Dubspeed Driven First Drive – 2007 Toyota Tundra
2007 Toyota Tundra CrewMax
Story by Wes Grueninger
Photos courtesy of Toyota
Toyota waded into the full-size truck market in 1993 with the T-100 pickup, a half-hearted effort at a large truck that was so far out of step with what consumers wanted that it even offered a four-cylinder option. The T-100 was supplanted by the first-generation Tundra in 2000, a velvet fist in an iron glove that was vastly improved over its predecessor in every way, and even offered an optional V8, but still retained the original’s unflagging, go-for-the-bronze streak. When it came time to introduce a new Tundra, Toyota knew that they had used all their mulligans. The redesigned Tundra had to, through sheer brawn, scare the socks off of General Motors, make Ford reach for the Excedrin, and deliver on the promises of convenience and durability made to prospective buyers who were willing to put their money where Toyota’s mouth was.
2007 Toyota Tundra Double Cab
While Toyota’s luck in converting the domestic faithful can be debated (one attendee at the Tundra launch compared it to “convincing Mohammed that pork was actually pretty tasty”), one thing that can’t be denied is that the new Tundra is absolutely huge. At nearly ten inches longer, five inches wider and six inches higher than the truck it replaces, the new model is so expansive that dealers were required to install oversized lifts in their service bays before Tundra goes on sale in January. It’s not shy about its newfound girth, either. From its pronounced trapezoidal grille to its bulging wheelhouses, every surface of Tundra’s new body was designed to – sometimes successfully – exude a visceral design theme which Toyota unintentionally comically refers to as the “power of the fist.” Whether truck buyers will warm to Tundra’s curvy figure at a time when design is moving towards shapes sketched with rulers and triangles remains to be seen. Extended-cab models have now eschewed their rear-hinged pseudo-doors in favor of true front-hinged doors with power-lowering windows, and four-door CrewMax models come standard with a power rear window which motors down into the cab. All Tundra models have a tailgate damped by a gas strut hidden behind the left taillight, which prevents the gate from clanging down against its tethers. A backup camera system which focuses on the hitch, making backing up to a trailer easier, is available with or without navigation.
2007 Toyota Tundra Regular Cab
When Tundras start arriving in dealers in January, they will be offered with three cabs, three bed lengths, two drivetrain choices and three engines. Two-wheel-drive regular and extended-cab models come equipped with a 4.0-liter V-6 rated at 236 hp and 266 lb-ft, but the majority of trucks will be powered by one of the two available V8s, starting with the carryover iron-block 4.7-liter DOHC V8 with 271 hp and 313 lb-ft that’s standard across the rest of the model range. Optional on every bed, cab, and drivetrain style is an all-new, all-aluminum 5.7-liter DOHC V8 rated at 381 hp and 401 lb-ft of torque. All three engines are designed to run on 87-octane unleaded and have full stainless steel exhaust systems.
2007 Toyota Tundra 5.7L V8
The V6 and the smaller V8 are mated to a five-speed automatic transmission, while the 5.7 is bolted to an all-new six-speed automatic which Toyota claims allows enough gear ratios for easy hauling while keeping a top gear and rear axle ratio suitable for relaxed highway cruising. What does this mean when it comes to hauling? It means that payload capacities range from 1,410 to 2,060 pounds, with an optional towing package pushing maximum towing capacity to a whopping 10,800 pounds – enough to drag a new Silverado chained to a new F-150 along for the ride. Sure, it’s pointless chest-thumping, but it underscores the point that Toyota has come a long way since the T-100’s mousy 5,200-pound tow limit.
2007 Toyota Tundra CrewMax
In order to achieve those numbers, Toyota engineers had to redesign Tundra’s frame, which now has rails a full six inches wider than before, a fully boxed front section to support the drivetrain and reinforced C-channels underneath the cab to control crumpling in a collision. The rear axle is supported by leaf springs mounted wider in the front than the rear, a move which increases stability in corners and while towing, while the front suspension is pickup-traditional coil springs over shock absorbers. Massive 13.9-inch front and 13.6-inch rear disc brakes necessitate standard 18″ wheels. ABS, traction control and stability control are standard on all models, and the former can be disabled without shutting off the latter. Every Tundra has front, side, and curtain airbags, as well.
2007 Toyota Tundra Interior
Inside the Tundra, you’ll be greeted by a long horizontal row of gigantic control knobs, next to a gigantic shift lever, which is directly across the cabin from a set of gigantic window switches – Toyota’s concession to construction workers wearing gloves and the those with perennially fat fingers. Other interior features include a center console which holds a laptop, map and phone charger, and also has rails for hanging file folders. A painted silver dash bezel the size of central Texas houses deep-set gauges, and a slick, two-door glovebox is big enough to hold a standard-size Thermos bottle in the top half. Split-bench seats are standard on base and SR5 models, while Limiteds get buckets and a floor console. CrewMax models feature a back seat big enough to double as a dance hall, and the seatback even reclines. The extended cab’s rear bench is acceptable for most six-footers, although they will be getting surly on drives longer than a half-hour.
2007 Toyota Tundra Interior
Available on Tundra are the usual bucks-up options like leather seats, a premium sound system and an overhead console, plus some unusual ones like dual-zone automatic climate control, a glass moonroof, a flip-down DVD entertainment system for the rear seat, touch-screen navigation and an iPod line-in.
2007 Toyota Tundra Regular Cab
On the road, the larger V8’s beefy torque output hustles the two-and-a-half ton Tundra up to highway speeds with ease, then settles in to a quiet murmur. Quiet is no idle brag, either – even with the oversize towing mirrors on the truck I was driving, wind noise and buffeting was nonexistent. Tundra’s steering managed to lock on to dead center and follow the road like a champion, but a large portion of that can be laid at the feet of a large dead spot on-center more than the grace of the alignment, tires or suspension geometry. Visibility is excellent despite the chunky A-pillars, and braking is nicely linear and predictable, with no tramlining or drama.
For fun, Toyota took us to the Cycle Ranch, a dirtbike race course on the outskirts of San Antonio. Even with a wheel or two dangling over the edge of a washboard surface bumpy enough to dislodge the hardiest of kidney stones, our test trucks felt firm and composed, with none of the wiggle and porpoising expected from a body-on-frame truck, not even between the cab and bed. Careful tuning of the suspension’s jounce and rebound prevented us from getting the truck to bottom out – and make no mistake about it, we were trying our damndest to do this – when crashing over a blind hill. Body control was exemplary, even when driving over broken roads with an empty cargo bed.
2007 Toyota Tundra Regular Cab
Dozens of cab/bed/drivetrain/trim level combinations are available, though Toyota won’t talk price on any of them except to say that they will be “competitive”.
2007 Toyota Tundra Regular Cab
When the first new Tundra rolled off the assembly line in San Antonio on November 17th, Ford responded by booking country star Toby Keith to play a free concert for F-series owners at the nearby AT&T Center. General Motors’ ad agency has recently dusted off John Mellencamp to croon about Chevy trucks against a backdrop of slow-motion Americana filmed at sunset. Truck loyalties run deep, especially in Texas where we drove the new Tundra, and Toyota tipped a sacred cow by muscling its way into the Lone Star State. But after Toyota’s multiple false starts of “getting it”, should domestic manufacturers be worried? Yes, they should. The Tundra is a legitimate player in the big game. Is it good enough to cause mass defections from existing brands? Even the most optimistic of Toyota’s fans don’t think the stars shine that bright, deep in the heart of Texas. — DD
Toyota Point (T.V. Ad)
“You asked for a 6-speed automatic…happy birthday.”(Implication being 6-speed means better fuel economy performance)
Chevy Counterpoint
The 6-speed automatic offered by Tundra is available with the 5.7L V8. Silverado offers SEGMENT LEADINGfuel economy on every possible configuration of the vehicle with the exception of a 2WD w/6.0L V8. Silverado is the only full-size pickup to have active fuel management. And E85 flex fuel is available across every cab type, Tundra doesn’t offer E85…whotakes the cakenow?
Toyota Point (T.V. Ad)
“What makes a work truck beautiful…guts.”(overhead view of engine and frame)
Chevy Counterpoint
We could not agree more…that’s why Silverado is built with a strong, full-boxed frame from front to the rear spare tire area. Tundra’s frame is only boxed at the engine bay with C-channel rails under the passenger compartment & cargo box. We also use hydroformed front frame rails which improve rigidity & strength while reducing weight. Tundra’s front rails are stamped C-channels that are welded together. Some other key attributes offered:
Silverado PickupsTundra Pickups
Full-time on-demand 4WD (opt.)Part-time 4WD capability
Full locking rear differential (opt.)Limited slip rear differential
Solid, lower control armsHollow, welded lower control arms
Solid frame crossmembersWelded C-channel crossmembers
Front compatibility bracketsNo front compatibility brackets
Looks like it’s time for a real gut check…
Toyota Point
Tundra offers standard head curtain side airbags –Chevy Silverado does not
Chevy Counterpoint
Our Full-Size Pickups come with optional head curtain side airbags…plus Onstar, heated wiper washer fluid, standard daytime running lamps, proactive roll avoidance, standard tire pressure monitoring system, & a new front frame with compatibility brackets –Tundra cannot match that.
Toyota Point (Web Ad)
Tundra offers 10,800 lbs. max towing.
Chevy Counterpoint
The 10,800 lbs. max towing is on Regular Cab. Silverado towing is comparable when looking at Extended & Crew Cab. Also, note the sacrifice Tundra makes in payload –Silverado maintains a minimum payload advantage over Tundra of 350 lbs. in Extended & Crew Cab payload.
Toyota Point (TV Ad)
“The ring gear on most full-size pickups out there is this big (9.5”), the one you want is this big (10.5”)…found on the new Tundra, how do you like them apples?”
Chevy Counterpoint
The larger ring gear Tundra offers is only available with 5.7L V8 and forces a minimum gear ratio of 4:10:1. All other Tundra applications are a traditional 9.5”axle (same as Silverado). Also, larger is heavier, not necessarily “heavy duty”. A larger ring & pinion requires more power to turn the rear wheels, effectively reducing the amount of power available at the rear wheels.
Toyota Point (Web Ad)
Offers available 2,065 lbs. max. payload
Chevy Counterpoint
The only Tundra offering at least 2,000 lbs. of payload is a 2WDTundra Reg Cab. The least maximum payload offered by GM is 1,850 lbs. on a 4WD Reg Cab. All Silverado Ext & Crew most popular models offer a max. payload greater than 2,000 lbs. Why? –because the Silverado was designed with attention to vehicle mass.
Toyota Point (Web Ad)
“The all new Tundra. The truck that’s changing it all.”
Chevy Counterpoint
The all new Silverado has a front under seat storage compartment (that’s lockable)
with a power outlet, a lower & more forward instrument panel, a cleanly finished cargo bed, & a strong full-boxed frame with vehicle compatibility brackets. Change is good.
Toyota Point
The Tundra Crew Max has a rear sliding seat feature and best-in-segment legroom.
Chevy Counterpoint
Silverado has competitive rear legroom, plus the rear seat folds up to provide a clean, flat storage space. AND Silverado has segment leading rear headroom. So the question is would you rather feel cramped in the legs or have your head bouncing against the headliner while off-roading?
Toyota Point
Tundra has best-in-segment rear legroom, Bluetooth technology, and a 2ndrow sliding seat (Crew Max only)
ChevyCounterpoint
Silverado gives its customers a choice of two interiors, DVD player in the instrument panel, factory installed remote start, power adjustable pedals, Extended cab segment leading rear access door opening (170 degrees), stadium style rear seats (with one hand flip & fold feature), and rear seat audio controls –none of which is available with Tundra
Enjoy your toy…You must have already bought one and that is why you are fighting so hard to try and prove how great it is. Reality is.. It dosent even come close… Valiant effort for certain. But 2nd rate at best…
4 STAR CRASH RATING…
Yeah.. Be proud to drive your family around in that turd.
Cya
Oh by the way.. Tundra dosent even offer a Ext cab model…. nor a 3/4 ton model, nor a 1 ton model, not even a diesel option. so get over it… The only reason you might buy a toyota is if your were japanese and held stock in the company. other then that it is about as good the mags have said. It comes in at 3rd place. BEHIND the NISSAN!!!! LOL…Guess who is number 1??? Yup.. Cherolet Silverado.. WHY? Because it is the best… Spend more.. Get less.. Brilliant.
DOH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Mike these people are morons. I plan on getting a silverado, i am actually going to wait until the six speed comes out, by the way, when do they come out, so i can plan my purchase. do you think that the fuel economy will remain the same with the 6 speed as with the 4 even with the new EPA ratings? i hope so, because as short as my drive is to work, i would fill that truck once a month with the ratings even in the city.
John they will be available by the end of the year. It will help a bit with the fuel milage but it will also lower the 0-60 times. Seems that is a big deal to people.
GM – General Motors Likes Incentives
It is about time that GM stopped living in the past and take Toyota seriously.
Date Released: 03/31/2007
In a Seeking Alpha article quoting the New York Times, Toyota hasn’t been doing to well with the Tundra full-size pickup truck. GM and Ford are happy with the news as they feared that Toyota would succeed in invading the truck segment with the same success as the family sedan.
Toyota initiated a $1000 incentive bringing total incentives up to $3000; now Toyota models are priced the same as GM models. “The Times says the incentives are welcome news among U.S. companies like GM and Ford” according to SA.
DETROIT, March 29 — Toyota Motor continues to increase discounts on its new full-size pickup, the Tundra, another sign that it is not cutting into the profitable truck market as much as rival automakers had feared.
Toyota dealers began offering a $1,000 trade-in incentive this week to Tundra buyers, who can combine that discount with existing cash-back offers of as much as $2,000.
Analysts say they are surprised to see such heavy incentives on a vehicle that went on sale less than two months ago, but Denise Morrissey, a spokeswoman for the automaker, said that such offers were “just part of how you do business.”
Ms. Morrissey said Thursday that higher discounts were available on some competing trucks and that failing to keep up could hurt the Tundra’s ability to attract shoppers. “In the truck segment, the customers really do expect them,” Ms. Morrissey said. “This is our first real foray into this segment. When in Rome, you know.”
The Tundra’s growing list of incentives is welcome news in Detroit, which has long dominated the pickup market. Although General Motors and Ford have publicly said they are not worried about losing sales to the Tundra, Toyota has shown repeatedly that it should never be underestimated.
So far the Tundra, which was redesigned to be bigger and brawnier, has fallen short of its publicity. Toyota, known for its commitment to vehicle safety, suffered embarrassment last week when the federal government gave the Tundra a four-star rating in frontal crash tests — one star fewer than all competing models made by Detroit.
The incentives bring the Tundra’s price more in line with segment leaders, like the Chevrolet Silverado and Ford F-series. Toyota points out that many standard features on the Tundra are costly options on its rivals, but its higher base price is seen as a deterrent to some shoppers.
“The Tundra’s relatively high price seems to have alienated many potential buyers who might otherwise have been swayed to consider a well-equipped, Texas-built truck produced by an import automaker with a solid reputation,” said Jesse Toprak, senior analyst at Edmunds.com, a Web site that gives car-buying advice to consumers.
Ms. Morrissey said Toyota would continually evaluate the Tundra’s standard and optional features. She also noted that the highest incentives applied to the single-cab model, which is expected to account for only 10 percent of the Tundra’s overall sales.
Toyota hopes to sell 200,000 of the trucks this year. The double-cab version is expected to account for 60 percent of those sales, and the CrewMax, which began arriving at dealerships last week, for 30 percent.
haha…I have to keep laughing at all of you who think GM is running scared. The Tundra has lost not once, not twice, but THREE times in magazine comparisons to the new Silverado. The Tundra didn’t even beat the Titan in the most recent one. The problem with that? The old Tundra did beat it. Nice try Toyota, but you still don’t get a cigar. The only thing the new tundra has going is more power, and thats only with the top level engine. If you compare every other level engine with it’s GM counterpart, the GM engine has more power. GM isn’t running scared, but Toyota is running in circles.
Toyota Motor Corp. is the colossus of roads. It is, or soon will be, the largest car company in the world. Its worldwide sales are up year after year, as are its profits, as are its stock prices. In the United States, the world’s largest car market, Toyota’s sales rose 12.5 percent in 2006, grabbing even more market share from the oxygen-starved domestics. To meet the demand, the company is putting down factories and expanding facilities in this country like it was playing automotive Monopoly.
The company builds Lexus, the best-selling luxury brand in the United States. It builds the Prius, the hybrid shuttlecraft with more green cachet than macrobiotic tofu. It created Scion, which in three years went from a Scrabble word to the last word in Gen-Y branding.
So is this the company that can do no wrong? Not really.
I give you the Toyota Yaris, a surprisingly routine and summarily undelightful B-class subcompact that feels as mailed-in as if it had a stamp on it. Cute? Sure, in an entomological way, i.e., it kind of looks like a bug you would pin to a corkboard.
Cheap? Oh yes, to a fault. The $11,530 MSRP (with delivery) can’t make room for things like a radio/CD/MP3, anti-lock brakes, rear-window wiper or rear fogger, or split-folding rear seat. Our test car had another $3,210 of options: alloy wheels, power windows and doors, four-speaker audio with CD/MP3 player, ABS, front side-air bags, side curtain air bags. But up against other recent B-class urban runabouts — the Honda Fit, the Nissan Versa — the Yaris is less car for more money. And tinny. Compared with the sealed and muffled character of the Honda Fit, this thing’s got more ring-a-ding than Frank Sinatra at Caesars Palace.
Perhaps I’m just reacting to the wind shear. In the midst of Toyota’s triumphal march across America — including a go at NASCAR racing and a full-court press in the full-size pickup segment (Tundra), both at the emotional heart of American car culture — the Yaris seems puny. Excellence has become so routine that, when one of Toyota’s cars goes so far amiss, you have to wonder if this is the first thread of an unraveling Toyota mystique.
But wait, it’s only one car, right? Not exactly. Because they are products of huge collaborative systems involving everything from supplier networks to lunchroom politics, cars are definitely expressive, irreducible sums of the companies that make them.
It isn’t about bashing. Toyota is not immune to the same entropic forces that affect any large and successful organization, or nation, at the top of its game. Do you think Toyota’s execs, engineers and workers are somehow smarter than those of GM? They aren’t. Given time, the dialectics of decline will take hold at Toyota just as they have in Detroit.
Which makes me eye the Yaris with suspicion. The Yaris came to our shores last year as a replacement for the Echo, which itself didn’t inspire much Klingon love poetry. Like a couple of the Scion models, the Yaris is a transplant from the Japanese domestic market. It has been stretched and widened a bit for the U.S. market, though you might find that hard to believe in the backseat, which is about as roomy as a piece of Hartmann luggage. The rear seat is on sliders, but I can’t imagine why you would want less legroom. The car comes as a sedan or three-door hatchback, the latter being the incredibly cute one.
Sitting sideways under the beamish little hood is a 1.5-liter, 106-hp four-cylinder engine dressed with Toyota’s faultless variable valve timing heads. The engine sends its 103 pound-feet of torque (at a brisk 4,200 rpm) through either a five-speed manual or four-speed automatic transmission. At 2,290 pounds, this thing’s a flyweight. The payoff comes in the car’s 34/40 city/highway mpg. The great, suffering payback is in general drivability. The engine — having negligible low-speed torque — busts a gut on anything like a hill, and the gear spacing is such that you have to put it in first gear and flog the huskies for all they’re worth. Flogged huskies do not a pleasant sound make.
Toyota went slightly mad on the dieting. The Yaris sounds so hollow and reverberant you wonder if it shouldn’t have just kept the Echo name. Meanwhile, the car tends to dance around in high winds and generally feels unsettled at highway speeds.
As for handling, it has some. Actually, for a little car, the Yaris has some pretty acute body roll and lean. It reminds me of the old Jackie Stewart exercise in which he put a ball in a bowl affixed to the hood of a car to demonstrate the effects of smooth driving. Except in this case, the Yaris is the ball.
It’s not all bad. The build quality is excellent. The interior (with plastic fixtures inspired by a Super Soaker) is modern and easy to use. The upholstery is nice. That’s all I’ve got.
The irony is, of course, that Toyota made its bones in the U.S. market making cheap, superlative compacts. But the Yaris, after the Echo, suggests the company is losing its common touch
Mike you CAN get a sunroof from the factory, as for the incentives you talk about, lol, they are there to stop people like you from crying when you find out what your truck is worth when you trade it in. Simple. I drove your precious truck today and what can i say looked, felt, and drove like a cheap tin boat. Under powered really awlful interior but i will say the seats were comfy. I also drove the ford nissan dodge chev. For power to haul the toyota won hands down. For fit and finish again the toyota won with the nissan coming a close second then the best of the worst the ford then the rest. Oh mike how do you get the driver side rear two spark plugs out? and we were just talking 1/2ton trucks right? You sound bitter did i make you work hard? I suggest one thing go drive them all. I also like how you just answer the questions you want.
Adrian,
Yes you can get a Sunroof.. You can also get a DVD.. You cannot get both at the same time. You can in the Silverado.
Tundra is offering incentives because serious truck users will not buy toys.
Fit and finish does not even come close to GM as proven by the many magazine articles that prove otherwise.
who cares how the drivers side spark plugs come out. You do not even change them until 100K miles…
I have drove them all… Toyota.. AS ALL THE MAGAZINE ARTICLES PROVE.. SUCKS…
again. If you wish to kill you and your family.. you know where they toy store is..
If you wish to own a real truck that is built well and performs as promised step up to a GM product..
If you were such a smart guy you would not even consider owning a second rate product that has the potential to kill your family. If that is the decision you make that is your choice. I hope I do not read about you and yours in the paper…
in the mean time .. Just like Car and Driver says. Its Silverado for me.
Goodnight.
mike i am speechless as to what this adrian is trying to say. this is an uninformed looker, not buyer.
Daniel Howes
Toyota ain’t ‘American’
Here we go again. Toyota Motor Corp. has opened its San Antonio pick up plant, so we’re being fed this tiresome line that Japan’s No. 1 automaker is really an “American company” because it a) directly employs some 30,000-plus in the United States and b) indirectly provides jobs to tens-of-thousands more and c) is preparing to run in NASCAR.
Don’t care. Unless and until the boys in Aichi Prefecture pick up and move their HQ here and list their shares as domestic shares on the New York Stock Exchange, Toyota … now read these words slowly and clearly … will not be an American company. Period.
That said, a few qualifiers. Toyota is the best automotive operator in the business. Toyota is the standard everyone else wants to emulate — see The News on new Ford CEO Alan Mulally or my Saturday column. Toyota is a cash machine, thanks in large part to American cash. And Toyota is on track to become the world’s largest automaker, sooner than General Motors Corp. would care to admit.
But Toyota is also wrestling with dodgy quality, having recalled more cars and trucks from the American market than any other major manufacturer. It’s having trouble staffing growth, which may be contributing to its quality issues. And the Democratic sweep of Washington may make the Japanese automaker’s inability to satisfy the growth from its American plants a bigger political issue that it otherwise would have been.
Why? Because it is being forced to meet demand with output from plants in Japan — not a popular move with Dem politicos whose labor supporters want to know what they’ll do about it. Now.
Don’t begrudge Toyota its success. But please don’t call it an “American company” because it isn’t. All the NASCAR races and Texas truck plants they can muster don’t make it so. They just change the subject.
Head to Head: 2007 Chevrolet Silverado vs 2007 Toyota Tundra
Did You Know?
The Tundra offers a rearview camera in its damped and assisted tailgate.The Tundra’s TRD package comes into its own off the pavement, however, with four standout factors: tires, suspension compliance and flexibility, tighter maneuverability, and greater throttle modulation aided by a far superior crawl ratio. The Chevy did better than we anticipated on street treads, as long as we were vertical, not sideways, or on a solid surface they could adhere to. The Chevy’s locking diff was more useful than the Tundra’s traction control, as we could spin the rear to execute U-turns or balance it on faster dirt roads, and it didn’t have wheelhop like the Tundra. But a lack of grip, ground clearance, and a jittery washboard ride made it more work to match progress. Bottom line: If your duty cycle includes dirt roads or tracks, choose a Z71 when you order a Silverado 4×4 and leave those good looking 20-inch wheels for show.
The battle, the war
Although the big-engine Tundra has much of the running gear and towing ability to compete with most base three-quarter-tons, it doesn’t have the payload rating for those heavy-duty owners who routinely consider “it’ll fit” a definition of maximum load capacity.
In LTZ spec, the Silverado interior looks as glamorous as that of a luxury sedan, the requisite paneling and leather trimmed in subdued hues and textures to an elegantly simple design. We’d prefer more storage areas (all the other trim levels have dual gloveboxes), but it works and makes an ideal second car with kids or occasional adults in back.
By contrast, the Tundra dash looks massive and a bit disorganized, with the center-stack finishes and components split 30/70 along a vertical axis. Instruments and warning lights are well shaded, but deep in five pods and not as easy to read at a glance as the Chevy’s. However, the Tundra offers a multitude of bins and cubbies for stashing everything from smokes to a laptop or hanging files; it wins the cup/bottle-holder count and has plenty of dummy plates for adding switches for those must-have truck accessories.
Unlike the Silverado’s Element-style suicide back doors, the Tundra’s open conventionally via a body-colored handle for camouflage. Storage below the rear seat isn’t as good as in the Chevy, but everyone found the Tundra’s rear seat easier to get in to and a more comfortable place to sit, the forward canted rear window having no effect on headroom. The Toyota’s tilt and telescoping column and greater seat adjustments also delivered more comfort than the Chevy’s adjustable pedals and tilt-only wheel.
The battle, the war(cont)
Toyota also can’t match long-standing relationships between the Detroit brands’ dealers and owners or fleet managers and the latter’s often-extensive inventory of parts, documentation, and specialty tools. So this battle will come down to the recreational user or independent contractor, and if there’s a Toyota dealer nearby with a service bay big enough, the Tundra has a legitimate shot at stealing some sales.
Which is the better truck? That’s a tough question. The Tundra’s interior is roomier and has lots of clever packaging and features, but the Silverado’s cabin looks classier and-praise be!-just as well built. The Tundra’s size gives it a real presence on the road, but the Silverado’s styling is crisper, cleaner, and more sophisticated, with terrific paint and tight panel gaps. The Tundra has the higher tow rating across the range, but the Silverado will carry nearly 400 pounds more. And it has the better warranty.
Our testers weren’t ideally matched: A fairer comparison would’ve been to have the Tundra with the 271-horsepower, 4.7-liter V-8 ($37,935) or the Silverado with the optional 367-horse, 6.0-liter engine ($36,500); but neither company’s press fleet had exactly the right combo for us. Yet the Tundra’s 5.7 is such a stormer, even the bigger engine wouldn’t have been enough for the Chevy to overcome the Toyota’s performance advantage. Also, Toyota offers a six-speed auto across the Tundra range-the Silverado will have to wait until next year to get the GM six-speed used in the Cadillac Escalade.
Price is the key to winning truck buyer’s hearts and minds, and Toyota’s playing a smoke-and-mirrors game with Tundra. The base V-6 Tundras are up to $4000 more expensive than comparable Silverados, which shows Toyota’s not even bothering to chase work truck sales. Meanwhile, the top-end Tundra Limiteds all cost $2000 to $3000 more than similarly loaded Chevys. But the regular cab Tundra 5.7s, which deliver killer performance, are all sharply priced within 50 bucks or so of their 5.3-liter Chevy rivals.
In this test, the Tundra’s the faster truck, and has some neat features. But the Chevy’s far better value. It wins this round. But the battle is far from over.
1st Place: Chevrolet Silverado
Stylish interior, solid build and loading flexibility, but hampered by its old-school auto transmission.
2nd Place: Toyota Tundra
A superior powertrain, more room, and clever packaging, but in this spec can’t match Chevy’s value.
Every article proves Silverado is a superior product…
Must suck for Toy…
LOL
Toyota’s new Tundra was the target of climate change activists, who scaled the lobby walls of the Javits Center during the New York International Auto Show to hoist a banner satirizing it’s $100M ad campaign. The Freedom from Oil Campaign changed the Tundra’s tagline from “The Truck That’s Changing It All” to “The Truck That’s Changing The Climate.” In addition to wordsmithing, the banner showed a picture of a Tundra Double Cab nearly cutting the Earth in two after driving over the blue planet.
In its press release Freedom From Oil co-director Mike Hudema said the following, “Toyota can’t have it both ways; Toyota can’t call themselves an environmental leader while fighting legislation to curb greenhouse gas pollution and accelerating into the truck market.”
And Hudema’s fellow co-director, Sara Connolly, stated, “Building Priuses does not give Toyota license to mass-produce the Tundra.”
One day I wouldn’t be surprised to read in The Wall Street Journal; “The United States has been sold to Toyota.” Sad world we live in. ST
One of Toyota’s hot cars, the Prius hybrid, which switches between a gasoline engine and an electric motor to deliver as much as 60 miles per gallon, is made only in Japan.
This is quote from an article on the AP wire
So to all of you toyfags, where do think the money made from the sale of this car goes and how does buying this car help our economy. I await to read some of your answers
Have you driven a Toyota. That Chevy has nothing on the Tundra, GMC maybe but if Chevy don’t stop putting 0% and 4k rebates on thier trucks, just to move them, the customers that bought trucks in the past will never be able to trade them in. You know if GM would build a more quality truck they would not have ports and parking lots filled with trucks, cars, and SUVs. My brother told me he would never buy a Toyota because, for the same reason, they where a Japanese company, but when he went to his local GM dealer he said they did not change the truck at all. The bed got shorter, the engine was weaker, and they only has few options. When equiped similer the Tundra has more features and is the same if not less in price. Yes, the big excutives of Toyota live in Japan, but the truck is built in Texas and Indana, Ford and GMC products are made in Mexico and Canada. Also I like that the Japanese that provide jobs instead of Mexicans that still jobs, but yet GM provides jobs for Mexicans. Hummmm… That’s messed up. Hola el GMCo’ y Fordo’
Hold on, Ford says because of the fully boxed frame the F-150 can tow 11k. Humm… why do they use a C-channel frame in the Super-Duty?
One more thing, Flex Fuel? What we all are going to be driving on Moon Shine, my neighbor got busted for making shine. If anything it’s more revenue for the politicans, like they need any more money. Instead of bashing Toyota and it’s products call up your government rep. and tell him we need to not be dependent on oversea oil and help Toyota perfect the oldest form of alt. fuel, which would be Hybrid systems.
ummm… Dan.. wake up from the stone ages.
1,) GM NEVER had 0% and 4K rebates. Period… Go by a dealership and try to get those two combined. … Will not happen. Smoke all the crack you wish. Still won’t happen.
2,) GMC and Chevy are the same trucks… PERIOD.. Go by the PLANT in INDIANA and check it out for yourself. Watch them come off the line.. Watch them go down the line.. Tell me how they are different.. Exactly. You cannot.
3.) GM is one company who does not have ports nor parking lots stacked with vehicles. DO a bit of homework. you might be surprised to know who is selling the most vehicles on the planet.
4.) show me a comparable vehicle.. option for option. And tell me which is the better vehicle. NOT just with BS.. With real world facts. The real world facts prove toy dosent even offer features available as standard or option on the GM Product. Get back into the reality of the situation. Tundra will continue to be an after thought for real truck buyers. GM wins hands down. The quality is there, the reliablitly is there, the warranty is there, the price is there, and they are American.. Do not fool yourself into making dumb decisions.. Advertising is just that. Facts are facts.. I can make your eyes bleed with facts.
5.) Like it or not, Flex fuel (I.E. E85 alternative fuel) is here. It is growing and it is popular.. Live with it.. Get with the times or jump off the bus. Your uninformed rambling should embarass you. It makes me laugh.
Mike
And yes dan.. I have driven a toy.. I would never ever ever ever.. subject my family to the low safety standards of a toy. I did not make this up. This a proven fact.. 4 Star Crash rating. Look at the cheap seat mounts and it is very easy to see why it only faired a 4 star. If you wish to potentially kill you family then go for it. I personally will not. Thanks for the offer though. My family is to precious to me to subject them to such non-sense.
Look at the frames. Look at the seat mounts. Look at the over all quality. And look me in the eye and tell me Toy makes a better product. If you can you are delusional at best. Idoiotic at worst.
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz you bore me…
I don’t have anything against Chevrolet or Ford, Dodge, Nissan, but there is no way I am not going to buy a new Tundra, 5.7 liter, doublecab, 4X4. I like some performance in my trucks, and the acceleration from 0-60 mph, along with acceleration from 30-50 mph, and 50-70 mph, is excellent.
I will buy my Tundra in May.
Good for you John.. Way to support your fellow americans.. Send the profits to Japan. And cry when America….. your home. Becomes a colony of Japan, or China, or whomever.. Drive fast. DIE fast… wors’t safety rating of all full size pickups. BE very proud of yourself. I hope you do not intend on hauling family members. IF YOU DO. you shoud lbe ashamed of yourself for offering them nothing less then the best in Safety…
When you buy a Vehicle the ramifications are a LOT larger then how fast you can go from 0-60..
You should be ashamed of yourself. I am ashamed that you consider yourself an American.
Mike you realize that is a different john, i would never consider a toyocrap. hell i get pissed at every toy or honda i see onthe road
HEHEHEHAHAHHAAHHAHEHHEHEHEHAHHAHAHAHAH
Toyota Tundra may be recalled
Engine trouble on new Texas-made pickup could hurt quality reputation.
Christine Tierney / The Detroit News
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Toyota Motor Corp. faces a costly setback in the biggest U.S. vehicle launch in its history after owners of its new Tundra pickup reported engine failures.
The Japanese automaker may recall Tundras equipped with 5.7-liter V-8s to replace the engines, a company spokesman said Wednesday.
The trouble with the Tundra’s 5.7-liter engines, the most powerful engine available on the new pickup, is the latest in a series of recalls and problems that have dented Toyota’s reputation.
The automaker set the industry standards for vehicle quality, but now seems to be straining to maintain top quality as it expands overseas, builds factories and hires thousands of new workers.
“It’s really tough,” said Karl Brauer, editor of Edmunds.com, an automotive research Web site. “Engine failure kills a car’s ability to run and it’s not a simple thing to fix.”
Such a problem is also likely to affect residual values, he said.
Industry experts say Toyota is extremely vulnerable to negative publicity because of its prominence in the industry.
In the first quarter of 2007, Toyota overtook General Motors Corp. to become the world’s leading automaker in terms of sales.
With the launch of the Tundra earlier this year, Toyota aims to double its share of the lucrative full-size pickup market, one of the few segments still dominated by the U.S. automakers.
Toyota officials characterize the Tundra launch as the most important introduction in the company’s history in the United States.
The rollout has suffered delays and disappointments. For instance, the Tundra earned lower frontal crash scores than domestic rivals such as the Ford F-150 and Dodge Ram.
But the engine problem is more damaging and could slow the vehicle’s brisk sales momentum.
Company spokesman Bill Kwong said Toyota realized in February that there was a problem with the camshafts delivered by a supplier for the 5.7-liter engine, and the automaker ordered the necessary changes to production.
Still, Toyota has seen 20 cases of engine failure in trucks equipped with 5.7-liter engines, although no injuries have been reported.
Toyota is now studying how many of the 30,000 5.7-liter engines it built are affected.
Toyota builds the Tundra pickup at assembly plants in Princeton, Ind., and San Antonio, Texas, and makes the engines in Alabama.
The automaker hopes to sell 200,000 new Tundras this year, compared with 124,508 previous-generation Tundras in 2006.
But U.S. automakers are holding their own in the pickup market, and GM has been successful with its new Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra trucks.
In contrast to their performance in the car market, where they have been pushed back by Japanese nameplates, American manufacturers account for more than 90 percent of full-size pickup sales, which totaled 2.2 million units in 2006.
Purchased a new Toyota Tundra, but did my research. Thought I was going to buy a GMC 1500, changed my mind because of all the safty features that came standard on the Tundra. I would choose on any given day, (if I were going to pull a full size trailer), a Chevy Dodge or GMC 2500. But as a 1\4 ton pick up I chose the Tundra.
Cutting and pasting is not my thing, copyright laws and all. If you are going to state a fact the GMC web site is the place to find it, but could at least you use your own words.
As fas as all the other bull out there, The U.S. full size trucks have a history of great service, where Toyota just came out with a full size truck(not a look alike). I will give my Tundra a good run for the money and see if it can live up to all that bull (FACT) you pasted in your own words.
Steve,
Congratulations!!! You just bought a vehicle you claim is standard with a lot of safety features…
Here is a FACT for you in my own words.
Tundra scored a 4 star crash rating.
GM a 5 STAR WITHOUT side curtain airbags.
Dosent get higher the 5 star, so the side curtain airbags or simpy an added bonus.
Be proud of yourself. You did your research based on Safety yet you bought the worst rated vehicle in its class when it comes to safety. And you trust you and your families life in it.
You might want to do a little better research next time. Best of luck to you.
HAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHA Hope you guys are enjoying your Toyotas
HAHAHAHA
http://jalopnik.com/cars/pickup-trucks/toyota-at-texas-state-fair-to-race-leaving-towing-to-chevy-304526.php
Toyota fans, check this out!
http://www.pickuptruck.com/html/news/toyota/tundra/crreliability/slips.html
looks like there is more.
http://www.pickuptruck.com/html/news/toyota/tundra/transmissions/page1.html
WHAT A POS.
GLAD I would never own jap scrap
and more
http://www.pickuptruck.com/html/news/toyota/tundra/tailgates/page1.html
wow, I stumbled on this forum and it really makes me sick to see how short-sighted and narrow-minded we are still in this country…. If you still think that buying “American” is supporting the American economy, and buying “Japanese” is supporting the Japanese economy then you need to leave 1989 behind and join us in the 2007 global economy. Fords are built in Canada and Mexico, GM’s too… Chryslers in Canada. Many Hondas, Toyotas and Suburus are built in the U.S. employing U.S. workers. Just because a company is owned in another country doesn’t mean they don’t help put food on American Tables. Open your eyes and your mind a little.
This Mike guy loves to pound his chest and show off his Cheverolet tattoos and cut/paste facts from the internet…. a real American tough guy. did you know that the GMC Envoys have a Toyota engine in them?
Nate… You might want to research a bit more before you publish BULLSHIT..
FACT…
Flint Engine South is a General Motors automobile engine factory in Flint, Michigan. The 68 000 m² (733,000 square foot) plant opened in 2000 and is named to complement the Flint North engine plant. It is the site of production of the modern GM Atlas engine and GM High Feature engines.
Thank you and goodnight.
ha ha ha! Mike, you are sooooo tough. you rule the internet. Go GM! do you feel better about yourself now that you had the last word about how great GM is?? MIKE WINS!! I feel bad for you…. must suck to be so narrow-minded that you value your self-worth by proving the world wrong on an internet forum. I’m sure GM really appreciates you fighting the good fight for them.
nate, looks like you are the one who is narrow minded, what are you trying to say??? This forum is not about Mike, and where he gets his information.
Unlike some dumb people on this forum, Mike actually takes time and makes research, and the facts that he brings us, are still TRUE FACTS, nobody cares what you think about them FACTS ARE FACTS.
Where can i get a regular cab standard box with the 5.7 liter V8 in it. You have a picture of one, but you cant find them for sale anywhere.
in the junk yard. lets see.. the 5.7 is blowing engines, the tailgates are breaking at the seams, the 4 star crash rating, consumer reports lowers its reliability ratings…
Yup..
Check the junk yards.
This Truck is the best Truck out there I got One its so fuckin powerful who every think this truck suck they can kiss My black ass……………………… I towed a 13,000 pound Boat with this Bad Boy…….
Just and FYI to all:
Introducing the 2008 Motor Trend Truck of the Year……
(drum roll please………..)
The One and Only
TOYOTA TUNDRA
!!!! Hoah !!!!
Great Job Team Texas !!!
“The F-150, Ram, and Silverado guys had better get out of the rain”
resources:
http://www.motortrend.com/oftheyear/truck/112_0802_toty_winner/
Assy Pilot in da House…
Read the rules of truck of the year. You will find that they did not go head to head with like trucks from Chevrolet and Ford.
They have THE WORST safety rating of the bunch
They have THE WORST reliability of the bunch.
The engines have blown
The transmissions have failed
The tailgates are coming apart at the seams.
As they say, buyer beware.
!!!! Hoah !!!!
Get ya some of that.
But wait! There is more! On your very link the editor has added a footnote!!!! LOL
(EDITOR’S NOTE: Testing, judging, and story for the February 2008 issue of Motor Trend were completed and printed before the latest safety recall involving 15,600 2007 Tundras to correct a potential driveshaft issue)
Toyota quality is definitely slipping. I bought a 2007 Tundra only to find out the thing is plagued with quality and design issues. Shakes and interior rattles, a rear view mirror that vibrates when the sunroof is open or the radio is at medium volume levels, thin paint that has more rock dings at 5000 miles than my last car did at 60K, Tailgate buckled while I was loading my 4 Wheeler and sent me to the hospital in the process. This company can no longer be trusted. Dealer support is failing as well. This will be the last Toyota I purchase until they get their act together.
personally, I thinkg the Tundra is one of the MOST ugliest trucks i’ve ever seen…
the Tundra commercials give the impression of it being bigger and bolder; how come it sucks at crash tests and cam shafts?
ads: they don’t tell you what you want to hear, they tell you what the seller wants you to hear.
i guess if you buy a new Tundra you’ll get cam-Shafted!!!
I find it funny that all the Tundra owners are complaining about a subject that just doesn’t affect GM trucks. The reason for the bounce is that they used an almost exact copy of the GM 800 series frame used in 99-07 trucks but cheaped out. Boxed in front, lipped C channel under the cab, open C channel under the box.
They didn’t hydroform the front section like GM and then didn’t use tubular welded crossmembers like GM.
GM now has a fully boxed frame front to rear. The Tundra frame isn’t eve as strong as the OLD GM frame.The rear springs are mounted narrower to the axle than GM giving the load in the box a less stable stance on road. The shocks are outboard but if the frame flexs the mount of the shoch also moves when the axle moves so it really can’t control the rear axle. Think about it.
A simple test for the box frame strength is to jack up the rear corner of the box till the wheel comes off the ground on a Tundra and a Sierra. You will find that the Tundra frame has about a 5″ flex from side to side where the GM frame is only 3″.
There are many issues up here where people use their trucks for work and with loads in the box that GM, Ford and Dodge carry all day long, the Tundra is showing so much box flex that it has dented the cab! The frame is just not strong enough.
And a GM truck owner never thinks twice about the strength of the tailgate holding long material and driving with the tailgate down ore loading quads etc. The huge number of complaints of tailgate failures on the Tundra show that Toyota engineers still haven’t figured out how to build a full size truck that can be used like thier competitors. But then they have only been building them for about 10 months where GM has been doing it for 80 years.
All you Tundra drivers do your self a favour and test drive a new Silverado or Sierra. You will have to admit that GM is the benchmark in full size pickups. No bed bounce and a strong tailgate with more features and better build quality. Check the body gaps! Every exterior gap on the Tundra is wider than the GM! And other features such as a stability control system that works in 2wd and 4 wd. Check your operators manual. Tundra stability control and traction control only work in 2wd! Now just what good does that do?
i just came from Grande Prairie Alberta where there are two Toyota engineers trying to figure out how to try and fix trucks that are breaking down being used as trucks are meant to be used. Dented caps from loads that have been carried in the boxes of the competition for years are having these Tundra’s traded in after only a month or two because they are not standing up.
Toyota, you have a long way to go to match the best
We have a 2000 Tundra that has 324,000 miles on it. It still runs great, no break downs thus far. The only Domestic trucks that has gotten 300,000 miles with us are the Ford Super Duty’s (greatest diesel there is in my opinion). As far as gas trucks go, we have some fords with 200,000 miles, but chevy’s never make it that far and dodge’s bodies fall apart before the engine can reach that. Now don’t get me wrong, its not that i hate domestic cars, i LOVE Ford, but as far as quality and performance from a gas engine truck, I would have to say toyota has everyone beat! And if any of you are wondering, our trucks don’t drive around the city all day, they are used like a truck is supposed to be used, on the farm and ranch and not as a city vehicle =). I would definitely recommend this to anyone who is looking into getting one. The ride is very smooth (for a truck, keep in mind) and for as wide as the truck is the turning radius is awesome.
Now this is solely my experience with the Toyota, which have all been great. Some will disagree, but thats what makes this interesting.
Oh by the way, Mike,
quote:
“Nate… You might want to research a bit more before you publish BULLSHIT..
FACT…
Flint Engine South is a General Motors automobile engine factory in Flint, Michigan. The 68 000 m² (733,000 square foot) plant opened in 2000 and is named to complement the Flint North engine plant. It is the site of production of the modern GM Atlas engine and GM High Feature engines.
Thank you and goodnight.”
Good job buddy,but those are engines…theres quite a bit more left to the truck last time i checked. I agree with Nate on this one, Toyota has factories in the U.S. and they are employing tons of Americans! Now ya sure Ford, GM, Dodge and the like have factories in the U.S., or one would hope so, they were made here, but they also have factories in Canada and Mexico and I’m pretty sure Americans aren’t making a daily commute across the border….
At least Toyota (who originated OUTSIDE the U.S.) is moving to the U.S. and helping out our people!
Seriously dude, your being ridiculously negative, go spout your shit on some GM forums. Every truck has its pro’s and con’s, none of them are perfect. And yes, that includes GM.
Rosco,
congratulations on getting the 324K out of your toyota. GM products do it all the time. AGAIN I REPEAT FOR THE ZILLIONTH TIME.. RESEARCH… Do your research. Have you seen the website for the 1 MILLION mile club from chevrolet? Didnt think so.
Your 2000 might be great. BUT it is a mid size truck not a full size truck. It was made in japan.
RESEARCH AND YOU WILL FIND.. NOT ONLY is toyota the least reliable, most problimatic and unsafe trucks on the road they import their parts from JAPAN. PROFITS GO TO JAPAN.
SO DONT cry to me about all this mumbo jumbo BS.. RESEARCH FACTS. THEN SPEAK UP.
THANK YOU
the truck is a nice truck and if u think its ugly ur just saying that cuz yall like american trucks better
but i just got one and this is an awesome truck and it has a lot more power than the F150 i use to have before