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Comments: 1-15, 16-30, 31-45, 46-60
Having never actually SEEN a Toyota truck with 250,000 miles on it I have to assume that they are pretty rare. None of my friends who has owned Tacomas has gotten over 150,000 miles before having pretty major mechanical problems, and I don't know anyone who has yet even gotten 100,000 on a Tundra (which is the subject of this review). Only one of our friends has a Tundra (a 2002) and it has spent so much time in the shop for repairs that it probably has less than 40,000 miles on it. We just had to give him a ride in our GMC (AGAIN) recently because his brakes failed (AGAIN). I think comment 19:57 is pretty much right on. Only Toyotas that are basically used to haul groceries or take the kids to soccer matches are going to go 250,000 miles. All my friends who have owned Toyotas used them for pretty heavy duty stuff and they just aren't made to hold up under that kind of usage the way real trucks do. Companies doing heavy-duty hauling routinely get 300,000 miles out of Full-size Ford, Chevy and Dodge trucks, but they are designed for real hauling from the beginning.
Something that drives me crazy is these new Tundra commercials. Now that a Toyota can actually manage to pull something that's 10,000lbs, they must really be impressed with themselves, so they have to repeat it over and over. I wonder why Chevy, Ford, and Dodge don't stress their towing capabilities so much? Probably because they've been able to pull 10,000+lbs for decades. I guess they don't see it as such a big deal, for them it's a given. I know when my Dad used his old Fords or his Chevy to pull anything that heavy, it wasn't a big deal to us, it was just another day. We were used to using our trucks for these purposes. Another thing that is kind of interesting is how Toyota keeps stressing their over-sized brakes. I guess they are aware of all of the warping brake rotors from this last design and are wanting to emphasize that they have fixed the problem for this new truck. I guess we'll see. As I had anticipated when this design came out, the pay-load numbers are only 1700lbs. That's not a very good number when the top F-150 can haul 3000lbs in its bed and a Chevy can haul over 2000lbs in its bed. As I suspected, that just shows that Toyota is still too concerned about refinement in their ride and not capability. They really need to add the option of adding more leaf springs.
Oh wow 11:32, great argument. There's not as big of a need to haul 6000lbs of tobacco these days, so therefore Tundra's are better? Yeah, that's funny, I never see a Tundra hauling that much tobacco if any at all. It's always done by some other truck. Also, 13:01, every person I've known to have a 305 or 350 used them and neglected maintenance on them and they still ran for 20 or more years. Also, the 460 was a beast that would warp a Tundra's frame rails. The 4000 rpm limit on the 350 was the result of getting maximum torque at a low rpm, somewhere around 2400 rpms I believe, so you could do the work without making the engine spin as hard. I guess diesel engines aren't very useful either because they red-line at 3000 rpms? Yes clearly a real engine will red-line at 6000 rpms in order to do work. I would imagine a Toyota would have to rev hard to accomplish any work because it couldn't pull it off at a low rpm. Let me say this again, your Tundra's engine is reliable because it lives a life of ease. I doubt you do any work with your aluminum engine so, wow, it never gives you trouble. I guess if farmers drove their 70's and 80's custom deluxes like cars all the time, they would last 50 years instead of just 30. The last 350 I saw break was 33 years old and the owner was floor-boarding it beyond its red-line. I guess all of those 70's and 80's 350's are junk which explains why I see dozens of them on the road and own one myself. I guess a lot of them burned oil at 50,000 miles because those 50,000 miles were spent pulling trailers and bed-full loads (with the original oil in the crank-case) across farm-land which isn't quiet as smooth as pavement. I guess since you hate GM and Ford, that means I'm exaggerating the numbers. Nope, my Dad pulled 8000lbs fertilizer buggies (They weigh them in order to know how much to charge for the fertilizer) to use on our farm. Also, he hauled 4000lbs of tobacco in the bed to our local tobacco ware-house. You see, they weigh those contents in order for them to know how much to pay you. So he had to know the numbers, it was required. I guess those numbers seem big to city-folk, but to farm people, it's just another day. I guess since you can't name anything impressive you've done with your Tundra, your only other alternative is to accuse me of exaggerating numbers. I guess since a Tundra can't handle 4000lbs in its bed, that means a Chevy can't either because a Toyota will be better than a Chevy come hell or high water. I guess those numbers are hard for you grasp after driving your Tundra around, but to Chevy, Ford, and Dodge owners, they'd probably just shrug their shoulders at numbers that high. We're used to being able to do things like that with our trucks.
This review refuses to die.
17:07...I own new domestics. Although I do not jump rocks, I have regularly done the following with mine. Tow a 20 ft. Wellcraft center cockpit 2-3 hours most nice weekends one way. I have brought home a ton of pavers (4 bands) for my back yard at a time. A rental chipper, log splitter even a tow behind pig smoker for a back yard party. The bed routinely gets loaded at or beyond capacity. I am not a contractor, but need a serious 4wd truck. I wouldn't feel confident to do all my personal requirements that I need with any light duty truck. Its nice reading about the farm applications. I feel that even if you never utilize the reserve factor to the extent they have... it indicates the quality and strength available with the domestics. I would say the average individual carrying light loads could get by fine with a car and tie the hatch or trunk lid down. You see home centers loaded with people with ordinary cars doing that. If your truck never is used as one....... the mechanicals certainly could be light duty and not need a strong motor,heavier frame,suspension,trans coolers etc. but why not just buy a car then? Depends on how you define a truck? Again the average person probably does not need a truck at all then.
13:01...so lets use only 1 Ton in the bed as an example. Would you dare ever put that much ever in your Tundra? Its not advisable, but I have in my domestic and sustained no damage. Would your Tundra pull my 20' boat to the shore and then in and out of a steep ramp in and out of the water? I researched all of this before I bought mine. I can trailer a pair of motocross bikes and go off road all day... but what practical purpose can you use yours for otherwise? I still see you can suffice with an economy car and tie down the lid to carry light loads. If you do not strain your motor and keep the oil/filter changed it should last. I could not utilize a Tundra not strong enough.
MY arguments are a bit of a stretch? YOU say, (and let me get this straight) : because my Toyota has WEAK suspension; it absorbs impact easily?!? (which makes NO sense at all), and that's why I can't break it off road?
No, I wasn't hauling 78 tons of tobacco uphill both ways when I was doing this, because my truck apparently isn't "Ford tough" (that was a joke).
And you go on to say that if I put 3 quarter ton suspension on my truck (building it like a Ford), then it would fall apart? Thanks for making my point; that's what I've been saying all along... if my truck was built like a Ford, (engine, body, or suspension), then it would fall apart quickly under abuse. I know it would. That's why I bought a Toyota, because they are not built like Fords.
Two years ago I crashed head-on into a Tacoma that made an illegal left turn in front of my Dodge Dakota. My Dakota suffered a broken grille and one broken headlight. The Tacoma was so badly damaged it had to be hauled away on a flatbed truck. Nothing like "Toyota quality"!!
Hey Guys.
I have a '02 Tundra TRD Limited 4x4. I regularly throw 2-3 dirt bikes in the back and drive hundreds of miles out into the middle of nowhere in South CA desert or Baja CA. The truck simply handles this type of thing 100x better then any 'American truck' or 'formerly American truck' as I should say now.
When I'm down in Baja, 100+ miles from nowhere, there's simply no other vehicle I'd rather have.
Sure, I don't tow large items and I wouldn't do that with this truck. If I wanted a truck that could tow and handle like crap on dirt, I would have bought a Dodge (I speak from experience).
You should buy the truck that best suits your needs. Simple as that. I'm not going to compare full sized trucks for anything but what I use them for, but I can tell you this... Ford is terrible in dirt. Chevy/Dodge are 1/2 way decent and Toyota can't be touched. I'm taking factory options. This truck handles great on the street and even better off it.
No matter what vehicle a truck going 10-20 mph may certainly fare better than one going 100 mph especially into a fixed object. I would rather read on usable features comparisons... engine size, performance, handling, warranty etc. cost per mile to own.
Hey 22:11
Maybe your the one that rebuilt my transmission a few weeks ago. I bought a Ford thinking that I wouldn't have to worry about my transmission (4r70w) going. How wrong I was. I stayed away from Chevy just because I drove them before and knew that would have to rebuild at least once before 100k.
Isn't this review for a truck? I shopped drove a Tundra and then bought a GM Silverado. Not a SUV, not a compact, but a full size truck. Why waste space on irrevelant comparisons... not even the same type vehicles???
I would like to see the imports offer an unconditional 100,000 mile warranty as standard based on how superior the vehicles are. I have a 100,000 mile mechanical warranty on my 2007 GM, I would like to see the imports take it to a higher level or standard. 36,000 miles immediately does not instill a lot of confidence on my import buying decisions to go back to imports...
3/36000 warranty was good enough for GM and Ford for the last 20 years or so. I give GM credit for at least instilling confidence in buying one of their vehicles. Only if Ford would do the same. Pinch me I must be dreaming. Ford never fesses up with anything.
Shopping for a truck is entirely different than a car. I feel the domestics are the best thought out. Best performance, capacities, towing etc. Even elements such as height and high sides are a factor. I know one contractor a plasterer that drives a Tundra. All the rest of us drive Ford F-250's and Silverados. Few Rams.