Toyota 4Runner Trailhunter Tested: It Does This One Thing Much Better

Previously, the most rugged 4Runner was also the most challenging to drive in the day to day. This new one is far from it.Alexander StoklosaWriter

Andi HedrickPhotographerSep 22, 2025

Pros

• Looks badass
• Extremely comfortable off-road
• Muscular powertrain

Cons

• Breathy fart intake noise
• Trucky on-road behavior
• Cargo floor height

In the sixth-generation Toyota 4Runner lineup, the Trailhunter variant is peak 4Runner. It has the same widened stance, lifted suspension, and 33-inch tire size as the identically priced 4Runner TRD Pro, but let’s be real—even though the latest TRD Pro and its newfound desert-running capabilities are awesome, the new Trailhunter is the burliest 4Runner in the traditional sense. Mostly it’s because of the look, which includes a standard metal roof rack, exclusive bronze wheels, and a high-inlet air intake that climbs up the passenger-side windshield pillar.

With the new TRD Pro having pivoted to chasing Ford Raptors over jumps and dunes and stuff, the new-to-4Runner Trailhunter trim is geared toward lower-speed crawling and general off-road ride comfort—essentially copying and pasting over the old TRD Pro’s tuning philosophy. Of course, the last-generation 4Runner TRD Pro was capable as all get-out off-road—and this new Trailhunter’s even better—despite being borderline awful on road. So, has peak 4Runner progressed at all on-road?

What Is a Trailhunter, Anyhow?

From top to bottom, the new 4Runner family drives better than before. That’s a relatively low bar to clear, of course, but even festooned with all the toys, the Trailhunter is no different. It rides on a set of third-party-sourced Old Man Emu shocks—with remote reservoirs on the rears—and unique springs that lift it 1.5 inches in front and 2.0 inches in rear. There’s a front anti-roll bar disconnect system to enhance articulation, too, and those sweet bronze wheels are wrapped by 33-inch Toyo Open Country all-terrain tires. With a 3.2-inch(!)-wider track front and rear (same as the new TRD Pro), the Trailhunter’s wheels and tires stick out proud of the bodywork.

The Trailhunter is also almost comically heavy, with its standard hybrid powertrain (optional on lesser 4Runners), beefy ARB roof rack (with a 700-pound static capacity), and other add-ons ballooning its curb weight to 5,586 pounds. This is the heaviest new 4Runner you can buy—a curiosity in that its payload capacity (including people and stuff) is limited to 1,005 pounds, even though this is the model aimed squarely at gear-toting overlanders. It’s worth noting that lighter 4Runners can carry up to 1,550 pounds.

About that hybrid powertrain. The Trailhunter is powered by Toyota’s i-Force MAX setup combining the same 278-hp turbocharged four-cylinder engine used in i-Force (non-MAX) 4Runners with a 48-hp electric motor where the eight-speed automatic transmission’s torque converter would be to produce 323 hp and 465 lb-ft of torque.

Other MAX-powered 4Runners make 3 hp more, but they don’t have the Trailhunter’s peacocking intake snorkel snaking up their passenger-side A-pillars, do they? Step on the gas, and that power-sapping snorkel sounds like you stepped on someone’s midsection after a Taco Bell lunch, amplifying the turbo engine’s whooshing intake white noise to the point that it sounds like an rpm-sensitive wheezing fart. The soundtrack is annoying, although it’s less noticeable here than in the mechanically related Tacoma Trailhunter pickup with the same basic setup. But before you point the 4Runner’s snoot at deep water, keep in mind that the snorkel doesn’t raise the Trailhunter’s wading depth at all—the unsealed unit is simply there to gobble up cleaner air in dusty conditions.

How Does This Bruiser Go, Stop, and Turn?

The new 4Runner drives far better than you’d expect in Trailhunter guise, particularly if you’ve spent any quality time behind the wheel of the previous-generation TRD Pro model. As we noted in our first drive, give credit to the Trailhunter’s wider track, which seems to do a lot of work keeping the tall, heavy SUV’s handling feeling stable and controlled. While the body still pitches fore and aft when stopping or accelerating hard, and leans when initiating a turn, all those motions are far more reined in than in the old TRD Pro.

The Trailhunter’s 0.72 g of lateral grip might not seem like much—several Jeep Wranglers we’ve tested have done better—but the way it achieves that number is revelatory. Where the Jeep (perched on dual live axles) feels genuinely concerning when exploring its handling limits, the 4Runner Trailhunter (with only a live rear axle) is secure and almost ordinary in its moves. The tires clearly aren’t suited to skidpad evaluations, and the body roll is there, but the Toyota’s mass is evenly distributed front to rear, and the steering is fairly accurate.

Stopping is also decent, in spite of the tires. A 121-foot stop from 60 mph for something this heavy is pretty good, and although it’s accompanied by plenty of nosedive, hard braking events don’t send the 4Runner squirreling around. Our only complaint? That the brake pedal operates in a numb manner, with a distinct switchover between the regenerative and mechanical braking that’s difficult to modulate, leading to un-smooth stops around town.

Thanks to the MAX’s electric assist, this is the quickest current-generation 4Runner we’ve tested yet, reaching 60 mph in 7.4 seconds. But keep in mind it’s also the heaviest at nearly 5,600 pounds. We expect that lesser 4Runners with the same powertrain will be quicker.

Either way, the powertrain is way more modern than the 270-hp 4.0-liter V-6 of yesteryear. (Those 4Runners reliably sauntered to 60 mph in about 8.0 seconds.) The Trailhunter’s hybridization helps smooth over some of the new turbo four-cylinder’s paucity of low-end torque, but there remains detectable lag between mashing the gas and the i-Force MAX engine and motor spinning up to max steam. In everyday driving, however, the powertrain’s torque feels muscular, and the switch from a five-speed automatic to the eight-speed is transformative—no more random gear hunting when hitting slight grades on the freeway.

Better Inside, Too

The interior benefits from seats with a higher hip point than before (like Toyota’s last-generation Tacoma pickup, the old 4Runner’s seating position was low to the floor). This new setup allows for more natural leg positioning. Toyota also groups the 4Runner’s various controls more coherently, with a row of off-roading features (front anti-roll bar disconnect, locking rear differential, and more) located just aft of a dual-function knob for changing drive modes and off-road traction control settings on the center console. Previously, buttons were scattered this way and that all over the 4Runner’s dashboard, overhead console, and center stack. The rear seat is spacious for adults, too, and parents will appreciate the headliner-mounted air vents that make warming or cooling car-seat-bound kiddos a snap.

On the downside, as with the mechanically related Land Cruiser, hybridized 4Runners like the Trailhunter suffer from a noticeable cargo area floor intrusion from the battery pack. In both Toyota SUVs, the cargo floor is stepped up a few inches above the lower edge of the liftgate opening, raising the liftover height and eating up 2.2 cubic feet of volume compared to the non-hybrid 4Runner. But there remains plenty of space behind the second-row seats for stuff—a decent 42.6 cubic feet of it. Trailhunter buyers can’t opt for the third-row seat available in the other 4Runners, either.

So, About That Price

There’s no avoiding the 4Runner Trailhunter’s biggest issue: price. We had similar reservations about the Tacoma’s Trailhunter variant. Both command nearly $70,000—this one cost just over that amount as tested—which is super rich for what’s essentially a mainstream midsize SUV. But the package is well turned out, and the upgrades make the Trailhunter a thorough factory starting point for an overlander build.

Whether you appreciate the cohesion of those upgrades being fully integrated and developed by Toyota, rather than cobbled together from individual hop-up parts on a lesser 4Runner at home will determine their worth. But what is clear is that the Trailhunter’s capability comes with far less compromise for commuters than before. And yes, you can still roll down the 4Runner’s rear window—that hasn’t changed.

Addendum: It’s a Beast Off-Road

If we’re being honest, the natural habitat of any new vehicle, no matter how rugged, is a landscape of paved roads and parking lots. But what’s a Trailhunter story without at least a few pictures in the dirt? That was my motivation for booking Michigan’s Holly Oaks Off-Road Park, but the moment I drove through the entrance gate, my lizard brain took over. Can it climb that? Is it any good in the sand? If we’re here, we have to jump it, right? Answers: Yes, yes, and hell yes.

Holly Oaks isn’t your average off-road playground. Its proximity to Detroit-based automakers and suppliers has made it a de facto proving ground for the industry’s most capable rigs. It also helps that the county-operated park has access to a road commission’s worth of earth-moving equipment, so the park looks slightly different every time you show up. From deep sand to mud pits to boulder scrambles, the variety of terrain here is more than you’ll find in any 100 miles of overlanding.

Take Mt. Magna, a lump of concrete that mimics Moab’s infamous (and not-so-slippery) slick rock. The steep climb peppered with deep chuckholes is the perfect test of the 4Runner’s articulation, clearance, and traction. Moving from easier to hard lines across the face of the “rock,” the 4Runner never flinched.

The most striking revelation, though, was just how quickly I could rip around on the rough and rutted transit roads between features. Those Old Man Emu shocks soak up bumps and jolts with a doughy goodness that also cushioned a 40-mph jump with impeccable grace.

Replacing the Toyo Open Country A/T III footwear will be an easy and obvious upgrade for anyone with specialized needs or discerning tastes, but they far exceeded my expectations, especially since days earlier I had shaved down the shoulders of the tread blocks on our asphalt figure-eight circuit. They had no problem finding purchase in thick mud and loose sand even in two-wheel drive.

Complaints? The forward-facing cameras are too grainy and washed out to make out the highlights and shadows that reveal the terrain right in front of your tires. There’s also a whiff of throttle lag at low speeds that an electric motor probably should have solved. For a lot of off-roaders, the build process is part of the fun, but if you’re looking for a turnkey, Swiss army knife solution that works in pretty much any environment, the 4Runner Trailhunter is a hugely capable rig that can get you out on any type of trail as quick as you can sign a purchase agreement.—Eric Tingwall

2025 Toyota 4Runner Trailhunter Specifications
BASE PRICE	$68,895
PRICE AS TESTED	$70,307
VEHICLE LAYOUT	Front-engine, front-motor, 4WD, 5-pass, 4-door hybrid SUV
POWERTRAIN	2.4L turbo port- and direct-injected DOHC 16-valve I-4, 278 hp @ 6,000 rpm, 317 lb-ft @ 1,700 rpm Permanent-magnet motor, 48 hp, 148 lb-ft
TOTAL POWER	323 hp
TOTAL TORQUE	465 lb-ft
TRANSMISSION	8-speed automatic
BATTERY	1.9-kWh nickel-metal hydride
CURB WEIGHT (F/R DIST)	5,586 lb (50/50%)
WHEELBASE	112.2 in
LENGTH x WIDTH x HEIGHT	194.9 x 79.9 x 74.0 in
TIRES	Toyo Open Country A/T III 265/70R18 116H M+S 3PMSF
EPA FUEL ECONOMY, CITY/HWY/COMBINED	23/24/23 mpg
EPA RANGE	437 mi
ON SALE	Now
MotorTrend Test Results
0-60 MPH	7.4 sec
QUARTER MILE	15.8 sec @ 86.1 mph
BRAKING, 60-0 MPH	121 ft
LATERAL ACCELERATION	0.72 g
FIGURE-EIGHT LAP	29.1 sec @ 0.59 g (avg)