Winning hearts and minds can be a challenge in the auto industry. And the most loyal owners you’ll probably find are full-size pickup truck owners. And these buyers buy American with a capital A. Dodge, Ford, GM…they are the dominant powerhouses.
That doesn’t stop the import brands from trying to muscle in, though. Toyota started with the T100 years ago – a kind of halfway step between the Tacoma and the full-size domestics.
Then Toyota took off the gloves and met the Big 3 head-on with the Tundra. And they’ve made good headway…but all you have to look at is the Nissan Titan – rumored to be going away – and the smaller Honda Ridgeline and it’s pretty clear, the domestic full-size truck market is a tough nut to crack.
Toyota keeps slugging away, though and we recently had the opportunity to test the 2024 Tundra – is this powerhouse enough to temp away some of those domestic die-hards? Let’s find out.
Technical Muscle
Not only a great name for a metal band, “Technical Muscle” was the design motif for the new Tundra, implying a combination of modern features while still keeping tabs on the outdoor lifestyle many Tundra owners enjoy.
And those are American owners. Toyota makes a point that from the first pencil sketch to the final details it was all done here.
If a vehicle’s front end is a calling card, the Tundra’s is a billboard – and we love it. Nothing says power like a massive grille, with T O Y O T A spelled out above in big block letters. Bracing the grille are large horizontal Projector beam headlights. We love the auxiliary lighting here too, with three orange lights above the Toyota and a built in LED light bar below. At the bottom, LED fogs and an aluminum skid plate finish off the display. It’s an impressive look that gets other traffic scurrying away!
The profile is all truck and our TRD Pro sits high and Proud. There are massive TRD PRO badges that flank the hood, and we love the technical camo design that’s baked into the design, including the black plastic overfenders. The fenders themselves flare out in a show of power, with deep cut-ins in the door panels giving a muscular look.
Adhering to the “party up front, business in the back” The Tundra’s rear tailgate has huge TRD PRO embossed letters for a visual punch. We also loved the embossed TUNDRA on the top of the tailgate, and Aluminum-reinforced composite bed construction that looks up to handling whatever you might throw into there.
The perfect finishing touch are the TRD Pro dual black exhaust tips poking out beneath the bumper. Our tester also wore a new color for 2024, a rich burnt orange Toyota calls Terra. Unique to the TRD Pro, it makes an already imposing vehicle a stand-out in every way.
The Great Indoors
Open the door, and you get that same rugged appeal – with a ton of tech thrown in.
Toyota takes a different path in interior truck design, opting for a horizontal layout theme, and it works – the already wide cabin looks simply huge. Getting in the cabin can be a climb – our tester’s off-road spec meant no running boards to step up on, so you had to reach the grab handle and jump up a little – giving your biceps a nice little workout. We’re 5’9” – shorter drivers could find this a real challenge.
Getting there is worth the climb though. The heated and ventilated front buckets are firm and supportive, and with Soft-Tex trimming, a subtle camouflage design and TRD PRO stitching in the seatbacks, there as beautiful as they are comfortable.
And if you somehow missed the stitching, there’s also a chunky 4-spoke leather wheel with TRD logo at the bottom, and a very racy leather stripe at the 12 o’clock position (helpful when racing) to remind you you’re in the ultimate performance-focused Tundra.
Like most modern vehicles, the Tundra has gone digital with a handsome 12.3-inch Digital Meter display, with a large sweeping 8,000 rpm tachometer and digital speedo in the center, with cool vertical readouts for turbo boost, hybrid battery level, coolant and transmission temp, while horizontal readouts gave battery, oil, coolant and fuel readouts. Fresh, and easy to read at a glance.
And if you want to talk easy to read, check out the monster 14-inch multimedia display that owns the center of the dash. It’s a powerhouse, with 5-times greater processing power than the previous system, tablet-like pinch and zoom functions, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and our favorite – a massive Volume knob! (Note: no tuning knob, though.)
Making things even easier, the system features a virtual intelligent assistant – just say one of the phrases like “Hey” “Hi” “Hello” or even “OK Toyota” and it can search for directions, adjust audio and climate controls. Those who make their truck their office will appreciate the 4G Wi-Fi capability that can handle up to 10 devices. Wow!
We were also wowed by the 12-speaker JBL Audio system and the massive panoramic moonroof – fill the cabin with great sound and loads of light.
There’s plenty of convenience, too. We loved the vertical stand-up wireless charger, massive center console with loads of storage, honest-to-goodness shift lever, and a large rotary dial for calling up driving modes, towing, and MTS selection.
The rear cabin is spacious, and is competitive with most other full-size trucks, and we also loved the trick rear power window that lets you bring in loads of fresh air and carry large objects – with a relatively short 5-foot bed, it’s a real help.
Massive Twin Turbo Hybrid V6 Power!
Yes, that’s right. While you might expect a big old honking V8, the Tundra moves forward with a motor that is aimed at the future.
While the regular i-FORCE twin-turbo V6 sounds impressive with 389 horsepower and 479 lb.-ft of torque, our tester had the big dog i-FORCE MAX hybrid with 437 horses and a mountainous 583 lb.-ft of torque at just 2,400 rpm.
We’re obsessed with this motor. From idle to redline it sounds like a V8, and we like the meaty exhaust burble when you kick it over. Teamed up with a 10-speed automatic, the big Toy flies off the line and hits 60 mph well under 6-seconds. For something that big, that is fast!
It’s also efficient, with an estimated 22 mpg EPA combined rating – if you can keep your foot out of it, and not drive like a hooligan. Good luck with that! It does do all the good hybrid stuff, like driving in EV mode and shutting the gas engine down when not needed. And since Toyota was one of the first to bring hybrid tech to market, it’s a polished seamless performer.
Bringing along the toys is easy with a nearly 12,000 lb. towing capacity, and 1,600 lb. payload. And while the 5-foot bed on our tester was on the short side, lowering the rear window means you can extend space for longer items without having to use a bed extender.
While it’s a powerhouse, it’s a smooth one. The ride quality is superb – due in part to the TRD Pro’s long travel suspension, front lift and 2.5-inch FOX internal bypass coilovers and remote rear reservoir shocks, combined with a standard coil-spring rear suspension. While we didn’t have the opportunity to go off-road, the freeway ride is plush and impressively quiet. A luxury limo that can tame the wildest terrain!
One surprise in the Tundra is the lack of a full-time 4WD option, but you can call up 2 and 4WD modes easily from the cabin.
You will also tame the daily drive. The handling is responsive, the steering has excellent feel, and you find yourself tossing the Mr. T around easily. There’s a feeling of precision here you don’t get in the domestics, and it also feels impressively solid and of one piece – that pure Toyota quality shines through.
If there is a downside, this is a large vehicle, and urban and suburban parking spaces, side streets, and drive-thru’s feel small and make a challenge. Our tester had the excellent around view monitoring system, and that’s an essential to survive daily conditions. It also helps make towing a snap. Highly recommended.
Can I Afford To Go Pro?
Well, this is a specialist model, but the Tundra range offers plenty of choice. The SR5 model starts at $39,95, with a powerful twin-turbo V6 and rolling cool 18-inch steelies, it’s a great value in a modern full-size work horse.
Our TRD Pro tester is at the far end of the spectrum, starting at an eye-watering $72,130. On the bright side, that’s pretty loaded with the only options on our tester being Black Bed Lettering ($160), wheel locks and spare tire lock ($135). Add $1,850 for destination, and we rang the bell at $74,295.
While 74 large is nothing to sneeze at, it’s not a deal-breaker. The comparable Ram 1500 comes in at $75,710, and we’d throw in the V6 Ford Raptor, which starts at $79,975. So, the Tundra is competitive with the big boys. But only one has that Toyota indestructibility.
It’s hard to not be seduced by this vehicles presence. It’s wonderful driving dynamics and the feeling that you are part of something epic. With Amazing style, advanced tech and incredible power, the 2024 Toyota Tundra is a formidable full-size pickup truck!
Ben Lewis grew up in Chicago, and after spending his formative years driving sideways in the winter – often intentionally – moved to sunny Southern California. He now enjoys sunny weather year-round — whether it is autocross driving, aerobatics, and learning to surf.