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If you’ve ever daydreamed about installing a supercharger on a Toyota 4Runner, someone already beat you to the punch. One owner strapped a supercharger to a 2022 4Runner TRD Pro‘s engine and sold it online. The bright green 4Runner with a supercharged engine has stoked our imaginations and kindled mental images of Toyota 4x4s with Ford Raptor-esque power.

A 4Runner with an aftermarket supercharged engine sold via an online auction 

A green Toyota 4Runner TRD Pro sits on a grass field. This 4Runner has an aftermarket supercharger installed on its engine.
2022 Toyota 4Runner TRD Pro | Cars and Bids

This Toyota 4Runner with a supercharged engine was sold on the popular auction website Cars and Bids.

An online listing shows a 2022 4Runner TRD Pro in bright green with just 3,400 miles – practically brand new by 4Runner standards. On the surface, it looks like any other TRD Pro model. Black wheels, all-terrain tires, and TRD skid plates are all par for the course. 

But there’s a surprise under the hood. 

An image of the 4Runner’s engine bay shows a prominent supercharger attached to the powertrain. This modification surely tantalized prospective buyers, as the closing auction price for the 4Runner stopped at $61,500 – nearly $10,000 more than the model’s MSRP. 

We don’t know how much power the supercharger added to the 4Runner’s 4.0-liter V6 engine. According to Cars and Bids, it has yet to run on a dyno. But it’s safe to assume it feels more muscular from the driver’s seat.

What does a supercharger do for an engine?

Supercharging is a way to get more power from an engine by forcing compressed air into the combustion process.  

This process is called forced induction, and it has become increasingly popular for passenger cars. Manufacturers most commonly use turbocharging for forced air induction. The method is more straightforward mechanically and yields good results, so it’s ideal for ordinary commuter vehicles. 

Superchargers, on the other hand, are typically reserved for high-performance vehicles. They use the engine’s power to suck in and compress air. Denser oxygen in the combustion process means more efficient power production. 

Installing and tuning a supercharger correctly can lead to massive engine power gains – it’s no wonder Toyota 4Runner fans were excited by the prospect.  

Does the Toyota 4Runner’s engine need more power?

A peak into the engine bay of a Toyota 4Runner with an aftermarket supercharger.
2022 Toyota 4Runner TRD Pro Engine Bay with Supercharger | Cars and Bids

According to Cars and Bids, the stock 4.0-liter V6 makes just 270 horsepower and 285 pound-feet of torque – paltry numbers for an SUV that weighs nearly 5,000 pounds. 

The Toyota 4Runner TRD Pro is known for being one of the best off-roaders on the market – but it isn’t known for having a powerful engine. 

One of the reasons the 4Runner is so powerful is its reputation for reliability. Toyota has kept the same old 4.0-liter V6 engine in the 4Runner for over a decade, leaning on its durability and simplicity. As a result, the 4Runner now lags well behind more modernized SUVs in the power department.

There’s no way around it – the 4Runner is slow and inefficient despite being capable and durable. It could undoubtedly use help from a supercharger or turbocharger like the one in the auctioned example. 

Hope on the horizon: Toyota 4Runner could get the i-Force MAX Engine

Fortunately, you may not need to rely on aftermarket parts for extra 4Runner power much longer. 

There’s hope on the horizon with the arrival of Toyota’s new i-Force MAX turbo V6 hybrid engine. The engine makes substantially more power than the 4Runner’s old 4.0-liter V6 while simultaneously yielding better efficiency. 

The engine is already in use with the new Sequoia and Tundra, and Toyota has hinted that it will also be in the upcoming redesigned Tacoma. It would follow that the 4Runner would also get the i-Force MAX engine when Toyota finally redesigns it.

Until then, we’ll have to keep looking for aftermarket supercharged 4Runners. 

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Staff Writer, Producer - SUVs

Scott Prewitt

Scott Prewitt joined the MotorBiscuit team in 2023 as a Staff Writer for the SUV section. During college, he began his career in journalism as Editor in Chief of The Creightonian. After graduating from Creighton University with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism, News and Public Relations, Scott spent time in a local newsroom. He soon found his way to the world of automotive journalism and has been writing about cars since 2017.

A passion for all things automotive began at a young age. Playing Gran Turismo racing games in the early 2000s sparked an interest in cars and Scott began devouring Car and Driver stories when he was in the fourth grade. Since then, Scott’s enthusiasm for autos has grown to become the focal point of his career as a journalist.

By combining the skills that earned him the News Graduate of the Year 2016 and the Omaha Press Club Recognition & Academic Scholarship with a craving for knowledge of automotive industry, Scott covers a wide range of content from breaking news about the latest SUV models to designated off-road and overlanding rigs. His reporting is informed by personal experiences like road trips, intriguing automotive history, and time spent poring over various outlets and YouTube channels. Scott is drawn to car culture because, in his own words,  “these vehicles are a combination of purpose-built engineering and emotive, expressive design.”

The personal aspects of the autos world are of particular interest to Scott, and he is fascinated by the relationship between humans and cars. Years of writing for dealerships across the country and time in the corporate communications world lend to his expertise as a writer here at MotorBiscuit.