Jonny Lieberman explores if the new 2021 Toyota Tundra has enough features and capability to gain an edge over the competition in this Buyer’s Guide.
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00:00 This is the 2021 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro.
00:03 The Tundra is the biggest pickup truck
00:05 that Toyota sells in the US,
00:07 and the TRD Pro badge means that this is
00:09 the most off-road capable Tundra in the lineup.
00:12 However, can the Tundra's tried and true status
00:14 really give it an edge over higher tech
00:16 and more modern competitors?
00:18 Let's find out.
00:19 Before we go any further,
00:24 let's take a brief look at the history of the Tundra.
00:27 It's been around since the 2000 model year,
00:29 and for 2007, it got a new generation,
00:32 this second generation Tundra.
00:34 Now, 2007 was the year that I graduated high school in,
00:37 and when I say that, I kind of feel old.
00:39 So you can imagine how the Tundra feels
00:42 when it competes against players like the F-150,
00:45 the Ram 1500, the Chevy Silverado,
00:48 all of which have received new generations recently.
00:51 In order to be a prime player
00:52 in the most competitive segment in the industry,
00:55 you have to be more capable
00:56 and you have to have more technology.
00:59 One thing that the Tundra does nail,
01:01 despite all these years of not getting updates,
01:03 is the design.
01:04 And I mean, just look at it.
01:06 I love the way that it looks.
01:08 I love the aggressiveness.
01:09 I love the macho and the toughness that it has.
01:12 And that starts with how wide the grill is, right?
01:15 It gives it a lot of presence on the road.
01:17 I love the way that the Toyota letters
01:19 are spelled out across the grill.
01:21 And then as part of the TRD Pro package,
01:23 you do get a hood scoop and you get a ski plate.
01:25 The ski plate, of course, helps with off-roading.
01:28 And moving on to the side,
01:30 I love the way that the proportions look.
01:32 The big cab and the short bed really stand out
01:35 in the TRD Pro.
01:36 You do get 18-inch wheels, black wheels.
01:39 And then moving on to the rear,
01:40 that's probably not the strongest point,
01:43 the strongest viewpoint,
01:45 but you do get dual exhaust tubes
01:47 as part of the TRD Pro package.
01:49 Now, one thing that I do want to point out
01:50 and I love about it is the color.
01:53 Toyota has been playing around with colors recently
01:55 and this lunar rock really stands out in the Tundra.
01:59 So I'm inside the Toyota Tundra
02:02 and right away you can tell
02:03 that this is where it shows its age, right?
02:06 I sit here in the driver's seat
02:07 and I look at the center console
02:09 and I feel like I'm taking a trip back to 2010s or something.
02:13 The small screen, for example,
02:15 you just don't see it in today's trucks.
02:16 We're used to seeing iPad-like screens.
02:19 The plastic around the center console
02:22 is just kind of cheap, kind of old.
02:26 And the design itself is just old, really.
02:28 I do want to point out a couple of cool things.
02:31 The big knobs, it's something that resonates in a truck.
02:36 The big shifter too,
02:37 you kind of want to feel in control of the big truck, right?
02:39 So if you have gloves or something,
02:41 you always want to be able to grab the knobs and the shifter.
02:45 Now, this is a TRD Pro model.
02:47 So what that means is you're going to get
02:48 some interior appointments,
02:50 like the leather seats with red stitching
02:53 across the door panels, the dashboard,
02:56 also the TRD Pro logos across the cabin,
02:59 like in the back seats here in the center console
03:01 or in the shifter.
03:03 In terms of interior materials,
03:04 it's a mixed bag, to be honest.
03:06 There's here in the A-pillar and the door panels,
03:09 there's just a lot of hard plastics,
03:11 but the leather seats do feel soft and pretty comfortable.
03:14 And actually here in this cabin,
03:16 because it's a big CrewMax cabin,
03:18 I feel like I have a ton of space up here
03:20 and those sitting in the rear
03:21 will also be having a lot of legroom and headroom.
03:24 Overall, inside there's pros and cons
03:27 like in every vehicle, right?
03:28 So the biggest con I think is the old design,
03:31 but the pros are the leather seats,
03:33 the comfort and the interior space.
03:35 Let's talk about performance.
03:38 So TRD stands for Toyota Racing Development.
03:40 So naturally everything that has a TRD Pro badge
03:43 means that it is going to be pretty fast, right?
03:46 Well, not really.
03:47 Every Tundra is powered by a 5.7 liter V8 engine
03:51 that delivers 381 horsepower and 401 pound feet of torque.
03:56 In terms of capability, it can tow 10,200 pounds
04:00 and it can hold just north of 1,700 pounds.
04:03 That's actually a little bit behind the competition.
04:05 Newer players like the F-150 or the Ram 1500
04:09 do have a little bit more capability than the Tundra.
04:12 And in terms of fuel economy,
04:13 it delivers 13 miles per gallon in the city,
04:16 17 on the highway,
04:18 and that makes it the least fuel efficient truck
04:20 in the segment.
04:21 Now for Toyota, a company that for the past 20, 25 years
04:25 has been focusing on fuel economy,
04:27 that's just not great.
04:28 I do want to point out that this is a TRD Pro trim
04:31 and what that means is that you get nicer shocks
04:33 and a two inch lift.
04:34 So in terms of off-road capability, it is pretty good.
04:37 So like the GMC Sierra and the Chevy Silverado,
04:41 the Tundra gets a four star rating from the NHTSA,
04:44 which is actually a pretty good thing.
04:46 It also comes with a list of safety features
04:49 like lane departure warning, automatic head beams,
04:52 adaptive cruise control that works at speeds
04:54 of over 25 miles per hour,
04:56 and automatic emergency braking.
04:58 So although it's not the safest truck out there,
05:01 it's a rather safe truck.
05:03 So how much is a Toyota Tundra?
05:05 Well, the base truck starts at just north of $35,000,
05:09 which is a little bit more expensive than the competition.
05:12 But again, the V8 engine is standard across the lineup
05:15 in the Tundra,
05:16 something that the competition doesn't have.
05:18 This trim right here, the TRD Pro,
05:20 starts just under 56 grand.
05:22 I think that's actually a pretty good value for your money
05:24 because you're getting a ton of off-road equipment for it.
05:27 You also get the extended cab and the shorter bed.
05:30 And also overall, the Tundra is a Toyota, right?
05:33 And Toyota owners brag about the reputation
05:36 and the reliability that the products come with.
05:39 So overall for a V8 truck,
05:41 I think the Tundra is priced right.
05:43 If there's one thing you should walk away with
05:46 about the Toyota Tundra, it's this.
05:48 After all these years, after 14 years of being around,
05:52 it still manages to look great.
05:54 It's very macho looking, very aggressive.
05:56 And for a truck, that's actually a good thing.
05:59 Now this TRD Pro trim, it's very good off-road.
06:02 It has the capability and it has the hardware to do so.
06:05 So if you're looking for a V8 truck,
06:08 I ask you to consider the Toyota Tundra TRD Pro.
06:11 For more on the cars we love,
06:14 be sure to visit motortrend.com/cars.
06:17 (upbeat music)