The WAY TOO detailed explanation of why I bought a Trailhunter instead of TRD PRO

[Cloudblazer]

Hello fellow 4runner enthusiasts. This is the way too detailed explanation of why I chose to buy the Trailhunter instead of the TRD Pro I had reserved. I'm writing it here because if I try to talk to my wife about this again, she'll smother me in my sleep. Alas, I come to 4Runner6G!

I spent a really long time comparing these two trims. Way more time than any person should spend on choosing the trim of a vehicle. I partially blame Toyota because it took so damn long for these things to come out. I made the pros and cons lists, created charts so I could compare them. Before the Trailhunter was officially released, I really thought I wanted one. I mean, back when it was first announced on the trucks at a car show; over a year before the six gen 4runner was announced.

I loved the idea of a ready made, lifted, off road beast. I already had a 4runner, a 2021 Nightshade. And I had considered lifting it and putting some Method Wheels and new tires on it. But that comes with adjusting lights and sensors. I know it's not a big deal. But I really wanted my cake and to eat it too. So I waited. Waited forever for the six gens to be announced. Even the announcements took forever.

Once the trims were all revealed I was torn between the TRD PRO and the Trailhunter. The Trailhunter had the cool Old Man Emu lift, bronze wheels were a nice touch, I really liked the interior, the fender flares being matte instead of gloss looks cooler IMO, and the built in air compressor was super cool... but the snorkel. Why did they have to put a snorkel on it.

And I know that they call it something else, I'm just gonna call it a snorkel.

I didn't care about the look, but the loud sounds it made at the passenger side window, every video turned me off from the Trailhunter. I watched every video of test drives I could find and was 100 percent convinced that I would hate it. Similar to the bed mounted utility bar on the Tacoma for some... just not everybody wants that. And I just assumed the sound coming from the snorkel would be far too obnoxious for me.

Also, I assumed that the Trailhunter would be harder to find. I think a lot of people assumed that. So I went and put down a reservation at my Toyota Dealership for a TRD PRO.

Well, turns out that the TRD PROs are harder to find. Not sure why I thought it'd be that way, but I did.

My dealership got both and I really wasn't considering the Trailhunter just because of the snorkel.

But it looked cool. So finally I was like, I'll drive it. Just in case.

Loved it!!! Yes the engine sounds are loud. Yes the air sucking in the snorkel is loud. But windows up, it really is super quiet. The glass is very well designed to block out noise. And driving windows down, well I'm driving that way I don't so much care about the noise. Windows down I'm usually cruising for fun anyways, not chatting or making phone calls. Honestly it made me feel like a kid. It was a great feeling.

Ultimately the Trailhunter had way more that I wanted than the TRD PRO did. I wanted the matte black fenders. I wanted the Old Emu shocks. I wanted to exclusive interior and badging. I wanted the air compressor. And I loved that it doesn't have a moon roof / sun roof.

I'm six foot tall and over 300 lbs. I'm a big guy. And my head hits the roof in 4runners that have the sun roof. It did in my Nightshade as well. I have to slouch. Not in the trailhunter. Plenty of head room because it isn't dipped down to make room for the all the mechanics.

So there you go. I said no to the TRD PRO and yes to the Trailhunter. They're both awesome, obviously, but I'm really excited about my purchase.

There you go. AMA.

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[kzrman]

Nice write up!

I second your sentiment of getting a model where what you were going to add anyway is now factory warrantied. Can't wait for mine to finally come in. Have fun with it!

 

[TurnerXC]

Congrats on your new truck! The Trailhunter is really nicely outfitted. I did a similar pros and cons list on both the Trailhunter and TRD Pro. From someone who’s going to use my 6G as a daily driver/Overlanding Rig this was a hard decision. Coming from a JKU I really wanted a sun/moonroof so I went TRD Pro, well and the fact that I pulled my ARB out of the jeep before I traded it in made it a little easier of a decision. What color did you end up with?

 

[Nodak]

as far as TRD Pro vs TH, most went with the Pro due to the noise from the snorkel.

each person has a different treshold on the snorkel noise, most cant stand it, so the ones that dont mind it, gobble them up since no one wants them.

 

[Stormie_SS]

I went back and forth with this as well simply because of the snorkel. I too watched every review and thought it was too obnoxious. At the end of the day, I chose the trailhunter because I wanted everest, no moon roof, the air compressor, and the yellow accents instead of red. I do find the snorkel to be obnoxious with the windows down but I hardly drive with them down so it's not an issue. I'm loving mine and can't wait to get her out on some trails.

 

[Eddson]

Hello fellow 4runner enthusiasts. This is the way too detailed explanation of why I chose to buy the Trailhunter instead of the TRD Pro I had reserved. I'm writing it here because if I try to talk to my wife about this again, she'll smother me in my sleep. Alas, I come to 4Runner6G!

I spent a really long time comparing these two trims. Way more time than any person should spend on choosing the trim of a vehicle. I partially blame Toyota because it took so damn long for these things to come out. I made the pros and cons lists, created charts so I could compare them. Before the Trailhunter was officially released, I really thought I wanted one. I mean, back when it was first announced on the trucks at a car show; over a year before the six gen 4runner was announced.

I loved the idea of a ready made, lifted, off road beast. I already had a 4runner, a 2021 Nightshade. And I had considered lifting it and putting some Method Wheels and new tires on it. But that comes with adjusting lights and sensors. I know it's not a big deal. But I really wanted my cake and to eat it too. So I waited. Waited forever for the six gens to be announced. Even the announcements took forever.

Once the trims were all revealed I was torn between the TRD PRO and the Trailhunter. The Trailhunter had the cool Old Man Emu lift, bronze wheels were a nice touch, I really liked the interior, the fender flares being matte instead of gloss looks cooler IMO, and the built in air compressor was super cool... but the snorkel. Why did they have to put a snorkel on it.

And I know that they call it something else, I'm just gonna call it a snorkel.

I didn't care about the look, but the loud sounds it made at the passenger side window, every video turned me off from the Trailhunter. I watched every video of test drives I could find and was 100 percent convinced that I would hate it. Similar to the bed mounted utility bar on the Tacoma for some... just not everybody wants that. And I just assumed the sound coming from the snorkel would be far too obnoxious for me.

Also, I assumed that the Trailhunter would be harder to find. I think a lot of people assumed that. So I went and put down a reservation at my Toyota Dealership for a TRD PRO.

Well, turns out that the TRD PROs are harder to find. Not sure why I thought it'd be that way, but I did.

My dealership got both and I really wasn't considering the Trailhunter just because of the snorkel.

But it looked cool. So finally I was like, I'll drive it. Just in case.

Loved it!!! Yes the engine sounds are loud. Yes the air sucking in the snorkel is loud. But windows up, it really is super quiet. The glass is very well designed to block out noise. And driving windows down, well I'm driving that way I don't so much care about the noise. Windows down I'm usually cruising for fun anyways, not chatting or making phone calls. Honestly it made me feel like a kid. It was a great feeling.

Ultimately the Trailhunter had way more that I wanted than the TRD PRO did. I wanted the matte black fenders. I wanted the Old Emu shocks. I wanted to exclusive interior and badging. I wanted the air compressor. And I loved that it doesn't have a moon roof / sun roof.

I'm six foot tall and over 300 lbs. I'm a big guy. And my head hits the roof in 4runners that have the sun roof. It did in my Nightshade as well. I have to slouch. Not in the trailhunter. Plenty of head room because it isn't dipped down to make room for the all the mechanics.

So there you go. I said no to the TRD PRO and yes to the Trailhunter. They're both awesome, obviously, but I'm really excited about my purchase.

There you go. AMA.

 

[g-rant]

Tbh, for anyone still in the decision making process I don’t think you can go wrong either way. As mentioned, when the windows are up even with no music on you can’t really hear the snorkel sounds. The windows block 95% out. And as far as the sunroof, I only used mine in my old vehicle for a little air flow that isn’t as loud as rolling the front windows down. And with the back roll down window that’s the best quiet air flow solution there is, so there’s no point in a sunroof. I’m three weeks into owning my Trailhunter in Everest and I still love it just as much as the moment I saw it. (Except I’m still only averaging 18.5 mpg but hopefully that’ll go up after the break in period).
Cheers Cloudblazer on your new Trailhunter!

 

[Eddson]

You are totally right. The windows isolate the noise incredible well. I got my Trail Hunter, and I love it. I came from TRD Offroad, and honestly, I would like to keep both, but I can afford it. However if i have the option to jump back to the Trd oofroad I don't think I would go back.

 

[Archer]

Same decisions here, and your right, way too much time to think about it and a whole lot of uncertainty on when they'd be available. My wife also was at her wits end hearing me debating the two.

I went with the Pro for a couple reason, one, my wife loves sunroofs and you all know the saying about happy wife.

I really didn't care for the wheels or green accent trim on the interior in the Trail Hunter as much as the red accents on the Pro. The whole red interior is too much for me so I went with the black and gray digi camo.

As far as the snorkel I really didn't see a need for it and thought the sound would grate on me after awhile. I kinda doubt that's gonna let you ford streams any better than a stock intake anyway, if your up high enough that you need a snorkel, your probably floating down river...lol

Compressor would have been a plus but I have multiple onbaord air systems from other rigs I can install myself.

The only thing I wish the Pro had is rockrails instead of the predator steps, not a fan of these. Probably taking them off and installing rails in the near future.

Either way no-one is losing, both 4 Runners are awesome...

 

[Cloudblazer]

Tbh, for anyone still in the decision making process I don’t think you can go wrong either way. As mentioned, when the windows are up even with no music on you can’t really hear the snorkel sounds. The windows block 95% out. And as far as the sunroof, I only used mine in my old vehicle for a little air flow that isn’t as loud as rolling the front windows down. And with the back roll down window that’s the best quiet air flow solution there is, so there’s no point in a sunroof. I’m three weeks into owning my Trailhunter in Everest and I still love it just as much as the moment I saw it. (Except I’m still only averaging 18.5 mpg but hopefully that’ll go up after the break in period).
Cheers Cloudblazer on your new Trailhunter!

I'm also not getting great gas mileage yet. But i'm also only 600 miles into owning it. I also drive almost exclusively city for work, so that doesn't help. I'm not worried though. Thanks!!! Same to you.

 

[txaggies04]

Hello fellow 4runner enthusiasts. This is the way too detailed explanation of why I chose to buy the Trailhunter instead of the TRD Pro I had reserved. I'm writing it here because if I try to talk to my wife about this again, she'll smother me in my sleep. Alas, I come to 4Runner6G!

I spent a really long time comparing these two trims. Way more time than any person should spend on choosing the trim of a vehicle. I partially blame Toyota because it took so damn long for these things to come out. I made the pros and cons lists, created charts so I could compare them. Before the Trailhunter was officially released, I really thought I wanted one. I mean, back when it was first announced on the trucks at a car show; over a year before the six gen 4runner was announced.

I loved the idea of a ready made, lifted, off road beast. I already had a 4runner, a 2021 Nightshade. And I had considered lifting it and putting some Method Wheels and new tires on it. But that comes with adjusting lights and sensors. I know it's not a big deal. But I really wanted my cake and to eat it too. So I waited. Waited forever for the six gens to be announced. Even the announcements took forever.

Once the trims were all revealed I was torn between the TRD PRO and the Trailhunter. The Trailhunter had the cool Old Man Emu lift, bronze wheels were a nice touch, I really liked the interior, the fender flares being matte instead of gloss looks cooler IMO, and the built in air compressor was super cool... but the snorkel. Why did they have to put a snorkel on it.

And I know that they call it something else, I'm just gonna call it a snorkel.

I didn't care about the look, but the loud sounds it made at the passenger side window, every video turned me off from the Trailhunter. I watched every video of test drives I could find and was 100 percent convinced that I would hate it. Similar to the bed mounted utility bar on the Tacoma for some... just not everybody wants that. And I just assumed the sound coming from the snorkel would be far too obnoxious for me.

Also, I assumed that the Trailhunter would be harder to find. I think a lot of people assumed that. So I went and put down a reservation at my Toyota Dealership for a TRD PRO.

Well, turns out that the TRD PROs are harder to find. Not sure why I thought it'd be that way, but I did.

My dealership got both and I really wasn't considering the Trailhunter just because of the snorkel.

But it looked cool. So finally I was like, I'll drive it. Just in case.

Loved it!!! Yes the engine sounds are loud. Yes the air sucking in the snorkel is loud. But windows up, it really is super quiet. The glass is very well designed to block out noise. And driving windows down, well I'm driving that way I don't so much care about the noise. Windows down I'm usually cruising for fun anyways, not chatting or making phone calls. Honestly it made me feel like a kid. It was a great feeling.

Ultimately the Trailhunter had way more that I wanted than the TRD PRO did. I wanted the matte black fenders. I wanted the Old Emu shocks. I wanted to exclusive interior and badging. I wanted the air compressor. And I loved that it doesn't have a moon roof / sun roof.

I'm six foot tall and over 300 lbs. I'm a big guy. And my head hits the roof in 4runners that have the sun roof. It did in my Nightshade as well. I have to slouch. Not in the trailhunter. Plenty of head room because it isn't dipped down to make room for the all the mechanics.

So there you go. I said no to the TRD PRO and yes to the Trailhunter. They're both awesome, obviously, but I'm really excited about my purchase.

There you go. AMA.

You aren’t alone in your extensive research between the two trims. We did the same thing! In the end we went with the Trailhunter for all the reasons you listed. The snorkel sounds make me giggle! I love it! Congrats!

 

[TurnerXC]

Same decisions here, and your right, way too much time to think about it and a whole lot of uncertainty on when they'd be available. My wife also was at her wits end hearing me debating the two.

I went with the Pro for a couple reason, one, my wife loves sunroofs and you all know the saying about happy wife.

I really didn't care for the wheels or green accent trim on the interior in the Trail Hunter as much as the red accents on the Pro. The whole red interior is too much for me so I went with the black and gray digi camo.

As far as the snorkel I really didn't see a need for it and thought the sound would grate on me after awhile. I kinda doubt that's gonna let you ford streams any better than a stock intake anyway, if your up high enough that you need a snorkel, your probably floating down river...lol

Compressor would have been a plus but I have multiple onbaord air systems from other rigs I can install myself.

The only thing I wish the Pro had is rockrails instead of the predator steps, not a fan of these. Probably taking them off and installing rails in the near future.

Either way no-one is losing, both 4 Runners are awesome...

Totally agree on the Rock rails vs predator steps. took my predator steps off as soon as I got my Pro home.. Now I need to unload those and find some proper sliders.

 

[John2112]

Hello fellow 4runner enthusiasts. This is the way too detailed explanation of why I chose to buy the Trailhunter instead of the TRD Pro I had reserved. I'm writing it here because if I try to talk to my wife about this again, she'll smother me in my sleep. Alas, I come to 4Runner6G!

I spent a really long time comparing these two trims. Way more time than any person should spend on choosing the trim of a vehicle. I partially blame Toyota because it took so damn long for these things to come out. I made the pros and cons lists, created charts so I could compare them. Before the Trailhunter was officially released, I really thought I wanted one. I mean, back when it was first announced on the trucks at a car show; over a year before the six gen 4runner was announced.

I loved the idea of a ready made, lifted, off road beast. I already had a 4runner, a 2021 Nightshade. And I had considered lifting it and putting some Method Wheels and new tires on it. But that comes with adjusting lights and sensors. I know it's not a big deal. But I really wanted my cake and to eat it too. So I waited. Waited forever for the six gens to be announced. Even the announcements took forever.

Once the trims were all revealed I was torn between the TRD PRO and the Trailhunter. The Trailhunter had the cool Old Man Emu lift, bronze wheels were a nice touch, I really liked the interior, the fender flares being matte instead of gloss looks cooler IMO, and the built in air compressor was super cool... but the snorkel. Why did they have to put a snorkel on it.

And I know that they call it something else, I'm just gonna call it a snorkel.

I didn't care about the look, but the loud sounds it made at the passenger side window, every video turned me off from the Trailhunter. I watched every video of test drives I could find and was 100 percent convinced that I would hate it. Similar to the bed mounted utility bar on the Tacoma for some... just not everybody wants that. And I just assumed the sound coming from the snorkel would be far too obnoxious for me.

Also, I assumed that the Trailhunter would be harder to find. I think a lot of people assumed that. So I went and put down a reservation at my Toyota Dealership for a TRD PRO.

Well, turns out that the TRD PROs are harder to find. Not sure why I thought it'd be that way, but I did.

My dealership got both and I really wasn't considering the Trailhunter just because of the snorkel.

But it looked cool. So finally I was like, I'll drive it. Just in case.

Loved it!!! Yes the engine sounds are loud. Yes the air sucking in the snorkel is loud. But windows up, it really is super quiet. The glass is very well designed to block out noise. And driving windows down, well I'm driving that way I don't so much care about the noise. Windows down I'm usually cruising for fun anyways, not chatting or making phone calls. Honestly it made me feel like a kid. It was a great feeling.

Ultimately the Trailhunter had way more that I wanted than the TRD PRO did. I wanted the matte black fenders. I wanted the Old Emu shocks. I wanted to exclusive interior and badging. I wanted the air compressor. And I loved that it doesn't have a moon roof / sun roof.

I'm six foot tall and over 300 lbs. I'm a big guy. And my head hits the roof in 4runners that have the sun roof. It did in my Nightshade as well. I have to slouch. Not in the trailhunter. Plenty of head room because it isn't dipped down to make room for the all the mechanics.

So there you go. I said no to the TRD PRO and yes to the Trailhunter. They're both awesome, obviously, but I'm really excited about my purchase.

There you go. AMA.

I appreciate your write-up, and I agree with you 100% and ended up getting my trail Hunter almost a month ago now. You're certainly right, the snorkel's not all that bad and I'm not a lead foot or anything so I rarely ever even hear it. Just received a programmer so I'll be stopping that silly engine noise coming through the speakers as well which should help. I've built up one generation one 4Runner, and three Jeep wranglers and it's taken a lot of time and money. I'm now retired in my mid-60s and I do not want to deal with that anymore and having something ready built was perfect. My only gripe is replacing all those JBL speakers are awful I'll and I'll be paying someone to replace all of them at a sub and amp it up. Congrats on your new vehicle, they certainly off-road nice.

 

[theprankster3]

Hello fellow 4runner enthusiasts. This is the way too detailed explanation of why I chose to buy the Trailhunter instead of the TRD Pro I had reserved. I'm writing it here because if I try to talk to my wife about this again, she'll smother me in my sleep. Alas, I come to 4Runner6G!

I spent a really long time comparing these two trims. Way more time than any person should spend on choosing the trim of a vehicle. I partially blame Toyota because it took so damn long for these things to come out. I made the pros and cons lists, created charts so I could compare them. Before the Trailhunter was officially released, I really thought I wanted one. I mean, back when it was first announced on the trucks at a car show; over a year before the six gen 4runner was announced.

I loved the idea of a ready made, lifted, off road beast. I already had a 4runner, a 2021 Nightshade. And I had considered lifting it and putting some Method Wheels and new tires on it. But that comes with adjusting lights and sensors. I know it's not a big deal. But I really wanted my cake and to eat it too. So I waited. Waited forever for the six gens to be announced. Even the announcements took forever.

Once the trims were all revealed I was torn between the TRD PRO and the Trailhunter. The Trailhunter had the cool Old Man Emu lift, bronze wheels were a nice touch, I really liked the interior, the fender flares being matte instead of gloss looks cooler IMO, and the built in air compressor was super cool... but the snorkel. Why did they have to put a snorkel on it.

And I know that they call it something else, I'm just gonna call it a snorkel.

I didn't care about the look, but the loud sounds it made at the passenger side window, every video turned me off from the Trailhunter. I watched every video of test drives I could find and was 100 percent convinced that I would hate it. Similar to the bed mounted utility bar on the Tacoma for some... just not everybody wants that. And I just assumed the sound coming from the snorkel would be far too obnoxious for me.

Also, I assumed that the Trailhunter would be harder to find. I think a lot of people assumed that. So I went and put down a reservation at my Toyota Dealership for a TRD PRO.

Well, turns out that the TRD PROs are harder to find. Not sure why I thought it'd be that way, but I did.

My dealership got both and I really wasn't considering the Trailhunter just because of the snorkel.

But it looked cool. So finally I was like, I'll drive it. Just in case.

Loved it!!! Yes the engine sounds are loud. Yes the air sucking in the snorkel is loud. But windows up, it really is super quiet. The glass is very well designed to block out noise. And driving windows down, well I'm driving that way I don't so much care about the noise. Windows down I'm usually cruising for fun anyways, not chatting or making phone calls. Honestly it made me feel like a kid. It was a great feeling.

Ultimately the Trailhunter had way more that I wanted than the TRD PRO did. I wanted the matte black fenders. I wanted the Old Emu shocks. I wanted to exclusive interior and badging. I wanted the air compressor. And I loved that it doesn't have a moon roof / sun roof.

I'm six foot tall and over 300 lbs. I'm a big guy. And my head hits the roof in 4runners that have the sun roof. It did in my Nightshade as well. I have to slouch. Not in the trailhunter. Plenty of head room because it isn't dipped down to make room for the all the mechanics.

So there you go. I said no to the TRD PRO and yes to the Trailhunter. They're both awesome, obviously, but I'm really excited about my purchase.

There you go. AMA.

I enjoyed your WAY TOO detailed explanation of getting your Trailhunter. Glad you are enjoying your choice. I went with the TRD Pro. I wasn't a fan of the snorkel and I just liked the look of the Pro more. I got the mudbath color and am loving it. I hear you on feeling like a kid, it's just fun. Can't wait to take it off roading. Enjoy your Trailhunter!

 

[Headfuel]

I really appreciate your Way Too post, also. I feel like I'm stuck in the same spot. The snorkel sound! Every video I see with guys using it out and yelling "That's so cool!" Leaves me feeling like that sound could get old real quick. Everything else about the Trailhunter is awesome.

How is that sound aging with you?

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