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On Sale: January 2007
Expected Pricing: $17,000 to $37,000
Determined to avoid having their new pickup called a 7/8ths-size truck by critics, Toyota is introducing an all-new 2007 Tundra it guarantees will be a full-size pickup. "Big, bold and bad-ass" they're calling it. Revealed at the Chicago Auto Show in February 2006, the all-new Tundra goes on sale in January 2007.
Toyota says its engineers and designers spent lots of time examining how people use their trucks in ranching, construction and even mining operations. It admits the current model is viewed as a city truck and vows that the all-new Tundra will overcome that perception.
Toyota claims the 2007 Tundra will have capability, power, style, roominess and refinement never before seen in a full-size truck.
The 2007 Tundra is much tougher looking than the current model, with an aggressive nose and a solid looking cab with thick door pillars. It's also quite a bit bigger outside and inside compared to the old truck. It has a wheelbase of 145.7 inches. Measured bumper to bumper, the Double Cab is 10 inches longer than the Access Cab model it replaces. It gains nearly five inches in height and will be four inches wider than the old Tundra, placing it among segment leaders in size.
Toyota said it will offer more than 30 different models in three trim levels, base, SR5 and Limited. There will be three choices of engines, a 4.0-liter V6, a 4.7-liter V8 and a new ULEV-capable 5.7-liter V8 with a six-speed automatic transmission. (ULEV stands for Ultra Low Emissions Vehicle.) Three cab sizes will be available, including a four-door model that was not revealed at Chicago. Three different bed lengths will be available, ranging from five to eight feet, including a Double Cab model with an eight-foot bed.
The Tundra is full of small features, such as a center console big enough to hold a file folder for those who use their truck as an office. The tailgate has damped hinges so it can be opened with two fingers and will not bounce when left open. Door handles are large so it's easier to open with gloves on. Once inside increased room and large knobs allow workers to keep their gloves and hardhats on.
A wide-angle back-up camera in the tailgate helps when hooking up a trailer as it lets the driver view the hitch and position the truck precisely. No more jumping out of the cab 10 times to line it up.
The towing specs are impressive. The new Tundra can be equipped to earn a tow rating in excess of 10,000 pounds. Toyota says this required brawny specifications, such as improved cooling and bigger brakes. In addition the trailer hitch is attached to the main frame for improved stability when towing heavy loads.
The new Tundra was fully designed and engineered in the U.S. It will be built in Princeton, Indiana, and San Antonio, Texas, making it an all-American truck, even if it does have a Japanese nameplate.
Pricing will not be released until the Tundra goes on sale, but Toyota says it will be competitively priced with its closest competitors.
NewCarTestDrive.com correspondent John Rettie filed this report from Chicago. |
