Picked up my Trailhunter 4Runner - First Impressions & Early Mods

Cody · May 9, 2025

Hey all, I finally picked up my Trailhunter earlier this week and already put a bit over 500 miles on it (I typically average over 20,000 miles a year). Overall, it’s been awesome so far. Rides like you'd expect with the body-on-frame and 33s – very planted, comfy enough on the highway, and feels pretty capable overall.

The ventilated seats have been a amazing, they are way better than the ones in the Mustang GT350. The JBL system is decent for stock, though honestly I might upgrade down the line. I got the all-weather liners from the factory, and while they look nice, they’re kinda trash in terms of coverage and water/snow retention. Already pre-ordered Lasfit mats and the cargo cover to fix that.

The factory lights have been a pleasant surprise, and I love the fogs being toggleable to yellow. The light bar is also pretty impressive from factory.

I also went ahead and got 55% tint on the windshield and 20% on the front windows. The rear windows came from the factory at around 28–29%, so everything blends pretty well now. I may adjust the rear ones to be closer to 20% in the future, but I'm happy with how it looks for now.

A couple gripes though:

No walk-away locking or auto wipers at this price point. Bit of a letdown.
(Factory wipers also suck.)
I think walk-away locking is possible in the settings, but haven’t found it yet, does anyone know if I can adjust that or is it a dealer setting?
It's also kind of lame that the LED Lantern Puck wasn’t included with the Trailhunter trim. I doubt I’d use it very often, but would’ve been a nice touch. Definitely not paying $100+ for one separately.

Stuff I’m planning to tweak with aftermarket:

Driver-side grab handle. Why Toyota didn’t include this is beyond me. I’m in decent shape (early 30s), and it’s still awkward getting in/out sometimes with the lift and tires.
Not a huge fan of the raised air intake for driving with the windows down, hoping to swap it for something cleaner-looking and quieter. It’s pretty loud.
Would love to add a sliding drawer/storage setup for the cargo area. Just want to keep gear from flying around and make it more camp-friendly.
Thinking of grabbing Carista to mess with the dealer settings (disable seatbelt chimes, etc.). Anyone used it and have feedback?

Anyway, super happy overall, just some small tweaks I want to make. Curious what others have done already, or if there are any must-have mods anyone would recommend?

2025 Toyota 4runner Picked up my Trailhunter 4Runner - First Impressions & Early Mods 1000025433

Rellims · May 9, 2025

Very odd my ORP has a driver side grab handle and TH does not.

spelingbeachampeun · May 9, 2025

Rellims said:
Very odd my ORP has a driver side grab handle and TH does not.

I assume you’re referring to the grab handle above the driver seat on the ceiling? Trailhunter has this as well. Why Toyota did not add one to the driver side on the A-pillar like the passenger side I don’t understand.

Cody said:
A couple gripes though:

No walk-away locking or auto wipers at this price point. Bit of a letdown.

(Factory wipers also suck.)

I think walk-away locking is possible in the settings, but haven’t found it yet, does anyone know if I can adjust that or is it a dealer setting?

It's also kind of lame that the LED Lantern Puck wasn’t included with the Trailhunter trim. I doubt I’d use it very often, but would’ve been a nice touch. Definitely not paying $100+ for one separately.

I actually found the factory wipers to be pretty nice. Quiet, clean very well, no skipping, no motor noise, and effective at all speeds I’ve tried them at.

As for walk-away locking. While it doesn’t automatically lock as you walk away (not sure if there is a setting for this), you can lock it by tapping the divot/indent on the front door handles for a second. At least that way you don’t need to fumble with the fob.

Cody · May 10, 2025

spelingbeachampeun said:
I assume you’re referring to the grab handle above the driver seat on the ceiling? Trailhunter has this as well. Why Toyota did not add one to the driver side on the A-pillar like the passenger side I don’t understand.

I actually found the factory wipers to be pretty nice. Quiet, clean very well, no skipping, no motor noise, and effective at all speeds I’ve tried them at.

As for walk-away locking. While it doesn’t automatically lock as you walk away (not sure if there is a setting for this), you can lock it by tapping the divot/indent on the front door handles for a second. At least that way you don’t need to fumble with the fob.

Yeah, I was referring to the lack of an A-pillar grab handle similiar to the passenger side. I'm hoping they add it to the 2026 model and it's an easy part to purchase and swap.

The factory wipers have been awful for me, they skip constantly and also streak pretty bad. Going to give them one more shot next time it rains before I replace them.

brumey · May 10, 2025

On the wipers, my glass from new was contaminated. Run your thumb nail across and feel if its smooth.

I used an optical polish to remove the crap on the glass and now have a Crystal clear, low noise wipe.

John2112 · May 10, 2025

Cody said:
Hey all, I finally picked up my Trailhunter earlier this week and already put a bit over 500 miles on it (I typically average over 20,000 miles a year). Overall, it’s been awesome so far. Rides like you'd expect with the body-on-frame and 33s – very planted, comfy enough on the highway, and feels pretty capable overall.

The ventilated seats have been a amazing, they are way better than the ones in the Mustang GT350. The JBL system is decent for stock, though honestly I might upgrade down the line. I got the all-weather liners from the factory, and while they look nice, they’re kinda trash in terms of coverage and water/snow retention. Already pre-ordered Lasfit mats and the cargo cover to fix that.

The factory lights have been a pleasant surprise, and I love the fogs being toggleable to yellow. The light bar is also pretty impressive from factory.

I also went ahead and got 55% tint on the windshield and 20% on the front windows. The rear windows came from the factory at around 28–29%, so everything blends pretty well now. I may adjust the rear ones to be closer to 20% in the future, but I'm happy with how it looks for now.

A couple gripes though:

No walk-away locking or auto wipers at this price point. Bit of a letdown.

(Factory wipers also suck.)

I think walk-away locking is possible in the settings, but haven’t found it yet, does anyone know if I can adjust that or is it a dealer setting?

It's also kind of lame that the LED Lantern Puck wasn’t included with the Trailhunter trim. I doubt I’d use it very often, but would’ve been a nice touch. Definitely not paying $100+ for one separately.

Stuff I’m planning to tweak with aftermarket:

Driver-side grab handle. Why Toyota didn’t include this is beyond me. I’m in decent shape (early 30s), and it’s still awkward getting in/out sometimes with the lift and tires.

Not a huge fan of the raised air intake for driving with the windows down, hoping to swap it for something cleaner-looking and quieter. It’s pretty loud.

Would love to add a sliding drawer/storage setup for the cargo area. Just want to keep gear from flying around and make it more camp-friendly.

Thinking of grabbing Carista to mess with the dealer settings (disable seatbelt chimes, etc.). Anyone used it and have feedback?

Anyway, super happy overall, just some small tweaks I want to make. Curious what others have done already, or if there are any must-have mods anyone would recommend?

I got my Trail Hunter last week, after reading your post I didn't even realize mine didn't come with the light puck that I assumed it had. And you're certainly right about the air intake, it sounds like a vacuum cleaner. I'm also disappointed in the stereo system, very little bass and poor quality.

Nodak · Monday at 4:30 AM

Cody said:
A couple gripes though:

No walk-away locking or auto wipers at this price point. Bit of a letdown.

I think walk-away locking is possible in the settings, but haven’t found it yet, does anyone know if I can adjust that or is it a dealer setting?

toyota has never had walk away lock.

they expect you to to active in locking a vehicle.

kekecarioca · Monday at 9:10 AM

Cody said:
Hey all, I finally picked up my Trailhunter earlier this week and already put a bit over 500 miles on it (I typically average over 20,000 miles a year). Overall, it’s been awesome so far. Rides like you'd expect with the body-on-frame and 33s – very planted, comfy enough on the highway, and feels pretty capable overall.

The ventilated seats have been a amazing, they are way better than the ones in the Mustang GT350. The JBL system is decent for stock, though honestly I might upgrade down the line. I got the all-weather liners from the factory, and while they look nice, they’re kinda trash in terms of coverage and water/snow retention. Already pre-ordered Lasfit mats and the cargo cover to fix that.

The factory lights have been a pleasant surprise, and I love the fogs being toggleable to yellow. The light bar is also pretty impressive from factory.

I also went ahead and got 55% tint on the windshield and 20% on the front windows. The rear windows came from the factory at around 28–29%, so everything blends pretty well now. I may adjust the rear ones to be closer to 20% in the future, but I'm happy with how it looks for now.

A couple gripes though:

No walk-away locking or auto wipers at this price point. Bit of a letdown.

(Factory wipers also suck.)

I think walk-away locking is possible in the settings, but haven’t found it yet, does anyone know if I can adjust that or is it a dealer setting?

It's also kind of lame that the LED Lantern Puck wasn’t included with the Trailhunter trim. I doubt I’d use it very often, but would’ve been a nice touch. Definitely not paying $100+ for one separately.

Stuff I’m planning to tweak with aftermarket:

Driver-side grab handle. Why Toyota didn’t include this is beyond me. I’m in decent shape (early 30s), and it’s still awkward getting in/out sometimes with the lift and tires.

Not a huge fan of the raised air intake for driving with the windows down, hoping to swap it for something cleaner-looking and quieter. It’s pretty loud.

Would love to add a sliding drawer/storage setup for the cargo area. Just want to keep gear from flying around and make it more camp-friendly.

Thinking of grabbing Carista to mess with the dealer settings (disable seatbelt chimes, etc.). Anyone used it and have feedback?

Anyway, super happy overall, just some small tweaks I want to make. Curious what others have done already, or if there are any must-have mods anyone would recommend?

Congrats!! I'm getting mine today!

g-rant · Monday at 4:37 PM

Cody said:
Hey all, I finally picked up my Trailhunter earlier this week and already put a bit over 500 miles on it (I typically average over 20,000 miles a year). Overall, it’s been awesome so far. Rides like you'd expect with the body-on-frame and 33s – very planted, comfy enough on the highway, and feels pretty capable overall.

The ventilated seats have been a amazing, they are way better than the ones in the Mustang GT350. The JBL system is decent for stock, though honestly I might upgrade down the line. I got the all-weather liners from the factory, and while they look nice, they’re kinda trash in terms of coverage and water/snow retention. Already pre-ordered Lasfit mats and the cargo cover to fix that.

The factory lights have been a pleasant surprise, and I love the fogs being toggleable to yellow. The light bar is also pretty impressive from factory.

I also went ahead and got 55% tint on the windshield and 20% on the front windows. The rear windows came from the factory at around 28–29%, so everything blends pretty well now. I may adjust the rear ones to be closer to 20% in the future, but I'm happy with how it looks for now.

A couple gripes though:

No walk-away locking or auto wipers at this price point. Bit of a letdown.

(Factory wipers also suck.)

I think walk-away locking is possible in the settings, but haven’t found it yet, does anyone know if I can adjust that or is it a dealer setting?

It's also kind of lame that the LED Lantern Puck wasn’t included with the Trailhunter trim. I doubt I’d use it very often, but would’ve been a nice touch. Definitely not paying $100+ for one separately.

Stuff I’m planning to tweak with aftermarket:

Driver-side grab handle. Why Toyota didn’t include this is beyond me. I’m in decent shape (early 30s), and it’s still awkward getting in/out sometimes with the lift and tires.

Not a huge fan of the raised air intake for driving with the windows down, hoping to swap it for something cleaner-looking and quieter. It’s pretty loud.

Would love to add a sliding drawer/storage setup for the cargo area. Just want to keep gear from flying around and make it more camp-friendly.

Thinking of grabbing Carista to mess with the dealer settings (disable seatbelt chimes, etc.). Anyone used it and have feedback?

Anyway, super happy overall, just some small tweaks I want to make. Curious what others have done already, or if there are any must-have mods anyone would recommend?

I’m a week in and about 500miles into my exact same trailhunter. And I agree with everything you just said.