disappointed the AT is still the old 5-speed and the engine is still not direct injected and remains 270HP
First, the engine is thoroughly modern. It is DOHC, dual VVTi, low friction roller rocker valve train, piston oil squirters, etc. It was designed new for 2010. Yes, it doesn't have DI. Most engines out there don't have DI and DI isn't the only way to make a good engine. As with anything, DI does have compromises (notably carbon buildup on the intake ports). When rubber meets the road, the 4Runner has acceleration equivalent to an Ecoboost F150 per Consumer Reports and gets competitive gas mileage with the CUVs out today. If the 5th gen still had the original 1GR, I'd be furious that the refresh didn't get a new engine. The current 1GR is a peach of an engine, IMO. The lazy throttle is 100% the problem.
Second, the 5AT is proven reliable and it is a good match for the torque curve of the 1GR. A 6AT mated to this engine would require a shorter final drive to compensate for the additional OD gear (Toyota's 6AT in the GX460 has the exact ratios of the 5AT in the 4Runner and Tacoma with an additional OD gear). At some point, before I had a child, I made an excel spreadsheet comparing the torque at the wheels at 70mph of the GR 4Runner in 5th and the UR GX460 in 6th gear. The wheel torque was practically identical. To me, that says that the 4Runner could theoretically have the 6AT of the GX, but it would spend a majority of the time in 5th gear because that is the scenario where you get the appropriate power to overcome drivetrain drag, aero drag, and rolling resistance at that speed. The V8 of the GX, and the additional torque of the V8 at ~2000 RPM makes the 6AT make more sense. I honestly believe that if the 4Runner got a V8, it would have gotten a 6AT. With the current configuration of the 1GR, the 6AT was probably into diminishing return land. Toyota's design philosophy is to design the engine and transmission as a couple. The AR 2.5L has a 6AT that is different from the 6AT you'll find with the GR 3.5L. The torque requirements are different and the transmission is optimized for that engine. That is why you didn't see the new for '07 6AT in the Camry V6 attached to the Camry I4 on the 6th gen redesign... it soldiered on with a 5AT that was designed with the AZ engine that preceded the AR. When the AR came out, it got the new tranny.
There is a method to the mayhem. Back to the 4Runner, it certainly doesn't help matters that the new 1GR 5AT combo sells in such low numbers. It is hard to justify the additional cost of developing the 1GR to work
well with the 6AT when it only goes in a handful of vehicles. If the 4Runner weren't reasonably fast or reasonably efficient, it would be a different animal.
C'mon, Toyota fixed most frequent complains about led lights and mast antenna : )
The interior seems to look nicer, I'm not a big fan of exterior front end on pictures but I could live with that as long as approach/departure angles are not worse.
Assuming the TE, SR5, and Limited largely share bumpers and skirts, the SR5 and Limited got much better approach/departure angles than current.