The 2025 Toyota 4Runner and the classically included Fiat 500E EV are all new this year

CASEY WILLIAMS | Auto Reviewer
AutoCasey@AOL.com

Each of us have our type. For some, it’s the outdoor scout who breathes gasoline and enjoys a good hike. Others prefer the cultured fashionista who prefers trendy lattes and walks in parks. Automotively, you should find companionship in either the redesigned 2025 Toyota 4Runner SUV or the all-electric Fiat 500e city car.
Classic fashion

2024 Fiat 500e interior

4Runner: Wears its wrap-over quarter glass and wind-down rear window like ancestors from the MTV generation. But they still play well today. Fiat: A cute face with round lamps, bubble rump and simple digitized interior honor Rome. It’s classic style with a modern fit.

Comparing (screen) size
4Runner: It’s packing an 8-inch or extended length 14-inch multimedia touchscreen and 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster. It supports wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto plus wireless device charging. 500e: Feeling inadequate with its 10.25-inch center screen and 7-inch digital cluster, the 500e displays its wares in a dashboard that pays homage to the 1950s.

Flexing power
4Runner: Bi-curious? Choose between a 2.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine making 278 horsepower or a hybrid employing a 2.4-liter engine, electric motor and battery pack for 326 horsepower. Fiat: OMG, you are such a Mary. This bitch is all electric, so charge at home, at work or some purgatory between and enjoy 117 horsepower and quick 8.5-second sprints to 60 mph.

Fully trimmed
4Runner: Wannabe overlanders choose Trailhunter trim with special shocks, tires, roof rack, high-mount air intake and LED light bar. If that’s not butch enough, get this thicc boy in TRD trim to run deserts and mountain trails. 500e: There’s nothing sexier than social responsibility, so check out the debut RED trim that’s curated to commemorate World AIDS Day. It was joined by U2’s Bono for its December debut.

Charge time
4Runner. *Burp* Scratches hitch nuts on trail brush. Headlamps flicker, then go dark.
Fiat: Bruh, I take an 80 percent fast charge in 35 minutes or full-up in six hours on a home charger. I’m good for a quick 5-minute nap for another 31 miles.

Night out
4Runner: Clips on its snorkel and claws through streams and fields for a moonlit stomp. It’ll take a date downtown for sushi, but it’s much happier sitting streamside watching poles flex. Fiat: Slips on its short shorts and man bag for a quick whoosh to the martini bar. It enjoys a fireside chat ala vodka but is happiest clicking its adorable ass through tight city streets for dinner.

Happy trails
4Runner: Its stabilizer bar disconnects to maximize suspension articulation at the push of a button. No matter the terrain, this boy scout keeps tires in contact with the trail. 500e: The Acoustic Vehicle Alert System “sings” to pedestrians with a song titled “The Sound of 500,” authored by Flavio Ibba-Marco Gualdi, to warn of the little twink’s impending arrival.

2025 Toyota 4Runner Limited Interior

Drive modes
4Runner: Multi-Terrain Select offers adjustable settings to control wheel spin on terrain as varied as mud, dirt and sand. Down on all fours, CRAWL Control behaves like off-road cruise control so drivers can focus their course of action. 500e: Sallies forth with city-friendly one-pedal driving and regenerative braking to maximize range. Sherpa mode limits top speed to 50 mph, stretching runways between charging stations.

Sunday driving
4Runner: You may sneak away on hybrid power, but once the gas engine fires up, you’re had. All the spouses will swoon. Fiat: With 149 miles all-electric range, you can sneak off to gay brunch without attracting judgement from the old ladies. They may not approve of your choices, but when they finish singing, you’ll be gone.

Boy rent
4Runner: If you want a trick who can deliver a weekend in the wild, expect to pay at least $43,000. To get one who can also ford streams with a snorkel or run deserts like Army Rangers, pay closer to $60,000. Fiat: A life of fun starts at $32,500, but getting the boy dressed for the club will cost more. He’s a pricey trick without much stamina, but look at that cute little body.

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