The Toyota Tacoma Trailhunter Is Big, Bad, and Loves The Letter T
Toyota Has Done The Unthinkable
If I ran an old-timey newspaper, like the one my old-timey 43-year-old self reads on Sundays, I would be running around screaming things like “Stop the presses!”. Well, maybe not. I don’t actually know why someone would do that.
But I do know that it seems appropriate considering what we have here folks. An all-new Toyota Tacoma. That’s right. For the first time in something like two decades, Toyota has done the unthinkable. They’ve redesigned the fabled Taco from the ground up.
And with this new 2024 Tacoma comes something never before seen. A Trailhunter! So exciting!
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know how rabidly loyal fans of the Toyota Tacoma are. Was the prior generation awful to ride in? Sure. Was its base four-cylinder engine an absolute wimp? Oh yes. Did people throw their money at the Tacoma anyway? You bet! Just wait till those loyalists get a load of the new one!
A Shockingly Modern Tacoma
Riding on the same platform as Toyota’s ever-expanding portfolio of all-new bruisers like the Land Cruiser, Tundra, Sequoia, and 4Runner, the 2024 Tacoma is also sporting a new high-strength steel fully boxed ladder frame. Toyota notes the increased rigidity over the last generation, which seems like a low bar, but still.
Tied into that frame are other shocking modern updates. Like for example, disc brakes at all four corners! Now, I must say. I consider myself a dyed-in-the-wool car nerd who prides himself on possessing an encyclopedic level of arcane automotive knowledge that is utterly useless.
But if you had told me Toyota was still putting drum brakes on the Tacoma as of 2023, I would have chuckled in dismissal of such nonsense. Color me corrected! I had no idea about this lunacy! Along with this shocking revelation, Toyota has taken the 2024 Tacoma even further into the modern age.
That’s right. The new Tacoma offers a coil-sprung rear suspension! Fear not, traditionalists, you can still have your leaf springs on the cheap models. But the exotic Trailhunter gets a multi-link setup as standard equipment. Which begs the question – why bother?
This a deep debate but highlights include more articulation which the overlanding set Toyota has targeted with its Trailhunter surely seeks. But from a day-to-day perspective, there is no debate that an independent rear suspension offers a better ride thanks to more consistent axle behavior versus a stack of metal strapped together.
Trailhunter Is A Badass Adventure Machine
And let’s get real for a second. For every 100 buyers of the 2024 Tacoma Trailhunter, how many will actually get off the grid? I’d say two, which leaves 98 who will pose next to it in a shopping mall parking lot. And that 98 percent will surely appreciate the more comfortable ride delivered by coil springs instead of a pile of leaves.
But I digress. The new Taco is a Badass Adventure Machine. In fact, that’s the exact phrase Tacoma designers zeroed in on while drawing things up. And here I thought Dodge had copyrighted the word badass. So, is the Trailhunter up to the expectation of such heady language? Let us find out!
Following in the footsteps of Chevy and their partnership with AEV to build out the Colorado and Canyon line of factory-prepped off-roading rigs, Toyota has found a friend in ARB out of Australia. This is the outfit responsible for the Old Man Emu shocks strapped to the Tacoma Trailhunter.
This consists of position-sensitive 2.5-inch forged monotube shocks with rear piggyback external reservoirs. The bronze-colored forged upper control arms with embossed Trailhunter logos aren’t an ARB piece, but they sure do look cool.
As mentioned earlier, these Trailhunter variants have joined the modern age with disc brakes – at all four corners! – and a multi-link rear suspension setup. Now, suspension is neat but any real off-roader will tell you that looks are far more important than function.
Ok, that may not be true, but those 18” bronze Trailhunter wheels? Man, they definitely look cool. Especially wrapped in 33-inch Goodyear Territory Rugged Terrain tires. All in, the Trailhunter is jacked up some 2 inches over base models for a total ground clearance of 11 inches. That’ll work.
A Side Of Torque With Your Taco
Speaking of being well endowed, the 2024 Tacoma has done away with its ancient V6 and pathetically underpowered four-pot to make way for a series of new turbocharged inline fours. But it’s the i-FORCE MAX variant we’re here to talk about.
It’s the range-topping version of this 2.4L boosted lineup and is in fact a hybrid. But not the kind of hybrid aimed at sipping fuel. You can buy a Prius for that. No, in the case of the Tacoma Trailhunter, this powertrain straps an electric motor, that is fed by a 1.87-kilowatt hour battery pack, into the 8-speed automatic transmission.
It’s an electric motor that, on its own, produces 48 horsepower and 148 pound-feet of torque. Coupled with the 2.4L gas mill, total output is 326 horsepower and 465 pound-feet of torque. These are big numbers on their own. But in comparison to the outgoing 3.5L V6, they represent a gain of 48 horsepower and 200 pound-feet of twist. Hello!
Incredibly, Toyota has seen fit to continue building the Tacoma with a 6-speed manual which makes me want to go buy one right now. Downside? You can’t get it with the bigger motor, so your Trailhunting will be done with two pedals.
Seats With Shock Absorbers
Something Toyota has not seen fit to do is offer the outrageous IsoDynamic front buckets from the TRD Pro Tacoma in the Trailhunter. Featuring exposed dampers in the seatback – with adjustable pressures – these expensive-looking bits of tech promise four-way shock absorption when banging around in the field.
We’ll get back to the cabin in a bit, but first, let’s dig deeper on what makes the Trailhunter so special. Along with a high clearance front bumper, ARB supplies a steel rear bumper with beefed up red-painted recovery points.
Beefy, Bold, and Bronzed
Up front, the bronze-finished TOYOTA block lettering in the grille serves no function other than fitting the badass design brief. However, the 20” LED light bar is very handy at night as are the LED fog lights from RIGID that you can switch from white to yellow illumination. And if you look closely, the LED headlamp bezels have Trailhunter logos. Neat.
Flared fenders make way for the beefy wheel and tire package and hot-stamped high-strength steel skid plates protect the underside delicates. As you may have guessed, there is some Trailhunter embossing happening here too.
Rock rails add more protection and a sweet intake snorkel takes the form and function up a notch. These are handy for dusty trail days, high water crossings, and looking badass in the local artisan coffee roaster parking lot. At the other end sits a high-clearance exhaust outlet that seeks to avoid getting smushed when the Trailhunter is hard at work.
You can have your Tacoma Trailhunter with a 5- or 6-foot bed, but only as a crew cab. The bed utility bar in these beefcakes is in fact functional – goofy as it looks – offering anchor points for your overlanding gear. Naturally, there is a raft of accessories and bed rack setups to create your very own off-grid zombie apocalypse escape vehicle.
You can also rest easy, during that escape, knowing this top-spec Tacoma can ascent an 8 percent interstate grade without downshifting. Impressive! CRAWL Control is on hand for lower-speed work and the named-by-an-engineer Stabilizer Disconnect Mechanism frees up the front end for when that low-speed work gets especially hairy.
In case the giant bed rack filled with important accessories and topped by a four-person tent with a telescoping ladder is not QUITE enough for your overlanding adventure. Fear not! The Trailhunter can pull another 5,950 pounds of trailer.
This New Tacoma Trailhunter Is AMAZING
Did we forget anything? Oh yes. The Trailhunter has a high-output air compressor integrated within the bed. There’s also a 2400-watt AC inverter providing ALL the juice. Comfort highlights include heated and ventilated front seats, a heated steering wheel, and the must-have power rear window.
Technology is a given on this hugely expensive pickup truck and the massive 14-inch central display is a testament to that. Then there’s the 10-speaker stereo and a portable Bluetooth speaker that docks in the dash and can apparently be dunked into 3 feet of water.
The list goes on, but don’t miss the hidden pocket with a QR code that sends owners to a website for 3D printing design plans. For all those times you need to build a tiny lantern to light your way on the trail. But before you get too excited, be aware, the 2024 Toyota Tacoma Trailhunter starts at a bit more than 64 THOUSAND DOLLARS.
Is that a lot of dough? Yes. Do I care? No. In fact, I’ll take mine with the Bronze Oxide paint job, please.
Photo Credits: Toyota