Big Green Truck: The 2020 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro CrewMax

The 2020 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro CrewMax.

If you're among the millions of people scratching their heads over the Tesla Cybertruck unveiled last November, here's the antidote. They don't come any more traditional or rugged than the 2020 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro CrewMax.

American Classic: The 2017 Toyota Tundra Limited Crewmax 4X4

The 2017 Toyota Tundra Limited Crewmax 4X4.

It was just a shade more than four years ago that I wrote the first of several TireKicker reviews (including a few from the Phoenix Bureau) wondering why it was that the then-new Toyota Tundra wasn't posing a major threat to the full-size American trucks from Ford, Chevy, GMC and RAM.

In it, I said "it's as though Toyota City had moved to Texas."  And in the intervening years, it pretty much has.  Toyota's new North American headquarters opened in the Dallas suburb of Plano this month, and the the 2017 Toyota Tundra Limited Crewmax 4X4 that we tested was built in San Antonio.

A lot has changed in four years---things that should help give Toyota the cred it needs to shake up the full-size pickup truck market the way it did passenger cars almost 40 years ago.

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?

All That's Missing Are The Buyers: The 2015 Toyota Tundra Platinum

The 2015 Toyota Tundra Platinum.

Toyota is the company that seems to be able to dominate the sales charts when it puts its corporate mind to it.  Is there a family sedan more American and more ubiquitous than the Camry?  You'd expect it to be able to work the same magic in full-size pickup truck sales.  But that hasn't happened.  The Tundra continues to rank sixth, behind Ford's F-150, Chevy's Silverado, The RAM 1500, the GMC Sierra and Toyota's midsize pickup, the Tacoma.

Where The 2014 Toyota Tundra 1794 Edition Is A Big Hit

2014 Toyota Tundra 1794 Edition.

Not six months ago, I wrote a review of the Toyota Tundra Limited and said that while we believed Toyota had gotten the big pickup formula right the year and generation before, buyers didn't agree (The Tundra ranks sixth in pickup sales in the U.S., behind the Ford F-150, Chevy Silverado, Ram 1500, GMC Sierra and the Tundra's little brother, the mid-size Toyota Tacoma). My take was that loyalty is huge in the pickup market and as good as the Tundra is, it hadn't found whatever it would take to make Ford, Chevy, Ram and GMC owners break ranks in sufficient numbers.

Not quite a month ago, the Phoenix bureau reviewed the Toyota Tundra 1794 Crewmax 4X4 and came to the same conclusion (including our other observation...the Tundra's gas mileage, which at 13 city/17 highway, is worse than Ford, Chevy, Ram and GMC).

But...it's still a very nice truck.  It's a Toyota, so it's likely to be trouble-free and last very nearly forever.  What's the problem?

Hoping for answers, I requisitioned a Tundra here in Sacramento and planned a roadtrip.  There are 5 models of Tundra (SR, SR5, Limited, Platinum and the new 1794 Edition), so I figured the odds were good that I'd get one of the three not reviewed here at TireKicker.  Instead, much to my surprise, a 1794 Edition was delivered. By no means a hardship, since I'd yet to see one in the metal, and I was curious how it would compare to its obvious target, the Ford F-150 King Ranch.

The Texas-ization Of The 2014 Toyota Tundra (The 1794 CrewMax 4X4)

The 2014 Toyota Tundra 1794.

What will it take for Toyota to become the official pickup truck of the U.S.A.?  Despite being built in Texas, which should boost its credibility with the more than one million people who buy pickup trucks every year, Toyota's big truck is still sixth in sales, behind Ford F-150, Chevrolet Silverado,  Ram 1500, GMC Sierra and Toyota's own mid-size Tacoma.

Back in January, in a review of the 2014 Toyota Tundra Limited, Michael hit on some very likely reasons for the continued struggle to make Toyota's big truck as dominant in its segment as the Corolla and Camry are in theirs.

For now, Toyota's answer appears to be to double-down on Texas. For purely business reasons, most of the company's marketing arm is packing up and leaving Southern California for the Lone Star State soon. And this year, Tundra has added a fifth trim level, a step above the previous top-of-the-line Platinum, the 1794.

2014 Toyota Tundra: Has Toyota Finally Gotten The Big Pickup Thing Right?

The 2014 Toyota Tundra Limited

Okay, I'll admit, the headline is a bit of a trick question.

Regular TireKicker readers who recall our review of the 2013 model just last summer know that we think Toyota got the big pickup thing right with the last-generation Tundra.  But buyers don't agree..the Tundra is still not a threat to the Ford F-150, Chevrolet Silverado and Dodge Ram.

So is the new 2014 Tundra a game-changer?

New Car Review: 2013 Toyota Tundra CrewMax Limited 4X4

Think of big pickup trucks and odds are the names that spring to mind are American...Chevy, Ford, GMC, Ram.

The Japanese have tried to get a significant piece of the American truck market.  They started out too small (and Honda, deliberately, has stayed there with its Ridgeline), and even after learning from that mistake and bulking up, Nissan with its Titan, Toyota with the Tundra, they're still not making the Detroit 3 (Chevy and GMC are both General Motors products) lose any sleep at night.

If ever there was a truck that could do that, it would be the 2013 Toyota Tundra.  It absolutely hits the target of "full-size American truck".  It's as though Toyota City had moved to Texas.

Toyota Expands Recall of 2000-2003 Tundra Pickups

Reuters (via Automotive News-free registration required) reports that Toyota is expanding its recall of 110,000 model year 2000 to 2003 Tundras sold in cold-weather states to make it a nationwide recall of all U.S. Tundras of that vintage. At issue: frame corrosion that could cause the spare tire or even gas tank to fall from the truck onto the road.

Toyota Tundra 4x4 Double Cab Review

Size matters. Especially for pickups used for work. You know, things like construction, trailer and boat towing. For years, Toyota kept erring on the side of small with its fullsize pickup, the Tundra (and before that, the T-100).

Well, Toyota finally got over its shyness and went all-out with the latest Tundra, unveiled in 2007. So much so that some people think it's too big. That was my take after a week in the CrewMax model last year. But there's a happy medium between the CrewMax and the standard two-door...and that's the Double Cab.

The measurable difference is only a few inches, but it changes the feel and driving dynamics. No question it's still a big truck, but in Double Cab trim, the Tundra is much more manageable.

As equipped, the test vehicle was easier to handle price-wise, too. An SR5 instead of a Limited, the base price was $31,260...and options were applied with an eyedropper rather than a firehose...a navigation system, with 440 watt JBL audio system, sliding rear window, deck rail system, bedliner and security system pushing the bottom line up to $35,794...reasonable for a well-equipped truck that seats five...especially compared to the $40,000 plus examples I've tested before.

Even with the 5.7 liter 381 horsepower V8, the EPA says the Tundra is capable of 13 city miles per gallon and 17 highway. I saw about 15 in a mix of the two, so they may be close. A V6 is available for even better (by big truck standards) fuel economy.

There will always be a place for big trucks. Toyota now has a legitimate claim to part of that business.