The
Toyota Tundra is no longer a 7/8-scale truck as the previous-generation
pickup was sometimes called. It's an honest-to-goodness, full-size pickup.
In the practical sense, that means the Tundra's payloads and towing capability match ratings for half-tons from Detroit's Big Three. Most measurements for Tundra's three different pickup beds come within tenths of an inch of the competition, and when they differ the Tundra's are usually bigger. The standard bed on a Dodge Ram, for example, is 2.3 inches shorter and two inches shallower than Tundra's.
In the stylistic sense, the Tundra is big and burly by design. To that end, it abandons the high-stepping, nose-in-the-air look of Tundras built before 2007 in favor of a more down-to-earth, but very large grille, boldly framed in black or chrome, depending on trim level. The grille pulls lines from the deeply sculpted hood into the front end. Some like the black piece of trim designed to look like an air inlet at the top of the grille, some don't.
The headlights are set into the fenders and separated from the front bumper, which is either chrome or body-colored resin, again according to trim level. For 2008, the shiny, black-painted bumper on the base Tundra Regular Cab has been replaced with chrome.
In side view, the Tundra is blander, and Toyota-like, with understated fender flares tied together by a gentle indent along the lower door panels. Body proportions comfortably accommodate the three bed lengths and wheelbases. Interestingly, gaps between body panels are deliberately wider than contemporary robotic assembly might allow. Toyota's stylists decided that slightly wider gaps better suggest the rugged first impression they wanted the Tundra to make.
Some of the details on Tundra's body add interest, and function. The optional larger towing mirrors look a little too big on the regular and Double Cab models. Deep recesses underneath make the beefy door handles easy to grip. The Tundra CrewMax has these big handles on all four doors, while the Double Cab uses vertical grabs on the back doors that are a bit snug for large hands.
The rear view is traditional pickup. There are no stand-out styling cues here, save maybe for the backup lights, which are dimensionally almost the equal of the taillights. The tailgate is damped, making lowering and raising it easier and quieter.
The wheels vary with the model, too, but they're all very truckish. The standard 18-inch, drilled steel discs on base Tundras are actually quite attractive in their basic, functional look. SR5s get styled steel, stamped more expressively to resemble mags. The aluminum alloy wheels on the Limited models feature thick, monolithic spokes, while the optional 20-inch alloys satisfy the current trend toward lots of wheel, not much tire.
Opening and closing the tailgate is dramatically eased by the standard tailgate assist. The mechanism starts with a torsion bar in the hinge assembly to make the tailgate feel lighter, and includes a gas-pressurized strut, concealed behind the left taillight, to damp the lowering and assist in raising the lockable tailgate. Other pick-up manufacturers are no doubt scrambling to respond. next page