Toyota Tundra 4X2 Limited Review
The Tundra’s curvaceous sheetmetal hearkens back to the last-gen Ford F150– with only a butch twin-bar grille as a modern concession to big-rig boldness. The soft but hard theme continues downstream, as the curves end in hindquarters that feel distinctly truckish– in the nicest possible way. The Tundra's double cab profile proclaims its intention to haul more than mulch. Meanwhile, the door-mounted "Limited" decals proclaim its buyer’s appreciation of life’s finer things (like you’re too "country" for a Lexus rig). It’s all good, since people who buy a megabuck truck aren’t looking for something that says “tough” like a Texas lawman… Oh wait, they are.
While Lexus-like door panels, leather trim, navigation and JBL tunes trick the truck; the Tundra’s interior is still an ergonomic earthquake. Corolla-esque door handles look feminine and require dainty fingers to manipulate without continual restorative manicures. Grabbing too much column-shifter activates the wiper stalk, while a bizarre dash-mounted button is the sole method for manual first gear engagement. Rotary HVAC controls operate without fluidity or grace. The power retracting rear window is the Tundra's sole redeeming feature; it increases the open-air convertible factor and encourages meaningful conversations with your cargo. (Expect another horrid dash plug for Tundra's lacking this option.)
So this rig ain't no Cowboy Cadillac, but does it work hard? You betcha.
The Tundra's hardware is far from class leading, but the rig passes the all-important truck test: towing. While the V8 needs all 32 intelligently-timed valves to tow a 6000lb load, the autobox makes sure multiple downshifts motivate the Tundra to hillclimb like a pack mule. Expect a decent 12mpg with highway towing, down from the 19mpg rating awarded from the EPA. Even with a land-yacht behind it, the Tundra’s mediocre stopping hardware yanked all and sundry to a standstill with zero drama. Yet the Tundra's flexi-flyer frame showed telltale signs of weakness: the bed pulled away from the cab, notably worse than many a Detroit-bred beat-to-shit work truck towing the same load.
Remember Toyota's first minivan? It was a mid-engined deathtrap, no match for Chrysler's baby. But Toyota eventually got it right, building a showroom superstar in the Sienna. The 2007 Tundra is set to bust a move with fresh threads. And it’ll be assembled by folks who know a thing or two about trucks: Texans. For now, Ford's class-leading F150 can rest on its laurels. Next year, who knows? Imitation may soon prove to be the sincerest form of market share.
[Toyota provided the vehicle reviewed, insurances, taxes and a tank of gas.]
More by Sajeev Mehta
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I have owned 2 of the big 3 (chevy & ford), and currently own tundra. I can honestly say that I have experienced good and bad from the three trucks I have owned. Notice I said trucks, and not a fru fru, tranverse mounted V6, front wheel drive, which is nothing more than a minivan with a chopped rear end you call a bed. That my friend is not a truck. A base model S10, colorodo, ranger, frontier, tacoma, is more truck than the ridgeline will ever be.
I currently own a Tundra (double cab, TRD 4x4 model), and for what I needed in a truck, the Tundra is the best truck on the road. My Tundra is used for recreation, not work. I rarely tow anything, and the only "work" I do is hauling bedfulls of firewood out of the Colorado mountains. I use it to haul my ski buddiesto the slopes in the winter. I put a fiberglass shell on it and sleep in the bed in the summer. For offroading, it has more clearance than anything else does stock. It's narrower than the competition, so you can sqeeze through more obstacles and have a wider choice of lines to take. And contrary to what SexCpotatoes thinks, it is quite comfortable to get laid in the bed. (I am 6'2" and have experienced no problems back there) The worst 1/2-ton truck is the Ram. Like many Chrysler vehicles, the Ram looks fantastic in the showroom, but is often literally falling apart before reaching 80,000 miles. You've got to be retarded to buy a Ram for work OR for play, IMO. The Titan does not come with a double cab AND six-and-a-half foot bed, and that 9,000# tow rating is pretty optimistic, to put it nicely. Anyone actually towing that much seems to have rear end problems. The Silverado/Sierra was another interesting option to me, because I have seen some of them looking great at 150,000 miles, and others needing loads of work by 100,000. Seems like Chevy makes a solid truck, but a lot of owners just don't take care of theirs. And Ford... Ford is the only manufacturer who makes a 300+hp feel underpowered. I have never once complained about the Tundra being underpowered. It does have it's problems, of course. I really wish they would offer a manual transmission, for example. I hate how it will start in first gear when starting from a stop in 4-lo, when second or third would be more suitable. I wish they offered a manual transfer case, though to be fair I haven't had any trouble with my push-button system. I loathe the hill descent "feature" where the truck downshifts when you tap the brake when the truck is pointed downhill. If I want to downshift to hold a speed down a hill, I will do it myself, TYVM. But for my dollar, and at 17.5mpg on average, the Tundra is the pickup for me!