Toyota Tundra Overview

The Tundra is Toyota’s full-size pickup truck, which was completely redesigned for 2007 and is larger in every dimension than its predecessor. Available in Regular Cab, Double Cab and CrewMax styles, the Tundra also features three bed lengths, three engines, three wheelbases and a choice of 4×2 or 4×4 configurations. The Tundra CrewMax is the biggest truck in Toyota’s history, at more than 19 feet long.

The Toyota Tundra is a big truck and it required a crew bigger than normal to cover Toyota’s serious contender in the full-size truck category. I called upon three friends with different backgrounds and demographics – including a woman’s perspective – to test drive a truck so large it wouldn’t fit in my garage. Stevens Creek Toyota generously provided their flagship truck with the 5.7L 381 HP V8 engine which is burly enough to pull tree stumps and still get good gas mileage.

MSRP:

Standard Engine:

$23,155 – $42,155

1.6-liter, I4, 172-horsepower, engine that achieves 26-mpg in the city and 34-mpg on the highway. A 5-speed manual transmission is standard.

Average Consumer Rating:

Expert Rating:

“Well, Toyota has stepped in to help the lyrically challenged with an all-new American made full size truck – the Tundra. But Toyota sure isn’t making it easy. The only word I can think of that rhymes with Toyota is “oat soda”.

“This vehicle is HUGE, but I had a blast driving it anyway. The engine is massive, so I wanted to get it up to speed and see how it handled out on the open road.

“Toyota trucks have always had an excellent and well-earned reputation for reliability and toughness. Well, Toyota has definitely stepped up to the plate in a big way with its newest Tundra. This thing is big in every meaning of the word…and it also packs a few pleasant surprises.

“From a posing perspective, the Tundra made quite a good first impression with us, but how would it fare in action?”