Toyota Trail Hunter Line up

nickw

Adventurer
New kid to the forum/first comments here...I'm an old school Toyota driver. Had a 99 Taco PreRunner, wife drives an 08 4Runner, and I currently have a 11 Rock Warrior Crew Cab that I'm building out. Drove a bunch of Land Cruisers and Hiluxes overseas, mostly in pretty austere areas. I use my RW for camping, hauling surf gear and kids around, and getting into surf spots that most other people can't get to. My personal opinion is that Toyota trucks seem to appeal to two basic groups of people: Those who appreciate the longevity, ability to procure parts anywhere in the world, and solid basic off-road platform to build on that Toyota offers, and those who want a truck that looks good in their driveway. This 100% caught my eye when I saw the ad, because who wouldn't want to have all the stuff we do to our trucks (aftermarket suspension, brakes, exhaust, oversized tires, bumpers with winches, etc) to be covered by a warranty? Smart move by Toyota to (finally) get in on the "actually using your truck for something other than commuting" market. And although I like the older (2007-2013) body style and the V8 engine, the new TRD Pro trucks look pretty ************. But once I started thinking about it, I realized that probably like most people who actually use their trucks, I want what I want/need/have tried out on my truck, not what somebody at Toyota marketing thinks will work well for overland adventures. And I certainly don't feel like trading in a paid-off beast of a truck that has at least ⅔ of it's engine life left in it for something brand new, far more expensive, with a bunch of off-road gear that may look cool, but might not be exactly what I want for my own use. Sure, the idea of buying a built-out overlander with a warranty is attractive, and it's probably decent gear, but let's be honest...the warranty may cover the parts, but could very likely be voided by doing exactly what the trucks are made to do. I'm definitely interested in seeing what this line looks like when it actually makes it to a dealer, but I'm probably going to stick with my (paid off) V8 beast and keep adding in gear that I want, and leave this line to the influencers.
Part in bold used to be true....but is certainly is not anymore. The only rig you have that has much in common with overseas rigs is your 99', drivetrain wise at least....your 08 has a bit in common with the Prado but more different than the same and your 2011, outside of maybe engine platform (compared to a LC) won't have much at all in common. This is even more the case with the newer rigs, very very little in common with what overseas vehicles get.

The old pre Tacoma (96 and older) rigs certainly had a fair amount in common....but do vary year by year.
 
  • Like
Reactions: bkg

sn_85

Observer
Personally I'm not a fan of the concept version of it. Toyota just needs to make it simple and they already have the formula available to the rest of the world. Just let me buy a Toyota with options for ARB products from factory. CBI is great for a Bro-coma. They don't make armor that is OEM quality passing crash test and airflow rating. There are about 20 other fabshops that make CBI quality armor and if I wanted aftermarket quality stuff then I'd have plenty of options.

Rather I want something that is built to OEM standards like ARB or AEV. They did right in putting BP-51's on it then fumbled the rest of the design with CBI bumpers, a Prinsu rack, and some ugly bed cage. Toyota USA marketing is about a million miles apart from what Toyota AU would market and it's sad to see. My guess is that this Tundra concept would not make it past any regulations in Australia or Africa nor would it be able to pass the rigors of that part of the earth either.
 
Last edited:

tacollie

Glamper
My understanding is they used CBI for the concept truck but in reality they are using ARB. Basically you can go to the dealer and select stuff from ARB And Dometic to have installed at the dealership. Even rolled into you loan. It's cool if Toyota is actually offering a useful suspension package. While it's late to the game I think it will be good for them. Hopefully the trail hunter increases payload.

While Toyota isn't as popular on the forum it's still really popular brand. I think it's a good move for Toyota. It seems like the first thing people do when they move to Colorado is buy a Toyota?
 

Tex68w

Beach Bum
I don't think they are out of touch with the American market, in fact this is the kind of thing the majority wants, especially those new to the whole "overland" thing. We are a niche group here, longing for around the world travel durability and parts/service availability while the mass majority will be lucky if they ever leave their home state or attempt even a cross country or regional national park trip. I too feel myself drifting further and further apart from the core values of what Toyota once stood for but that just tells me that I am no longer a part of the mainstream target group and that's very apparent with my Lexus review board surveys lol.
 

Todd n Natalie

OverCamper
I too feel myself drifting further and further apart from the core values of what Toyota once stood for but that just tells me that I am no longer a part of the mainstream target group and that's very apparent with my Lexus review board surveys lol.
In what sense?

I ask because you seem like you might be Toyotas target audience for this truck.

You've owned many Toyotas past and present, use them off road and off grid. Slap a bike carrier to the hitch of this truck or hook up a bike trailer for your dirt bike and it would seem this would be a turnkey replacement for your old GX, no?
 

Tex68w

Beach Bum
In what sense?

I ask because you seem like you might be Toyotas target audience for this truck.

You've owned many Toyotas past and present, use them off road and off grid. Slap a bike carrier to the hitch of this truck or hook up a bike trailer for your dirt bike and it would seem this would be a turnkey replacement for your old GX, no?

Nah, I don’t like my stuff to look like every other vehicle on the road, hence why I’ve fought off buying a Gladiator for so long lol. While this might offend some, the Tundra has never done anything for me and I always defer to a 3/4-ton over a half-ton if a mid-size can’t fulfill my needs. And as much as it pains me to admit it, I’m more of a suv guy than I realize.

Like most here, I’ve long been a Toyota fan because of their simplicity and reliability and they are getting further and further away from those roots with the newer technologies. This is why I’ll be hard pressed to let my 200 go prior to 300K miles.
 

Tex68w

Beach Bum
Lol, so is it killing you having a stock appearing white 200 series?





























View attachment 752473


View attachment 752474

It is 100% lol. I have everything here for the lift (2" OME) but I also have King's on order still, so I am debating on whether or not to wait for those to arrive in the early spring before installing everything else. I already had it scheduled for install once and had to cancel due to scheduling conflicts, not sure what I am going to do now.

The ultimate goal is to have mine sitting similar to the one you posted less those awful fender flares lol.
 
Toyota lost me when it abandoned payload in the U.S. market. This endeavor will only work if they remedy that failure.
Toyota hasn’t quite lost me yet, but payload is my big sore spot with my 2nd gen Tundra. I don’t care about an iPad being stuck to the dash or even ride comfort as much as CAPABILITY. Sadly, utility has been on a steady decline with Toyota in the North American market, ever since the Tacoma parted ways with the Hilux. The comfort guys won in the NA market.

I just want a high payload package crew cab 4x4 Tundra. Ford and GM make crew cab 4x4 half tons with over a ton of available payload each. I would think there is a huge segment of the NA market that would give Toyota a serious look if they built the Tundra more as if it were a full size Hilux. I want payload capability in my next truck, without the size and turn radius of a domestic 3/4T or 1T. As it is, I’m a bit over GVWR every time we go dispersed camping. And we generally pack light and use a lot of our backpacking gear when we camp out of the truck.

The new Tundra is a huge miss to me. Fuel economy was the #1 complaint of the 2nd gen, and Toyota addressed that. Kind of. The #2 complaint? PAYLOAD. And instead of around 1300 lb (or less on higher trims) with the 2nd gens, the 3rd gens are around 1500 lb. Again, the comfort guys won.
 

Todd n Natalie

OverCamper
I guess we'll see if it gets a payload bump when they release the specs. Also wondering if it will retain the 3:31 gearing.
 

nickw

Adventurer
Toyota hasn’t quite lost me yet, but payload is my big sore spot with my 2nd gen Tundra. I don’t care about an iPad being stuck to the dash or even ride comfort as much as CAPABILITY. Sadly, utility has been on a steady decline with Toyota in the North American market, ever since the Tacoma parted ways with the Hilux. The comfort guys won in the NA market.

I just want a high payload package crew cab 4x4 Tundra. Ford and GM make crew cab 4x4 half tons with over a ton of available payload each. I would think there is a huge segment of the NA market that would give Toyota a serious look if they built the Tundra more as if it were a full size Hilux. I want payload capability in my next truck, without the size and turn radius of a domestic 3/4T or 1T. As it is, I’m a bit over GVWR every time we go dispersed camping. And we generally pack light and use a lot of our backpacking gear when we camp out of the truck.

The new Tundra is a huge miss to me. Fuel economy was the #1 complaint of the 2nd gen, and Toyota addressed that. Kind of. The #2 complaint? PAYLOAD. And instead of around 1300 lb (or less on higher trims) with the 2nd gens, the 3rd gens are around 1500 lb. Again, the comfort guys won.
They should at least have a Tundra "HD" package, base model with upgraded whatever to get it to lightweight 3/4 T or heavy 1/2 T specs, ~2000 lb payload.....will ride rough, will be sluggish, will sit rear high.....cool, they'll get some of that middle ground back, guys waffling on Toyota vs Domestic. If they offer it as a package the consumer has the option of having a non-plush rig or not.
 

Todd n Natalie

OverCamper
They should at least have a Tundra "HD" package, base model with upgraded whatever to get it to lightweight 3/4 T or heavy 1/2 T specs, ~2000 lb payload.....will ride rough, will be sluggish, will sit rear high.....cool, they'll get some of that middle ground back, guys waffling on Toyota vs Domestic. If they offer it as a package the consumer has the option of having a non-plush rig or not.
Ha! In Canada you can't even option Tow mirrors on a Tundra. They just come stock on a platinum.

The only options we get are base SR5 or TRD and they all come equipped the same. In the US there's a ton of option packages for each model. Not sure why we can't get them here? It was a huge deterrent for me and def played a part in me picking an F150.

Along with the $8 money grab to use the remote start on my key fob...
 

Forum statistics

Threads
185,538
Messages
2,875,659
Members
224,922
Latest member
Randy Towles
Top