4Runner Absent from 2016 Mudfest

[APM]

Anyone else surprised that the 4Runner was absent from the 2016 Mudfest hosted by the Northwest Automotive Press Association?

2016 ?Mudfest? ? Outdoor Activity Vehicle of the Year | Automotive Content Experience

I wonder who made the decision to exclude it...

 

[Engineer]

Does seem odd but really wouldn't have mattered much, they were not ranking by true off-road capability but more real world driving (a Volvo beats a rebadged Land Cruiser.....meh).

Mud fest.....yet they all looked to have street tires. These review are written for the "Average" person that will likely never leave pavement and know little to nothing about the mechanical workings of an automobile. Which is fine, that's the audience targeted. The only think I think they got right was the ranking of the Rubicon.

 

[Danimal]

If you watch the videos from 2015 on YouTube, you can see that the testing is somewhat irrelevant, especially for what something like the 4Runner Trail is capable of. I thinks it's a good opportunity for journalists to get good photos of the vehicles out in the dirt, but that's all I can glean from it.

Dan