All I can say is holy crap, this is a serious piece of truck. Toyota spared no expense on this and it shows. As is Detroit doesn't have enough problems already.


http://www.autoblog.com/2006/02/09/chicago-auto-show-toyota-goes-big-with-new-tundra/#comments

Toyota trucks already hold their value better than any other truck, which might make alot of businesses take a hard look at the tundra as you get Toyota reliability with all the power and towing you need.

Now, there are plenty of indivdual truck buyers who may not pony up initially for a foreign pickup, but if those jo sixpack truck buyers start seeing them used in business that might change some minds. Toyota is neve going to steal all the domestic sales by a long shot, but they don't have too. They can hurt Ford and GM plenty by just stealing 10-15%.

And we haven't even gotten to the hybrid and diesel versions of the truck yet......

Not a bad looking truck......but I don't think it's nicer then the F150. I definitely think it looks better then the Chevy/GMC 1500 and Dodge Ram though.

whats key is that its a full size truck that holds its value very very well. Which means companies will lease them by the truck load, no pun intended. The high resale value will make for attractive lease options.

People start seeing them in the field and it builds sales momentum. It will also get better economy than a Ford due to the better engine and 6spd auto.

I had an 02' FI Tundra, these trucks are built to last. Hmmm.. trade in the Tahoe?

I'm looking forward to seeing the FJ at the auto show this week.
http://www.toyota.com/vehicles/future/fjcruiser.html?s_van=GM_TN_FUTURE_FJ
A friend of the family had a Land Cruiser in the late 60's/early 70's and I loved that truck.

I'm looking forward to seeing the FJ at the auto show this week.
http://www.toyota.com/vehicles/future/fjcruiser.html?s_van=GM_TN_FUTURE_FJ
A friend of the family had a Land Cruiser in the late 60's/early 70's and I loved that truck.


Saw it at NAIAS......that is a sweet retro. It's smaller than I expected....but then again, I never saw the original version up close. The price is just right though and they should sell a ton of these.

whats key is that its a full size truck that holds its value very very well. Which means companies will lease them by the truck load, no pun intended. The high resale value will make for attractive lease options.

People start seeing them in the field and it builds sales momentum. It will also get better economy than a Ford due to the better engine and 6spd auto.

... and that's why you're wrong. Once companies start leasing Toyota Tundras... which will mean fleets... it'll face the similar resale issues as the domestic trucks.

The 6sp auto is a good thing... Ford could use one too. Better engine? We'll see.

What's it's towing capacity like? Does it's bed size finally match up with the domestics? How about cab configurations?

The current F150 looks good and performs well too. It kicked some ass in a recent (~1 year) major magazine review I've read. The Toyota didn't do so well at all.

Don't get my wrong... my father has a '87 Toyota pickup that my family has owned since brand new. Over 200,000 mi (maybe 300k) and it was still running strong until recently. I definitely believe in their reliability... I just don't think that they are up to REAL truck tasks (not just the Tacoma either).

That thing looks pretty mean. I'm anxious to see how it stacks up. My buddy just got a '05 Tundra and it's impressive.

Here's a pretty entertaining Toyota truck segment on Top Gear.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=2402060372341641699&q=Toyota+truck

It has a bit of Dodge in the front end. Good looking truck.

I can't wait till it releases so I can pick up a used "old style" at a little better price.

whats key is that its a full size truck that holds its value very very well. Which means companies will lease them by the truck load, no pun intended. The high resale value will make for attractive lease options.

People start seeing them in the field and it builds sales momentum. It will also get better economy than a Ford due to the better engine and 6spd auto.The Nissan Titan had all of these ingredients and was poised to make a significant dent in domestic full-size truck sales. That has yet to materialize. I don't see what will be different in the case of the Tundra.

^^ I agree. It did do very well in the reviews... I thought that the 1/4 panel tool storage was a creative and cool idea. As something I drive daily and very rarely move boxes, yard supplies in... I'd consider a Titan or a Tundra. But for a truck that will be doing lots of hauling and heavy work... I'd stick with Ford.

How good was Dodge's redesign of their Trucks in the 90's.....

...so much so that even in 2006 they are building trucks to imitate their orginal design.

This is the best Toyota truck yet, but I can't say I'm happy about it...for the sake of the US auto companies...lol.

Did anyone catch the commecrcials during SB XLI? I was on their site this morning, OMG 400 pounds of torque? WOW, bet those HEMI forums are talking about this...LOL...

All that truck and it still has IFS. Damn shame.

Kinda curious as to what TRD is gonna do with the truck hehe.

When designing the new Tundra, Toyota human factors designers actually sought out hardworking truck owners to study and document their uses.

Here are some of things they observed:
1. They've realized that many of these owners use their trucks as a second home and office, so Toyota added a sleeping deck, lots more storage for extra clothes, shoes, padded laptop storage, hanging file folders, among others.

2. They've observed that owners who tow livestock and horses explain that truck handling becomes scary when the large animal tries to counterbalance during turns, so Toyota engineers designed the rear suspension to be adaptive to these conditions.

Even GM's Lutz admits that the Tundra is "very, very, very well-executed".
http://www.leftlanenews.com/2007/01/09/gms-lutz-admits-new-toyota-tundra-very-very-very-well-executed/

I had the priviledge to ride in a preproduction Tundra in January 06. In my last job, we developed the OEM single exhaust and the TRD dual system. This was on Toyota's property in Toyota City, Japan. Jesus did this thing stick out.

I too was skeptical about all the hype. The first Gen Tundra was selling around 110-120K per year. Toyota was planning to start the new Tundra volume at 260K vehicles per year. Something had to be different to be counting on that many sales.

There are a lot of things I like about it and a few I really don't.
- Love the acceleration! Especially with the 5.7L.
- Braking was awesome. Finally a heavy truck that will stop.
- (I'm biased on this one...) The OE and TRD exhaust sound is VERY tough. The new dual system uses one huge dual in / dual out muffler (because of lack of space under the truck for two mufflers). The exhaust is straight through with no reversals. The tips exit behind each tire.
- The tailgate (when opened) will slow down the drop so you can unlatch and let go. Nice.
- The backup camera in the tailgate is very handy. Especially with the D-cab (Full 4 door)
- The ride and handling are very good.

- I don't like the blocked off grille vent in the hood. Looks cheesey.
- The front reminds me of the older Dodge Ram. (The Kenworth truck look.) It's still nice, just wish they had a new design, not another's that's been improved.
- The console takes some getting used to. Utilitarian I guess. The styling of 1/2 grey and 1/2 black is meant to make it look less like a huge wall. I understand that everything was designed around the construction worker. Knobs can be operated with work gloves. Places for files or laptops in the console. Entry and exit possible with a hard hat.
- The C-cab rear doors are kind of small. Leg room behind the front seats was a little tight for me. I'm 6'4" though.

All in all, Toyota should score well with those who buy it. Most of the Tundra is something you fall in love with during the day to day useage. I honestly don't think there is enough there to spark the emotion of a domestic owner to make the leap of faith. However, when they do, they won't regret it.

Did you see the Toyota commercial during the Superbowl? It sold me on the pickup, if I was in the market.

^^ Yes I did...some pretty insane stuff. I'd like to see this truck in a one color scheme--I never liked the chrome on the Tundra's.

It's not that bad, but personally I find the 2005 model slicker and more manly. However, there are a lot of other models to choose from at the Tundra 4x2 06 Catalog by Toyota Motors (http://www.who-sells-it.com/cy/toyota-motors-643/tundra-4x2-06-6052.html) . Nevertheless, a Tundra needs the best accessories in the market.

beautiful looking truck and a great improvement but i think the dash looks a little silly, I still like the titan the best, the fj cruiser is great on the exterior but the inside is just horid.

I think the new Tundra is awkward. Toyota's recent styling has been pretty awful except for the Lexus'. Great engine though.

Its an amazing piece of machinery for sure. How well it sells will just be down to Toyota's marketing strategy and the "real world" price.

The new Sequoia and Land Cruiser should be quite nice as a result. At least the mechanicas, who knows what crazy styling Toyota might come up with for the exterior.

I just had an '07 Sierra 4 door 4wd for a couple of days to move around a few things. Man, I was impressed - it was tight, comfortable, quiet, easy to drive and the 315hp engine was real smooth. I was actually tring to taljk the wife into one! GM can do trucks, so no need to panic...if they only did cars as well.