2025 Taco Trailhunter v. TRD Off Road

New member as of today, and with a basic question. I'm basically locked into a 2025 Trailhunter (Underground), but am getting slightly cold feet, as the dealer also has a 2025 TRD Off Road with the iFORCE MAX available in the Premium package for about $12K less. I love how much capability that the Trailhunter has, but I'm also trying to be realistic about how it may be overkill for my actual usage. Any insight from owners of either? FWIW, I'm a 61-year old lawyer who doesn't have as much free time as I would like. Thanks.

 

If it boils down to time? Get the TrailHunter. It’s ready for about anything out of the box, all with the factory warranty. 12K is a lot, the Off Road is plenty capable for most, and you can modify it to be more capable later if needed.

 

Also 61 and just got my 2025 Pro this month. If I would have got an OR Premium for 55K instead of 65K for the Pro I would have wanted to upgrade some stuff. I like the Raptor style wide body look but NOT poke. $1,000 for new wheels, $1,100 for 33" tires, and $900 for flares. I also like the slightly lifted look and would want to upgrade the suspension. Not with a cheap collar lift. Forged UCAs and upgraded springs and shocks would be at least $3,000. I really like the heritage grill and light bar. $1,000 with wiring and oem switch. Even without the iso seats, the Pro/TH interior is much nicer with the padded door uppers and better seat material. Easily worth $1,000. OR comes with a cloth? skid plate. An aluminum one is $500 ($900 for a full TH set). The ARB rear bumper is nice and they are over $1500. The TRD exhaust that sounds and looks great is about $800. That's $10,800. I would have to do all of that work myself or pay even more. After all of that, I would have added $0 to the vehicle's trade in value.

 

Thanks, I drove them both on city streets and didn't notice a major difference; they had the same powertrain and I wasn't climbing anything larger than a speedbump. My proposed build out cost for the OR was also around $58-59K, and the dealer is selling the Trailhunter for $63K, so the Trailhunter is probably a better deal overall because of all of the included features. I think I answered my own question here.

Looking forward to getting insight from the group as I start this journey.

 

You will not regret the Trailhunter over the Off Road.

 

I have an off road and added sliders, the TRD Pro Grill, 33" tires and rear ARB bumper. I also plan on changing the springs with Alldogs set up to get another 1-2" of lift
Mine isnt a Hybrid, I wanted the storage under the seats more than the power. It is really a personal decision as most would have taken the power.

Only you can better decide on what you like if $12K is worth it

If you think you would later regret going with the offroad, then that is a key point right there. No regrets on what should be a long term vehicle

 

Go with the TH, I like being in an exclusive class with the TRD Pro that I will be picking up tomorrow. No knock at all on the OR owners, as most people will customize to their liking anyways. I am 49, and don't feel like messing with any mods anymore. The Pro is outfitted well enough for me. I would have picked the TH, if it wasn't for the snorkle, and lack of moonroof, it was my decision-maker to get rid of my daily German sportscar after I drove it, was lots of fun.

 

If they made a longbed Pro I’d have one. If they made a Trailhunter without a snorkel I’d have one of those. But they don’t make either so I’m picking up an Offroad in a week or two whenever it shows up.

 

If you're not going off-road, go with the Off Road.

 

I dislike the snorkel/air intake as well, but I believe that there are modifications that may make it less obnoxious. The next step, though, will be investigating tonneau covers and/or bed racks.

 

Get the Trailhunter it's the most badass 4G, Pro is cool but I like bronze oxide. I don't need a a TH so I'd probably go for something less expensive or buy some other $65k truck. There's a 45k F250 RC 4x4 I could buy but I don't need that either and would be using either truck for the same purpose. The Trailhunter accessories could be a little more ARB than Harbor Freight, but that has no impact on the truck itself. TH comes in higher than what I want to pay for a truck, but it looks good and you can't get a LC 300 in the US.

 

You already answered your question..get the off road

 

I bought this one today, as we have a large reseller account with them. WIll report back, reviews are raving. ALso, there are only so many makers of these covers

https://www.roughcountry.com/product/toyota-flip-up-bed-cover-49415551

 

Personally you should go with the looks you like the best. If you are not really going to use any of them to their full capabilities then it comes to looks and money. If money is no issue then go with looks. No one can make that decision. Personally if the TH was the only option I would not have even bought a Tacoma. The snorkel and bed rack (can be removed but then waste of money) is so ugly it completely ruins the truck. The Pro is by far the best looking. I just did not need all of the extras for my DD pavement runner.

 

Make sure you are ok with the noise from the snorkle

 

If you are asking the question, the answer is always TRD OFF ROAD.

 

Both are fine products. I don't know why you need or are getting a pickup truck and that is what would drive my decisions and did. Affording a halo model or hybrid were not issues here.

Even though I actually drive off road a lot and have to use 4x4 and the long bed often, I also have to do pavement driving. The stock tires setup with a TRD OR stood out for that. Test rides of halo models told me near instantly I'd not want that all the time. The stock TRD OR is doing really well for someone who uses it for trail building and ski area operations and work plus for my business. I'm off pavement and off road 2 to sometimes 5-6 days a week. It is nicely civilized for pavement, the 186 mi distance to the cabin, and this season about 4700 miles for ski trips where the Trail-Terrain TA tires have proved to be a pleasant surprise.

In lots of testing of SR through halo models and the two wheelbases it stood out they're all light trucks, long beds also better just for ride, and once above the SR seats and especially upgrade or premium packages you get a good seat design.

It's hard to say more on "capability" because you did not say what you really need. I'm super happy with not spending hunks of money on other models and kind of smile for it now considering I could say it also bought a lot. I'm also happy for getting a more subdued looking rig.

 

I was in the same boat when trying to decide what 4G I wanted to purchase. I ultimately bought an OR Hybrid and I am putting the money I saved by not buying the Pro or TH into building the OR Hybrid to fit my exact needs. Yes, the mods I am making to/adding to the OR are not going to increase resale value, but they are increasing functionality and I am one that enjoys customizing/modifying my trucks. This is one of the main reasons I sold my Ranger Raptor in favor of a 4G Tacoma.

 

Buying the TH right now. I’m not picking a tonneau cover yet because I need to research which are compatible with bed racks. Diamondback has a heavy duty cover (HD) that can support bed rack mounts directly on top, although that reduces accessibility to the bed.

Interested to hear what the group has done with this type of configuration.

 

@TacoRancher can probably provide some insight.