2024 Toyota Tacoma Trailhunter: An Overlander Deep Dive

You can now get an adventure-ready Tacoma straight from the dealership.

Chris O'Neill | 

Aug 8, 2023 | 5 min read

Toyota

For the first time in almost 20 years, Toyota has unveiled an all-new generation of the Tacoma, America's bestselling midsize pickup. In addition to its ground-up redesign, the Toyota now offers a new Tacoma Trailhunter trim level designed to be the ideal package for overlanding.

With its reputation for dependability and innovative off-road features such as Crawl Control off-road cruise control, not to mention Toyota's pedigree in the off-road space, the Tacoma is a top choice for anyone wanting an affordable and reliable off-road adventure rig. With the new Trailhunter, Toyota leans in further, offering a fully equipped adventure truck right off the showroom floor.

Toyota

2024 Toyota Trailhunter: The Basics

The Tacoma Trailhunter essentially starts as a Tacoma TRD Off-Road with the Hybrid Max powertrain. The TRD Off-Road trim level is a great starting point as it comes with most of the core off-road features you want in an overland rig, such as a locking rear differential and Toyota's clever off-road driving modes.

Trailhunter buyers can choose between a 5- or 6-foot bed that offers more space for gear and allows the truck to fit larger bed caps and campers. That said, the longer bed comes at the expense of trail maneuverability, so choose wisely.

When overlanding, drivers must pay attention to payload, which is the amount of weight — people and things — a vehicle can carry before it's considered overloaded by the manufacturer and the law. We don't yet know Trailhunter payload figures, but we do know that the 2024 Tacoma TRD Off-Road can carry a maximum of 1,709 pounds of payload. While the Trailhunter's standard hybrid system will eat into that figure significantly, as will all the added overlanding accessories, it's still reasonable to expect a healthy payload improvement over previous Tacoma generations.

Toyota

2024 Toyota Trailhunter's Overlanding Equipment

Speaking of all that overland gear, here's a rundown of all the equipment the Trailhunter brings to the table and how it will be helpful on an off-road adventure.

For starters, the Trailhunter gets Old Man Emu (ARB's suspension sub-brand) position-sensitive 2.5-inch forged monotube shocks with rear external piggyback-style remote reservoirs. These are paired with Trailhunter-specific bronze 18-inch wheels wrapped in 265/70R-18 33-inch Goodyear Territory R/T tires. These shocks are designed to perform better over long distances through rough terrain. All-terrain tires offer enhanced traction and greater puncture resistance when compared to the on-road oriented tires on garden-variety Tacoma models.

Toyota

Thanks to the shocks and tires, the Trailhunter sits an additional 2.0 inches higher in the front and 1.5 inches higher in the rear compared to a regular Tacoma. It also gets a steel ARB rear bumper with rear recovery points along with integrated high-lift jack points. This makes recovery easier and safer if you get stuck.

The Trailhunter comes standard with rock rails that protect the rocker panels should the truck get off-kilter around boulders. Additional underbody protection comes from hot-stamped high-strength-steel skid plates that protect crucial components such as the radiator, oil pan, differentials, and fuel tank.

An extended air intake routed up the A-pillar allows the truck to breathe cleaner air from up high when driving down a dusty trail, while a clever high-clearance exhaust tip keeps the truck's exhaust from being pinched shut in low-speed rock crawling scenarios.

Toyota

Available bed accessories include a bed utility bar with removable Molle panels and a full ARB bed rack, available in light- and heavy-duty versions, meant for supporting additional gear such as tents, awnings, and cargo boxes.

The Trailhunter gets a heritage-inspired grille with the Toyota name finished in bronze, an integrated 20-inch LED light bar, and Rigid LED fog lights, the color of which can be swapped from white to yellow.

Toyota

Inside, the Trailhunter comes with three auxiliary toggle switches on the dash that are pre-wired for accessories. In addition to 12-volt DC power, there's also a 2400-watt AC inverter that sends power to two outlets in the cabin and one in the bed that can be used for powering items such as a portable refrigerator. A bed-mounted air compressor allows you to conveniently fill your tires back up after letting air out for long trail rides.

Three Benefits to a Factory-Built Overlander

One of the benefits of buying the Trailhunter is that you can lump the cost of all these extra overlanding bits into a monthly payment, including accessories such a refrigerator, which Toyota will also now sell you.

Toyota

You would typically buy these as aftermarket parts. This way, the suspension, bumper, rock sliders, and wheels will all be covered by the new vehicle warranty.

You can also rest assured that all of these components you'd otherwise buy from aftermarket companies are now up to Toyota's engineering standards.

Toyota

Tacoma TRD Pro and Trailhunter Top the Tacoma Range

For the Tacoma's previous two generations, the TRD Pro trim level sat at the top of the lineup as the most comprehensively equipped and most expensive Tacoma. For this new generation, the top of the 2024 Toyota Tacoma hierarchy has been split into two separate models: TRD Pro and Trailhunter. While the Trailhunter is optimized for a more leisurely pace where the day starts and ends with camping, the TRD Pro now leans toward high-speed off-roading.

Could you take a Tacoma TRD Pro on a camping trip and could you drive fast off-road in a Trailhunter? Yes, but you aren't likely to see Toyota ads showing the Tacoma TRD Pro loaded down with camping gear, nor will you likely see advertising of the Trailhunter catching air while barrelling down a long desert road.

Toyota is now offering Tacoma customers an all-encompassing overlanding package straight off the dealer lot. This could help the automaker claim a greater piece of the overland vehicle pie and give buyers a more straightforward path to adventure.

Chris O'Neill

I am an auto-industry veteran and a current MBA candidate at the University of Utah. After moving to Utah in October 2015 and being fascinated by the unique car culture of the region, I started an Instagram project highlighting the rare and distinctive vehicles I see in the Mountain West region. I enjoy sharing with others my unique perspective and passion for all things automotive. In my free time, when I’m not thinking and writing about cars, I enjoy photography, toying with my 2011 Volkswagen GTI and 1999 Toyota Land Cruiser, and exploring Utah with my girlfriend and two dogs.