Toyota’s 4Runner Trailhunter Makes Winter Driving Feel Effortless
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Life can throw a few punches at times. In my case, the punches have all been related to the weather. Winter storms, record low temps, icy roads—you name it. Fortunately, I was able to test out a 2025 Toyota 4Runner Trailhunter in deep snow, on muddy roads, and on glare ice during a particularly dicey trip to a downtown area. The Trailhunter has more options for off-roading than just about any vehicle I’ve tested (and I have tested around 950 of them since 2010), so I decided to test out off-roading in both snow, sleet, and mud. The surprise—once I figured out how to enable the settings—is that the Trailhunter hugs the road like masked tape on skin, even compared to other vehicles that have similar off-roading modes.
What It Is
John Brandon
The Trailhunter is the off-roading champ in the Toyota lineup. At $69,578 for the version I tested—which has extra tow hooks and a few added cargo lighting perks—it’s slightly more expensive than the Tacoma Trailhunter pickup. The most distinctive trait on the 4Runner Trailhunter is a large passenger-side snorkel (known officially as a High Mount Air Intake) which helps pull in cleaner air on dirt roads and also means you can cross low river beds. I loved that the Trailhunter has an air compressor (with included hose) for filling tires in the rear cargo area. (Off-roaders prefer less air in the tires for better traction and feel on rough surfaces; the compressor lets you set a target PSI that’s lower than the normal setting.) A 20-inch light bar helps you see the road in dense fog or at night and can be set to white or amber.
2025 Toyota 4Runner Trailhunter Overall Impressions
I mentioned how my week of testing involved some nasty weather and slick roads. I also managed to find some deep snow, mud, and sludge on a country road with a steep incline. On my longer drive to a downtown area, I never slipped or moved around on the road. I’m a major fan of the Subaru brand, but the previous week I had tested a 2026 Subaru Forester Wilderness on the same snow-packed roads. Both vehicles barely flinched, but I liked all of the off-road settings on the Trailhunter and the gauges provide more detailed information.
John Brandon
For starters, I found a “deep snow” mode using the Multi-Terrain Select (MTS) dial that controls traction. Warren Chou, the executive program manager at Toyota, told me that the setting monitors tire slip and can apply more or less torque/braking depending on any tire spin. I loved it. Driving up that steep incline, mud and snow flying everywhere as the cows in a nearby pasture looked on in bewilderment, the Trailhunter stayed perfectly straight and kept plowing ahead.
Key Features
The off-roading features are so extensive it’s hard to cover them all, but let’s give it the old college try. I mentioned the traction modes using the MTS dial—there are options for Mud, Sand, Dirt, Deep Snow, and Rock. For example, if you go mudding, you might want the tires to keep driving you forward with more torque but in sand you’d want more tire slip. I also used both 4High and 4Low settings. 4High was useful on snowy days when I wanted better traction on that longer drive on the highway during a storm. On that steep incline on a dirt road, I used 4Low to provide more power to all four tires but at lower speeds to avoid getting stuck.
John Brandon
After driving up the hill (because what goes up must come down), I turned around and experimented with DAC (Downhill Assist Control) crawl mode. To activate it, you push a button in the center console; it’s designed for lower speed descents. DAC is like cruise control for off-roading in that it maintains a set speed so you don’t have to use the throttle or the brake. That’s handy because braking is the one thing you do not want to do on a snowy hill.
As I drove, I turned the dial to adjust my speed, either very slow, medium or a touch faster. It reminded me of the automatic trailering features on some Ford trucks where you use a dial to help you back-up to a trailer hitch. Known as Pro Trailer Backup Assist, it’s similar to DAC because it makes the task easier (even though it controls steering, not speed).
John Brandon
Gauges on the Trailhunter are clever and useful. There’s one that shows your incline and another that shows tire slip in real-time. My favorite monitoring feature—part of the Multi-Terrain Monitor (MTM) system—is the one that (almost magically) shows the terrain under the vehicle. It works by recording the road using the front grille camera, then shows that portion of the road as though it’s under the vehicle in real time. This super-smart feature helps you avoid obstacles before they become a problem that can cause undercarriage damage.
The Trailhunter doesn't stop there. There are extra skid plates, rock rails, power outlets in the cargo area, recovery hooks—basically, Toyota thought of every off-roading scenario, short of a way to adjust the vehicle height (which is common on Land Rover vehicles).
Pros
- Maintains speed automatically on a slippery descent
- Snorkel on passenger side for river crossings
- Undercarriage video feed for rock detection
Cons
- No way to adjust vehicle height
Final Verdict
John Brandon
I like to imagine someone taking the Toyota 4Runner Trailhunter out for a joy ride on mud-packed roads about 10 years from now, when the vehicle is old enough to tackle some truly treacherous roads. For now, it’s a top pick for daily driving on snowy, icy roads and if you do want to go mudding or climb a snowy trail in winter. I can’t see anyone tackling a road covered in rocks and tree limbs at this price point, but if you do, it’s up for the challenge.
Why You Should Trust Me
I started testing cars way back in 2010, writing about innovative technology and safety features. Yet, my true passion is to become one with the mud. I used to live on a hobby farm where the roads would often become caked in the thick and gooey stuff year-round. I was not afraid to drive through a foot of mud just to see what happens, and recorded the chaos with a GoPro strapped to the front hood of many trucks and all-terrain vehicles. I even drove a Jeep Wrangler through about two feet of water on a closed dirt road. All told, I’ve reviewed somewhere around 950 vehicles and tested the off-roading capability on dozens of models.