Trailhunter vs TRD ORP

[Cole Murphy]

Hello everyone! I am debating between purchasing a Trailhunter or a TRD ORP. For either of these, it will be my daily driver/camping vehicle. I enjoy camping and I am willing to travel anywhere and travel far to do it. For either vehicle, I will get the hybrid engine and I am trying to see if it's worth the extra money to get the Trailhunter. I will get a rooftop tent for either vehicle I get and obviously a roof rack. The things I like about the trailhunter are the headlights with the choice of amber, the air compressor, the suspension, and the lift. I like all the little things too like the nicer interior and the interior but not those enough to spend an extra 10k. However, is it worth buying it already included or building it out myself? Is it worth the extra money to get right now? What do y'all think?

Sponsored

 

[Pufnstuf]

I bought a Trailhunter and just love the thing so far.

But as soon as I read your post I had to think you might be better off with a non-hybrid for your use.

I just want to caution you about the weight you may be adding with a rooftop tent and everything else you may need for overlanding. With the heavy battery the curb weight of the Trailhunter is 5500 lbs. The GVWR is 6500 lbs. When I load it up with my wife, son and our two large dogs we take up 600 lbs of the 1000 lb payload capacity. Adding a tent to that and camping/recovery gear will push you well over what it's rated for. I know a lot of 4runners are modded well over their GVWR and handle the punishment without issues. But just something to consider.

Won't weigh in on Trailhunter vs TRD ORP but will tell you why a Trailhunter was for me. I'm a very proud owner of a 3rd gen 4runner, have modded it and love it. But I'm getting a little long in the tooth and wanted something I could off road from the factory floor and get all the thrills I need. I don't need what seems to be the almost obligatory 35" tires and lift/trimming seen so often on this forum to do what I want, which includes rock climbing. That made the Trailhunter an easy decision for me as I don't have to worry about warranty issues after making mods and can have all the fun I need and still handle onX trails rated 5 to 6. Just my 2 cents.

Hope this helps and if you are set on the hybrid I don't think you can go wrong but take some time to consider what you will be weighing it up with. If you at all worry about GVWR as I do it means more expensive light weight components like the roof top tent.

 

[MikeD]

On the flip side from Pufnstuf.... I got the TRD ORP and have essentially made it into a Trailhunter with rock rails, and all 3 steel skid plates (haven't added the compressor yet but its on the list). And for the wheeling I've done I've needed those mods. Could have saved the effort if I'd just gone Trailhunter first.
I suggest you look closely at the (3/4?) roof rack that it comes with and decide if it can be used with your tent and if yes, then go for it.
The GVWR issue is valid .... but is also a bundle of confusion. I am confident that it is overly conservative based on no lack of power and responsiveness when I know I was overloaded .... and have you crawled underneath? the frame on these things are beasts - and your potential Trailhunter has an even bigger rear diff than even the PRO (which has same as my OR) .
I won't be trading my TRD ORP in for a Trailhunter soon but if they give me a blue one in a future year.... maybe....

 

[Pufnstuf]

@MikeD

Very valid points. I did immediately ditch the 3/4 roof rack and spend $1200 on a Prinsu pro. Can do a lot with the $ saved on the TRD ORP to make it what you want.

 

[Pufnstuf]

Oh and one other thing about the Trailhunter. I like that it doesn't come with the moonroof, which seems to be difficult to avoid on other trims. Come on Toyota - let us order the exact build we want.

But I do like having my windows down when offroad. I thought the snorkel noise was fun for a minute or two but was annoyed by it after minute 3. If it were a true snorkel I would be ok living with it but since its just for dust mitigation I really wish they it didn't come with it. Even worse though not sure about this but I've read it actually lowers horsepower a bit.

 

[1Volfan]

I got almost $5k off sticker on my Trailhunter. When I looked at the ORP with skids, sliders, onboard air, sway bar disconnect, etc. the Trailhunter was barely more and I had upgraded suspension and lift. Made the decision for me.

 

[shine]

I sat down and added up the cost of wheels, tires, suspension, skids, compressor, rock rails, roof rack, light bar and decided the added cost of the trailhunter was worth it. That’s before even considering the aux switches/starter/alternator/swaybar disconnect/wider fender flares, and the interior color scheme & extra soft touch interior parts.

For me it was an easy choice, but it only makes sense if you like the extras that this trim has. If you’re going to further upgrade then it might not make as much sense.

The lack of a moonroof was a negative for me, this is my first vehicle without it since the early 90’s. But I’m getting used to the sitting-in-a-cave feeling…

 

[San Felipe Bob]

Another plus to going TH is that all those little mods are all covered under factory warranty..
In my opinion the TH rides better than the Pro and ORP on road.
TH has dual zone AC controls (Huge plus for my wife).
The TH has a wider stance.
The front clip and front flares offer better Offroad clearance.
Don't forget the front sway bar disconnect is std on TH.

Then there's the resale value.
Pro's and TH's will likely hold value more than the more common ORP.

For all those reasons we went TH.

cheers
SFB

 

[4Everest]

I got almost $5k off sticker on my Trailhunter.

I was in the same position, and my dealer(s) wouldn't budge off sticker price on the THs, but this would've sold it for me.

Another note for OP @Cole Murphy: if you're planning on adding the air compressor that comes on the TH, it's easier to do if you have they hybrid drivetrain. Just something to keep in mind. Good luck!

 

[Mr_Sandman]

@Pufnstuf

This is exactly why I got my trail hunter! Valid points on load capacity. If i cared as much for mods like I did in the past the TRD ORP would have been the move. I'm more of a set it an forget it kind of guy now.

 

[FrozenTater]

Oh and one other thing about the Trailhunter. I like that it doesn't come with the moonroof, which seems to be difficult to avoid on other trims. Come on Toyota - let us order the exact build we want.

But I do like having my windows down when offroad. I thought the snorkel noise was fun for a minute or two but was annoyed by it after minute 3. If it were a true snorkel I would be ok living with it but since its just for dust mitigation I really wish they it didn't come with it. Even worse though not sure about this but I've read it actually lowers horsepower a bit.

My ORP did not come with a moonroof. Definitely is possible

 

[FrozenTater]

I went with the ORP because it was available for purchase right away, and needed more space in the back for my dogs and for camping.

 

[photorunner]

This was a much easier decision for me, given the $25k price difference between the TH and SR5. I like to swap parts, so it was an easy choice because I knew I was going to upgrade the things I wanted to upgrade either way. I owned a 5th gen ORP and still ended up adding a bunch of parts, so I decided this time to go with a lesser trim and spend the difference on upgrading. However, if I was interested in just keeping a vehicle totally stock, I’d probably opt for the TH. It’s definitely a trim you could drive for a long time as sold and be satisfied.

Sponsored