The Toyota Tacoma TRD PRO was once considered the pinnacle of performance for the nameplate with the baja focused truck delivering an excellent trail experience thanks to its custom suspension, off-road gear, and in recent years, it’s exotic ISO front seats.
But what if you’re someone who still wants to have that fun but in a package that’s slightly softer, more comfortable, and sill distinctive enough to be treated as its own distinct vehicle? Toyota thinks it has the answer with the all-new Tacoma Trailhunter but is it really the best Overlander money can buy?
Trailhunter packs plenty of style in its flanks
When you first take a look at the Tacoma Trailhunter, you might see some core essentials from the Tacoma TRD Pro and that’s fine since the Trailhunter is based on that model. However, look closer and some of the differences rapidly become apparent. It starts with the front mounted snorkel that moves the air intake higher up. It looks cool and it allows the truck to ford greater depths of water but we’ll admit it also the intake noise it makes can be grating on your ears over long term exposure.
Move past that and you’ll also discover the 18-inch bronze hued wheels that are shod in large 33-inch off-road tires. This helps boost the Trailhunter’s profile and we also like the ARB rear sportbar and some of the integrated lighting in the front bumper that give the Trailhunter a distinct theme and purpose. The Trailhunter treatment is also available on the 4Runner SUV, but, we feel that the treatment is best expressed on the pickup due to its proportions.
Trailhunter is the comfy one
Slip inside and you’ll find that the interior also embodies a unique identity. The Softex front seats are traditional chairs (no ISO magic here) but that’s fine since they also come with plenty of padding and support to help make things nice and comfortable on long journeys. Splashes of yellow accents and mineral like treatments give the Trailhunter a more refined look. A digital instrument cluster is joined by a massive 14-inch infotainment system and as is th case in other Toyota’s the software here is first rate and it continues to provide fast load times and responses.
Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard and the screen even houses a trick rear-view camera that offers multiple views. Large chunky buttons and switches provide maximum usability and the steering wheel fitted nicely into the hand. All of this front seat comfort does come at a price and while all Trailhunters come as a Double Cab, backseat room is not the best with rear legroom being extremely tight. You do get decent headroom though and rear passengers get their own power ports so that helps balance things out somewhat.
The bed is very good and it not only comes with a power tailgate and a power outlet, but also a power operated air compressor that’s meant to help reinflate tires quickly when your out and about in the bush. It can also haul a healthy amount of cargo including gear and other accessories.
Revised Trailhunter suspension is the star of the show
Performance for all Trailhunter models (Tacoma or 4Runner) comes from a turbocharged 2.4-liter -FORCE MAX four-cylinder that’s mated to a hybrid system to produce a combined system output of 326 horsepower and 465 lb-ft of torque. This engine has already proven itself to be a winner in the Tacoma in the past and the Trailhunter continues to be an excellent platform for this engine’s strong punchy torque and acceleration.
However, in the Trailhunter, it also gets to play second fiddle to the suspension which is the true star of the show. Unlike the TRD PRO which uses a Fox-sourced suspension, Toyota engineers swapped it out for Old Man Emu 2.5-inch forged monotube shocks and rear remote reservoir shocks. This choice not only allowed the truck to have more ground clearance, but it also makes the suspension much softer which is great for not only trail running but also traditional street driving with the shocks soaking up the worst that Metro Detroit had to offer when it came to bumps and potholes.
The hybrid system also allowed our tester to get respectable fuel economy numbers with the EPA rating the truck at 22 city, 24 highway, and 23 overall. The Trailhunter will also tow 6,000-pounds.
How much?
Pricing for the 2025 Toyota Tacoma Trailhunter starts at $63,350 with the truck coming fully loaded with standard features. It’s also slightly less expensive than the $64,350 TRD PRO but this might be missed when buyers go through the optional extras and accessories with our rig having a final as-tested price of just over $65,000 thanks to a light sprinkling of options.
This pricing puts it firmly in the race with rivals like the Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 and the Ford Ranger Raptor. The hybrid engine in the Tacoma is a unique selling point and we think some buyers will gravitate to the Trailhunter once they have a chance to experience some of the benefits of the Old Man Emu suspension. When taken as a whole, the 2025 Toyota Tacoma Trailhunter does a good job of pushing the performance envelope while also offering more of everything to buyers.
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