TUNDRA HITS REFRESH FOR ’15
Toyota’s full-size has much to like
One of my best buddies has bought and sold more pickups than the fire station where he works. Two of his trucks have been Toyota Tundras, but there have been smaller and bigger trucks in between. He said his most recent truck — a 2012 Toyota Tundra Double Cab SR5 with a 4.6-litre V-8 — is all the truck he needs.
“Why would I buy a 2015?” he asked, adding he’d like to buy a new Tundra, but Toyota hasn’t given him reason to. “My truck is perfectly fine.”
Fine, of course, is subjective. Fine is like saying the person you just met is “nice.” Fine is about acceptance, not desire. When it comes to the thrill of owning a vehicle that performs and executes its duties exactly as you want it to, “fine” is not fine.
My friend’s dilemma, like many in Toyota nation, is that the majority of changes made to the Tundra for the 2014 model year were cosmetic. Sure, plenty were hoping for a diesel, or at least some significant powertrain enhancements or wider choices (still can’t buy a CrewMax with the 4.6-L engine) when the refreshed truck debuted in Chicago in 2013, but, alas, the alterations covered mostly sheet metal and an all-new interior. And then when the cool TRD Pro models debuted last year, Canada was denied them.
So, given the choice between keeping an aging but reliable Tundra or upgrading to brand new for the sake of a few modern features, the latter option didn’t seem all that compelling. But then something happened.
My friend became very interested in the 2015 Platinum 4x4 CrewMax I borrowed from Toyota for the week.
Text messages lit up my phone. At $56,747 for the loaded Platinum, the price was less than a comparably equipped 2015 F-150. And it had a backup camera that his old SR5 lacked.
Other changes on the new Tundra include a suspension that received new damping rates to improve ride quality — even though the old truck rode decently. The steering rack was re-valved to improve feel.
Even though the hood line was raised — leading some to speculate it was meant to house the same 5.0-litre Cummins turbodiesel engine that will power the 2016 Nissan Titan XD — no such Easter egg has been found. That’s not to say it won’t be coming, but Canadian 2015 Tundras soldier on with a two-option engine group that originated in 2007 but was revised in 2010 when the workhorse 4.7-litre was replaced with a more powerful 4.6-L V-8 and six-speed transmission.
For CrewMax models, such as our 2015 Barcelona Red Metallic Platinum, the only engine is a 5.7-L V-8 with 381 horsepower and 401 pound-feet of torque. All CrewMax models come only with a five-foot-six box, though sixfoot-six and eight-foot-one boxes are available in other configurations. In the four-door CrewMax, the 5.7-L engine feels good over a wide range of rpm. The ride is definitely smoother than before, with a little less bucking over bumpy roads.
It is loud at startup, with its big clutch fan making sounds akin to a small plane, but once underway, the 5.7-litre spools out power in a smooth, linear way. Full throttle could even awaken half of Florida, making the Tundra sound like it always wanted to run at Daytona. The snarl of a big V-8 reminds us again how V-6 engines have some way to go before they replace displacement. But if the note is just right, so too is the power, motivating this truck to reach 100 km/h in about 6.8 seconds.
Fuel economy, as expected, was at its best on the highway, when an average of 13 litres per 100 kilometres was possible, but my combined city and highway average clocked in at 17.9. Nothing to cheer about, certainly, but about what anyone can expect from a 2,575-kilogram full-sized 4x4 truck. Too bad a larger fuel tank wasn’t available, because a range of barely 500 kilometres will get old fast.
The upside to the big V-8, of course, is a torque figure that allows towing of up to 4,305 kilograms, even though the brakes and frame are the same as 4.6-litre SR5s. Payload in the Platinum is on the lighter side, at 590 kilograms. The trailer wiring port, illuminated by the licence plate light, is now integrated into the bumper for easier access. And the tailgate still drops nice and slowly, damped the way a proper tailgate should open (though, unlike Ford’s F-150, it doesn’t open with the key fob). There are no bed lights back here, other than the one in the cab above the rear window — a window that, brilliantly, powers down.
Inside, the instrumentation and controls are a big step forward. Visibility remains very good. The seven-inch, touch screen colour display is intuitive and reacts immediately. Heating and cooling controls are kept separate with real knobs and buttons. The heated seats, thankfully, don’t revert to off when the key is turned off.
But the centre screen between the primary instrument dials is limited. It won’t show speed in digital numbers, won’t show more than two sets of data at the same time, and specific settings a driver might want to make have to be done at the dealer, rather than allowing the driver to configure things.
The large centre cubby, while big enough to hold a tool belt full of tools and more, could use more nooks and pockets and a change holder.
The rear seats, while offering a generous amount of legroom in the CrewMax — better than any Lincoln limo, even — have no storage bin underneath in which to house tow straps, cables and other gear. And there’s only one power outlet back here.
But does it matter? Apparently not, because one drive inside the new Tundra with my friend and he was smitten, especially after seeing the backup camera. And recently he took home a 2015 CrewMax Limited 4x4 with beautiful 20-inch wheels. The new interior, much better ride and decent price were enough to keep the faithful from jumping ship to another brand. The new Tundra, he adds, is all the truck he will ever need.