Still Wondering: The 2016 Toyota Tundra 1794 CrewMax

The 2016 Toyota Tundra 1794 CrewMax.

If you are looking at the headline of this review and wondering what I am still wondering about, it's simple:

Why is the Toyota Tundra not one of the top three best-selling pickup trucks in America?

2016 Toyota Tundra 1794 CrewMax.

Our publisher and executive editor and I have wondered that in every review of the Tundra the past couple of years.  It has seemingly everything the Ford F-150, Chevrolet Silverado and Ram 1500 have, plus legendary Toyota reliability.  Yet the Tundra is sixth in pickup sales, behind those three, the GMC Sierra and the Tundra's smaller sibling, the Tacoma.

It also represents a remarkable value.  The 1794 is the top-of-the-line Tundra, the name referring to the date the ranch that is now Toyota's Texas truck plant was founded.

2016 Toyota Tundra 1794 interior.

The 1794 is meant to be Toyota's answer to Ford's King Ranch.  And apart from not having the name recognition, it absolutely accomplishes that mission.  Best of all, it's a remarkable value without a single option (see standard features here) at a base price for the FFV (flexible fuel vehicle) model we tested of $49,080.

In fact, our test vehicle had only one option, the TRD (Toyota Racing Development) off-road package. The standard wheels are upgraded to 18-inch split five-spoke alloy wheels with black accents, the tires are traded for Michelin LTX A/T2 tires, trail-tuned Bilstein shock absorbers are fitted, along with skid plates for the engine and fuel tank.  All for only $100, bringing our as-tested price with $1,195 delivery, processing and handling fee to $50,375.

The price is right, the features are right.  As we've mentioned before, the Tundra does lag behind the competition when it comes to fuel economy.  With only a six-speed automatic transmission, the EPA fuel economy estimates are 13 city/17 highway.  But that's nothing two or three additional gears won't fix. When Toyota does that, our belief is that the Tundra will gain traction in the marketplace.