Car and Driver: 2014 Toyota Tundra: Chiseled Looks, Carry-Over Engines

By John Lamm of www.caranddriver.com

Pickup-truck buyers never had it so good. In its fancier trims, the new Ram 1500 is basically a limousine that can handle mulch. Chevrolet and GMC redid the Silverado and Sierra for 2014, bringing three new engines to the party. The bestselling pickup for almost 40 years, Ford's F-150, got a freshening for 2013 and then the blue oval popped the cork on a preview of its 2015 successor, the Atlas concept, at January’s Detroit auto show. Nissan, which has rather ignored its Titan pickup for some time, is readying a new one for 2014 or 2015. 

Now at the 2013 Chicago auto show appears the redesigned 2014 Toyota Tundra. Apparently “chiseled” was the operative word in redoing the pickup's exterior design, work charged to Toyota's design centers in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and that hotbed of pickup passion, Newport Beach, California. The reshaped exterior of the Tundra is a tip of the hat to the Detroit pickups, in that it’s more squared-off than the softer-looking outgoing truck. The hood has been raised by 1.6 inches, and the grille is wider and taller for more a bruising look. The bumpers are now constructed of three pieces both to allow for distinctive styling for the various equipment levels and to make repairs easier. 

The entire package has more presence than the Tundra it replaces, but it still looks familiar overall, an impression bolstered by the fact that this is essentially a heavy refresh. The chassis is largely unchanged, save for some suspension retuning intended to iron out the old truck's freeway hop. We have only a smattering of dimensional details for a couple of configurations, but the reworked Tundra will thus occupy basically the same amount of real estate as the one it will replace, including wheelbases, overall length, and width. Bed width from wall to wall has been reduced by 1.4 inches, however. 

There will be five trims and, as before, three cab styles. All can be had with rear- or four-wheel drive. The trim ladder starts with the base "hard-working" SR before moving to the SR5 that accounts for most Tundra sales. Those in search of a tonier Tundra will choose from the Limited, Platinum, and 1794 Edition versions. Don't strain your brain trying to pluck that number from your high-school history class, though; 1794 was the year of the founding of the ranch near San Antonio where the Tundra factory is located. How touching. Each Tundra trim will have its own distinct grille. As for cab layouts, there will be the traditional two-door Regular Cab, the four-door Double Cab, and the four-door CrewMax, which features fold-up seats for added carrying space. And, of course, there will again be the option of TRD off-road kit.

Those model names pretty well indicate by themselves what to expect from the interiors. Fundamentals for all interior levels include redone ergonomics, such as moving the center stack 2.6 inches closer to the driver and making certain that knobs are big enough to be used by gloved hands. (Most of the previous truck’s switchgear was suitably Tonka-like; a couple of smaller radio knobs have been enlarged. We’re happy about them moving closer to the pilot, though, as functions on the right side of the stack previously required quite a stretch.) The seats have been redesigned to be more comfortable—just once we’d like to see a release describe new seats as “more tortuous”—and there are plenty of storage areas for work-site and everyday detritus. Double Cabs and CrewMax models can be spec’d with a bench or individual seats up front. 

SR and SR5 versions have the most basic, workaday interiors. Limited brings leather upholstery, while Platinum is meant for what Toyota terms "personal-use truckers," who apparently need premium, diamond-stitched leather and such amenities as a 12-speaker JBL sound system, heated and ventilated front seats, and navigation. It also gets Entune, Toyota’s infotainment suite. You might call the 1794 Edition the "Howdy, Pardner" version, with its Western-themed, embossed saddle-brown leather surfaces and faux suede detailing. Plus you get all the goodies that come with the Platinum model. 

Toyota describes the new Tundra's drivetrains as "proven," which is PR-speak for “carry-over.” The trio of engines have aluminum blocks, as well as heads with two cams each. The entry engine is still the 4.0-liter V-6, rated again at 270 horsepower and 278 lb-ft of torque. It runs through a five-speed automatic, while GM and Ford offer six-speed units and Ram an eight-speed auto with their six-cylinder truck engines. (Ram will also soon offer a Hemi V-8/eight-speed combo.) There are six-speed automatics behind the two Toyota V-8s; the smaller powerplant displaces 4.6 liters and features 310 horsepower and 327 lb-ft of torque, while a 5.7-liter unit serves as the top option and serves up 381 horsepower and 401 lb-ft. If the fuel-economy numbers also carry over, we can expect 16 mpg city/20 mpg highway for the RWD 4.0, 14–15 mpg city/19–20 mpg highway from the 4.6, and 13–14/17–18 from the 5.7. 

Naturally, all Tundras will feature stability control, ABS, and, of course, Smart Stop, a genial marketing term for software that reduces engine power when both the accelerator and brake are pushed at the same time. (Yes, the latter is a concession to the unintended-acceleration conflagration of a few years ago.) All new Tundras will have a back-up camera and Bluetooth as standard, with a blind-spot monitoring system and rear cross-traffic alert on the options list for the more-expensive models. SR and SR5 models will ride on 18-inch steel wheels, while the upper grades will get 20-inch aluminum rollers. 

Don’t rush down to your Toyota dealer to buy a new Tundra quite yet, though, as they won’t be available until September. View Photo Gallery

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http://www.caranddriver.com/news/2014-toyota-tundra-photos-and-info-chiseled-looks-carry-over-engines-interior-levels-page-2