First Drive: 2007 Toyota Tundra

Toyota has spent millions to improve its full-size pickup, but is the Tundra a better value than Chevy's all-new Silverado?

by Thane Peterson

Editor's Rating:

The Good: Variety of features and options, excellent engine and power train

The Bad: High Price, no flex-fuel, diesel or heavy-duty versions yet

The Bottom Line: Nice truck, but not clearly better than Chevy’s new Silverado

Reader Reviews

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Up Front

It's no secret that Toyota (TM) is spending megabucks to make its new Toyota Tundra full-size pickup truck a success. The company has invested $1.3 billion in a new plant in San Antonio to build 200,000 new Tundras annually, and dealers are pouring another $3 billion into employee training and bigger service bays, wider doors, and added parking to make Toyota dealerships more accommodating to big pickup trucks and their finicky buyers.

The new Tundra must be really good to justify all that expense, right? Well, obviously, it's far better than the old Tundra, sales of which have been puny because it's perceived as lacking the features and ruggedness to compete with the Detroit-made market leaders, the Ford (F) F-150, General Motors' (GM) Chevy Silverado, and DaimlerChrysler's (DCX) Dodge Ram. Sales of the old Tundra fell 1.3% last year to 124,508 units, a drop in the bucket next to the 796,039 F-Series pickups that struggling (but still No. 1) Ford sold last year.

However, it's not clear—to me, at least—that Toyota's new pickup can leave Detroit in the dust. The Tundra may nab sales from the F-150 (see BusinessWeek.com, 4/19/06, "America's Favorite Pickup") and Dodge Ram, both of which are getting long in the tooth. But those models are due for a redesign as of the '09 model year, and Ford and DaimlerChrysler stylists will have a chance to target the new Tundra while doing their redesigns. I'm also not ready to say the Tundra is better than the new Silverado, which hit the market late last year and which auto writers just named Truck of the Year at the annual Detroit auto show. I'm giving the new Tundra a (very preliminary) rating of four-and-a-half stars, same as the new Silverado (see BusinessWeek.com, 1/23/07, "Chevy's Silverado Lining").

I just haven't seen enough of either model to make the call, and I don't think anyone else has either (even though some rival publications are declaring the Tundra the winner anyway). I was only able to do a cursory driving test of preproduction versions of the midrange Tundra Double Cab at a recent Toyota event in Connecticut. Plus, I was only able to see—not to drive—the regular cab and new, spacious CrewMax cab versions of the truck. Similarly, key elements of the new Silverado lineup haven't even been introduced yet, including a new entry-level 4.3-liter, 195-hp V6 engine and a speedy Sierra Denali version of the truck with an enormous 6.2-liter V8 under its hood.

Still, I've seen enough of the new Tundra to know it's a beauty. While Nissan's Titan (see BusinessWeek.com, 4/12/06, "Nissan's Bulked-up Family Truck") and Honda's Ridgeline (see BusinessWeek.com, 4/26/06, "Ridgeline's Uphill Climb") are niche products, Toyota has aimed right for the heart of Detroit's last big stronghold of market dominance. The Tundra is all-American in its look, feel, and wide variety of features and options. Toyota has matched or surpassed Detroit in many key parameters, from engine size and towing capacity to available upscale cabins and options.

Like the original Baskin-Robbins ice cream, the new Tundra comes in 31 flavors—or at least seems to. There are three engines to choose from: a 4.0-liter, 236-hp V6 with a five-speed automatic transmission; a 4.7-liter 271-hp V8, also with a five-speed automatic; and a huge, honking 5.7-liter, 381-hp V8 with a six-speed automatic.