Significant delays ahead, no changes for 5th gen either. Mods need to correct once and for all the sub-forum, as the launch is far out enough, that it doesn't make sense to be labeled 5-6 years before release.

The primary source of this information should share this info with you himself and take the full credit, than me doing so. He owns a 4Runner too, up in GToronto Area.

If inside info comes from a potential forum member, I naturally leave it to them to explain and only PM it privately to users, as I find it distasteful for me to use someone's information who I don't know well enough.

Other than some Prado rendering, I see nothing that refers to the next GX.

Neither. It concerns timing, assembly, and new powertrains.
Google T24A-FTS and V35A-FTS. A hybridized version of one of these is the range topper indeed...

This is partly what my commentary pertains to, in terms of the expressed concerns of a lot of current owners of multiple generations.

Not quite, but some of that is correct. It won't be underpowered nor related to Highlander. I want to leave it to the messenger, than say it all without their permission.

Yes, but there's more. A huge factor in the timing of launch now.

Toyota has kicked the can down the road for way too long and as I said once before, didn't know what to do with themselves, when they attempted to cancel the 4Runner several years again and were forced abandoned it due to a massive uptick in sales with the 2014 MY.

The 2010-13 was poorly received for a multitude of reasons, perhaps less aggressive styling, poor economy, or V8 N210 owners, snubbing it and it rubbing off on other owners (1GR V6 buyers). They went off of that and tried to discontinue it by MY 2017, until reversing course by 2015-2016 and keeping it in production. MY 2017 production started very, very late in the year IIRC.

They are now playing catch up and that is disappointing, as I keep seeing this play out with many Toyota programs. They don't invest in the product's replacement early enough and sit on sales/profits.

Then barely start work at 4-5 years to launch, where it ends becoming 5-7 years in development instead. Case in point, the newest TNGA-F products this year and the 2021 Sienna.

IIRC LC 300 began development 8 years ago and were already doing consumer design clinics in the spring of 2014 in Australian suburbs, testing design proposals for what is now the 2022 Land Cruiser. It got delayed pretty dismally, when Akio Toyoda cancelled the final design and ordered another redo around 2017-18.

Tundra under 780B had powertrain or drivetrain issues, that pushed it back by over 1 year into December 2021, spring 2022 for the hybrid allegedly.

If they committed to these newer products, by or after the first mid-cycle updates respectively, these products would ample time to accommodate delays and not leave the incumbent offerings withering on the vine.

I mean in the context:

• 5th Generation 4Runner was rapidly developed after also almost being discontinued, starting in 2006. FJ, Highlander, and GX 470 almost made it redundant, until business case was made and dealers begged.
• By the end of 2007, the final design was complete.
• 2008 saw the first prototype vehicles being built and the new design first being shown to dealers
• Production began August 28, 2009 at Tahara
• Unveiling was in September 2009
• November 23, 2009 was the release to market
• Development of a redesigned 6th generation should've started in late 2011 or early 2012. (Development of 2014MY changes began in 2010).
• Final Design should've been complete by the beginning of 2014, right after the 14MY refreshes and an evolution of the outgoing design.
• Engineering-led Design Freeze by mid-2014, first prototypes built end of 2014/early 2017.
• Reveal in early-mid 2016, Job 1 in Summer 2016 and launch as 2017 MY by fall of 2016. End of 5th gen.

What ended up happening here is, sometime around 2011-2012, Toyota decided to against keeping the 4Runner and made no plans to redesign it, after the 2014 MY updates and let it ride out its cycle. The same plans for Sequoia and GX 460 were on deck, as the latter's demise for Lexus TX was planned. TX was ditched in favor of RX-L and thanks to sales jump, GX retained.

Dealers begged to keep Sequoia in 2014/15, that Toyota designed updates for 2018, which were finalized by early 2016 and launched autumn of 2017. 4Runner saw no more major changes beyond colors until MY 2020, which require you not to blink. The 2020 MY changes, were even about 1.5 years later than planned for mysterious reasons. GX even worse, because they can.

Kicking the can further down the road and not committing to renewing a product beyond its existing lifecycle, is encouraged by overly loyal customers, who do not hold an automaker accountable.

After the end of 2022, I simply wouldn't buy another 4Runner unless you want the same 1GR-FE V6 and 5AT. It's running longer than even Toyota planned, because of delays with development and because customers keep spending dollars.