Yes, This Tundra Has What It Takes to Challenge Chevy, Ford and Dodge

But being big enough isn’t all that’s involved in being good enough to persuade intensely loyalist owners of
Detroit
’s Big Three pickups that the time has come to buy their first Japanese product.

After spending a week in an early production Double Cab Limited equipped with
Toyota
’s all-new 5.7 liter V-8, I think Toyota is going to sell lots of Tundras, including a fair number of “conquests” of domestic owners. But the Tundra is still not quite fully capable of contending on an equal basis in Detroit ’s last, immensely profitable, bastion.

What’s missing isn’t power, style or utility. There are three engines and two transmissions. My tester’s big powerplant –hooked to a six-speed automatic transmission – produces 381 horsepower and 401 lb-ft of torque, more than enough to propel the big brute from zero to 60 mph in 6.94 seconds.

A smaller V-8 and a V-6, plus a five-speed automatic are the other powertrain options, depending upon which cab configuration is selected. TheTundra’s frame is fully boxed and the front and rear suspension designs will look familiar to F-150 proponents. The standard 18 inch wheels are the biggest in the segment.

Towing capacity tops out at 10,800 pounds. There are 31 model configurations based on standard, Double and CrewMax cabs, plus three bed lengths, three trim levels and two drivetrains.

Exterior styling is strongly reminiscent of the Dodge Ram up front, with a big grille, big fenders and big hood. The giant-sized tail lamps also grab attention. But the flanks seem more modest and less identifiable. Overall, it looks good, is clearly identifiable but doesn’t reach out and grab you.

The passenger cabin is wide, roomy and distinctly car-like. I was a bit surprised by some of the materials used in the instrument panel because they seemed not quite up to
Toyota
’s usual vault-like feel.

Even so, instrumentation is clear and easy to see and use, the front seats are extremely comfortable. Abby and Okie, our two labs, absolutely loved the rear seats. The center console can hold either a laptop or function as a hanging file folder receptacle. Tundra is the first full-size pickup to offer as standard equipment side and roll-sensitive side air bags.

On the road, the Tundra definitely feels like a Toyota . Ride quality is exceptionally smooth for a big truck and the cabin feels so tight that you might not even recognize a squeak or rattle, if one ever occurred.

Expect heavy duty Tundras to be the next offerings from Toyota . Then the Japanese automaker will make serious inroads into
Detroit
’s big truck monopoly. Car Reviews

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