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By Mark GloverThe Sacramento Bee
March 16, 2007
Now that I've had a week behind the wheel of a rear-drive Tundra Double Cab, let me just start by saying ... Wow! As in: Wow, this Tundra is beautifully laid out, has massive components that are seemingly bulletproof, accelerates like a scalded cat and brakes like a Nike-shod panther. But there are other reasons to say "wow." As in: Wow, I'd sure hate to buy gas for this thing. And: Wow, I wouldn't want to park this truck in those oh-so-tiny parking spots. Bottom line on the new Tundra: It's a fabulous work-site pickup and a ranch worker par excellence. But in my world of urban commuting, I'd no more pick a Tundra than I would navigate the rock-laden Rubicon Trail in a Porsche 911 Turbo. When the tested Tundra Double Cab was delivered, it was handed over to me with a warning: "Be careful when you park it. It can be interesting." I love it when someone who drives hundreds of vehicles as part of their job says something like that. It's sort of like the doctor telling you "this might hurt a little bit." I think I got the Tundra parked between the lines in a cramped parking lot on the eighth try. I figured it must be 300 inches long, but in truth, the tester came in at 228.7 inches. And coincidentally, when it was parked next to a 2007 GMC Sierra 1500 Extended Cab pickup at one point, their rear bumpers lined up perfectly even. So, maybe I was just intimidated by the Tundra. From passers-by to a random sampling of dedicated pickup drivers, everybody said it looked huge, especially from the front end. Even the folding exterior mirrors looked like they were transplanted from an 18-wheeler. And yet, everything that made me feel like a nervous urban dweller was all but forgotten when I took the Tundra out on the open road. Its nearly 5,300 pounds rolled with silky smoothness. Steering was amazingly responsive. The Tundra's suspension swallowed the jolt of potholes, with only the sound reaching the interior cabin. With the 5.7-liter, 381-horsepower V-8, acceleration from a standing start was admirable. Acceleration from the 2,000 to 4,000 revolutions per minute range was spectacular. No wonder Toyota is touting the Tundra's muscle from 40 to 70 miles per hour in its relentless TV commercials. As stunning as it was to feel this big truck moving so fast, it was equally stunning to feel how quickly the big, four-wheel, ventilated disc brakes slowed it down or brought it to an abrupt stop. A short sojourn in the dirt about an hour north of Sacramento wasn't really a test. The Tundra handled my mild off-road excursion like a gorilla slapping down a pesky mosquito. For all the Tundra's brute strength, the interior was most civilized. Big, easy-to-operate controls were on the dash; seats were sizable and supportive. Leg and head room were ample. Cupholders and power outlets were plentiful. Predictably, fuel economy ratings on the tester were truck-like -- 16 miles per gallon in the city and 20 mpg on the highway -- but regular gas is the recommended fuel. Auto industry analysts raised an eyebrow when Toyota announced that its Tundra would be priced slightly higher than similar trucks made by General Motors and Ford. But the tested Tundra Double Cab delivers a lot of truck for $32,553, a price that included nearly $4,000 in optional equipment, including a $695 camera/monitor for backing up with a small screen conveniently installed near the rearview mirror. Without all the extras, its starting price of $28,110 seemed entirely reasonable. One could go on and on: The Tundra has numerous storage compartments, generous cargo beds, a tailgate that can be maneuvered by fingertips, and 31 trim configurations. Overall, the Tundra is a player in the monster-competitive full-size pickup market, and American automakers have every right to be worried about it. It will be interesting to see how the Tundra plays in the heavily brand-loyal truck segment. There are longtime Ford/Chevy/Dodge truck buyers who insist they will never buy a foreign-made pickup. And there are Ford pickup buyers who won't even look at a Chevy or a Dodge, as well as the other way around. But know this: The new Tundra is too big to be ignored.
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