It’s been just about a month since I upgraded my mom-mobile to a 5th gen Toyota 4Runner. My first impression of the beast? Awesome.

I love having Val’s truck (now a 2nd gen Raptor) for our camping weekends and longer adventures… but the Ford is SO wide that it’s not the best on all of the trails. Additionally, I wanted something that I could use for my own trips, days with the kids, paddle boarding or hiking with friends, etc.

During our search for the 4Runner, I was specific in wanting to keep a third row (one of my favorite parts of the my former car, the GMC Acadia) and I obviously wanted it to be 4WD.

We ended up with 2016 #basic white 4Runner and I’m obsessed. Within the first few weeks, we added a 3″ ProComp lift to it, 33in tires mounted up on wider TRD wheels for smoother trail runs with bigger rocks, and then we painted the wheels black (because that’s been my dream – white 4runenr with blacked out wheels) With just these few “easy” upgrades, it’s made the 4Runner a blast to drive on and off-road.

I am looking forward to more adventures with this car, and next on the list is a roof rack and light bar setup for the 4Runner’s first trip to Utah in a few weeks!