Hi all. I am getting ready to make a purchase and it's down to the 4runner or the Highlander.

This vehicle will be my daily driver, a work vehicle that hauls tools (up to and including a table saw and ladders), and also hauling large amplifiers.

I do a good amount of highway driving with some residential mixed in.

I do enjoy the outdoors, pretty regular hiker and trying to do more camping, but I've never had much need for offroad capabilities.

What I like about the 4runner: -Big cargo capacity -Reliability -Can take a beating

What I like about the Highlander: -Better mpg -Smoother ride

I guess I'd like to solicit some advice. The 4runner has been my dream car, but my understanding is the comfort leaves something to be desired over long drives on the highway, and off roading is just not a big part of my life. The Highlander seems like a more economic choice, but with slightly smaller cargo volume, and frankly I don't like the way it looks as much.

My budget is 25k. Most of the other options I see are either too small (RAV4, Sorento), awful mpg (Armada, Expedition), or very poor reliability rating (Acadia).

What do yall think? Is the 4runner really THAT uncomfortable? Would I be wasting money if I'm not gonna use it for lots of offroad purposes? Given my needs and lifestyle, should I go with the more practical but less sexy choice?

Any advice is much appreciated!