Zac Quinn 
Toyota has shown that it knows what its customers intend to use its vehicles for. Take a look at the newest Toyota LandCruiser, which has taken a step back from being a luxury mom-mobile and returned to its roots as an advanced off-road machine with extreme reliability and capability. The new Tacoma has gotten a TrailHunter trim, designed to be ready to take on the toughest terrain straight from the factory, and the Toyota 4Runner is no different. Many customers buy the SUV for off-road use, and that’s precisely the target with the top-of-the-line Trailhunter trim.
2025 Toyota 4Runner Trailhunter: Details
Hagerty describes the Toyota 4Runner Trailhunter as an excellent “stage one” setup for common overlanding modifications, and we think they hit the mark perfectly. Toyota has collaborated with several popular aftermarket companies to develop the Trailhunter. Starting with the essential off-road bits, the 4Runner Trailhunter features 2.5-inch forged shocks from Old Man Emu, a subsidiary of overlanding company ARB; the shocks feature external piggyback reservoirs in the rear to manage the stress from off-roading better. On display in front of the shocks is a 33-inch Toyo Open Country A/Ts set, likely the same tires found on the Lexus GX 550 Overtrail co-developed by Toyota and Lexus with Toyo for the GX 550.
Vehicle protection comes with rock sliders to protect the rocker panels between the front and rear wheels and a high-strength steel underbody armor to prevent rocks from jabbing into all the essential bits beneath the Toyota 4Runner. Did you notice the snorkel attached to the Toyota 4Runner Trailhunter? It’s hard to spot thanks to its low-profile design, but the cool thing is that it comes standard with the trim. The front of the Toyota 4Runner Trailhunter also features a more heritage-minded grille with bronze TOYOTA lettering and an integrated 20-inch LED lightbar. There are also color-selectable LED fog lamps from Rigid Industries, which is a nice touch. The final touch for the outside of the vehicle is a roof rack co-developed with ARB to strap down anything you might need for your adventures.
On the inside, Toyota has given the 4Runner Trailhunter a 2400-watt AC inverter for powering your electronics. The engineers also added three auxiliary switches prewired to different areas of the vehicle for a more seamless integration of whatever aftermarket goodies you want to add next. Some off-road-focused products are integrating this feature now, and we’re all for it. It certainly beats installing aftermarket auxiliary switches and dealing with the complicated wiring that comes with it.
All 4Runner Trailhunters will be powered by the hybridized version of the 2.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine, which produces a combined output of 326 horsepower and 465 lb-ft of torque. This hybrid setup is mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission. As for pricing, it still needs to be determined how much this off-road-focused SUV will cost, but as it falls into the top tier of the lineup, it certainly won’t be cheap. Customers will still have the TRD Off Road or TRD Pro options available if they wish to start putting together their off-road vehicle from scratch and on a budget, but this offers customers an alternative to that if they want. With the 2025 4Runner offering nine different trims, there will be a 4Runner for just about everyone.
Too wimpy of an engine for a suv of that size. Should have offered one with a 450HP V-8 engine.