Toyota 4Runner 2nd generation (N130) 

Production	1989 to 1995
Assembly	Japan, China
Class	off road
Body style	3-door SUV 5-door SUV
Engine	Gasoline: 2.0 L 3Y I4 2.2 L 4Y I4 2.4 L 22R-E I4 3.0 L 3VZ-E V6 Diesel: 2.4 L 2L-TE turbo I4 2.4 L 2L-T(II) turbo I4 2.8 L 3L I4 3.0 L 1KZ-T turbo I4 3.0 L 1KZ-TE turbo I4
Transmission	5-speed manual 4-speed A340H automatic
Wheelbase	103.3 in (2,625 mm)
Length	176.0–176.8 in (4,470–4,490 mm)
Width	66.5 in (1,690 mm)
Height	66.1 in (1,680 mm)
Curb weight	3,760 lb (1,705 kg)

In 1989, they completely turned away from 4Runner of the first generation. The new body still rested on the chassis of the pickup, but was completely independent. The difference can be clearly seen when comparing pickups and 4Runner from the same year: The 1984 models look very similar, while the 1990s models have only a few styling details in common.

Almost all 4Runner the second generation were five-door, even if there was 1989-1992 also a three-door. These models are similar to the four-door car of the time, in which the body in one part (and not cab and body separated) was made. Three-door 4Runners from this period are very rare, and their production was abandoned in August 1992, presumably because of higher import duties and high insurance ratings.

But because the drive components of Pickup and 4Runner were still the same, there were the same engines for both model series. For rear-wheel drive and four-wheel drive vehicles, the 2.4-liter R4 (Type 22R-E) and 3.0-liter V6 (Type 3VZ) continued to be available. The new 4Runner had also taken over the new front axle construction from its predecessor. The old gear-driven centre differential ran out, and the new, chain-driven one was installed along with both engines, presumably to limit running noise and vibration.

The Hilux Surf for the Japanese market was also available with various diesel engines, including the 2.4-liter R4 turbo diesel, type Toyota 2L-TE (until 1993), and later the 3.0-liter R4 turbodiesel, type Toyota 1KZ-TE. A few copies were also delivered with a 2.0-liter R4 gasoline engine, type Toyota 3Y. Turbocharging for naturally aspirated diesel engines (e.g. the 2.8-liter R4) was common, with or without intercooler, which significantly improves performance. Rear and 4-wheel-drive V-6s  and a 4WD 4-cylinder. Both 4WD models gain Toyota's "4WDemand" system, which includes automatic locking front hubs and allows shifting between 2WD and 4WD up to 50 mph. A more basic system with manual hubs had previously been standard with the 4-cylinder engine. The four is a 2.4-liter with 116
horsepower; the V-6 a 3.0 with 150. A 5-speed manual transmission is standard on the 4WD V-6 and mandatory on the 4-cylinder 4Runner. A 4-speed automatic is optional on the 4WD V-6 and mandatory on the 2WD V-6. Rear anti-lock brakes are standard on V-6s, optional on the 4-cylinder. Cruise control is added to the V-6
4WD's optional leather package. And optional chrome package is included with the extra-cost alloy wheels, which are now confined to V-6 models.

Most other then-SUV with independent body (eg Nissan Pathfinder or Ford Explorer) had normal, one-piece tailgates with rear window, which opened upwards. The 4Runner had - taken over from predecessor - on the other hand, a tailboard with electric window. To open you had to first lower the rear window and then open the bottom hinged tailboard as in a pickup.

In 1992, the 4Runner was slightly revised and got module headlights instead of the increasingly backward sealed-beam rectangular headlights. From 1993 to 1995 - the last year of production for the second generation of the 4Runner - there were other cosmetic changes.

Europe 

In the past, Toyota's import activities - as with most Japanese manufacturers - were not yet bundled across Europe. As a result, individual models were not imported to certain European countries and others were only imported with certain engine variants. So now the 4Runner was officially offered in Germany, but only with the 3.0-liter V6 petrol engine. In some European countries, however, the 3.0-liter diesel engine was also offered. After various customers imported a 4Runner with diesel engine partly through Toyota dealers and independent dealers, Toyota took the diesel engine from 1993 officially in the model range.

Security Aspects 

Both the first and second generations of the 4Runner were referred to as unsafe SUVs. The crash regulations for light commercial vehicles in the US were not very strict in the 1980s and 1990s, and so all early 4Runner were equipped with doors that offered little protection in a side impact. In most places, there were little more than two sheets and the window to keep an intruder from hurting the passengers. The second generation of the 4Runner got for the driver's side in frontal impact only one star, the passenger side at least four stars. Later crash standards required, as with other passenger cars, a specific side impact protection in the doors.

The most-heard reproach, however, was that the 4Runner - like many other SUV with a narrow track - tended to overturn. Many light SUVs of the time had relatively high priorities and therefore overturned easily by the action of appropriate forces to the side. Whether this poses a serious danger in road traffic depends on many parameters, e.g. Speed, hooped tires, the nature of the road surface, and the ability of the driver to anticipate and avert dicey situations. The third generation of the 4Runner had a wider track, but one does not know if this was a direct response to increased pressure from security experts or had other reasons.