system with an electronically controlled dual-range transfer case. The gearbox is an eight-speed automatic. Toyota did, however, make a custom exhaust system for the prototype. Toyota changed the Surf concept’s suspension by adding cast aluminum front upper and lower control arms. The 4Runner with two doors gets the Tundra’s rear-end protection and better handling. The 4Runner TRD Surf idea will be shown for the first time in real life next week at the 2024 SEMA show in Las Vegas, which starts on November 5. Sadly, it doesn’t look like Toyota will make a 4Runner with two doors and a foldable top.
