Not Impressed.

It would be a boring world if everyone liked and wanted the same things .

 

I get a kick out of the back and forth banter........ALL vehicles are a compromise. I wanted the look of a TRD grill but not the price tag of a TRD Pro so I added it myself later. I couldn't find a cement crew max with leather interior so I added clazzios later. I didn't like the stereo so I installed a new one later. No bed lights? @mattgecko took care of me. Spray in bed liner not an option? I got it done through a local shop.

The point of my post is that we can all find things we don't like about ANY vehicle: things we wish were added (bumper with step, etc), things the manufacturer "should have implemented" (wireless carplay, ventilated seats, etc), things that are obsolete, and things that shouldn't have been deleted (tow hooks, for example).

If you can justify the cost of the vehicle and add what you want reasonably, then go for it. If you land on any of those as "non-negotiable" then look at other trucks. Pretty simple in my opinion. I do believe that one of the reasons that this forum is so passionate about seemingly small things is because we all gravitated to this brand out of loyalty and reliability.....to some the disappointment of deleting the tow hooks is unforgivable. To others, ceasing production of the v8 is blasphemy. And now with the wastegate issues and other gremlins popping up, the reliability and loyalty is wavering. Toyota needs to determine if these are one-offs or if the growing numbers of complaints warrant a closer look......only time will tell. But until then, I am VERY happy with my 2019 and don't see myself getting rid of it anytime soon.

 

Long live my 2.5Gen and the V8!!

 

I also drove one last week for the first time and really liked the ride, handling and engine response. I'll take another look in a year or two and shop it against the others.

End of review.

 

I just still can't get over the fact that we have a 650 ftlb drivetrain that will come in a truck with 1400 lb (maybe 1600 lb?) of payload. Seems like a huge miss coming from the company that makes 1-ton Land Cruisers and Hiluxes for the rest of the world.

If you are a 3rd gen owner who is thrilled with your truck, then awesome; I'm thrilled for you! You shouldn't need everyone to agree with you in order for you to enjoy your truck. I think the 3rd gen is cool and will be a great truck for most people; I also expected more on some fronts given the 15 years since the last new generation which debuted at the front of the pack. Just because someone sees some shortcomings with the 3rd gen doesn't make them a hater.

 

Damn that was eloquent and very well put. I agree and have been doing mods and tweaks to my 2020 SR5 CM to make it exactly what I want. Of course I'd like a sun/ moon roof, but I was not willing to pay the price of the higher trims just to get that option. As far as the things on a truck you realistically can't change like engine and other items, those can be deal breakers and you just have to look elsewhere for a truck you do like. The new Tundra is a big disappointment to some, others really like it. To each their own.....I'll be keeping my 2020 CM until the wheels fall off, which is exactly why I went with Toyota in the first place.....durability, reliability, and longevity. I still have a 2013 Tacoma that has been paid off for 4 years now, IMO get a vehicle you really like, pay it off and keep it as long as you can. That is how you really save money, by not constantly having a car payment with interest....

 

I would bet that the low payload has to do with trying to improve high speed off-road drivability. You need soft suspension for this. Look at the Ford Raptor’s max payload, 1400 lbs. Adding some options can bring it down to 1200s.

I think this gen 3 truck is catering more to the recreational users that care for off-road abilities, than just a work truck.

 

Patent maybe? Like Tundra w/the full down back window?? (whoops beat to it)

 

So how did you feel about the COLOR , you did say it was WHITE right ? Super White , fastest color. LOL

 

Be careful, you can't possibly do any off roading without the front tow hooks.....apparently.....or so I have heard.......but never had to use them previously.......

 

If I'm concerned about off road capability I would buy something other than a full size truck.

If someone that had never been to the US just watched our car and truck commercials they would conclude that we don't have any paved roads. It's all a fantasy for most.

 

Agreed, Toyota is absolutely catering to the lifestyle crowd. Given what the vast majority of us do with our Tundras (off-roading, camping, hunting, fishing, towing small to medium loads, etc), they're probably right to do it. They built a drivetrain with better numbers than current gas-engine HD trucks and hamstrung it with a soft-suspension, low payload, off-roading package. They said the focus of the hybrid is performance rather than efficiency. Ok, so apparently that only means performance for off-roading. Or only for towing loads up to 8k or so before your trailer's tongue weight maxes out your payload. The biggest complaint of the 2nd gen Tundra (behind fuel economy) was not enough payload to utilize advertised towing capability. Same exact story with the 3rd gen.

Forget gasser HDs; this drivetrain is more powerful than diesel HD rigs from not that long ago. Give us an iForce Max work truck with 6 seats and a heavy duty payload package. I'd probably jump from my '21 MUCH sooner if something like that were available. But who are we kidding; this is Toyota we're talking about. They only care to give that kind of no-nonsense performance to the rest of the world.

 

I agree in that they should have higher payload trucks in the line up. That would mean having several different suspension options, which Toyota likely cheaped out. And yes, one cannot fully utilize the full towing capability without the payload.

In terms of power train and payload, Ram TRX with 700hp and reinforced frame, only has 1361lbs of payload. Certainly the power train is way more powerful than the payload in this application.

 

Ram also offers actual HD trucks. Same with GM and Ford. You can buy a Ford, Ram, or GM that can tow its max load and have your family in the truck with you or other gear in the bed. If you want a Tundra that can do that, you're kind of out of luck. Mine is over GVWR with my family in the truck and spartan camping gear (tent, chairs, Dometic fridge, camp kitchen, etc) in the bed under my tonneau cover. 200lb over at the CAT scales. Meanwhile, a friend of mine has a 2019 F150 with the Super crew cab, short bed, 4x4, a 5.0 v8, and 2013 lbs of payload on his door jamb.

I swore off domestics long ago, but it appears if you need to do any actual work, or tow near your max load without being over payload, you gotta go domestic. I'm over payload occasionally for camping trips and jobs. My truck is the most reliable truck on the road, but apparently Toyota only wants me to put people in the cab or stuff in the bed, but not both. I expected Toyota to make a big change on that front with the 3rd gen, but it is not so.

 

If it makes you feel any better, I purchased a higher trim level because I wanted all the options except for the sun/moon roof. Managed to find a '17 1794 without one, so they are out there.

 

Exactly, in other words just get what you want and tweak it to your liking. We all have a price point we aren't willing to go over......

 

ha

 

I suspect Toyota is tempering their own expectations. They could spend tons of money giving us a world beater truck with tons of different options and still only sell 100k trucks a year and not convert domestic owners in any meaningful numbers.

 

Normally, the trend of a new design tends to grow in people’s mind to look better over time. With me, it was just the opposite. When the leaked pics weee release and even the official pic, I thought it was a good looking truck. But I’ve got to the point now, OMG, that front end looks hideous. That mustache front end takes away from the rest of the truck.

while I have not had the opportunity to drive a new one, I did get to spend a good amount of time going over one in detail with no salesman overshadowing me. I’ve got to the point where the newness has worn off and meh, it’s just another truck with nothing special.

Toyota will eventually get these issues worked out, but I do think they are uncharacteristic of Toyota. Not their finest rollout. Perhaps I’ll be interested with gen 3.5 or 4, but please fix that front end.

 

I don't care for the looks of the new truck either, BUT i am sure there will be people soon who try to make a 2018 conversion to the updated front end. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder....

 

I was looking forward to a 22 with more payload for all towing the Travel Trailer and our family of 5 + 1 dog. Early reports looked like the redesign would work, so I waited. But the reality was that the payload numbers went up 100 - 150 ish lbs. Not wanting to go domestic, I bought a new Nissan Titan XD with almost 2000 lbs payload. I would have liked to stay in the Toyota Truck family, but needed the extra 500 lbs of payload.

 

Are those Nissan OEM running boards? I like those

 

Yes. They are really solid, have a textured grain and have the word Titan inlaid on the side with that matches the other red accents throughout the truck. I don't have a good picture but you may be able to zoom in. Plus the Titan has front tow hooks.

 

I had a 2005 Titan LE - beast of a truck. But had every possible problem. Most covered under warranty. Was the most problematic vehicle I have ever owned but also one of my favorite of that makes any sense.

 

everybody hating your post, I completely agree with you, they tried to hit the bullet points for reviewers to give them better head to heads on YouTube. Better mpg, check, bigger screen, check, “moder styling” check. And they made it a cookie cutter fast food copy of the others.
Those toyota die hards of us love the analog handling and feel, want a beefy over engineered offroad machine, what makes the toyota feel like a toyota, that new thing is not it to me whatsoever.
Also it’s little which I’m not happy about. Don’t know why they couldn’t have kept it on the same or similar dimension frame. Also the plastic bed is disappointing.

 

Wholeheartedly agreed my friend. I was certainly not trying to be bashful, and I'm no Toyota purist by I know my taste in cars/trucks among many other nice things in life.

I'm glad there are people taking my feedback for what it is and not a "mine's better than yours" type of post.

There's a reason I still own a 1st gen hooptie Sequoia partnered with a $200k 911 next to it. The Sequoia (modded) takes a lickin and keeps on tickin. Over 250k miles and it turns over, idles, and drives butter smooth like it's brand new... With the new one, I can just envision 15 years from now they'll be around with tons of faults on the gauge display. The new one just doesn't have that "keeper" status to me. 1st gen Tundras and 2/2.5 gen Tundras are all keepers. The new one was designed by focus groups.

I did appreciate the engineering that went into the new one. They spent tons of hours just to develop these seemingly useless tiny fins on the sides of the new one but that apparently helped with MPG and stability... Now do we really need that on a truck? Not really, but that was impressive engineering.

Also, I have shifted my focus now to the new Sequoia. Still has many compromises, but to me and for now it looks like the better vehicle on that platform. Very Land Cruiser like but still not an LC... I'm digging the looks of the new Sequoia more than the Tundra. Especially in the front.

 

I'm right with u..spent 2 years on various mods and love where I'm at. I am curious about longer bed with crew cab which I would like. I doubt I would get serious until they offered a beefed up diesel model. Evidently they have a good engine for Land Cruisers. No tow hooks??? you have to be kidding me.

 

2023 Sequoia has been my focus. I want 19MPG consistently, maybe the hybrid can do that. Too bad those bums deleted the sweet reliable Torsen center diff, sweet rolldown rear window is also gone. Hybrid battery and SRA reduce cargo room. Yeah it's an LC replacement with the great Crawl Control system and rear locker. It's still on the radar if I can find a good used one in say 2025.

 

Yeah I think I like the sequoia better too. I don’t think I’ll own one, but they’re cool. My wife is the suv driver in the house and she hasn’t liked any of the yotas . We have a first gen armada and love it, it’s a tank, very f250ish in the front cockpit with massive kid hauling room in the back rows.

And am I the only one that doesn’t give a hoot about mpg? I bought the two worst mpg cars on the road, that wasn’t the concern. I mean if you can pay for a $60k car what’s an extra $50/month on the gas bill for 13 vs 17 mpg, it just seems like something old men gripe about at the coffee shop.

 

I have a 2017 Armada Platinum also. I didn’t set out to be a Nissan guy, but just happened to like the Armada over the Sequoia when I was shopping at the time and the Titan XD gave me the needed payload. I actually daily drive a newish Honda Accord that I cannot say enough good things about. I bought it for my teens to eventually drive, but they may not get it. Maybe in a couple years I’ll hop into the redesigned sequoia.