CALGARY – Some folks legitimately require a pickup truck.
They tow. They haul. They play.
Calgary’s Doug Thorp fits the profile. Thorp pulls a fifth-wheel RV, and with his family, travels thousands of kilometres every year in a 2003 Ram 2500 heavy-duty truck.
As a truck enthusiast, Thorp was the ideal candidate to test Toyota’s redesigned-for-2014 Tundra half-ton pickup.
Toyota first introduced the Tundra in 1999, with the vehicle being sold as a 2000-model year truck. With the Tundra, Toyota was aiming to capture some of the big truck market traditionally dominated by Ford, GM and Chrysler.
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The Toyota Tundra comes with a very well-appointed cabin.
Christina Ryan, Calgary Herald
First-generation Tundra trucks were built from 1999 to 2007, and were initially equipped with a 3.4-litre V6 or a 4.7L V8. Once on the market, Toyota continuously updated cab styles and available engines and transmissions.
Early in 2007 Toyota’s second-generation Tundra grew in size – and the truck was available in 31 different configurations. A wide choice of available cabs, boxes, engines and transmissions meant the truck could be put to just about any conceivable use.
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New for 2014 is the third-generation Tundra, updated with new exterior design elements that Toyota says reflect a ‘chiseled and modern industrial image’. The truck is available in five ‘grades’ — the SR, SR5, the well-appointed Limited, and two premium models, Platinum and the new 1794 Edition.
The 1794 Edition is a nod to the ranch, which was founded in 1794, where the Tundra factory is currently located in San Antonio, Texas. It was a Silver Sky Metallic 2014 4×4 Tundra Crewmax 1794 Edition – which adds woodgrain and leather interior appointments, 20” chrome clad alloy wheels and special badging – that Thorp tested.
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The test Tundra has a camera located in the tailgate.
Christina Ryan, Calgary Herald
Equipped with a 5.7L V8 engine and six-speed automatic transmission, the truck was fully loaded with just about every convenience and had a price tag just north of $55,824.
“I was very impressed with the visual appeal of the redesigned Tundra,” Thorp says of his first impression. “Toyota has come a long way with the look of their trucks, and the Tundra appeared very solid with nice lines.
“I especially liked the grille and headlight treatment.”
Thorp was born and raised in Ontario. His father taught him to drive a 3/4-ton GMC pickup truck with a three-speed column shift transmission. He got his licence in 1979, and bought a Plymouth Charger for $500. He drove the Charger for two years and next bought a Plymouth K-car, and drove that for more than 300,000 kilometres.
Thorp was in the military reserves for eight years and during that time he drove numerous different vehicles, from 1/4-ton Jeep to 5-ton wreckers.
When the family moved west to Calgary in 1995 Thorp had a Ford Tempo, but with a growing family — wife Laura, sons Duncan, Bryan and Robert — a minivan soon became the family hauler. When the van became too small Thorp bought his 2003 Ram 2500 Quad Cab, and recently he purchased a 2011 Dodge Journey R/T for driving around town.
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Thorp came away visually impressed by the redesigned Tundra. He especially liked the grille and headlight treatment.
Christina Ryan, Calgary Herald
“With our own truck we go fishing, we go camping with the fifth wheel, we drive it to the dump and to get landscape supplies,” Thorp says.
Currently, he has 175,000 km on the truck and 58,000 km on the Journey.
Regarding the Tundra, Thorp was just as impressed with the inside as he was the outside.
“What a gorgeous truck,” he says. “The seats are covered in tan leather with suede inserts. The main instrument cluster is clean and easy to read and the centre console has a large 7” multifunction touch screen. The rear seats are quite spacious with plenty of legroom for rear passengers.”
Thorp is 6’ tall, and his two oldest sons are 6’1” and 6’4” – vehicle ingress and egress and passenger comfort are top priorities for his family. An aftermarket item he says he’d add to the Tundra is running boards or side steps.
“Anyone less than 6’ tall would have trouble getting in and out,” Thorp says
He liked the special touches found in the 1794 Edition such as the wood trim on the dash, doors, steering wheel and gear selector.
Of the 5.7L engine, Thorp was impressed with the power.
“I did some acceleration tests and the truck has lots of power and great throttle response,” Thorp says. “The transmission shifted smoothly, and when you punch it on the highway it actually reminded me of the Hemi in my Ram – but anyone with a heavy foot will consume a lot of gasoline.”
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Thorp was impressed by the Toyota Tundra’s power and smooth transmission. But would he buy one? If he had the means, he would, although he would scale back the trim level a wee bit.
Christina Ryan, Calgary Herald
Feedback through the steering wheel was rated as excellent, and the ride wasn’t harsh at all – something that surprised Thorp.
“The truck was very smooth on the road and the cabin was very quiet,” he says.
Thorp also appreciated the locking tailgate, but noted it would only be useful if the short bed were fitted with a cover or canopy. The bed had a hard plastic liner with access to tie down points at all four corners, but Thorp says climbing into the cargo area would be much easier with a rear bumper step.
With the Tundra’s short bed Thorp says one couldn’t pull a fifth-wheel, but he suspects the truck could easily tow a larger holiday trailer. Thorp’s Tundra had a towing capacity of 4,305 kg and was equipped with a Class IV hitch and built-in four and seven pin wiring harness plugs. Thorp notes there was no built-in brake controller, but a wiring harness was included for such a purpose.
Thorp says the Tundra would suit anyone who spends long days in a truck, including those in the construction trades, or young families who do a lot of camping or traveling.
Would he buy one?
“My 15-year old son wants me to,” Thorp laughs, and adds, “if I had the means, yes, I’d be very interested in a Tundra, but I’d scale back the trim level just a bit.”
The Specs
Type of vehicle 4×4 truck
Engine 5.7-L V8 DOHC 32-valve
Power 381 hp @ 5,600 r.p.m.; 401 lb-ft of torque @ 3,600 r.p.m.
Transmission Six-speed automatic
Brakes Four-wheel anti-lock disc
Tires P275/55R20
Fuel economy ratings (Toyota) 16.3 L/100 km city, 11.9 L/100 km highway
Price (base/as tested, incl. dest. charge) $53,700/$55,824.45
Destination charge $1,690
Standard features ABS, air conditioning, cruise control, traction control, power tilt/telescoping steering wheel, leather wrapped steering wheel w/audio controls, 10-way power adjustable driver seat, 4-way power adjustable passenger seat (both heated and ventilated), 12-speaker JBL audio system with 7” display screen AM/FM/CD/MP3, USB and Bluetooth capability
Options $300 1794 Edition includes woodgrain and leather wrapped steering wheel, 20” chrome plated alloy wheels, chrome steel bumper ends, chrome grille surround, 1794 badging, woodrain and leather wrapped shift knob
Tester’s Journal:
Day one: Our first thoughts were “Wow, what a sharp looking truck”. The bright silver paint with the polished chrome made the truck really shine in the bright afternoon sun. My son commented how he liked the aggressive look of the grille and headlamps.
After making a few adjustments I was settled in and ready for the road. This evening my wife and I took the truck to Okotoks. The ride was very smooth, and I discovered a feature I wish all of my vehicles had. Not only does the rear view mirror automatically tint when someone is driving behind you with bright lights, the driver and passenger side mirrors did the same.
I spent the evening reading the various manuals which are well written. This is when I realised just how many features were packed into this truck.
Day two: First day commuting with the truck. Remembered how to program the steering wheel and driver’s seat position with the two driver memory options. With minimal snowfall overnight, I decided to leave the truck in two-wheel drive and test the traction control and the auto rear limited slip differential. Equipped with winter tires the truck handled the commute with no issues. Steering is very responsive and I like the feel of it. I could easily tell the type and condition of the road through the steering column.
Day three: Today I didn’t drive the truck very much; just the normal commute to and from work.
Day four: Mother Nature decided to treat Calgarians with more snow and colder temperatures. Today highlighted a fact that the Tundra is missing one feature that is handy for days like today, a remote starter. I used the four wheel high feature on roads with deeper snow. With winter tires the truck handled the snow with no problems at all. There was no tire spin or slipping or braking problems. I also started playing with the navigation system and the Bluetooth hands-free phone system. The navigation system provides clear turn-by-turn directions. The Bluetooth was easy to setup. The hands-free feature works perfectly and the audio quality is very good. I also enabled the Blind Spot monitoring and parking assist. The parking assist has sensors in the rear bumper but also on the corners of the front bumper. In combination with the rear camera, it makes parallel parking the truck that much easier. I could also see the rear camera being handy when lining up to hitch a trailer.
Day five: After driving the truck for five days I am finding myself feeling confident on the road and can predict how the truck will react to various situations. I am enjoying the Tundra and wish I had an opportunity to try using it to pull an RV. There is a manual adjustment that can be used to redirect the headlamps when hauling a heavy load – that’s cool.
Day six: Today was another low driving day. Commute to work and then to an Alberta Theatre Projects presentation. It was another day where the remote starter would have been handy. The seat warmers make short work of the cold and provide quick relief.
Day seven: Today I was able to give my two older sons a ride in the truck. Both of them are quite tall, and found the front and rear passenger seating roomy with plenty of head clearance. The truck can comfortably seat five people. Today was the last full day with the truck, and we took it to the grocery store and stuffed it full. The rear seats fold up creating a large amount of floor space for bags and packages. One note that I am sure many truck drivers will not find shocking is that the Tundra is a bit thirsty. The fuel economy is not there within the city, but I am sure on extended highway trips the fuel consumption would improve. Anyone looking for a 1/2-ton rated truck for towing an RV and also looking for luxury and comfort should give this truck a serious look.
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