TRAILHUNTER won't sell?

[Leucosia]

We are planning to go to Carrizo Plains this weekend. Will bring the electric cook gear and propane stuff. Nice to have options.

Another place to add to the list! looks beautiful. I'm in the San Diego area so once i get the TH broken in I plan on doing short trips around anza borrego and ocotillo wells. There's some pretty well travelled spots around there starting off near the salton sea.

But for sure compiling a list of places in California I want to check out.

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[AmbyBomb]

A local dealership has Trailhunters at a $10k discount relative to list because they simply can't sell them.

 

[BTAO]

Depends on factors. Dealers tend to get what they get, and some, like the one that sparked the thread https://www.peruzzitoyota.com/new-H...oma+i+FORCE+MAX-Trailhunter-3TYLC5LN8ST030330 has expensive options that not many people would want, like over 2k for fancy trailer options. If a buyer wants a particular build, they've gotta travel because they can't just order one anymore. Dealers like the one I was at had the showroom white one sit because nobody wanted the white, while they couldn't get enough bronze ones. I got mine almost off the truck.

Let's not forget, even if it's not selling in your world doesn't mean there's anything wrong or bad with it. Like many pointed out, to get the same quality build with warranty you're over the price, easily. People love or hate the sport bar. Okay, cool. I like mine, it grew on me. 1) it's actually functional vs every other one out there. You can put a can or tool on the molle plate, and it makes the truck unique to the trim.

 

[shackley]

I recently bought my 2025 in late January. It hit dealer sometime around September 2025. shortbed with minimal addons (tailgate badge, ppf, and door edge protectors.) Total addons was like 500 bucks. It was priced 6.7k below sticker bringing it to somewhere at around 59K. I don't think i was going to get it lower than that.

The trailhunter trim is also exempt from Toyota special incentives on financing and leasing, not sure why you would want to lease one, but regardless, a TRD Off Road premium had 2.99% vs the 5% i had to get from my bank. If they had the offroad premium hybrid, i probably would have gotten that. I really just wanted the cameras and upgarded interior, but rockbottom pricing i could find on an off road premium hybrid was like 54-55k. I figured 4k was worth the upgraded suspension, compressor, skids, and rockrails.

All this to say, I kind of upsold myself because the feature set i wanted required the premium trim, and from there it was hybrid or not. And I wanted the hybrid because of the upgraded power invertor as well. Except it turns out a lot of people want those features so it was hard to get, except they had a trailhunter for 4k more and i said fuck it. Let's have a proper midlife crisis, sign me up for an MMA gym, where's some drywall to punch?

I was lucky for with my 26 Trailhunter. I saw on Mountain State (Denver) web site that an Ice Cap TH with no options! was in transit, and called and put a hold payment. Picked it up January 16, it was built in December 2025. That dealer doesn't add any upcharges so got it for MSRP. I didn't want any of the Toyota options. I added them myself (see signature). By the way, I grew up in Jamacha, east San Diego County, now called Rancho San Diego. I ran all over east San Diego and Imperial Counties in a 1973 CJ-5 (cost $3400 new) in the 70s. My family still lives in Alpine.

 

[shackley]

That snorkel is a high mount air intake to help keep the air filter clean when in a very dusty zone or behind another vehicle kicking up dust. Can confirm it is not for high-level water crossings.

The manual says it's not for water crossings.

 

[shackley]

Absolutely nothing wrong with that. Small correction, the TH front skid is aluminum, notice the gouges on mine attached. I’m going to replace mine with steel when they are back on sale. See the difference of my steel fuel tank skid vs. aluminum front skid. I had gouges on the original fuel tank plastic skid. Current rear diff skid is aluminum going to replace with steel. Already added rear trailing arm steel skids on both ends and lower shock steel skids.

Yeah, mines getting beat up. I was confused about why a plastic "skid plate" for the fuel tank. My dealer service manager (consider the source) was vexed about it too, and Toyota engineering told him it was for safety. Remember all the steel fuel tanks that exploded in crashes in the 70s (I'm that old)? Evidently that's the reason and why they went to composite tanks. I plan on getting a steel or aluminum tank skid plate as well. I've only had my TH for a month.

 

[shackley]

I am going to confirm that the TH skids are steel, very strong steel lol. A: magnets attach to it, and B: I modified mine to fit my steel bumper and had to cut front notches off. My steel cut off wheel on the Milwaukee grinder did not find that to be aluminum lol.

I think the light colored powder coat throws people off.

 

[shackley]

Yep! This is my first Taco. I've came from an SR5 4Runner it was cool to mod myself but the integration between some things like aftermarket heated seats weren't as seamless as OEM. I love my TrailHunter and I love that the more luxury features that people pay to mod are already installed.

My thought exactly. I'm coming from a Gladiator Rubicon too, and I had to add a number of mods that the TH already has. Plus it gets way better gas mileage. Putting on the winch on the TH will be a bigger hassle though.

 

[TrailAdventurer]

Glad you got a laugh! Absolutely subjective because it's called an opinion. I would hope you have the opposite view because it would be a shame to spend 60k on a truck you didnt like.

I've a friend in my mcycle community always complaining about, '...why'd [he] get that...' My view is, if we all liked the same thing, it'd be a mighty boring place.

 

[TrailAdventurer]

Thanks but this one sat outside for 5 months

Mine had sat on the lot 90 days. Did a nationwide search. At the time, it was second-oldest in the nation. I test drove it. The next week, I said if you give me a good deal I'll free up the lot space that weekend. I had a no-bs quote 15 minutes later. Out the door just under their original asking price. I was happy, they were happy, all's good.

I suspect the price, plus it being niche-oriented, simply conspire to not sell as fast. There's a reason Toyota's said TH is only 2-3% of their production.

 

[izzy]

Any trim you get is basically an SR with more and more crap bolted to it.

If the base TRD OR got more actual offroad bits that set it aside from the SR 4x4 I probably would have gone that direction. (I am not paying $8000 for the OR Premium for a mediocre OEM skidplate, the screen or cameras I could care less about).

But yeah, it's kinda the same shit top to bottom. Just depends which sticker you want on the side of the bed.

Toyota could have done more to separate the trims, at least for the TH and Pro imo. Same transmission/engine/transfer case (and other stuff) is pretty unacceptable for a Halo model.

 

[bitflogger]

I was at my local Toyota Dealer and seen a new 2025 Trailhunter (BLACK) in their showroom. It's been on their lot for 6 months.
Wondering why it not selling?
I thought the PRO & Trailhunter were hard to get?
I realize the "sticker shock" may be a factor?

We're back shopping to maybe replace my wife's car and helping our daughter find what's right for her. A Toyota dealer rep noticing my long bed TRD OR said the current market is very sensitive to price and practicality in his noticing the long bed. My recollection was the Pro didn't have long bed option, and both halo models seem geared towards enthusiasts more than vocational light truck use.

Going to other dealers, it seemed like the long bed model I have was used sales gold. I'm not trading but they all hoped I was. Maybe spring time will help sales of more specialty and enthusiast type vehicles?

Forgetting about the light truck category, better discounts seem to be on a lot fancier stuff right now. It makes sense to me. Beyond the matter of price, we're no longer interested in a lot of fancier stuff we can afford and many others I know seem to share those sentiments and are just spending differently..

 

[lauren01]

The manual says it's not for water crossings.

Correct

 

[Cordoc]

They were 2 years ago when the hype trumped reality. The Trailhunter is just not very visually appealing. The Snorkel is noisy and ridiculous looking cruising through the Walmart parking lot and the bed rack thing is pretty polarizing and dysfunctional as well. The Bronze wheels...well you have to really like bronze.
The Pro looks much better but like you said their both way more expensive compared to a TRD off-road which is just as capable for 99 percent of sticky situations.

I would like to comment on your question.
The Hybrids were indeed marketed intensively and were a significant brake on the Tacoma's traditional design.
Someone here said they are not visually pleasing, but my 24 Trailhunter still gets praise from strangers in parking lots.
I refused to accept the roof rack, and $1500 were discounted, and they gave it to me to take home.
The truck behaves great off-road; several folks have done videos of different trails, and no one has been disappointed.
The 8-speed transmission is almost as good as a manual, the power is 1000 more powerful than any truck out there, the snorkel is no problem, I hardly hear it, and the inside is as silent as a luxury sedan, and I can hear my music much better than my old 2016 third-gen.
Yes, it is expensive, but if you are financially ok it is not really a problem since you get a truck that, really, needs no mods to go out and have fun.
I am planning to keep mine till I croak. I love the way it handles both on the pavement and on the rocks.
I am convinced I got a bargain!
Like they say, to each his own.
All the best
Gaston

 

[TFOUTS]

I would like to comment on your question.
The Hybrids were indeed marketed intensively and were a significant brake on the Tacoma's traditional design.
Someone here said they are not visually pleasing, but my 24 Trailhunter still gets praise from strangers in parking lots.
I refused to accept the roof rack, and $1500 were discounted, and they gave it to me to take home.
The truck behaves great off-road; several folks have done videos of different trails, and no one has been disappointed.
The 8-speed transmission is almost as good as a manual, the power is 1000 more powerful than any truck out there, the snorkel is no problem, I hardly hear it, and the inside is as silent as a luxury sedan, and I can hear my music much better than my old 2016 third-gen.
Yes, it is expensive, but if you are financially ok it is not really a problem since you get a truck that, really, needs no mods to go out and have fun.
I am planning to keep mine till I croak. I love the way it handles both on the pavement and on the rocks.
I am convinced I got a bargain!
Like they say, to each his own.
All the best
Gaston

Another GREAT post!

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