Should I spring for a TH?

[BTAO]

Man it’s hard to pick a favorite. The snorkel sound is fun because it kind of engages the driver. I’ve used the compressor a lot for airing down at my ranch. I disconnect the sway bar often. The underbody armor going all the way back to the diff and rock rails have saved my bacon many times when going over bad terrain where I can’t really see what’s in the tall grass that well. But I think my favorite is the old man emu shocks - they make daily driving so pleasant and they also soak up trails nicely. Overall it’s such a great truck. Almost 25,000 miles on the ODO.

Nice. Hey, what gas mileage are you getting over that span? Just curious. Seems like most folks like me start off around 17 and work their way up to spec over the next 20k.

I was quite shocked on my test drive and since how easy and confident this thing drives. On/off road, both fun and confident. It's firm on the road, but the whole character changes when you get into the slower, bigger articulation. The big external reservoirs become obvious how nicely it controls big motions.

My only planned adders are going to be to add the small skid plates for the control arm/link pivots. Those things are the first things to get hit since they hang down so far, yet the one thing the skid plates don't protect. One of the reviewers actually took the demo off road, drove it like a noob, but then put it on a lift to see what they hit after. And yeah, those things are all kinds of scratched and dented.

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[tacorancher]

Nice. Hey, what gas mileage are you getting over that span? Just curious. Seems like most folks like me start off around 17 and work their way up to spec over the next 20k.

I was quite shocked on my test drive and since how easy and confident this thing drives. On/off road, both fun and confident. It's firm on the road, but the whole character changes when you get into the slower, bigger articulation. The big external reservoirs become obvious how nicely it controls big motions.

My only planned adders are going to be to add the small skid plates for the control arm/link pivots. Those things are the first things to get hit since they hang down so far, yet the one thing the skid plates don't protect. One of the reviewers actually took the demo off road, drove it like a noob, but then put it on a lift to see what they hit after. And yeah, those things are all kinds of scratched and dented.

So I bumped up to 285/70/17s with 17” wheels - a slight weight increase overall and definitely more rolling resistance. Still, my overall average is 19.5 MPG. Part of it is break in. Part of it is that I use 93 Octane. It delivers a lot more power (yes — it actually does— more on that if you want to discuss). And maybe another part is that I try to drive chill unless I need the juice. I think the engine hits its strike around 10,000 miles and is really broken in and gives better mileage.

 

[lauren01]

Yes get the Trailhunter. It’s functional and fabulous. Glad I drove an few after test driving the Pro, as others have indicated in their responses.

Check around the forum and you will see how many people added Trailhunter items to their lower spec Tacomas and some Pros, such as the tailpipe, wheels, fenders, and air compressor. And there are plenty of other things on the Trailhunter that you can only get on a Trailhunter.

 

[ixo]

bruh, this was my 2024 OR Hybrid:

It's going to come with a bunch of shit included you don't want/need.

On mine I removed:

ARB Sport Rack - Sold for $500
OEM Wheels - trying to sell
Tube Steps - Trying to sell
"Performance exhaust" - sold for $500

long story short, just becasue MSRP is whatever, don't assume that's what you're going to pay. You'll either get an OffRoad with a bunch of extra crap, or a TH with a bunch of extra crap, I don't ever see them "just vanilla" in the wild. Dealers know what they're doing.

 

[PNWkip]

bruh, this was my 2024 OR Hybrid:

It's going to come with a bunch of shit included you don't want/need.

On mine I removed:

ARB Sport Rack - Sold for $500
OEM Wheels - trying to sell
Tube Steps - Trying to sell
"Performance exhaust" - sold for $500

long story short, just becasue MSRP is whatever, don't assume that's what you're going to pay. You'll either get an OffRoad with a bunch of extra crap, or a TH with a bunch of extra crap, I don't ever see them "just vanilla" in the wild. Dealers know what they're doing.

Dude this is wild!
Lots of Vanilla builds up here in WA. My SR5 was like plain waffle no ice cream.

 

[PNWkip]

Also, OP. If I was in the right income bracket I would 100% go for the TH. The truck is sick AF and you barely have to do anything to it right off the lot besides tires. Like @lauren01 said, there's a reason us in the lower trims are adding a bunch of TH specific parts. It's a great build with awesome featurs! And damn does it look cool. Post some photos when you get it

 

[BTAO]

So I bumped up to 285/70/17s with 17” wheels - a slight weight increase overall and definitely more rolling resistance. Still, my overall average is 19.5 MPG. Part of it is break in. Part of it is that I use 93 Octane. It delivers a lot more power (yes — it actually does— more on that if you want to discuss). And maybe another part is that I try to drive chill unless I need the juice. I think the engine hits its strike around 10,000 miles and is really broken in and gives better mileage.

Thanks, good to hear. From an engineering aspect, I appreicate the tight tolerances, but it does mean in general it might take more time to break in.

I am curious that you really feel the impact of the higher octane. Stock mapping? Measured? What's your feedback?

 

[tacorancher]

Thanks, good to hear. From an engineering aspect, I appreicate the tight tolerances, but it does mean in general it might take more time to break in.

I am curious that you really feel the impact of the higher octane. Stock mapping? Measured? What's your feedback?

My feedback is not scientific, just that the truck feels more powerful. I thought it was my imagination until I saw this:

 

[BTAO]

Here's my spec sheet, I'll see if I can remember to snap a pick of the sticker.

This is how it was on the lot. There were no others within 100mi of this dealer at the time in bronze oxide, and only 3 other dealers in the state that had one. They had 3, white, black and bronze.

Things to note, I was planning on a bed rack the whole time until I got up and looked at the roof rack. It's bigger than it looks, has 3 rails, and handled my rod holder no prob. Not putting any kayaks up there, but that's what the trailer or the girl's outback is for. So glad I don't have to obstruct the bed with a rack. So don't knock the roof rack, it's great. The scuff protectors are great, well placed and effective. The bed liner is SO worth it, and so glad it was on mine. Much less slippery, and great protection even for the composite bed.

I have a flat trailer now, but looking forward to putting the remote camera on a new one this year, or ultralight rv. The towing tech is really great otherwise, and hopefully everyone gets it. You set up your trailer(s) type and size, and your safety monitoring, like blind spots, automatically adjust to make it easy to know when to merge and clearances. The cameras obviously are stellar here, you back the thing up to a bullseye for heavy trailers.

None of the tech is neaded, but man it's so nice the more I dive in... More time to enjoy the experience without worrying so much

ADDITIONAL VEHICLE DETAILS
Order date:
01/2025
Body Style:
4X4 DOUBLE CAB HV
Tire Size:
265R18
Plant of Manufacture:
Guanajuato, Mexico
Tire Make/Brand:
Goodyear/dunlop Tire
Spare Tire Brand:
Goodyear/dunlop Tire
PORT OR FACTORY INSTALLED EQUIPMENT
2B Door Panel Scuff Protector Port
59 Phone Cables - Smart USB Port
D5 Door Edge Guard Port
DK Owner's Portfolio Port
DR Roof Rack Port
FE 50 State Emissions Factory
L5 Spray-On Bed Liner Port
TD Towing Technology Package - includes
Toyota Wireless Camera System (WCS)
Factory
TH Trailhunter Package Factory
V1 Dash Cam Port
XX Drop Ship Indicator Port
STANDARD INSTALLATION EQUIPMENT
Mechanical & Performance
i-FORCE MAX 2.4L 4cyl Turbocharged Hybrid
Powertrain 8-Spd Automatic Transmission
4WDemand: Part-Time 4x4 Sys w/2-speed
Electronically Controlled Transfer Case Old
Man Emu(R) Forged Monotube Shocks w/
Rear Remote Reservoirs Electronically
Controlled Locking Rear Differential; Multi-
Terrain Select; Crawl Control w/Downhill
Ascent Control Stabilizer Disconnect
Mechanism (SDM) High-Clearance Trail
Exhaust
Safety & Convenience
Multi Terrain Monitor Toyota Safety Sense 3.0
w/Pre-Collision Star Safety System Connected
Services Capable. 4G network dependent. See
Toyota.com for details. Blind Spot Monitor w/
RCTA
Exterior
Trailhunter signature LED headlamps Bronze
TOYOTA Heritage Grille w/ Integrated LED
Light Bar ARB(R) Steel Rear Bumper w/
Recovery Hooks ARB(R) Sport Bar Trailhunter
Steel Front Skid Plate Frame-Mounted Rock
Rails Rigid Industries(R) White/Amber
Selectable LED Fog Lights 18-in Bronzefinished
Wheels Smart Key System on D+P
Doors Power Open/Close Tailgate
Interior
SofTex(R)-Trimmed Heated & Ventilated Front
Seats w/Lumbar Support Leather-Trimmed
Heated Steering Wheel 14-in Toyota Audio
Multimedia w/ Apple CarPlay and Android
Auto Compatibility SiriusXM w/3-Month Trial
JBL(R) 10-speaker incl/subwoofer, amp and
JBL(R) FLEX portable speaker Qi Wireless
Charging

 

[lauren01]

Groovy! My TH is also equipped with the wireless camera system. We tow a small trailer so it’s going to really come in handy.

 

[BTAO]

My feedback is not scientific, just that the truck feels more powerful. I thought it was my imagination until I saw this:

Cool, I'll have to give it a go one of these days. I've had a lot of turbo cars, and the crosstrek was the first not to have to have 93 in it, so, was nice. It's good to see the new engines so adaptable to octane on their own, versus having to get a tune for it.

 

[Clervis]

Thanks eerbody for your thoughts. Alas, I went with an ORP LB. TH had things I liked: SDM, OME, LB. Some things I didn't much care for: sport rack, wall paper, financing. pizzazz and price. But in the end it was the dealers. All haggled around MSRP, while I got the OR under 10% off. I nabbed some TH sliders, though.

On the octane convo, I've noticed a difference with 93, but wasn't sure if it was placebo. I've driven a lot of turbos and usually can tell a difference. One other thing to add, generally power gain likewise comes with efficiency. If you're getting 10% more torque/hp, you might get 10% better fuel economy, so 2mpg or ~35¢ off the ~80¢ price difference. Just a thought (filled with spurious assumptions).

 

[Will721]

In theory, in a N/A application the engine can only pump as much air as the cylinder head/s allow. Meaning unless the compression ratio requires it, high octane serves no purpose. In turbo applications, the engine is fed as much air as the turbo can push and if the compression ratio doesn't start low it would cause detonation under boost. The ecm would then adjust timing, fuel and if possible boost control to prevent detonation. So depending on the "native" compression ratio of these engines it is entirely possible that there is a measurable difference in power with higher octane fuel. I'd be curious to see the dyno numbers 87 vs 91 and 0%-15% ethanol.

On the topic of whether or not to step up to the Trailhunter itself or the Pro for that matter I would look at it like this; if you don't plan to go offroad there is no reason to do so at all and would argue it is entirely a waste of money. However if you do plan to drive offroad, that still doesn't mean you should buy either. You would then need to decide whether you plan on modifying the truck first.

I did a small mountain of research before buying my non-hybrid OR, including differences in hybrid vs Ice, premium vs standard, and sr5 vs OR. It all comes down to future plans. The OR has a locking rear diff and terrain control which personally I felt justified the price over the SR5 but that's my preference. I also chose Ice over hybrid for simplicity since I didn't see enough power difference to justify the cost when we already have aftermarket turbo options if I need it. If you plan on changing the suspension, tires, and adding your own protection anyway that differs from the factory Trailhunter or Pro you've already wasted a small fortune in the parts which make those two special over the Offroad. It's the same with if your plans include aftermarket sound systems, it would be a waste to get JBL. If you want particular seat covers it negates the leather. If you plan on spending time and money customizing the truck, it just doesn't make sense to buy a factory "custom" truck just to take everything off.

At the end of the day both the Trailhunter and the Pro are for 2 types of people. Those that want an offroad capable machine out of the box that don't want to modify it or keep mods to a minimum, and those with enough money that they can't be bothered and just wanna blow it.

Frankly my only regrets so far is I wish I could have held out till I found a long bed, and that I somehow missed the fact there is no aftermarket plug and play trailer brake control.

 

[AZTaco]

On the topic of whether or not to step up to the Trailhunter itself or the Pro for that matter I would look at it like this; if you don't plan to go offroad there is no reason to do so at all and would argue it is entirely a waste of money. However if you do plan to drive offroad, that still doesn't mean you should buy either. You would then need to decide whether you plan on modifying the truck first.

At the end of the day both the Trailhunter and the Pro are for 2 types of people. Those that want an offroad capable machine out of the box that don't want to modify it or keep mods to a minimum, and those with enough money that they can't be bothered and just wanna blow it.

So if I want a good looking truck out of the box and may or may not need the extra offroad capability am I a type 1 or did I just blow my money and I'm a type 2?

Isn't being bothered to modify your truck which adds nothing to resale value also blowing your money?

 

[Will721]

So if I want a good looking truck out of the box and may or may not need the extra offroad capability am I a type 1 or did I just blow my money and I'm a type 2?

Isn't being bothered to modify your truck which adds nothing to resale value also blowing your money?

I suppose it depends on how you define good looking. There really isn't much different looks wise of the pro vs the offroad that stands out other than the hood and grille. Which you can buy and change for considerably less than the price difference between the two.

Also, I'm not talking about resale value, per say but more outright cost. The Pro and Trailhunter are 16-17k more than the offroad msrp out of the box, even more for the ICE version but I'll count that out. There really aren't that many visual differences between the Trailhunter, Pro, and Offroad. Even fewer functional differences. So every part that you take off that differentiated the TH or Pro from the offroad makes that initial cost difference more of a waste.

To put it simpler you could take an Offroad, run a complete dirt king mid travel kit, banks intake, carbon fiber hood, heritage grille and OTT tune and it would only run you about $9k. You could get your choice of Method wheels and 35" tires for another $2700-3000, less for off brands. You would then have a truck just as capable as a Pro and save $4k, or spend it too, go long travel and be more capable. (Other than Iso seats) You can do all those things on a trail hunter or pro too, but you start out with that $16k-17k base difference.

Again, that's not to say anything is wrong with either trim, they are great trucks out of the box. But it doesn't make much sense to me to spend the extra money just to take off the parts that you paid extra money paid for in the first place.

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