Toyota sells a ton of off-road trucks, and it doesn’t lump every 4×4 into one category, either. Instead, on the 4Runner and Tacoma, it offers a high-speed TRD Pro model for desert junkies and a Trailhunter trim for overlanding folks. We’d heard that the full-size 2027 Toyota Tundra would get the Trailhunter treatment as well, and it has—but it’s not exactly the same. Instead of being its own trim, Trailhunter is a package available for the Tundra SR5, and it’s missing the signature high-rise air intake.
That’s not to say the Trailhunter package is a half-baked upgrade. Actually, I’d argue that it’s just right. Rather than gatekeeping essential four-wheelin’ features, it makes them available at a lower price while leaving out the unnecessary luxuries. Sure, you might not get leather in a Tundra with the Trailhunter add-on, but you do get Old Man Emu suspension, recovery hooks, skid plating, and 265/70 Michelin LTX Trail tires (equivalent to 31.6 inches in diameter) on 18-inch wheels.
Toyota hasn’t withheld its specialized off-road tech from the truck, either. It still gets Crawl Control, Multi-Terrain Select, and an electronically locking rear differential. In that way, it’s pretty similar to the TRD Off-Road package, although that features Bilstein shocks and Falken Wildpeak rubber.
And it’s not like you can’t add a snorkel if you want one. Importantly, the 4Runner and Tacoma Trailhunter’s snazzy intake is not a snorkel, as Toyota emphasizes. It isn’t water-tight, as its stated purpose is to raise the height where air is breathed in, hopefully keeping out dusty debris. Oh, and it makes a ton of turbo noise.
Tundra SR5s with the Trailhunter package also get bronze wheels and special badges, making them visually distinguishable from the million-and-one other versions of the truck.
One last differentiator between the full-size Tundra and other Trailhunter models is the powertrain—specifically, the lack of a hybrid option. Whereas the 4Runner and Tacoma come standard with an electrified 2.4-liter turbo-four, the Tundra SR5 is strictly available with a gas-only, twin-turbo, 3.4-liter V6. It makes plenty of power, at 389 horsepower and 479 lb-ft of torque, though any off-roaders wanting the hybrid variant with 437 hp and 583 lb-ft of torque will need to step up to another trim.
All in all, I’m OK with the Tundra’s Trailhunter upgrades being on the milder side. It means you don’t have to spend TRD Pro money—so, $75,000 or more—to get the features you want along with the ones you don’t need. I’m sure many will still shop upmarket, but at least the option is there for people with more sense than cents.
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