2027 Toyota Tundra Driven: Should You Choose the TRD Pro or Trailhunter for Off-Road Adventures?

Blink and you might miss the updates Toyota bestowed upon the 2027 Toyota Tundra. The refresh is on the capital M side of mild, encompassing mainly a slightly newer facia design, Toyota Safety Sense 4.0, brighter headlights, and the larger 14.0-inch central screen as standard. The biggest changes, however, come for the off-road audience.

Rather than the introduction of an extreme off-road flagship to compete against the likes of the Ford F-150 Raptor, the Tundra TRD Pro remains the most rugged trim. It receives red tow hooks and enhanced Fox QS3 switchable three-stage shocks with a 3.5-inch monotube and piggyback reservoir. The IsoDynamic performance seats that debuted on the Tacoma TRD Pro are optional, as is the new Honeycomb exterior paint, which is very near the same shade as a New York City taxicab.

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More significant is the debut of the Trailhunter package for the Tundra. Toyota positions this as its more affordable full-size off-roading truck option. Building off the base SR5 grade, the Trailhunter brings all-terrain tires, extra underbody protection, Old Man Emu suspension components, front recovery hooks, bronze wheels, Crawl Control with a locking differential, and Multi-Terrain Select.

Tundra TRD Pro

To demonstrate the robustness of the TRD Pro hardware, Toyota marked out a dirt course that included jumps (called “zero-gravity moments” on site), high-speed gravel sections, banked turns, and a giant berm to climb.

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Changing the suspension damper settings is easy: Just reach behind the related wheel/tire until you feel the switch, and click it into the desired position. Stage 3 delivers the heaviest damping force—perfect for jumping.

No matter the exercise, the TRD Pro Tundra never let us forget its weight. It maintained good momentum down hills and performed an easy run up and down the berm. The hybrid powertrain provided great low-end power, and accelerating on the loose-dirt surface was never an issue. The truck felt planted and stable around the banked turns thanks to its long wheelbase. We couldn’t even really feel the unladen rear across different weight-transfer situations, suggesting the suspension system does its job well.

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Still, heavy is heavy, and that characteristic was most apparent over the chewed-up and pothole-ridden portions of the course. Up-down impacts were transferred rather sharply into the cabin, and the ride was quite harsh at times. The 2027 Toyota Tundra performed the jumps capably, but we could easily tell it wanted to land nose-down if we weren’t careful.

A quick jaunt in the Tacoma TRD Pro yielded insight into what a lighter rig is like. There wasn’t as much of its own weight and momentum to ride, and we had to be more intentional with the throttle to account for the lighter rear. But its shorter wheelbase made it livelier on track, which was fun.

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On pavement, we ticked the Tundra TRD Pro’s suspension to Stage 1, and it rode comfortably. This is the setting the trucks leave dealership lots with, and it’s what most people will likely spend their time driving with. Due to the truck’s large size and big turning radius, however, it was tedious to maneuver and park. Its steering was on the light and numb side, as well.

Tundra Trailhunter

Out to do some low-speed rock crawling, and our experience in the Tundra Trailhunter largely repeated itself. Except this time, instead of the i-Force Max hybrid engine, we tried out the non-hybrid 389-hp, 479-lb-ft 3.4-liter twin-turbo V-6.

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Despite the lack of a hybrid system, there was still plenty of low-end power that pulled the truck up and out of steep sections with aplomb. In 4L, never once did it lose its footing anywhere, though the trail was one Toyota had selected and vetted beforehand. Yet it’s clear as day how capable the Trailhunter is. We tried out a few of the dedicated off-road drive modes but decided we liked using our own two feet on the pedals better, and the Tundra never fought back by getting caught in the wrong gear or exhibiting weird, grabby brake behavior.

In 4H, the Tundra Trailhunter ate up a dusty trail at speed like it was nothing, and you can switch between 4H and 2H up to 62 mph—meaning you can theoretically go from road to trail seamlessly.

Comfort, however, is still an issue. Once more, bumps jolted into the cabin, reminding us, forcibly, that this is a body-on-frame rig. Also, the Tundra’s exceptional length and width can be difficult to place on narrower bits of trail.

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Unfortunately (for the Tundra), the Tacoma Trailhunter was a rockstar. Not only was it the coolest-looking rig Toyota brought for us to sample, but on the same trails it was also the most light-footed, nimble, and agile. We even preferred it over the 4Runner Trailhunter because its middle-sized wheelbase struck just the right balance between confidence and mischievousness. Plus, you can option the Tacoma with a disconnecting front anti-roll bar that massively helped improve stability.

Presently, the Tundra does not have the option of this hardware, though Toyota said it’s evaluating the situation. From where we sit, it would be a welcome addition, because without it, the Tundra Trailhunter was quite yaw-prone and caused a good amount of head toss.

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Off the trail and back on the road to the hotel, the Trailhunter Tundra cruised relaxedly, even more so now with Toyota’s latest advanced adaptive cruise control system as standard.

Tundra TRD Pro vs. Trailhunter: Which Is Best?

There is no denying the Tundra’s size. But the trade-off is a massive cabin the Tacoma cannot claim. Even with the bigger IsoDynamic seats, the Tundra’s second row remains roomy. So if people and cargo volume are your priorities, the choice is obvious.

But between the TRD Pro and the Trailhunter, we’d go with the Trailhunter. Unlike with the Tacoma, where the Trailhunter is its own grade (and a pricey one at that), it’s a package for the Tundra. That means you can get a ton of off-road capability but on the most affordable SR5 trim and with cloth seats.

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Interior of the 2027 Toyota Tundra Trailhunter

Toyota hasn’t yet published pricing for its 2027 model-year trucks, so we’re eager to see how much the Trailhunter package will cost. All the same, we came away impressed by our first drive. Both the 2027 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro and Trailhunter ship from the factory already with the off-roading capability you used to have to build yourself with aftermarket parts.