Toyota, which made its name building top-notch small cars, proves it can do big pretty darn good, too, with the capable, comfortable Tundra full-size pickup truck.
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Photo by Toyota
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Toyota Tundra
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ABOUT THE TOYOTA TUNDRA:
Body style:
Regular cab, extended cab, crew cab
Price:
MSRP $22,290-$41,850
Drive:
Rear wheel; four wheel optional
Seating:
Two in front, three in rear
Engine:
4-liter V-6, 4.7-liter V-8, 5.7-liter V-8
Transmission:
Five-speed automatic; six-speed automatic
Miles per gallon of fuel:
16 city/20 highway
WHAT'S SPECIAL:
Toyota counters the knock that its trucks were, well, wimpy by offering the most horsepower available in light-duty pickups. An all-new 5.7-liter V-8 cranks 381 horsepower, best in class. Other engine choices include a 4-liter V-6 with 236 horsepower and a 4.7-liter V-8 producing 271 horsepower.
WHAT WE LIKE:
The cab interior is comfortable, cleverly appointed and apparently designed for giants. The seats are wide, the control knobs oversized. Even the cup holders are huge, swallowing a 12-ounce coffee cup so that it's tricky to pluck it out to sip.
WHAT ISN'T THERE:
Four on the floor. A manual transmission isn't available. A five-speed automatic transmission is matched with the V-6 and 4.7-liter V-8. The big V-8 gets a new six-speed automatic Ñ a pickup truck first.
YOU OUGHTA KNOW:
Like its peers, Toyota offers dozens of configurations with its pickup truck, offering three different cabs, three engines, three bed lengths. The four-door crew cab model, however, is available only with a 5 1/2-foot bed. All beds are 22 inches deep. The tailgate is equipped with a damper that makes it easy to open and close.
EXTRAS:
There is plenty of room for interior storage. The center console is large enough to hide a laptop computer or office-sized hanging file folders. Grooves from which to hang the file folders are molded into the console. There is plenty of legroom in the back seat of the extended cab edition Ñ Toyota calls it the Double Cab. The rear of the CrewMax version features reclining seats Ñ another segment first.
AND ANOTHER THING:
When equipped with the biggest V-8, the Tundra can tow up to 10,800 pounds, 300 more than the recently redesigned Chevrolet Silverado.
