Compare the2026 GMC AcadiaVS 2026 Toyota 4Runner

The Acadia has a standard front seat center airbag, which deploys between the driver and front passenger, protecting them from injuries caused by striking each other in serious side impacts. The 4Runner doesn’t offer front seat center airbags.

To deliver safety and visibility under dusty conditions the GMC Acadia’s backup monitor has a standard rear washer to keep the view clear. A camera washer system costs extra on the Toyota 4Runner.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Acadia has standard Rear Cross Traffic Alert with Rear Cross Traffic Braking, systems which detect vehicles approaching from the sides and can automatically apply the brakes to prevent a collision. Only the 4Runner Limited/Platinum/Trailhunter/TRD Pro offers Parking Support Brake.

For better protection of the passenger compartment, the Acadia uses safety cell construction with a three-dimensional high-strength frame that surrounds the passenger compartment. It provides extra impact protection and a sturdy mounting location for door hardware and side impact beams. The 4Runner uses a body-on-frame design, which has no frame members above the floor of the vehicle.

Both the Acadia and the 4Runner have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, available all wheel drive, front parking sensors and driver alert monitors.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety does 40 MPH moderate front offset crash tests on new cars. In this updated test, results indicate that the Acadia is safer than the 4Runner:

The GMC Acadia achieved a “Top Safety Pick” rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) for the 2025 model year. This recognition was based on its impressive performance in the small overlap frontal crash test, updated moderate overlap front crash test, updated side impact crash test, headlight evaluations, and pedestrian crash prevention testing. The 4Runner is not a “Top Safety Pick” for 2025.

The Acadia’s corrosion warranty is 1 year longer than the 4Runner’s (6 vs. 5 years).

There are over 33 percent more GMC dealers than there are Toyota dealers, which makes it easier should you ever need service under the Acadia’s warranty.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2025 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that GMC vehicles are better in initial quality than Toyota vehicles. With 1 fewer problems per 100 vehicles, JD Power ranks GMC higher than Toyota.

The Acadia’s 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder produces 50 more horsepower (328 vs. 278) and 9 lbs.-ft. more torque (326 vs. 317) than the 4Runner’s standard 2.4 turbo 4-cylinder. The Acadia’s 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder produces 5 more horsepower (328 vs. 323) than the 4Runner Trailhunter’s standard 2.4 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid. The Acadia’s 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder produces 2 more horsepower (328 vs. 326) than the 4Runner’s optional 2.4 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid.

On the EPA test cycle the Acadia FWD gets better fuel mileage than the 4Runner Limited RWD (20 city/26 hwy vs. 20 city/24 hwy).

The Acadia AWD’s standard fuel tank has 2.7 gallons more fuel capacity than the 4Runner (21.7 vs. 19 gallons).

The Acadia has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The 4Runner doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

The Acadia stops much shorter than the 4Runner:

For better traction, the Acadia has larger standard tires than the 4Runner (255/55R20 vs. 245/70R17). The Acadia’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the 4Runner (275/45R22 vs. 265/55R20).

The Acadia AT4’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 65 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the 4Runner SR5’s standard 70 series tires. The Acadia’s optional tires have a lower 45 series profile than the 4Runner TRD Sport/Limited/Platinum’s 55 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Acadia has standard 18-inch wheels. Smaller 17-inch wheels are standard on the 4Runner SR5. The Acadia’s optional 22-inch wheels are larger than the 20-inch wheels on the 4Runner TRD Sport/Limited/Platinum.

The Acadia has a standard easy tire fill system. When inflating the tires, the vehicle’s integrated tire pressure sensors keep track of the pressure as the tires fill and tell the driver when the tires are inflated to the proper pressure. The 4Runner doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

For superior ride and handling, the GMC Acadia has fully independent front and rear suspensions. An independent suspension allows the wheels to follow the road at the best angle for gripping the pavement, without compromising ride comfort. The Toyota 4Runner has a solid rear axle, with a non-independent rear suspension.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Acadia’s wheelbase is 8.7 inches longer than on the 4Runner (120.9 inches vs. 112.2 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Acadia is 1.1 inches wider in the front and .9 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the 4Runner.

The Acadia Denali AWD handles at .81 G’s, while the 4Runner TRD Off-Road Premium pulls only .72 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Acadia Denali AWD executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.6 seconds quicker than the 4Runner Trailhunter (27.5 seconds @ .63 average G’s vs. 29.1 seconds @ .59 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Acadia Elevation’s turning circle is .6 feet tighter than the 4Runner’s (38.8 feet vs. 39.4 feet).

Unibody construction lowers the Acadia’s center of gravity significantly without reducing ground clearance. This contributes to better on the road handling and better off-road performance and stability. In addition, unibody construction makes the chassis stiffer, improving handling and reducing squeaks and rattles. The 4Runner doesn’t use unibody construction, but a body-on-frame design.

The front grille of the Acadia uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The 4Runner doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

The Acadia uses computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The 4Runner doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

The Acadia offers optional seating for 8 passengers; the 4Runner can only carry up to 7.

The Acadia has 2.9 inches more front headroom, 2.5 inches more front legroom, 4 inches more front hip room, 4 inches more front shoulder room, 2.2 inches more rear headroom, 6.7 inches more rear legroom, 2.3 inches more rear hip room, 4.2 inches more rear shoulder room, 2.9 inches more third row headroom and .3 inches more third row legroom than the 4Runner.

The Acadia’s cargo area provides more volume than the 4Runner.

A low lift-over cargo hatch design makes loading and unloading the Acadia easier. The Acadia’s cargo hatch lift-over height is 30.6 inches, while the 4Runner’s liftover is 32.7 inches.

The Acadia’s cargo area is larger than the 4Runner’s in almost every dimension:

Pressing a switch automatically lowers the Acadia Denali’s second row seats and pressing a switch automatically lowers or raises the third row seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The 4Runner doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

The Acadia uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The 4Runner uses a prop rod to support its heavy hood. It takes two hands to open the hood and set the prop rod, the prop rod gets in the way during maintenance and service, and the prop rod could be knocked out, causing the heavy hood to fall on the person maintaining or servicing the car.

The Acadia has a standard remote vehicle starting system, so the vehicle can be started from inside the driver's house. This allows the driver to comfortably warm up the engine before going out to the vehicle. The climate system will also automatically heat or cool the interior. The 4Runner doesn’t offer a remote starting system.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) conducts detailed tests on headlights for their range both straight ahead and in curves and to be certain they don’t exceed acceptable amounts of glare to oncoming drivers. The Acadia’s headlights were rated “Good” by the IIHS, while the 4Runner’s headlights are rated “Acceptable” to “Poor.”

The Acadia’s optional rear and side view mirrors have an automatic dimming feature. These mirrors can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on them, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The 4Runner offers an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

The Acadia has a standard heated steering wheel to take the chill out of steering on extremely cold winter days before the vehicle heater warms up. A heated steering wheel is only available on the 4Runner Premium/Limited/Platinum/Trailhunter/TRD Pro.

The Acadia Denali Ultimate has standard massaging front seats in order to maximize comfort and eliminate fatigue on long trips. Massaging seats aren’t available in the 4Runner.

The Acadia has a standard dual zone air conditioning allows the driver and front passenger to choose two completely different temperatures so people with different temperature preferences won’t have to compromise. This makes both the driver and front passenger as comfortable as possible. Dual zone air conditioning is only available on the 4Runner Limited/Platinum/Trailhunter/TRD Pro.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the GMC Acadia has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. Only the 4Runner TRD/Limited/Platinum/Trailhunter offers wireless charging.

The Acadia’s optional Enhanced Automatic Parking Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, stopping and changing direction automatically. The 4Runner doesn’t offer an automated parking system.