Spring finally showed up here in Michigan. Of course, around here that usually means we skipped spring altogether and went straight to summer.
The first warm Saturday of the year usually ends with a drive to Red's Root Beer Stand in Paw Paw. If you've never been there, it's one of those places where everyone finally dusts off their toys after a long Michigan winter. You'll see old muscle cars, hot rods, motorcycles, Jeeps, and plenty of trucks. It's a fun place to spend an afternoon.
That Saturday, I decided to take our 2023 5th Gen 4Runner TRD Pro.
It's Solar Octane orange and has become our development vehicle over the last few years. Baja Kits suspension, Warn winch, 285 Falkens, Victory bumpers, roof rack, skid plates...if we've built it for a 5th Gen, there's a pretty good chance it's on this truck.
We had just ordered our food when a guy in his mid-twenties tapped on the passenger window.
I rolled it down.
"Dude, this thing is badass."
He pointed over to a mostly stock 5th Gen TRD Pro parked a few rows away.
"I'm Ryder. I just bought mine a few weeks ago."
For the next twenty minutes we talked about 4Runners. He wanted to know about the suspension, the tires, the roof rack, the bumpers, the winch...pretty much every modification on the truck.
Eventually he asked me what I thought about adding a cold air intake.
I smiled and said, "I have something better."
Then I reached over and popped the hood.
He looked at the engine for about two seconds before he looked back at me.
"Dude...no way."
"Is that a supercharger?"
For the next twenty minutes, that's all we talked about. Horsepower, reliability, fuel economy, towing, cost, installation...every question you can imagine.
By the time we wrapped up, my kids had been incredibly patient, my chili dog was cold, and my wife was giving me the look that said it was probably time to leave.
But Ryder asked the same question I hear all the time.
"If you had to do it all over again...would you still spend the money on the Magnuson?"
I told him it wasn't a simple yes or no.
Everybody loves the 4.0L V6.
Every time Toyota announces a new vehicle, the comments start rolling in.
"I'll never give up my 4.0."
"I'll never buy that turbo four-cylinder."
"Toyota should have left it alone."
I understand where they're coming from.
The 4.0L has earned its reputation. It's simple, dependable, and it'll probably outlive the truck if you take care of it.
But here's the part that doesn't get talked about very often.
The driving experience has never been the 5th Gen's biggest strength.
Before everybody starts sharpening their pitchforks, hear me out.
A stock 5th Gen is perfectly fine.
The problem is, almost nobody leaves them stock.
You buy a bumper.
Then a winch.
Then sliders.
Then skid plates.
Then a roof rack.
Then 285s.
Then recovery gear.
Then camping gear.
Before long you've added several hundred pounds to a vehicle that wasn't exactly overpowered from the factory.
I told Ryder the best way I could explain it.
Have you ever seen The NeverEnding Story?
Remember when Atreyu is trying to pull Artax out of the swamp?
Sometimes that's what a fully built 5th Gen feels like when you're pulling onto the highway.
You put your foot down and it's trying its hardest. Eventually it gets there, but it's working for every mile per hour.
That isn't the engine's fault.
We've simply asked it to do a lot more than Toyota ever intended.
The reality is, if you want to get more ass out of a 5th Gen 4Runner, you really have three options.
You can regear it.
You can supercharge it.
Or, if you really want the best driving experience, you can do both.
Regearing is usually the first thing people look at, especially after moving to 285s or 35s. A set of 4.88 gears typically costs somewhere around $2,500 to $3,000 installed. You're not adding horsepower, but you are putting the engine back into a happier RPM range. The truck doesn't feel like it's lugging around in 5th gear anymore, and the transmission isn't constantly searching for the right gear every time you hit a hill or a headwind.
A supercharger attacks the problem from the other direction.
Instead of changing the gearing, it gives the engine more power to work with.
If your budget allows for both, that's probably about as good as a 5th Gen gets.
This is where I think a lot of reviews miss the mark.
Everyone wants to talk about horsepower numbers.
I really don't care.
What I care about is how the truck feels on Tuesday afternoon when I'm driving to work.
That's where the Magnuson shines.
The truck pulls away from stoplights easier.
It gets up to highway speed without feeling like you're asking too much from it.
Passing someone on a two-lane road doesn't require nearly as much planning.
Even the 5-speed transmission feels better because the engine has enough power that it isn't constantly hunting.
Does it turn the 4Runner into a sports car?
Not even close.
It still drives like a body-on-frame SUV with solid reliability and twenty-year-old roots.
It just feels like a healthier version of itself.
The biggest improvement is the overall drivability.
It simply makes the truck nicer to drive every single day. If Toyota had offered the 5th Gen this way from the factory, I don't think anyone would have questioned it.
Highway driving is probably where I notice it the most. If you've spent much time in a stock 5th Gen, you know passing another vehicle usually takes a little planning. With the Magnuson, you put your foot down and the truck actually goes.
Then there's something that's completely irrational.
It sounds cool.
I know that's immature.
I really don't care.
Every time you hear that supercharger start to whine, it makes you smile.
If you're a car person, you understand exactly what I mean.
As much as I like it, it isn't perfect.
You're buying premium fuel from now on.
I'd also budget for a good aftermarket tune. The truck drives well without one, but I think a quality tune helps everything work together even better.
If your 4Runner is still under Toyota's powertrain warranty, I'd also think long and hard before installing a supercharger. It's a major modification, and I wouldn't expect Toyota to look at engine or transmission issues the same way afterward.
Those aren't deal breakers for me.
They're just part of the cost of ownership.
If I could do it over again, I think I would have installed 4.88 gears sooner.
Our truck is still running the factory gears, and I was honestly hoping the supercharger would cover that up a little better than it does.
It definitely helps.
But the transmission still decides where the engine lives in the RPM range, and sometimes that's lower than where the supercharger really starts to shine.
I think a set of 4.88s would wake the truck up even more.
The other thing I have to remind myself is what I'm comparing it to.
We spend a lot of time driving brand-new vehicles. Eight-speed transmissions. Ten-speed transmissions. Turbocharged engines. Hybrids. Modern trucks have become incredibly good to drive.
Then I jump back into a platform that first came out in 2009.
It's never going to drive like a brand-new Land Cruiser.
Honestly, I don't want it to.
Part of the reason I love the 5th Gen is because it still feels like an old-school SUV. It's simple, proven, and dependable. There's a nostalgia to driving one that's hard to explain unless you've owned one.
The Magnuson makes it better.
I think 4.88 gears will make it even better.
If you're planning to keep your 5th Gen for a long time, I would seriously consider it.
If you're already thinking about trading it in on a 6th Gen next year, I'd save the money.
At roughly $7,500 installed, this isn't an upgrade you justify with a spreadsheet.
You're never going to calculate the return on investment.
Instead, I'd ask yourself a few simple questions.
Do you love your 5th Gen?
Do you plan on keeping it?
Can you comfortably afford the upgrade?
If the answer is yes to all three, I think you'll be happy with it.
Ryder is probably a long way from buying a Magnuson.
Honestly, a lot of people are.
Seven or eight thousand dollars buys a lot of other modifications, and if you're just getting started, I'd probably spend the money on bumpers, suspension, sliders, and a winch first.
But a guy can dream, right?
Maybe one day I'll see Ryder back at Red's with a supercharger under the hood of his own 4Runner.
If that happens, I have a feeling we'll end up talking for another twenty minutes.
Hopefully my chili dog is still warm this time.
See you at Red's!
Brian Meyers - President / CEO
Victory4x4
