By Christopher A. Sawyer
The Virtual Driver

(October 6, 2014) Full year sales for the Toyota Tundra in 2013 were 112,732. To date, Tundra sales sit at 80,133, an increase of 10.7% over 2013 year-to-date. Even at that rate, Toyota’s full-size pickup won’t come close to reaching 200,000 units.

This puts it well behind Ford’s F Series which has seen six months of sales at or above 60,000 units. Granted, Ford doesn’t discriminate between the various F Series models, preferring to lump them all together, but — even if the F-150 is half of F Series sales — the Ford would outsell the Toyota in just four months. Why?

I’ll admit to not being the most truck savvy guy out there, but there’s something that the domestic pickup truck makers do that the imports don’t that accounts for this chasm. One factor is authenticity. We invented the full-size pickup and do it better than anyone in the industry. There is an undeniable rugged, honest, workmanlike personality to an American truck that the imports can’t match, no matter how many American engineers they hire.

This was true even as the domestic automakers were spiraling toward bankruptcy as buyers increasingly turned away from their car models in favor of imports. Working class buyers remained loyal to the brands, but even those who had abandoned Chrysler, Ford and GM cars for the imports usually had a domestic pickup in the driveway.

Toyota has showed tremendous patience and focus. It stuck its toe in the full-size pickup water with a less than full-size pickup, the T100 that entered production in 1993, and continued through 1998 when it was replaced by the Tundra. It was easy to criticize the T100 for not offering a V8 engine or being only marginally larger than the mid-size Dodge Dakota, but it wasn’t a full-on assault.

Toyota doesn’t work like that. It builds on what has gone before (this being its experience with the compact Tacoma pickup), and stakes out a space in the market that’s not a direct competitor for anything. Then it learns all it can about how buyers use the vehicle, what they like and dislike, and use this information to refine the product each year. Concurrently, it has a team that is tasked with studying the company’s true target, in this case the full-size segment, and combines this data with its real-world studies to focus the new product. Thus, in 1999, Toyota launched the V8-powered Tundra, a true American-built full-size pickup.

That first-generation truck was a bit wide of the mark. The styling was too timid and rounded, it looked too car-like, and it still didn’t look like a full-size vehicle. There were two V6 engines and a 4.7-liter V8, but none of the quiet toughness of the domestic trucks. It looked like the new kid in town, which it was, but nevertheless garnered Motor Trend’s 2000 Truck of the Year award, and the Best Full-Size Truck honor from Consumer Reports. Customers noticed, but didn’t pay much attention. However, Toyota didn’t make the mistake of overproducing, and sold almost as many Tundras as its single plant in Indiana could make. It was a smart strategy.

When the second generation Tundra arrived in 2007, it looked the part. The styling was bolder and the truck looked larger. It had presence. The doorhandles were large enough for a man-sized hand in work gloves, and the head restraints worked with passengers wearing hard hats.

Along with other modifications, including the addition of a 381 horsepower 5.7-liter V8 mated to a slick six-speed automatic transmission, it sounded right, looked more the part, and could haul… people and things. It could reach 60 mph from a dead stop in less than seven seconds. Yet, the sales numbers didn’t jump. The increases were strong but not spectacular. There wasn’t a sudden clamor for Tundras from domestic buyers. However, more made the leap.

In 2013, Toyota showed a heavily face-lifted Tundra at the Chicago Auto Show, and — as one who was sitting in the second row when it rolled onstage — it was shocking just how much it looked like an F-150. Not an exact copy, mind you, but a vehicle that pulled many styling cues, both inside and out, from America’s best-selling pickup. This followed the shift in production that saw all Tundras come out of Toyota’s San Antonio, Texas, plant starting in 2008, where 200,000 Tundras can roll off the line each year.

That’s still more than Toyota currently can sell, but not so much more that it has to worry about profitability. Especially when you consider that a vast majority of Tundras roll out of San Antonio with the 5.7-liter engine under the hood, and nearly half of the production is the short bed four-door CrewMax.

This is exactly the Tundra Toyota lent me for testing, a 5.7-liter CrewMax. With a base price of $41,895 and lots of standard equipment, it’s not a poverty-spec. vehicle. Dressed up with the $595 Limited Premium Package (power windows with driver and front passenger auto up/down; room, foot, and ignition key illuminated entry system; glass breakage sensor; front and rear parking sonar), the bargain-of-the-year $100 TRD Off-Road Package (18-in. TRD off-road alloy wheels, Bilstein dampers, rear side privacy glass, engine skid plate, fuel tank skid plate, and decal), $345 running boards (you need them), $365 bedliner, $65 door sill protector, $99 exhaust tip and $995 handling fee, the CrewMax tops out a reasonable $44,495.

I never took the Tundra far enough off-road that I tested the skid plates, but the combination of dirt and asphalt I did traverse proved that the TRD Off-Road Package has few negatives and many positives in terms of ride and handling. Both on-road and off, the package helped to quell some of the understeer that is dialed into pickups to keep them out of trouble in tricky situations. It didn’t point into a turn like a sports car, but neither did it plow like an International Harvester on the back forty.

In addition, the Bilstein shocks suppressed some of the more extreme ride motions without adding harshness. Float over inclines and quick earthward body motions on declines are not a part of this truck’s repertoire, though I am sure some may find the ride too car-like for their tastes and expectations. I, on the other hand, enjoyed it, and didn’t feel like I had to compromise on road in order to have off-road capability.

All of this is accompanied by a V8 that sounds the part. It has a deep-throated roar that is surprisingly sophisticated for a truck, and more Lexus than Toyota… or NASCAR stocker. It pulls hard from a dead stop, and soon has you running with, or slightly ahead of, traffic. The six-speed automatic shifts crisply, and helped the Tundra return 16 mpg in combined city/highway driving. Don’t expect Prius-like fuel economy from this vehicle — it’s rated 13 city/17 highway/15 combined by the EPA — and you won’t be disappointed. However, I found it easy to stay toward the top of the range by easing into the throttle, though loading the truck bed up would have a negative effect on its fuel economy.

You won’t, however, be hauling large items as the CrewMax is fitted with a 5.5-ft. bed that sometimes proves not to be enough. Despite its overall size, there are situations when the CrewMax can’t haul larger items. That stems from this model’s focus on passenger comfort over cargo area.

Nine times out of 10 you probably won’t need the extra space, but when you do, you’ll be wondering how a vehicle so large could be so small at the same time. In addition, it might be a better idea to pop for a roll-on bedliner instead of the plastic unit found on our tester. To keep the tie downs in the rear of the bed accessible, large ports are cut onto the bedliner. This makes a ready passage for dirt, dust, snow and rain to find their way between the liner and bed.

Creature comforts include dual-zone climate control, a 10-way driver and 4-way passenger seat, a seven-inch touchscreen to control the premium audio and navigation systems, and spears of wood trim along the front of the instrument panel. Ford buyers may suffer from deja vu as the Tundra’s front cabin borrows heavily from the F Series’ design language. Large, infinitely adjustable circular vents span a broad instrument panel that has large brushed metal-look plastic trim on either side of the touchscreen. Even the lid on the center console and gearshift lever have a Ford aura about them.

The similarities in the rear compartment aren’t as strong, however, and there’s plenty of space back there for full-size or above adults. If more cargo area is necessary, or if you want to carry groceries or other items that you need to keep warm and dry, it’s possible to individually fold the bottom seat cushion up to make room for these items on the floor.

Open the hood and you’ll discover the 5.7-liter V8 nestled below the height of the fenders, and well below the upper surface of the hood. Being a truck, the Tundra has to exude a certain style and confidence, and this is reinforced by the tall hood and prominent grille. The scoop that sits above the eight-element grille is non functional; it doesn’t capture any air, though it does break up what could have been an overpowering grille surround. Overall, the Tundra’s surfaces are beveled and the stance is wide and wedgy. The short bed, muscular fenders and tall sides make it look more compact than it is, and contribute to a sporty feel. It’s a handsome truck.

So, again, I am back to wondering why it is that the Tundra doesn’t sell in numbers that are closer to that of the domestic competition. True, the Toyota doesn’t have the same inescapable personality the domestics exhibit, but it’s a nice truck. A real nice truck.

Undoubtedly, Toyota is beavering away on refining the next generation Tundra, increasing its focus and bringing it closer to the competition both in fact and in image. The sales will follow.

The Virtual Driver