A Gen 5 4runner -- fuel efficiency

I have been riding with a friend in his 2022 4runner and have taken note several times, glancing at his dash, that he gets 21 mpg on our trips (mostly highway driving).

I amused myself before I bought my 4runner asking people in parking lots what they thought of their 4runner. One guy was short and grumpy and simply said that he hates it because of the poor fuel economy.

My take on all of this is that you should know all this going in. If you just want a vehicle to drive around town, you should have purchased a Subaru outback or Forester with their efficient 4 cylinder engines. I came close to doing that myself, but decided I wanted a more serious off-road vehicle and was willing to accept the poor fuel economy.

Comparison with my Gen 1 Tacoma

12-2022  18.5 mpg
3-2023  17.9 mpg
5-2023  19.5 mpg
5-2023  18.9 mpg
7-2023  18.9 mpg
8-2023  19.9 mpg

My friend Andrew has an identical 4runner and says he see an average MPG over 7000 miles of 19 mpg.

My conclusion is that I am used to a vehicle that gets 19 mpg, and what I will get from the 4runner will not be different in any way I expect to notice. It might even be a little better.