How does Tundra compare to the current F150?

I know the title is very generic, but I do have some specific questions. First I want to give some background. I currently drive a 2019 4Runner Limited 4wd. This vehicle is going to a new employee soon and I plan to replace it with a truck. Prior to the 4Runner I owned a 2018 Raptor, a 2017 F250 Lariat diesel and a 2016 F150 Platinum. I have typically bought a new truck every year, but I'm trying to break out of that habit.

I have been looking at another F150 Platinum/Lariat, the new GMC Sierra and the 2020 Tundra Platinum. I plan to go drive the Tundra tomorrow. I really like the look of the GMC, but I'm turned off by the small gas tank and the lack of radar cruise. I know the 2020s will have radar cruise, but I need to buy a new truck by September 30th. I have enjoyed my Fords, but I have not had one long enough to know how it will hold up over 3 or 4 years going at least 20k miles per year.

I like the look of the Tundra. The 2020 has all the features I really care about except for the crappy Toyota remote start. I have read that the 2020 might have the ability to start from an app, but I'm not 100% sure. Having the 4Runner for the last 8 months has gotten me used to living without some things I used to have in my Fords and I really only missed the remote start, Apple Carplay, radar cruise and better fuel range.

Here are my questions:

Is the Tundra Platinum fairly quiet on the highway? My Fords we all quieter than my current 4Runner.

Do the ventilated seats work well? My 4Runner's are not that great.

Does the Tundra a/c get really cold quickly? The 4Runner seems pretty good in this respect.

How does the ride compare to a current Ford or GMC?

If you have any experience with the current generation F150 can you give me feedback on the things big differences you notice between the two trucks?

Is the Homelink range good on the Tundra? My 4Runner is way better than Fords I owned.

Are the LED lights in the Tundra good? Ford's LED headlights leave a lot to be desired.

Are the Tundra body panels fairly resistant to denting? I had a 2015 GMC and you could dent the body panels without much effort.

Can I get over 400 miles out of a tank if I'm 60% highway? My Ford 1/2 tons could do over 500 miles before the light came on.

Sorry for the long first post. Any insight you can provide is appreciated.

 

I had a 2018 F150 Lariat Crew cab for ~6 months before going to a 2018 Tundra Platinum, prior to that I had an '01 Sequoia with 250k. Keeping my responses as objective as possible...I usually drive vehicles until they may require more work than I desire to perform, but couldn't with the F150 due to a Ford Buy Back.

See responses in-line.

Is the Tundra Platinum fairly quiet on the highway? My Fords we all quieter than my current 4Runner. - The F150 is a lot quieter than the Tundra.

Do the ventilated seats work well? My 4Runner's are not that great. - The ventilated seats are very similar

Does the Tundra a/c get really cold quickly? The 4Runner seems pretty good in this respect. The AC is the same on both trucks, lacking a little in the back.

How does the ride compare to a current Ford or GMC? Ford ride is more comfortable, softer seats. There aren't too many complaints from my family on the comfort of the Tundra. My F150 didnt have a consistent shift pattern with the 10 Speed transmission, nor did it upshift or downshift through all the gears. It regularly skipped several gears for fuel efficiency.

If you have any experience with the current generation F150 can you give me feedback on the things big differences you notice between the two trucks? F150 has better entertainment technology, Tundra has The entertainment technology is much nicer in the Ford, the back window of the Tundra goes down. The Tundra is just a little bit smaller and fits in more parking garages.

Is the Homelink range good on the Tundra? My 4Runner is way better than Fords I owned. I didnt notice any difference in the Homelink range.

Are the LED lights in the Tundra good? Ford's LED headlights leave a lot to be desired. The Headlights are much better on the Tundra. Note, I didnt go to the Platinum which had the upgraded lights in the 2018...that may not still be the case.

Are the Tundra body panels fairly resistant to denting? I had a 2015 GMC and you could dent the body panels without much effort. The body panels on my Tundra have no door dings or scratches/dents from the family walking by it in the garage. I also didnt have any issues with the Aluminum panels on the ford until I hit a deer.

Can I get over 400 miles out of a tank if I'm 60% highway? My Ford 1/2 tons could do over 500 miles before the light came on. You can get 500 miles out of the Tundra on the highway right around when the light comes on assuming ~18 MPG on the 38 gallon tank. There are a lot of posts on here about the large reserve tank...I still have 8-10 gallons in the tank when the light comes on.

Sorry for the long first post. Any insight you can provide is appreciated.

 

mgxsequioa, thank you for the information. I'm hoping the 2020 entertainment technology will be closer to the Ford. I use my phone for navigation and listen almost exclusively to audio books and Spotify, so CarPlay is a big deal for me. I was hoping the Platinum Tundra would be a quiet truck, but I'm used to the 4Runner now so it shouldn't be a huge deal.

 

Welcome and my answers are below.

Is the Tundra Platinum fairly quiet on the highway? My Fords we all quieter than my current 4Runner. My 2019 is much quieter than my 2012 was.

Do the ventilated seats work well? My 4Runner's are not that great. I have a Ltd so no experience with the ac seats.

Does the Tundra a/c get really cold quickly? The 4Runner seems pretty good in this respect. Yes

How does the ride compare to a current Ford or GMC? I drove a new GMC AT4 before buying my 2019 and I think the ride is about the same. However I did not like all of the shifting that the 10 speed did and the engine shutting off at stops.

If you have any experience with the current generation F150 can you give me feedback on the things big differences you notice between the two trucks? No experience other than the 5.0 leaves much to be desired compared to the Tundra's 5.7 and the ecoboost is just weird to me from a performance/sound stand point.

Is the Homelink range good on the Tundra? My 4Runner is way better than Fords I owned. Should be the same as 4runner.

Are the LED lights in the Tundra good? Ford's LED headlights leave a lot to be desired. Love my LED's

Are the Tundra body panels fairly resistant to denting? I had a 2015 GMC and you could dent the body panels without much effort. Yes they are. I use my truck as a truck and it is very resistant to nicks and dings.

Can I get over 400 miles out of a tank if I'm 60% highway? My Ford 1/2 tons could do over 500 miles before the light came on. I can get 450 on average if I'm easy on it, but I'm supercharged which gets a little better mileage than stock. However, I am running heavy e-rated 34" tires so its probably a wash. I did go 500 miles on a tank once, but I was very easy on it and used 34 out of the 38 gallon tank. (gas light comes on at ~32 gallons)


Also, you can get an after market remote start that starts with your phone from @james@tech12volts . Its an easy install.

 

I hope you got the answers , just drive it few times , talk to dealer if he lets you keep it for a day or so you should be able to compare. My dealer let me keep the truck for 2 days before i made the decision to purchase it.

Good luck

 

I did get some good feedback. I greatly appreciate it. I will probably just do a short test drive tomorrow and see if my interest warrants a longer look. This dealer has let me take vehicles for extended test drives without the sales guy before, so I imagine I can do the same with the Tundra if I have enough interest.

 

There's no perfect vehicle out there and never will be. If you understand that and learn to deal with the faults then maybe you will hang on to a vehicle longer.

 

Check with CPA also , I believe dec 2018 was last year when you could write off 50% in depreciation.

 

The Tundra is 2 generations behind...kinda like me Ford makes a fantastic all around truck, I would have a new 1/2 ton with the 5.0 or 2017-up F250 in a heartbeat ....if someone else was toting the note $$$$!

 

Fords stay In the shop and Toyotas hardly see a shop outside of a oil change would be the biggest difference.

 

Is this a fake Whataburger vs In and Out thread?

 

F150 engines are the worst! Ask me how I know!!! There is stuff all over the internet to back my statement. If you value reliability the Toyota all the way.

 

I had a 2018 Raptor, it was fun, comfortable and turned heads, power was good.
Also 75$k +...
Not worth it.
Now a couple vehicles later, my 19 Tundra limited dbl cab- just as happy with it mostly.
Seats are not as comfortable, but power is actually on par, reliability-proven. Resale-proven. Led lights are adjustable with a dial.
Drives, looks, tows, 4x4, couple $ and switch out suspension...Tundra is the better value.
With the extra 35k$ I have, mortgage goes buhbye and I picked up 2 more vehicles to play around with. Hmmmm choices

 

I typically buy trucks based on how they look and make me feel when I drive them, and does this feeling come with a price tag that's too high. I've driven an F-150, and I simply don't like the way it looks or feels when I drive it. And EVERYBODY HAS ONE. Sure, my rig has quirks, but it makes me smile, and F-150s simply don't.

 

This is my 2 cents, I have test drove the an eco boost 2019 crew. The a/c gets cold quick, the power of the eco boost is good. The drive is smooth just like the new tundra's. Ford has the aluminum bed which dents quicker and cost more to fix. The technology in the ford is better than the tundra. Overall you get more with the ford but with all this new technology things will break and wear. I've owned 4 tundra's from 2005 to a 2015 TRD 5.7 Crew to my current 2019 SR5 DBL 4.6L. This only thing I can tell you is that the tundra felt safer and like a real truck, meaning stronger. My 2015 TRD was the is the same price now as my 2019 SR5 with 4.6 The only reason I down graded my wife and I bought a house in 2015 then she lost her job. My income supporting 5 people, 2 dogs was maxed. I bought a used rav4. Now the tundra I used to have cost $4k more. But my 2019 has more standard safety features in it. Usually if your a ford fan you stick with them, this goes for all the makes. Yeah the tundra may not be up to date, but for me I wouldn't trade it for another make, just something about it I love even with the 4.6. Now if the tundra had a diesel, I would find a way to get my hands on that, maybe sell the house or get a loan, LOL!! I bet the price would be what a Raptor costs 75-80K Good luck in your decision!!!

 

I dont have experience with any other full size truck other than being a regular passenger in a Silverado. I was very interested in a Sierra SLT but I didn't test drive anything, including the Tundra.

But, I can tell you pretty much every review of the big brands will tell you the Tundra is huge, slow, bad brakes, weak towing, boring interior, abd crappy tech.

All of those things are inaccurate. Overall it's actually slightly smaller than a Sierra, faster than all the standard V8's and can tow more than most of them.

There is an extreme bias toward GM and Ford in the major publications and I'm certain it's because of a major dependency on advertising money. So don't fall for the hype. All the modern trucks are amazing machines but Toyota resale value is what it is for a reason.

 

Have a 2018 King Ranch with 5.0, and my tundra.

There is no comparison between the two vehicles. The KR out performs, out comforts, out drives tundra by a long shot. Not even in the same ballpark. The ride in the F150 is so quiet and comfortable it makes the tundra laughable. The seats alone by a mile. The seat ventilation works great. The extended range gas tank will do 600+ mile trips and still have fuel left over. The entertainment system and carplay is very clean and all comfort features integrated in a logical, practical way. I love the led lighting package; forward facing flood lights on the mirrors ect.

It is far more refined than any tundra. You don’t have to take my word for it, look at the specifications.

The only thing I don’t like about the KR, the transmission. I much prefer to tow with tundra. The ten speed transmission sucks. Simple as that. I like our simple six speeds, especially noticeable when towing. The turning radius on the KR is also considerably larger because it has a larger wheel base. But it handles way better than tundra overall.

Both trucks have not been in for any repairs since purchasing. Tundra has 50k, KR around 20k.

 

My used 2018 SR5 CM 4x4 is worth more than a 2020 Raptor after the papers are signed.

 

I negotiated the install of a Drone Remote Starter when I bought my truck this year. The dealer installed it for me. Runs off a phone app at a reasonable fee $130 total for a 3 year plan. No key fob and the ability to start from anywhere if you have cell service. Also has some GPS features that I don't pay for that could be nice for a business.

https://www.dronemobile.com/

 

There is no possible way I would buy a tundra in today’s market given the competition. Unless looking to save money.

 

Tundra is NOT a truck to consider in today's market IMO. I bought one because I wanted one; because it looks cool. It does NOTHING well, it leads the pack in no practical terms. It rides like a horse. Gets terribad gas mileage (my 94 bronco with a 351 got better mpg). Sounds like a diesel on cold start (25 year old 351 was quieter). Center console padding is getting thin, I could go on. "Reliability" is never a sure thing. You can hedge for reliability, but it's never a sure things. You know what a sure thing is? Current class leader in power. Class leader in towing. THOSE are sure things. Tundra is FAR FAR FAR behind the rest. Even behind Nissan. Now, I love my Tundra for what it is, but let's be honest... Toyota doesn't give 2 shits about the Tundra. Camry, Corolla, Taco, and 4R get all the latest and greatest WHILE still being reliable, yet all the Tundra fan boys are all "We don't want all that it brings down the reliability." That's all BS and everyone knows it. You can tell who a fan boy or luddite is when people call this out like it's a battle cry to defend their truck.

Again, I love my truck, but being critical, it's a terrible buy. I would at least wait till the redesign if you can. That MIGHT change things. But, if you gotta have it... you gotta have it. All you gotta do is sign on the lines and the keys fall into your hand.

 

@GravityGear very well said
Lots of conjecture, misinformation and generalizations in this thread. Little facts. The facts / specs of the tundra vs every other truck on the market speak for themselves. The tundra is usually last.

 

It's unfortunate, but it is what it is. This is the reality of the situation. When Toyota introduced the 07, it was top of the class. I remember everyone being amazed at what they had done. That's the thing though, it's what they HAD done. They haven't done anything since then. Refresh here... add a feature here add a feature there. Nothing substantial to bring it in line with the market.

 

I appreciate all the feedback, and I agree that there is no perfect truck. My goal is to get something that will be solid for 60 to 80k miles without a lot dealer visits. I also want to avoid a rattle trap if possible. I don't hear well, but when I do pick up on a rattle it drives me crazy. I had the center dash apart in my Raptor twice chasing down a squeak within the first couple of months of ownership.

I drove a 2020 Tundra Platinum today. It was a short test drive due to my time constraints, but I was able to get a feel for the truck. The ride really wasn't bad compared to my 4Runner. Going off memory I would say it is not as good as the Fords, but better than the '15 GMC Z71 I had. The interior sound level seemed better than my 4Runner. This may be due to tires and the 4Runner V6 being louder. I thought the seats of the Platinum were comfortable. I especially liked the extendable lower seat cushion. The Tundra brakes feel way better than my 4Runner. I do wish the Tundra had the bed lighting and all LED lights like the Ford. I also like the ford instrument cluster better, but the Tundra is better than my 4Runner. I also wish the back seat floor was flat when the seats are folded up.

There were enough positives for me to go back and do an extended test drive. The high mileage lease rates are pretty good on the Tundra which is a benefit to my business. I'm still not sure which way I will go, but for an older platform the Tundra wasn't bad. I definitely think there is a good bang for your buck with this truck. I'm having a hard time seeing the Ford F150 Platinum as being $8k better.

 

Not saying you're wrong, but most specs I've read on the Tundra with regard to power, accelleration, towing, etc either have had it near the top of the list or close enough to the others that it's basically a wash. I think if we're comparing a Tundra 5.7 with a GM 6.2 or a Ford Eco, that's unfair, and to compare the ride of a Tundra with some of the absurdly priced trucks in its class doesn't make any sense. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong, but put it up against its actual competitors like a 5.0 F150 XLT, Chevy Silverado LT or LTZ, etc and it holds up just fine.

 

If you’re just going to trade it every 3-5 years.. get whatever you’re heart desirers. You’re basically trading it once the warranty is up anyway. Resale is something to consider as well. The tundra tends to keep a lot of value. I plan on keeping it 10-20 years.

BTW You’ve just met two of the few biggest tundra owner haters on the site. They aren’t completely wrong. Tundra is behind in everything. But it’s still a damn good truck. The drivetrain is very reliable but it can have its issues as well. The other manufactures have tons of bells and whistle‘s which are perfect for someone who gets rid of it every five years for the next latest and greatest. All those bells and whistle’s that they offer on the Camry and 4runner drive the cost up. For me the tundra is very obtainable in a lower trim model with an awesome drivetrain to complement it. But your situation sounds like you want something that is very refined. I would suggest just getting the truck that is quietest and has all the features you want. Since you’ll be getting rid of it anyways there’s no sense in buying something for longevity.

I prefer a truck with less stuff. No matter what those guys say, gizmos and doodads fail. I don’t want adaptive radar cruise. No thanks, my foot works fine as well as my standard cruise control. Usually I drive around with the traction control turned off and prefer a truck without nannies.

I know the gas mileage isn’t that good either but some of the real world claims from the other three are a bit skewed. I only drive about 6000 miles per year so that doesn’t concern me either way.

 

bs.. my trucks been in the shop 3 times these two weeks................... Toyota ain't reimbursing me for rental, loaner or my payments. go read the threads that I'm involved with.

 

I bought one for the price and reliability....I cant afford a new truck every 2 years. I tow toys f with it and drive a car to work. Maybe 6000 miles per year, Ill buy the gas.

 

Well, no one is really lying about the Fords. 2 guys I work with bought brand new King Ranch and a Platinum. They are beautiful trucks and very very comfortable. Make no mistakes, they are very nice!!! With Ford, you are playing the lottery. I know of a few people that have had little to no problems. However, there is a lot greater chance of getting the problem child and having repairs. Between my 3 uncles, and 4 guys at work with newer Fords, every one has had warranty claims and problems. The guys that just bought the 19 King Ranch has been in the shop multiple times for multiple weeks in a very short time. Vibrations, engine knock, electrical problems, etc....

I also personally have a family friend with a 17 Lariat with the 5.0 and he has not had any problems.

At least around here, the Tundra resale value is in a whole other world compared to Ford. You can not find a 2 year old used Platinum for under $40k with under 60k miles. MSRP = $52k. I could have bought a used King Ranch a couple years old for $38k to $40k. MSRP $70K PLUS.

Admittedly, I paid $46k plus tax for my Platinum. The guys in the Platinum and King Ranch paid $12k and $22k more than me.

They are nice trucks, but I absolutely love my Tundra!

BTW, neither gets close to advertised mileage with the 3.5 ecoboost and 5.0. I am within 1 MPG of both of them with my Tundra. I am averaging 16.1 in mixed driving verified with the Fuelly app over the last 15k miles.

I towed with my uncles Ford F-150 snd the Tundra is much better in the towing department.