It’s been a long time in the works — back as far as 1987 when Toyota started asking off-roaders serious questions aimed at what they loved about their Fords, Dodges, Chevrolets and GMC pickups. But now, 20 years and a couple toe-dips in the pickup market later, Toyota Motor Sales USA has leapt off the high board and hit the full-size pickup pool with a huge Olympic class entry.
THE NEW TUNDRA IS THE REAL DEAL AS I FOUND OUT WHEN I SLID BEHIND THE WHEEL AND TURNED THE KEY.
For instance, the American-designed, American-built 2007 Toyota Tundra has more towing capacity than the Ford F-150, offers the most powerful 6.0-liter-and-under V8 than any of its full-size competitors, and has more legroom than found in any regular cab or four-door pickup.
With 31 configurations, a maximum towing capacity of 10,800 pounds, an optional 381hp 5.7L V8, new six-speed automatic, and enough interior room to have reclining and sliding rear seats in the Crew Max, the 2007 Tundras have solidly established they are a the 1/2-ton pickup to beat.
In short, the all-new 2007 Toyota Tundra may have just taken away many “best in class” milestones previously held by the likes of Dodge, Ford, GM and newcomer Nissan.
A SMOOTH HANDLER
Driving the new Tundra pickups brings a lot of pleasant surprises.
First of all, they now have one of the highest payload capacities among full-size pickups along with the highest towing ratings. But they don’t ride rough when empty, although there is firmness to the rear suspension.
Toyota engineers accomplished this by staggering the shocks outboard of the rear springs, increasing the stroke of the rear shocks by 5-percent over the “old” Tundra, utilizing soft-rate bump stops, and using longer-taper and redesigned leaf springs positioned in a splayed “toe-out” configuration. This rear suspension design is accompanied by a very precise-feeling rack-and-pinion steering system and a new front suspension that keeps the new Tundra running smoothly down the road.
“Road feel very similar to the Dodge Ram 1500,” says a note in my logbook from the first drive. “Firm and stable. Precise on center feel; no wander even on heavily-crowned country roads. Steering effort is light. The interior road/wind noise is much lower than previous Tundra. Engine power remarkable.”
A short foray off-pavement along the fence lines of some Kentucky farmlands elicited these thoughts: “Ride over off pavement is akin to a stout half-ton; you know this pickup is built for work/towing/hauling and not just a big sedan with a bed.”
When it comes to maneuverability in tight turns and close quarters, the Tundra handles like a much smaller pickup.
The redesigned front suspension and steering incorporates increased tire turning angle that gives the standard-bed Double Cab a remarkably short 44-foot turning diameter, which is the best in the class.
BOOSTS DRIVER CONFIDENCE
Driving the new Tundra makes one feel very comfortable behind the wheel. Visibility is very good, and it responds quickly to every driver input — be it throttle, steering or braking.
For instance, while other pickup manufacturers are putting drum brakes on the rear, Toyota chose to fit the Tundra with huge disc brakes at all four corners.
The 13.9”x1.26” vented front rotors, with opposed four piston calipers, are a full 1.5-inches bigger in diameter than the old Tundra — and are the largest diameter and thickest front disc brakes on any 1/2-ton pickup. The rear discs are 13.6”x.71”. Combined they provide tremendous braking power.
That stopping power is further enhanced by the most advanced, state-of-the-art brake control system found on any full-size pickup. The computer-controlled system, like that found in high-end Toyota and Lexus SUVs, affords the driver the best vehicle stability, traction, and braking around.
Towing a flatbed trailer loaded with 9,800 pounds of building materials was hardly an effort for this Toyota Tundra Crew Max 4x4 equipped with the 381hp 5.7L iForce V8. Bed is deepest of all 1/2-ton pickups.
ENHANCED FOUR-WHEEL DRIVE
Another benefit of Toyota’s advanced computer braking system is four-wheel-drive model Tundra pickups equipped with the new A-TRAC (active traction control) get enhanced traction capability.
Special sensing and software in the A-TRAC system provide brake- and throttle-enhanced traction control even when the truck is in 4x4 mode with the front and rear axles locked. The system also allows independent wheel spin sensing at each wheel so power can be managed across each axle to maximize traction under adverse conditions.
Outdoorsmen and off-road adventurers will find this very helpful when it comes time to hit that four-wheel-drive button.
One 4x4 model I really liked driving with the A-TRAC was the Double Cab with the optional TRD Off-Road Package. It comes with specially tuned springs, 18-inch wheels, BFGoodrich A/Ts, Bilstein gas-charged shocks, and fog lamps.
POWER CHOICES
What really stands out, though, is the sound of good old American V8 power.
Toyota offers three different engines: The 236hp 4.0L V6 and 271hp 4.7L i-Force V8s that are carry-overs from the previous Tundra, 4Runner,Land Cruiser and Sequoia models - and the all-new 381hp 5.7L i-Force V8.
The huge center console in models with the bucket seats is designed to accommodate hanging file folders for those who use their pickup as an office.
The interior of the Limited models comes with leather and audio controls on the steering wheel. Navigation system with 440-watt, 10-peaker JBL audio package is one of many options.
After driving the various models and engine options, my take is this: The smaller engine offerings provide adequate power but little else. There’s only one real choice if you want to maximize the 2007 Tundra’s overall performance and driving excitement — the 5.7L i-Force V8. This engine will quickly erase any doubts that Toyota can build an “American V8.” This state-of-the-art small-block is as stout and sounds every bit as healthy as any V8 on the road — including the Hemi.
HOMEGROWN TUNDRA
While some of the competitors’ pickups are built in Mexico and Canada, Toyota Motor Sales, USA, has spent more than $4 billion making sure the 2007 Toyota Tundra is American born and bred. The Tundra Product planning was at TMS headquarters in So. Cal; engineering development by the Technical Center in Ann Arbor, MI; styling, inside and out, by Toyota’s Calty Research and Design Centers in Newport Beach, CA and Ann Arbor, MI. The brand new $800 million manufacturing plant in San Antonio, TX, is the primary truck builder, handling up to 200,000 new Tundras a year while the $2.6 billion Princeton, IN, facility builds an additional 300,000 Tundras, Sequoias and Siennas, and Toyota employees at the new Toyota’s Bodine Aluminum plant, in Troy, MO, cast the aluminum engine blocks and send them to a new facility in Huntsville, AL, where the all-new 5.7L iForce V8s are built and shipped on to the Texas and Indiana Tundra assembly plants.
ALL-AMERICAN V8
In fact, it is American-made. It’s built at the new Toyota Motor Manufacturing Huntsville, Alabama plant where the state-of-the-art operation can crank out 400,000 V8 engines per year.
Such advanced features as Electronic Throttle Control, Variable Valve Timing, Acoustic Control Induction, dual overhead cams, stainless steel 4-into-2 headers, and a tuned exhaust system are just a fraction of what’s inside the all-new “stroker” muscle-truck engine that makes the most horsepower- per-liter (66.8 HP/L) in the 6.0L-and-smaller V8 class.
(The only engine more powerful in the 1/2-ton pickup class is the 400hp 6.2L GM Vortec found in the 2007 GMC Denali.)
The 5.7L i-Force V8 is an aluminum block design with a 10.3:1 compression ratio, yet it is designed to run on Regular Unleaded. It makes 381hp @ 5600rpm and delivers an impressive 401 lbs/ft of torque at a low 3600rpm, which is ideal for a work truck environment, towing, and off-road exploration.
“This new V8 is whisper quiet under light/normal driving conditions,” my logbook notes say. “But the moment you step hard into the throttle the Tundra demeanor changes from pussy cat to tiger with an exhaust that is right on the edge of becoming deep and throaty.”
MORE NEW OFFERINGS
That abundance of power is coupled to a new six-speed automatic that is designed specifically for the 5.7L (the smaller engines get five-speed automatics). What makes this automatic great for off-pavement and towing use is a very low 3.33:1 1st gear with the remaining five gears nicely spaced up through double-overdrive.
Of course, with more power there is a need for beefier transfer case, differentials and axles. Toyota addressed those issues with their new JF1A transfer case. It has synchronized High/Low range with a 2.618 low-range gear ratio (old was 2.566:1) and a six-pinion planetary instead of four to make the new unit stouter and smoother.
Toyota also brings out two new rear differentials: the B24 (9.5” ring gear) for the 4.0L V6/4.7L V8, and the B26 (10.5- inch ring gear) for the 5.7L. Again, both are beefier than any 1/2-ton competitor.
Any outdoorsman who plans to use their 5.7L-powered Tundra for towing or off-pavement exploration should get the towing package option that comes with a 4.3:1 axle ratio and gives the Tundra its best overall performance no matter what speed you are driving.
The Towing Package in the “Tow/Haul” mode is invaluable; it holds gears when accelerating or decelerating, which is great for trailering. It also has what Toyota calls “shift logic” where the on-board computer systems provide rapid accelerator release when it senses sudden hard braking.
SOME MODEL CHANGES
Another striking element of the 2007 Tundra is the body itself. It is available in three cab configurations each with three levels of trim: Base, SR5 and well-appointed Limited. The “Access Cab” has been dropped because the new Regular Cab provides nearly the same interior room, and Toyota adds a brand new model to the line called the CrewMax — a four-door-and-a-half (competes directly with the Dodge MegaCab).
All three cab configurations have spacious interiors with workman-like styling and features. You feel instantly at home behind the wheel. All of the Tundra’s knobs, switches and buttons are within close reach — and all can be easily operated with gloved-hands.
Unfortunately such easy access doesn’t transcend into the bed as it has very high bed sides, which are great for hauling bulk items such as gravel, hay, or a load of mulch; but makes reaching anything placed in the bed nearly impossible without climbing inside.
Beneath the plastic intake cover of the new Toyota iForce 5.7L is one of the most sophisticated and powerful American-made pickup V8s on the road.
STUFF FRIENDLY INTERIOR
A little seat time gives one the sense they are probably the most stuff-friendly pickup on the market. The cabin has hidden storage compartments, second-row seats that double as work surfaces, storage under and behind the rear seats, and a huge center console that holds a laptop — or hanging file folders (yet another “first” in pickups or SUVs).
I especially liked the large pockets under the arm rests, the huge upper glove box that stores a standard Thermos bottle and the lower glove box to keep registration papers, and the front doors each have holders for two 22-ounce bottles.
The cabs are truly setup to be a working office for the pickup owner who needs such things in day-to-day use.
SPACIOUS SURROUNDINGS
All three new cabs provide front passengers with four inches more shoulder room than the old Tundra, and the second row seats in the Double Cab and CrewMax give rear passengers nearly three inches more shoulder room.
That extra space afforded by the wider body extends to hip room as well. Front passengers now have nearly four more inches of seat width to enjoy while rear passengers have six more inches to spread out.
What is also nice is the Regular Cab feels like competitor’s “extended cab” models — and the Double Cab more spacious than their four-doors. Even cooler is if you really need a four-door with cab space to accommodate a family of six, the CrewMax can’t be beat.
Riding in the backseat of the CrewMax is quite enjoyable. The second-row seats have enough legroom to allow you to actually slide and tilt the split bench — another first.
After driving both two- and four-wheel-drive 2007 Tundras, I have to say, “I like it!” So much so that we have a Double Cab 4x4 heading our way as our next Off-Road Adventures project truck. Can you say, “Project Deepwoods!”
