2007 Toyota Tundra SR5 CrewMax review from North America

Nothing so far.

I researched and looked at GM, Ford, and Toyota pick-ups over a 2.5 months period.

The GM was nice, but I was a little scared of their new feature that shuts down four cylinders under certain conditions, since I remember GM having so many problems with the V8-6-4 Cadillacs in the 1980's. My previous vehicle was a 2000 Chevy Silverado 1500 which turned out to be a great vehicle, but it took me 22 trips to the Chevy dealer to get it straightened out in the first six months of ownership. I also was disappointed that the "all new" Chevrolet still had the same 4-speed transmission that was in my 2000 model.

The Ford was also very nice, but I think their power train is reaching vintage status, plus a friend has one with the 5.4L engine and he reports gas mileage of 13.5 in city driving. Since my Chevy Silverado had always gotten in the 16-17 mpg range in city driving, I did not want to buy a new vehicle and get 13.5 miles per gallon.

However, because of its looks and proven reputation, the F150 is probably what I would have purchased if I had not purchased the Tundra.

I liked the new Tundra the first time I saw it at a car show earlier this year. The things that sold me on the Tundra were:

1. Toyota's reputation and the experience that friends have had with Toyotas.

2. The 5.7 liter engine. I like performance and the Tundra is like having a sports car that looks like a pick-up.

3. The 6-speed transmission.

4. The EPA mileage estimate of 16 in the city and 20 on the highway. (I am a careful driver and I have always been able to get or beat the EPA sticker estimates on every vehicle that I have ever owned and so far, according to the computer, I am getting 16.3 miles per gallon in the city with the brand new Tundra.)

5. I liked the fact that my Tundra doesn't have on-star and doesn't have satellite radio. Unfortunately, GM and Ford practically force you to buy those features on their higher end trucks, whether you want them or not.

6. The Toyota double cab had a little more back seat room than my Silverado extended cab. However, the Toyota CrewMax just blew me away with the amount of rear seat space that it had, plus the reclining rear seat.

I ended up buying the SR5 CrewMax with the 5.7L V8, Silver Sky Metallic, with black leather interior, which is added by Gulf States Toyota, the Toyota distributor in our area. Interestingly, you can't get the CrewMax LIMITED with a black leather interior. I ordered my CrewMax with the exact equipment that I wanted on it, so I did not pay for any of the ususal BS add-ons such as etching, paint sealant, etc, etc.

One of the major problems with buying a Toyota of any kind is the Toyota dealers. In my opinion, it is not a very pleasant experience, but I finally found a dealership that had a good person in their internet department and he performed perfectly. I told him what I wanted, including the black leather interior, and he promptly got back to me with a very competitive price (approximately $2600 off the sticker price plus the $2500 rebate). I told him on a Thursday what I wanted and nine days later I picked up my truck with exactly the options that I wanted and I never laid eyes on my salesman until the day I picked up the truck. All in all, the buying experience with that one Toyota dealership was like a Lexus buying experience.

I looked the truck over at the dealership and it looked perfect. When I got it home, I looked even harder and it still looked perfect, which was pretty amazing, since I am also into collector cars and can be pretty picky. I am impressed with the way the truck is finished and I am impressed with the fit of the body panels and the interior.

Here are the negatives on the vehicle so far:

1. On the SR5 models, the head lights are manual. I was used to the automatic head lights on my Silverado, but decided it was not worth the extra $4300 for a TUNDRA LIMITED, which does have automatic head lights.

2. I wish it had a lever to pull to release the emergency brake.

3. I don't think it has the warning buzzer if you forget to turn off your turn signal.

I will also comment that the new Tundra is a really tall and large vehicle. The jury is still out as to whether I should have bought either the back-up camera or the front and rear sonar. You definitely need the running boards to make entry and exit easier.

The Tundra has unbelievable punch and acceleration, which I will use only when needed, but I had an occasion the other day where I had to change lanes to avoid an obstacle in the road and I was almost shocked at the way the Tundra accelerated. It was like a rocket. Interestingly, my wife had already named my truck "The Rocket"