Pandemic or no pandemic, the demand for pick-up trucks is on a steady rise. The only thing that is hampering the sales is the global shortage of semiconductor chips. In many ways, the conditions are ideal for Toyota to take this segment by its horns as they unveiled the all-new Tundra. The Japanese manufacturer has revealed the specifications, the various trims, and the new features, but unfortunately, they have kept the price close to their chest and will unveil it in December this year. The Tundra has had its fair share of success and has been one of the top 10 trucks in the country, but after flogging it for 14 years age had caught up to it and as a result, it failed to compete against the big three — Ford F-150, Chevrolet Silverado and Ram 1500 — when it came to both fuel efficiency and capability. Toyota is famous globally for its quality, durability, and reliability and the third-generation Tundra is looking to add performance, comfort, and technology and shake this pic-up truck tree.
More Than Your Regular Workhorse
Toyota isn’t in the pick-up truck business to manufacture workhorse vehicles, no absolutely not. The Japanese giant wants to bring a lifestyle element to this segment. Speaking to The Drive, Tundra chief engineer Mike Sweers explained just because it’s a truck doesn’t mean it has to drive like one. He believes that the customers Toyota is targeting are not in the hauling business rather they want to pursue their passion and tow jet skis, cycles, motorcycles, and other sports lifestyle vehicles and simply live their lives. This is the reason why the Tundra has a maximum tow capacity of 12,000 pounds, which is 17.6% more than the previous generation, but it’s less than the competition like the Ram 1500’s capable of hauling 12,750 pounds, Silverado 1500 takes a step further with 13,300 pounds and the most successful truck in the segment, the F-150 flexes a towing capacity of 14,000 pounds.
By focusing on new-age truck buyers, Toyota has improved the Tundra’s capability and driving dynamics by introducing a new multi-link rear suspension, with coil springs, not the tried-and-tested leaf springs. By changing the set-up, the Tundra has better handling capabilities, is agile on corners, and offers a measured body roll. The traditional leaf springs would only offer a comfortable ride when the payload capacity is loaded, otherwise, the truck would wallow. Now with the coil springs, the Tundra will offer a supple ride all time. This is the reason why Ford upgraded the F-150’s springs and Ram 1500 comes with a multi-link rear suspension. To further improve straight-line stability and high-speed driving, the Tundra gets a new double-wishbone front suspension.
What would a Toyota muscle truck be without the famous TRD packages? The Tundra TRD Pro trim boasts Fox off-shocks which is set out to offer optimal ride whether on tarmac, sand, gravel, or mountain crawling along with all-terrain 18-inch tires. It also comes with a new front stabilizer bar and an aluminum front skid plate along with additional underbody protection. The new chassis also comes with electronically adjustable dampers or as Toyota calls them Adaptive Variable Suspension (AVS) system that is designed to automatically adapt according to the road conditions.
A Pair Of Power-Packed V6s
It may sound like sacrilege to many but the Tundra is the only full-size truck to not offer a massive V8 or a diesel option. Does this mean Toyota has taken one step forward and two steps back? Let’s not judge the engine only by its displacement. What will surprise many is that at the entry-level the 3.5-liter V6 churns out an impressive 389 hp and 479 lb-ft of torque making it not only more powerful than the outgoing V8 powertrain, but also class-leading. The closest is the Silverado with 310 hp and 420 lb-ft, while the Ram 1500 is a shade lower at 305 hp and misses out in the torque department with 269 lb-ft and the Ford rounds up with only 290 hp and 265 lb-ft.
As Toyota doesn’t offer a mid-range motor, we will straight away jump into the top-of-the-line trims to see how the Tundra fares. For starters, the Japanese giant has redefined the hybrid motor to an all-conquering powerful beast making it the leader in this pick-up truck class. The i-Force Max has the identical 3.5-liter V6 displacement but gets an additional boost of 48 hp and 104 lb-ft from the electric motor pushing the total output to 437 hp at 5,200 rpm and a mind whopping 583 lb-ft of torque. With such figures, only the F-150 can shadow the Toyota pick-up by offering 430 hp and 570 lb-ft of torque. The i-Force Max powerplant comes with Sport and Sport+ for impressive acceleration and Tow/Haul mode for the additional torque.
TRD Pro models come standard with a 4-wheel-drive system along with off-road options and Multi-Terrain Select settings to control wheel spin on different challenging conditions.