Toyota Tundra: What’s the big idea?

0 0 August 20, 2025 Edit this post

by Chris Riley

What is it?

Toyota Tundra is one of a new breed of "full-size" utes that are gaining traction in our country.

They're larger than the utes we have become accustomed to over the years and their presence is divisive to say the least.

Some people love them, others feel they have no place on our roads which are often not as wide as those in the US where they originate.

It begs the question -- why do we need them and why do people want them?

A few years ago we canvassed Toyota about the likelihood of their larger utes coming here.

The stumbling block then and now is that Tundra is built only in left-hand drive configuration.

To overcome this hurdle, Toyota tapped into the expertise of the Melbourne-based Walkinshaw Automotive Group which does the conversion.

Walkinshaw also converts Ram and Chevrolet's full-size utilities (Thai-based RMA converts the F-150 for Ford).

What’s it cost?

They're not cheap.

There's two grades, Limited and Platinum, priced from $155,990 and $172,990 respectively -- plus on-roads.

Both are powered by the same 3.5-litre twin turbo V6-based hybrid drivetrain.

A total of nine colours are offered, but some are an extra $675.

The unique exterior design is the handiwork of Toyota's Calty Design Research studios in California and Michigan.

At the front a monster chrome-framed grille is flanked by bold T-shaped LED headlights.

Below the grille an active front spoiler appears or disappears as required based on driving conditions, to improve aerodynamics as well as maximise ground clearance off-road.

The rear features a broad Tundra-embossed tailgate flanked by vertical rear LED tail lights and a rear bumper with integrated step to provide access to the large tub.

The sheer length of the vehicle becomes apparent In profile, with flared wheel arches that house stylish black and chrome 20-inch alloys.

Standard 'crushed tube' side steps provide a step up to wide opening front and rear doors.

The cabin is trimmed in perforated artificial leather with two-zone climate control air, and front seats with eight-way power adjustment, three-stage heating and cooling, plus power lumbar support.

Rear passengers enjoy generous leg and headroom, with rear seats that split 60:40.

They can be folded forward, or the seat bases raised, to provide a flexible cargo space.

Other storage options include a large centre console, large glove box, big front and rear door bins with bottle holders and two front and two rear cupholders in the centre console.

There's also adaptive cruise control, auto high beam, digital rear view mirror, proximity smartkey, electronic parking brake, power sliding rear glass, 360 degree monitor, plus front and rear parking sensors.

A 14.0-inch touchscreen provides access to Toyota's latest multimedia system with Bluetooth, AM/FM radio, voice recognition, wireless Apple CarPlayand wired Android Auto, along with 12-speaker JBL audio.

There's also a nifty upright wireless charge pad for phones, plus three front and two rear USB-C outlets.

Missing despite the price are navigation and DAB+ digital radio, plus it's a stretch to reach the controls on the far side of the screen -- the volume knob too.

Tundra has not been rated for crash safety.

However, it is equipped with eight airbags and a comprehensive suite of active safety features.

Toyota Safety Sense suite includes autonomous emergency braking that can detect pedestrians and oncoming vehicles day and night and cyclists during the day, emergency steering assist, lane trace assist and lane departure alert.

There's also blind-spot monitor with cross traffic alert and parking support brake.

Tundra is covered by a five-year unlimited kilometre warranty, with service capped at $450 and due every six months or 10,000km.

What’s it go like?

Tundra cuts an imposing figure at 5955mm in length, 2040mm wide and 1985mm high, with a long 3700mm wheelbase.

To give this context, Hilux is 5330mm long, 70 Series Troop Carrier 5245mm and the Land Cruiser 300 Series 5015mm.

In fact, Tundra sits on the same TNGA-F ladder-frame chassis as the 300 Series and all-new Prado.

The wheelbase has been stretched 850mm for the role, while the front and rear tracks are up to 70mm wider -- to provide added support.

Apart from its size, the big difference between Tundra and other popular utes is that it can tow a 4500kg braked load -- that's a whole extra tonne.

The tub is considerably larger too, at 1670mm x 1540mm x 540mm, with 1230mm between the wheel arches -- large but not as large as Ram or Silverado though.

At the same time maximum payload is a pedestrian 758kg.

The combination does however mean you can load up the tub and still tow a sizeable load without compromising the gross vehicle weight.

Motivation comes in the form of a 3.5-litre twin turbo V6 together with a 36kW electric motor that produces a combined 326kW of power and 790Nm of torque.

It's teamed with a 10-speed conventional automatic, with drive to the rear wheels in the standard 2H two-wheel drive mode.

There’s three drive modes: ECO, Normal, and Sport, along with Tow/Haul modes -- you guessed it, for towing.

The 4x4 system is a part-time system with high and low range and a limited slip rear diff.

You can switch to 4H in the wet, but the vehicle cannot be driven on dry bitumen with all four wheels engaged.

It feels more connected with the road with the front wheels locked in, but don't forget to turn it off after it stops raining.

The driver scores a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, with centre analogue-style tachometer and digital speedometer rolled into one, plus displays either side for other info.

What you see is pretty much what you get -- it's not very configurable.

Tundra feels as big as it looks to drive, especially when it comes to parking.

You need to find a large enough space with enough room to manoeuvre, thanks to a huge 15-metre turning circle.

Even then it's liable to stick out a metre in carparks which can be problematic for other drivers.

Shopping centre carparks are best avoided, particularly underground carparks with low clearance and poor lighting.

Tundra seats five in comfort, with expansive seats and plenty of cabin space, both front to back and side to side.

Let's just say that rear seat passengers are unlikely to complain about a lack of legroom.

But getting in there can be a challenge, requiring use of the side steps and supplied grab handles.

Getting down again also requires some thought -- do you jump or slide out?

It begs the question: who needs a ute this large?

This goes for all of the American full-size utilities such as the Ram, F-150 and Silverado.

Our roads and carparks are simply not designed for vehicles this size, whereas American roads are.

Sure, they accommodate trucks, but truck drivers are a skilled lot.

For the price of a Mercedes you might expect a few mod-cons.

The lights are automatic and so is high beam, but Limited misses out on basics like rain sensing wipers.

You’ve got to fork out another $17,000 for the Platinum for the wipers and some other extras, including head-up display.

With a 122-litre tank, Tundra takes premium 95 unleaded.

Because of its sheer size Toyota was not required to supply fuel consumption figures when it submitted the vehicle for approval.

It is probably not unhappy about this fact, because none of the spec sheets, press or otherwise, volunteer these figures.

So much for caring and sharing.

In the US the Tundra uses a claimed 20 miles per gallon, which equates to 11.8L/100km.

That sounds overly optimistic, but we note that for most of our time behind the wheel the car lopes along in high gear with the engine hardly turning over.

Stick a horse float on the back with a couple of fillies aboard and it could easily double these figures.

Remember, towing is one of the main reasons for buying one of these monsters in the first place.

Like large 4WDs, high fuel consumption is unlikely to be a deterrent and the cost will probably be packaged as part of a lease deal.

The V8-powered Nissan Patrol springs to mind.

We clocked up around 300km at a rate of 13.1L/100km, both on and off road in a mix of dry and wet conditions, the latter in high range four-wheel drive.

It's strange the way the drivetrain sounds almost like a V8 under load.

The rest of the time it is as quiet as a mouse, sitting around 1500 rpm in high gear to conserve fuel.

Acceleration is smooth, but steering on the vague side, with lots of wiggle-waggle before it respoinds. Bumps can elicit some shudder.

There's no paddle shifters, but you can change gears manually using the transmission shift. As if?

At lower speeds in lower gears the transmission generated the occasional hiccup, changing up then dropping back just as quickly, with an accompanying thump.

Although it boasts low range gearing, off-road the Tundra's sheer size becomes a liability.

It is difficult to negotiate narrow tracks, steer around trees and negotiate the tight turns often encountered.

It’s also likely to bottom out on those drainage berms that transect tracks, because of the distance between the front and rear wheels and a long 1.2 metre rear overhang.

Bear in mind too that Tundra, surprisingly, has just 216mm of ground clearance and comes with a space saver spare -- neither ideal when it comes to off-roading.

What we like?

It's a Toyota
Armchair comfort
Good sound system
Monstering other traffic
The looks you get from Raptor drivers

What we don’t like?

Thirsty
Rubbery steering
No satnav
No digital radio
No rain-sensing wipers
Tonneau not standard

The bottom line?

If money is no object, you might fancy one of these super-duper utes, but reality is likely to kick in within weeks of signing up.

Your wife won't want to drive it. You'll find it's too big for shopping centres and you might even be unlucky enough to scrape the roof on the way in.

You'll also quickly tire of climbing in and out of the high-riding cabin.

Just saying.