Hartford Courant

’23 Tundra shows strength and comfort, finally!

- By Marc D. Grasso

It’s Truck Week in Grasso’s Garage! We love saying that as our fascinatio­n for beefy exteriors and usable trucks is always the craze. Not only do they have purpose, but storage, comfort and much more!

As a trip to the mountains was just what the doctor ordered, it fit congruentl­y with our tester this week. The 2023 Toyota Tundra Platinum Crewmax 4X4 entered Grasso’s Garage as its first time here and with much attraction. The ever popular, priced right, Tundra boasts tons of usage and noticeable exterior upgrades. The large front grille and fascia are the first things that come to mind in the 2023 Tundra, but the 20 inch dark painted wheels were also

really nice. Our Bluestone exterior was beautiful. Its dark blue metallic exterior paint is unbelievab­le; the amount of flake in the paint is stellar when clean. The Crewmax offers chart-topping interior rear space as the rear crew cab door is actually larger than the front doors. Typical of the original 7-series BMW, the rear doors were larger to accommodat­e riders as the vehicle was designed to transport C-level executives around cities. But for the Tundra Crewmax it’s all about interior storage and seating.

In addition to those items, the interior has gone through a complete overhaul as well. Its ultra plush luxurious vibe offers great seats, open visibility and an easy to use infotainme­nt system with a 14-inch center stack screen positioned correctly; Great Job Toyota! Along with a 12-speaker JBL premium audio system. Our tester came with the Advanced

Package which included load-leveling ride height control air suspension and heads up display for a realistic $1,645. On the exterior, it’s all visibility and looks. THE Blueprint exterior metallic paint was very nice when clean and the bed was super spacious for your around the house chore list. I really liked the automatic step that opens when you pull the tailgate down for easy access.

Toyota has been in the truck market for years with above average mid-size vehicles and traditiona­lly sub-par full-size trucks. But with Tundra’s recent redesign and relaunch, the 2023 Tundra Platinum is one of the finest trucks I have driven and rode in and would recommend it to my readers who are looking for a really big bang for the buck. Great Job Toyota, its about time!

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TOYOTA

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