10 Biggest News Stories of the Week: Toyota 4Runner Hybrid Hustles, Chevrolet Traverse Trails
The purchase price may be high, but the gas mileage is mediocre! [Rimshot from house band drummer.] The Cars.com Editorial team had high, or at least higher, hopes for fuel economy when it plunked down some $61,000 to add a 2025 Toyota 4Runner hybrid to its fleet of long-term test vehicles. But after nearly 15,000 miles of driving over the past year and change, it’s become clear that savings at the pump aren’t going to offset the purchase price on a meaningful timeline — not when our editors have been unsuccessful in achieving the mid-size SUV’s EPA-estimated combined figure for city and highway driving of 23 mpg.
Related: 10 Biggest News Stories of the Month: Honda CR-V Takes Not-So-Safe Lead Over Kia Telluride
As reported in Cars.com’s most popular news story of the past week, we’ve only been able to eke out a calculated average of 20.2 mpg, roughly 14% off the mark. What’s more, that average actually got worse over time for our 4Runner hybrid in TRD Off-Road Premium trim — with our last update at 10,000 miles having yielded an at least marginally better 20.5 mpg average. That, of course, has resulted in a significantly abbreviated average driving range (340 miles), more frequent stops to fill up the 19-gallon tank, more gas pumped (717 gallons) and higher total fuel expenditure ($2,355.84). On the bright side, over 20 mpg still isn’t terrible for a three-row off-road SUV, so it’s relative.
For the full update on fuel economy at 15,000 miles for our 2025 Toyota 4Runner hybrid, follow the link below to the No. 1 news story on this week’s countdown of most read articles.
Elsewhere in news three-row SUV shoppers can use, we highlighted the 2026 Chevrolet Traverse in a family-friendly-facets faceoff, pitting against a trio of top competitors in the categories of powertrain and fuel economy, child-safety seat accommodation, third-row headroom and legroom, and cargo space. The competitive field included the Honda Pilot, Toyota Grand Highlander and Volkswagen Atlas. The Traverse handily defeated rivals in powertrain specs with its turbocharged 2.5-liter four-cylinder that pumps out 328-horsepower while hanging in there on gas mileage with its EPA-estimated 20/26/22 mpg city/highway/combined. The mid-size Chevy SUV scored straight A’s for the second row in our Car Seat Check, but it fell to rivals in the third row, where it offers no lower Latch anchors for easy attachment. The Traverse fares fair to falling behind versus the others in third-row headroom and legroom, offering 38.3 inches and 32.1 inches, respectively. But what it lacks in wayback comfort, it makes up for in cargo room, as its 31.1 cubic feet behind the second row and 14.2 cubic feet behind the third row (per Cars.com’s standardized measuring system) best rivals in all but one area, the Grand Highlanders’ 14.5 cubic feet behind the third row.
For the full head-to-head comparison of the 2026 Chevrolet Traverse, follow the link below to the No. 2 news story of the week.
Beyond all that, we’ve got headlines on the Subaru Forester, Toyota Camry, Ford F-150, Hyundai Tucson Hybrid, Mazda CX-5, Honda, CR-V, Ram 1500 and much more — so don’t stop reading till the digits double. Here are the top 10 news stories Cars.com readers couldn’t get enough of in the past week:
1. After Almost 15,000 Miles, How Efficient Is the 2025 Toyota 4Runner Hybrid TRD Off-Road Premium?
2. How Does the 2026 Chevrolet Traverse Compare With Other 3-Row SUVs?
3. Subaru Recalls 69,000-Plus Forester, Forester Hybrid SUVs for Detaching Moonroof
4. How Safe Is the 2026 Toyota Camry?
5. How to Buy a Modern F-150 SVT Lightning: Ford Supercharges Its V-8 Pickup
6. 2026 Hyundai Tucson Hybrid Drops Price, Standard AWD
7. How Would the All-New 2026 Mazda CX-5 Have Performed in Our 2026 Compact SUV Challenge?
8. How Safe Is the 2026 Honda CR-V?
9. All-New 2027 Ram 1500 Rumble Bee Sport Truck Brings Sting With Up to 777 HP
10. Slate EV Moves Past Reservations and Into Preorders: What That Means
Cars.com’s Editorial department is your source for automotive news and reviews. In line with Cars.com’s long-standing ethics policy, editors and reviewers don’t accept gifts or free trips from automakers. The Editorial department is independent of Cars.com’s advertising, sales and sponsored content departments.
