Aside from begin spotted by Ford Authority on multiple occasions, the all-new 2024 Toyota Tacoma – a chief rival to the Ford Ranger – has also been teased several times by the automaker itself, revealing that the redesigned fourth-generation mid-size pickup will be available with a manual transmission, while the off-road-focused TRD Pro will utilize Fox shocks and a hybrid powertrain. A recent leak may very well have already completely revealed the TRD Pro, in fact, but perhaps even more interesting is the fact that a brand new variant is set to join the lineup – the overland-focused 2024 Toyota Tacoma Trailhunter. Now, roughly a week ahead of the new Tacoma’s official debut, Ford Authority has spied a 2024 Toyota Tacoma Trailhunter prototype out and about.
Toyota previously hinted that the Tacoma Trailhunter is designed for those “seeking extended adventures,” building upon the company’s reputation for building off-road capable vehicles and “overlanding credibility.” Looking at this particular prototype, the Double Cab pickup – which features a six-foot bed – isn’t riding quite high enough to be a TRD Pro, and it’s unlikely that the off-road-focused model will be offered in this body style either, given its longer wheelbase, which isn’t quite as suitable for off-road performance.
Aside from those notable reasons, there are a handful of accessories present on this prototype that suggest we might be looking at a 2024 Toyota Tacoma Trailhunter. Those include a roof rack, a snorkel, a high-clearance front bumper, and what appears to be a high-clearance rear bumper, though that unit is covered up by street sweeper camouflage. In the official Toyota teaser, the Trailhunter was equipped with an ARB rear bumper, notably.
This prototype is also equipped with a set of black wheels wrapped with what appear to be 265/70R18 Goodyear Wrangler Territory mud-terrain tires, though the pattern is a bit unusual.
In terms of powertrains, the 2024 Toyota Tacoma Trailhunter is expected to be powered by the automaker’s turbocharged 2.4L iForce Max engine, which is rated to produce 340 combined horsepower and 400 pound-feet of torque in the higher-spec Toyota Crown Platinum. The pickup will, as previously mentioned, be available with a manual transmission, or a six-speed automatic as an option.
The new Tacoma Trailhunter will compete directly with the Ford Ranger Tremor – which was excluded from the next-gen North American variant’s debut this week, but is most certainly on the way. The current Tremor sits in the Ranger lineup a notch below the more hardcore Ranger Raptor, the latter of which offers up a series of upgrades over the base model that include skid plates, a lifted suspension, Fox 2.0 monotube dampers, and 17-inch Magnetic-painted wheels wrapped with 32-inch Continental General Grabber A/TX all-terrain tires.
We’ll have more on everything Ford’s competition is up to soon, so be sure and subscribe to Ford Authority for continuous Ford news coverage.
Comments
I’ve seen no mention of the Tremor package anywhere else for the 2024 Ranger. Will that be a later release?
The one and only reason I would consider buying the new Taco is the manual transmission. Sure wish the domestics would offer one besides the Jeep Gladiator.
There will not be a Tremor Package on the Ranger. There is STX, FX4, and obviously the Raptor.
Isn’t the Raptor and the Tremor the same for the Ranger? I didn’t see any difference in them when I drove them.