25 Trailhunter Test Drive – Great Truck, Brutal Ride

[Rubi2Trailhunter]

This past week, my wife and I finally got to test drive a '25 Trailhunter.

We’d already driven the Off-Road Premium, TRD Pro, and both the 5' and 6' bed versions. But the Toyota dealer 1.5 miles from us has never had a Trailhunter come through. So, we drove about an hour to find a dealer that did. We’re ready to buy, but wanted to experience the Trailhunter firsthand before pulling the trigger. Based on the reviews, we expected the ride to be a little stiffer than the others.

We were not disappointed.

We had the truck for about 35 minutes. Took it across a mix of surface streets, secondary roads, and about 5-8 minutes on the expressway to close the loop.
Verdict? It was stiff.

Surprisingly stiff.

The ride felt taut, it shuddered on rougher patches, and it skittered across broken pavement (plenty of that around here). Honestly, it was right on the edge of being too stiff to live with daily.

When we got back to the dealership, I walked around to check the tires. Oddly, the contact patch looked tiny—no real flat spot. Figured something was off but couldn't find the PSI in the dash quickly. Sales rep eventually pulled it up.

• Door sticker: 30 PSI
• Tires: 49 and 50 PSI

Might explain why it’s still sitting on the lot.

For reference, it rode a lot like our Wrangler when we used the OEM recommended 37 PSI—basically like bouncing around on Superballs. Drop the pressure by 10 PSI (even just 5-7 PSI), and the ride calms down a lot.

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[Goriders]

Seems to be a common theme with tire pressure in dealers lots or after delivery.

 

[JakeJoeBob]

When I bought my Off Road the tires were at 48, airing them down to 32 was a dramatic improvement.

 

[Airborne]

The transport of the trucks have really high preasure, during the PDI…new delivery it should be part of getting ready, most dealers overlook…when i picked my truck up it was 48 pounds, i had them. Reduce to 34, huge difference.
David

 

[mattlee]

I'm happy with my TH ride but the tires are at 30 PSI. I would expect a little stiffer ride knowing that it is designed to be loaded up with gear compared to others.

 

[TacoBC]

Mine was in the 40s when it got delivered and it was a very rough ride. I went straight down to 30psi and it was way better. When I put drawers, a bed rack and roof top tent on it, it improved even more. The suspension feels very good now with the extra weight, I guess the truck was designed for this. Power and acceleration still feels very good also.

 

[Billy K]

My 25 TRD Pro had a very rough ride. After a few days I checked the tire pressures. All were 48 - 49 psi. Why do dealers not check this as part of the make ready prep after the sale? I dropped to 31 and it was much better, but I must say I think the ZR2 I traded in had a better rive with the Multimatic DSSV shocks. I have not tried setting 1 on the Fox shocks, yet. Adding some weight does smooth it out.

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