2007 Toyota Tundra (abreviated review)

[NTIman]

So, this morning at work, we got 2 of the new Tundras in, and while they were in the shop, I had a chance to take a close look at them. both of them were double cabs (not to be confused with the huge ass crewmax)

The good:
-Much more manly looking than the old Tundra
-Very deep bed,which is much bigger than the old one. Plenty of cargo space.
-The new system for the tailgate operation is nice. Very easy to unlatch and lower, as well as easy and smooth to raise.
-New 5.7 Liter engine sounds pretty good inside the shop.
-20 inch rims look great on the big truck. While they are an option, they make the truck look much better.

The bad:
-The one with the new engine had a bad noise as soon as we got it into the shop. Noise was coming from under the hood.
-Its really not much bigger than the current truck, with the exeption of width, and the deep bed.
-While I do understand that most trucks out now have deep beds and are tall, and that I am also fairly short, I hate that I can't reach the bottom of the bed.
-Drives like a tank.
-Interior looks more truck-like, but also appears cheaply built, almost like it came out of a hot wheels car.
-Sticker Price for 5.7L Truck, with 17? inch rims- $34,000
-14MPG on 5.7L engine. I think Toyota could have done better, considering its equipped with a 6-speed automatic transmission.
-Tailgate has an indention that looks like someone has run into it already.
-Two of the bigger guys at work (one is tall, and one is fat) had a hard time getting into the truck, due to a low roofline.


All in all, its a nice looking truck, but its not amazingly different from the old Tundra. I would honestly stick to my Ford trucks for now, at least until the new Tundra is proven in real world situations. Hopefully the new 6 speed is better than the ones they put in the 2007 Camrys at first, since a guy at the factory was forgetting to put in a snap ring, and many cars never made it off the lot.

On a scale of 1-10:
Exterior:8
Interior:4
Drivetrain:7
Bed:9

Overall: 7.5

[WRXtranceformed]

I heard it has a much quicker acceleration than the older Tundras, and the commercials are all touting bigger brakes, the tranny, and towing capacity. Looks pretty money! I loved and miss my Tundra.

[NTIman]

I'm sure the 5.7 is faster. I doubt the 4.7 is much faster, due to much more weight. I don't have to work on the new ones because I don't use a 10,000 lb lift in my bay at work. The new truck does have 4 wheel discs and a much beefier rotor and caliper up front. It also has a new tire pressure monitor system.

[.RJ]

I bet that new transmission will help towing fuel economy.

14mpg isnt bad - what is the rating for the 4.7L? You're fighting physics here, you've got a 6,000 lb aerodynamic brick with big tires. I know people with V6 rangers not getting much better MPG than I get with my 5.4L F150.

[NTIman]

I'll admit that 14mpg isn't bad, but I honestly think they could have done better. Thats also going by EPA numbers which are inherently inaccurate.
I do realize that its not going to be much better than 14, but thats OK. I'm probably just being biased toward trucks with an available diesel.

[.RJ]

Yep, Diesel is the only way you're going to get better MPG out of a truck. But, for me, its not worth spending an extra $5-6k on a truck to gain 4-5mpg.

[NTIman]

I agree. But a 3/4 ton truck or a 1 ton truck is also going to have more towing capacity as well. I think sometimes that Toyota and Nissan are missing the boat on trucks when they haven't offered a larger truck yet. Any by larger I mean a diesel powered 1 ton truck. I'll admit, as a Ford guy, that I think that Nissan and Toyota both have trucks that are just as good as what ford offers in a F150. Performance-wise, they kick the living shit out of a Ford F-150, IMO. But their advertising is only based on kicking the shit out of a 1/2 ton truck in HP, torque, and most of all, towing Capacity.
I guess they realize that less people are buying 3/4 and 1 ton trucks,and diesels, and that most of the companies building a fleet are going to stick to Dodge, Ford, and Chevy primarily, so for now, it may not be a good financial decision to build anything other than what they have now.
I'm not downing Toyota, I actually do like Toyota cars and trucks.

[.RJ]

Isnt there a Toyota Tundra diesel on the way too?

They're getting there. The Titan kicks a lot of ass.

[NTIman]

I remember hearing about a Toyota diesel almost a year ago. I was nominated to be the diesel tech at work. However, I haven't heard anything for a while now. I think they need one, and I imagine they are working on one.
I don't doubt Toyota or Nissan's Truck building skills now.
I'll admit, the Original Tundra was not at amazing truck, especially when towing, but I think they have learned a lot from their first effort, and will only get better.

[John]

Nissan has a diesel in the works, which should be on the market in 2008 - Toyota has similar plans IIRC.

-Its really not much bigger than the current truck, with the exeption of width, and the deep bed.
-While I do understand that most trucks out now have deep beds and are tall, and that I am also fairly short, I hate that I can't reach the bottom of the bed.

Have you ever been in any other late model full-sized pickups? They're all pretty similar in dimensions and height (F150 and Titan are), so there's nothing revolutionary there.

-Sticker Price for 5.7L Truck, with 17? inch rims- $34,000

How much are they realistically going for at the dealer? What model costs this? Pickup MSRPs vary greatly based on teh model and options... ie 50% in price sometimes...

[white_2kgt]

Yep, Diesel is the only way you're going to get better MPG out of a truck. But, for me, its not worth spending an extra $5-6k on a truck to gain 4-5mpg.

Its not just the extra MPG you get from a diesel, its the extra power when towing as well. You don't have to 'speed up' to 'take' a big hill, you just leave the cruise on and maintain speed, you won't be doing that w/ a full load and a gas engine, and for me it would be more like 6mpg.

[.RJ]

you won't be doing that w/ a full load and a gas engine, and for me it would be more like 6mpg.

Dont tow a big ass enclosed trailer with a little gas engine?

I always got 12-13mpg towing on the highway at 75mph. Going to summit was 10-11mpg.

[NTIman]

How much are they realistically going for at the dealer? What model costs this? Pickup MSRPs vary greatly based on teh model and options... ie 50% in price sometimes...

This was the 5.7L, 4WD, Double cab.
Its not a bad deal, thats for sure, maybe I shouldn't have put that under "The bad". But as someone who makes less than $20,000 a year, and is paying off a car, a toolbox, and a student loan payment, the truck is useless to me.

I do happen to look at things from Chads point of view, because I work on a dirt track team, I would want to have an enclosed trailer. Dirt cars have no windows, and parts are easily stolen from one. The transmission in a Late model really can't exactly be left in gear, because to get the car to move, you actually push the clutch rather than release it. So a diesel would be the way to go for someone like me, if I had the money for a truck.