What 3rd gen issues might be addressed in 2024 trucks?

I had to trade my beloved 2016 because of a new job. I didnt want to. Tax laws require me to drive a vehicle less than 4yrs old as my company vehicle. I literally cried in front of the dealer when i handed him the keys. I didn't blindly follow brand loyalty. I considered a lot of brands this time. For the crazy prices they want, it strongly steered me toward the devil I know. I never imagined the Gen 3 truck came without a skid plate or tow points. That oversight WAS brand loyalty (my fault) but I'm not alone. I'm hoping my post will help others like me to make such an important decision on a 50-100k vehicle purchase. I researched my purchase for months but never heard mention about visibility around the vehicle. It's probably not a coincidence Toyota will sell you a bunch of expensive camera options to see all of those places. I never read about the hood glare either. Lockouts save a lot of gas and wear on your drive train without all the other weight saving compromises like paper thin body panels. Most current drivers don't know what they are. I know it sounds like a rant but I wish I had read my own rant before I made the purchase. It would help me budget for the things I will need to address, or negotiate those points when making the deal. That way Toyota sees how the value of these features affects selling price. If my comments are helpful to some, then they may not be as blinded by brand-loyal to overlook these things in their negotiations at the point of sale. AND...an 8ft luxury cab with a 5.5 ft bed is a station wagon, not a truck.

 

Tax laws only tell you what you should drive to take advantage of the reimbursement program. I drive a vehicle outside of the “tax laws” or agreed upon rules for my work and all it means is I don’t get the tax free benefit of the program. I still get the money, it’s just taxable. I choose to keep driving my reliable vehicle in spite of having to pay some additional taxes. I am not forced to do the opposite, I doubt you were either. You made a choice.

 

Wow this thread derailed

 

Honestly the wind noise and seal issues was fixed late last year or earlier this year. The 2nd Key Fobs and fuel line recalls are the only thing really outstanding.

 

I don't own a company, I work for a company that requires travel. As I said, I did do the research. I drove an 8ft bed but the Gen 3 double cab literally leaves no room for a passenger to realistically ride for very far in the back seat. I'm 5'9" and to sit comfortably in the passenger seat means my seat is almost touching the back seat. No one's legs could fit, as a passenger. The Gen2 dbl cab was perfect. I spent another month searching for alternatives because I didn't need a crewmax. The Toyota CMax back seat is way too big for my needs but i decided the rare occasions when i needed a back seat were worth havind an actual seat. I picked lesser of evils for $60,000. To this, i say ouch. It just seems like all of my prior toyotas had more practical design emphasis. I take my trucks pretty seriously. I've built Toyota trucks from ground up. I've built axles, transmission, transfer case, many engines from scratch, body, frame mods and custom suspension. One of my trucks was an off road racer (Class 7S). All Toyota. I even designed a roller rocker for a 22RE engine to increase longevity on the exhaust side of the valvetrain. I was putting bilsteins on peoples Toyotas back before they had us distribution when you had to buy them from overseas. These years taught me to trust and depend on the Toyota technology, the materials and design. In other words, I did 40yrs of research all the way back to the straight front axle mini trucks before the the last 3 months of research on this particular purchase. Fact is, it was time to buy a truck. Had to. I'm not trying to brag here. Just qualifying my background for context. Again, all manufacturers are doing the same thing and its not for us, or there would be a skid plate. I don't mind being offered every cool feature and comfort option imaginable. The key here is OPTION. They tell us there's a chip shortage when they're using 14 times as many chips and I don't think I really need most of them. Now I have chips to dim my headlights. Does the public really demand this or are the manufacturers just eager to sell us twice as much truck as we need and make it standard. My truck is now a phone that requires its own cell service contract. I already have 2 phones. 5yr olds have their own phones these days. I bought a 3rd one that's built into this Tundra (the other brands are doing it too) instead of a bedliner, or longer bed or some other core feature like a real bumper that protects the truck from being bumped. You know how much it will cost if you bump something with your 2024? You could buy new phones for the whole family. Some of us don't like it. It's OK to talk about and unite on these points (for those who agree) so these forums give well rounded perspectives for other shoppers who may have even less time or understanding that me, to make their buying decision.

 

Oh yeah... and an 8ft cab with a 5.5 foot bed is a station wagon.

 

How many of you would trade wind noise for a skid plate, tow hooks and real steel bumpers? Maybe it's just me? Do I go off road or something? Yes. I live on a farm in the mountains. I pull people out of ditches, I drag logs when I cut firewood and my parents still live where there's deep snow. You don't want to drive there in the winter without a skid plate and tow hooks. I worked for a while maintaining the trail systems in State and National forests all over the southeastern US (as a volunteer) and I've hauled a lot of equipment and dirt bikes on dirt roads. I'm an expert at vehicle recovery but these days, I'm only off road when I need to be. Tow hooks are there to protect your investment. If you don't know this, you drive a station wagon.

 

Can you share a station wagon that tows 8000# easily? What's wrong with a station Wagon anyways?

 

Jeep WAGONeer!

 

Ahh. Station Wagon, not suburban poser.

 

10,500 miles on my March 2023 build. I haven't experienced any of the issues you mentioned in the original post.

 

Soap Dodger, meet @Eurodriver, he's like you but actually likes his truck a bit and tries to look at it in a positive way

Eurodriver, meet Soap Dodger, your new bestie, please explain to him regarding the 3rd gen, he seems confused a bit

 

I want to believe. I have tried hard. I'm honestly going to circle back in a couple of years to see if I've changed my mind, at which point I'll gladly admit if I'm wrong. I mean REALLY gladly because I just spent $60000 on a Tundra. I've continued to research but it is surprisingly difficult to find a picture of the double cab rear leg room that looks anything like what I actually see when I get in one. Something is going on. I get hundreds of pictures and sales pitches for everything else.

Toyota has trained you guys to buy what they prefer to sell and thank them for it. If I get my tractor stuck, I can't pull it out with my $60000 4x4 off road capable 360hp truck with a towing package because there are no towing points. Dont you get it? They gave you ONE KEY. Do you ever hunt or fish or kayak, like the people in the commercials? Drop your key in the lake and you are SOL. No more truck. Towing company can try hooking onto your sway bar. Good luck with that. Can you say it is easy to park your Tundra? You cannot see over the hood. I travel for a living. I rent pickup trucks everywhere I fly except Europe and Asia. My neighbors and i also drive each others trucks when we are working on our farms. There is no other truck I've ever been in with less visibility of the immediate surroundings than the 2024 Tundra. This is intended to sell camera packages YOU DONT NEED. Thats your money. You earned it. You do need a way to protect your investment with a skid plate and tow points and a spare key. Not another phone built into you vehicle that does less that the one you will connect to it anyway. Wake up man. It will only get worse if you pay them to keep doing it. If you disagree, then YOU will be the one responsible for the demise of the most legendary 4x4 pickup ever made. But, your kids will get to soccer practice and you'll get home before the Popsicles melt just like if you were driving a station wagon.

Until now, I was such a dyed in the wool fan that it was like fighting words if I heard someone talking smack about a Tundra. It's freaking heartbreaking. The plastic splash guard gives more protection underneath my wifes Camry and her Camry HAS tow points. A chunk of retread rubber on the highway or a piece of ice off of some other trucks mud flaps may someday remind you what a skid plate is for. I would rather be wrong and I don't wish that on you or your family... which is why I'm writing this.

Take a good look at what you have accepted.

 

YOU bought the truck. YOU are the one still driving it. You are definitely trying to preach to the wrong crowd. Go back to 1970 or get with the times. Things arn’t going to change because you’re on a soapbox. Stop the bitching and either drive the truck or sell it for something else.

I’m done reading these cheap entertainment rants.

 

This is a long post, but you know they make the trd offroad skid plate which I bought extra and comes on the trd pro. You can customize the truck with what you want but I tend to agree unless your in a limited with the cameras and the 20 different views then a tundra is pointless. It's meant and designed for all the tech stuff which is extra. I haven't really looked for tow hooks, I see one on the trailer hitch on the rear and maybe the skid plate has a tow point but I do know that most tow companies know what to connect to for a tow if it is required. Or better yet get a winch put on the front of the truck. Your post comes off as sour grapes for truck that is designed to last longer than any domestic truck on the market.

 

Ha! I found this amusing but if you spent 60k on a Tundra it had a lot of creature comforts and knew it had a 5.5 bed. I've had both a 5.5 and a 6.5 and didn't find the 5.5 to be much different. I do like the extra foot but man you are the king of rants and have it down to an art! lol For long lumber you would need a trailer or bed racks anyway. I've hauled plenty of plywood and sheetrock with a 5.5 bed just use some cargo straps with tailgate down. Simple. My dad maintains a big farm and he uses a Canyon. He does a lot of road work, instals culverts, and uses his Canyon to pull a dump trailer that he loads with a skid steer and mini excavator. Granted he is in his 80s, but still that truck is a lot smaller than a Tundra and he gets more work done than the state park. Hauling dirt bikes? What? At least you didn't get a 8 foot bed if you aren't happy with the Tundra you can sell it. I agree about the tow points. No idea why those are still missing? My dad had some kind of Ford hybrid about 10 years ago that didn't have tow points and he got it stuck and damaged it pulling it out. Pretty expensive and he would never get another vehicle without tow points. He actually hates 4x4 and very set in his ways. He probably got a lawyer to sue them for no tow points. But thanks for the laughs. I have a 2021 double cab and do like the cab. I'm still looking at other options so will make sure to test dive the Gen 3 again. I kind of recall it was lower. Really gotta test drive Toyotas. The Gen 3 Tacoma has small cab if you are over 6 feet. I can only guess that Toyota wanted so save weight by not including tow points? Really doesn't make sense. Most Tacoma or truck guys get 4WD because better to have in and not need it than not have it and need it. So what about tow points?

Hope you enjoy your truck though. If you get a new one every 4 years Toyata has good resale value. I'll probably just wait a while, although Gen 3 might be better for me.

 

There should be front tow hooks, I agree. But I’m not buying all of this bluster about farming. No one pulls a tractor out with a 1/2 ton truck, and tries to pull it backwards with the front tow hooks as the attachment. Pulling in reverse is not recommended in any vehicle with helical gears, they are much weaker in reverse. You would be pulling anything forward with the rear tow hitch as an attachment point.
Front tow hooks are for recovering the truck when it gets stuck.

 

You should have tried a little harder when you were shopping. Everything you're whining about was in plain view. Nobody lied to anybody. Sell it.
Sell it and move on.

 

I wanted a Gen 3 but at the time too long of a wait. I would prefer a turbo V6 over the V8 if they prove to be equally reliable. I'm over 6 feet so like the larger cab size. I would also want a SR5 so this is what I would like to see.

1. Tow ponts on the front.

2. Option for power front seat without really expensive package upgrade. The 2023 I ordered was about 55k but still didn't have power front seat. My 2021 had some kind of package, I think convenience, at the time that was only about 1k that had large fuel tank, power seat, blind side mirrors and parking sensors. So would like an option like that again in the future if it's not available now. No way I'm spending over 50k and no power seat.

3. Better MPG. Even if it's the hybrid. I don't really need the extra torque or HP. I would be getting a 1500 truck for the roomy cab. Sometimes I do tow something heavy but would prefer better MPG, as I"m not getting it to haul a huge camper all the time.

4. Better payload capacity. Not sure why it's lower than competitors. This isn't a deal breaker but don't get why Tundras have massive engine power but lower payload. But for next 5 years probably won't be towing a lot so not a deal breaker.

Someday I may also get a camper. A lot of people upgraded to the Gen 3 for improved towing. For me I have a 2021 so no real reason for the Gen 3 as I just want a reliable truck and already getting 17 mpg. I may just like the roomy cab 2021 better anyway. I wouldn't want my head too close to the roof. Someone else is complaining about not being able to see over the hood, but maybe they got a level lift and front is now up 2 inches? I've only taken a Gen 3 on a short test drive. I recall my head seemed higher, while my 2021 cabin and head hight and overall how I could see out was very similar to a F150 that I prefer as I like to see up down and all around, but that may just be a matter of adjusting and was just a short test drive.

So at this point may just keep my 2021 forever to do truck things and get some kind of hybrid SUV that gets like 30 mpg. Hard to say. No truck is perfect and may just get a new one every 5 years. That was my plan. To me trucks are very versatile and can do whatever one might need. For big projects I just have everything delivered, and a truck is perfect for property maintenance things, emergency repairs, etc.

 

I only took a Gen 3 on a short test drive. I recall the visibility out of the cabin as being different. I'm thinking my head was closer to the roof. It was a hybrid 1974 so the power seat was all the way down and back as far as it could go as I'm 6'3'', but maybe the dash and doors were also higher? I'll need to test drive again although I'm sure the cab was just much different angles for me to see out. On a side note I was shocked how compact and awkward the Tacoma cab was. The Gen 4 improved this some but not much as it was more important to fit in a garage. I had ordered a Taco as well, as I could still fit it and see the road but may have just ended up hating less visibility. Who knows next time I may just end up with a SUV or something.

Right now my 2021 double cab is really perfect roomy cab, the back seats have enough room if I'm driving with friends. Last week another guy 6'3'' and his girlfriend was also tall maybe like 5'10'' had no problem at all. Sat behind me with my driver seat all the way back and said she had plenty of room behind me. The 6.5'' bed is really nice. It's just very convenient if I need to put a bike in the back and has a lot more options for storage and I could sleep in it if I got a camper shell but for now open bed works better for me. I manage rental property and can't always wait on deliveries. Same with emergency repairs.

If the Taco hybrid gets crazy good mpg, I could make that work although really like a large truck because of the way other people drive. I also don't have room for a trailer or even storing extra boards to put in a bed. So it's just convenient. Most farmers might just drive a car and park at a utility barn. Agree aren't pulling a tractor out with truck. I used to do huge construction project with a compact SUV. Most stuff gets delivered anyway and if it has good roof racks often more practical than a truck with no bed racks and just ridiculous the way a lot of people haul long wood or ladders in truck.

Although i think a truck needs good visibility in every direction and tow points.

 

There was a place with a link so just copy and past. I recall it was easy to find and easy to find place in sig to paste worked first time.

On a side note the MPG is more psychological to me and probably to most people. I just couldn't go below 15 mpg as that's what a full size 3500 van got all the time when I was on tight budget. I even wish there were more options for rear axel ratio to improve MPG. But just psychological as Im driving under 10k miles a year, and primary goal is to avoid any repair bills.

 

I'm a very diehard fan of every toyota truck up to 2021. I only need to go back three years, not 53. You can't talk about the legendary durability of a 2024. It's not even 2024 yet. Thats blind brand loyalty. I'm not criticizing your rig or your right to be thrilled with your purchase. There are a lot of things people learn about their vehicle in the first weeks of ownership that will help others make their buying decision, when put into context. Increasingly, the stuff Toyota wants to sell you is already on the truck. The stuff I want (and many others) is either used to sweeten a bloated bundled package of features or you go aftermarket. Versus Gen II, I feel driver visibility is dramatically reduced. The missing tow points and skid plate are emblematic of toyotas priorities after 2022. I really like the TRD skid plate but I did not want to buy an entire off road package that still comes with no tow hooks. You can debate this separately but my vehicle recovery training taught to never use a ball trailer hitch as an attachment point for a tow strap or chain. You may not have meant this, but for safety, i thought i would clarify for the others. The 2016 truck I just traded had the best tow points I've ever used. That's why I'm kinda shocked. BTW, I don't own a very big tractor and I tend to agree about helical gears. Recovery is highly situation dependent and options are your friend.

The frame on my 2024 has two small cutouts in back, just in front of and above the rear bumper. You could get small hooks there, to tie the vehicle down to a flatbed or something but a straight pull with a chain or strap may not be secure and would place a lifting force on the bumper, possibly damaging it.

I've just made an expensive enough investment as it is. Wife will definitely kill me if I buy a TRD skid plate, tow hooks and bumpers. (Shes a better shot than me, too.) If you value these pieces of the legendary toyota durability, you will want to budget for the aftermarket items in advance.

My 24 seems ultra quiet and it's hard to know when the engine off feature is kicking in. Vehicle seems to have an intermittent shimmy tendency, kind of like an unbalanced wheel hitting a harmonic but it's not speed specific. Only happens when hitting the average pavement bumps and variations.

Mine has a 6.5 bed. My dirt bikes are all around 84 inches or 7ft. Of course you will be using tie-downs but an extra 6" of bed space would allow you to put the gate up. A failed strap or emergency maneuver would be that much safer, plus you could use your backup cam. Back when toyota sponsored the supercross series, I was hoping they'd do it for their target market. I could use a trailer for bigger stuff, like when I take larger blanks to the sawmill to be cut into lumber. 8ft is a pretty standard dimension for all kinds of building materials. If toyota was making pickup trucks to pickup things like that, the bed would be 8 ft.

It takes two trips to deliver a chord of firewood in the bed of my 2016 Tundra 6.5 bed. I had some cosmetic damage from loading pallets of sod or one pallet of concrete for short distances but even in those abusive cases, I was very impressed with how rugged the Gen II beds were. It will be interesting to see how the composite bed compares.

I searched for 6wks trying to get my hands on an 8ft bed. Some dealers told me Toyota doesn't make them. I got my hands on a 2022 with an 8ft bed in spartanburg SC. I took a very long test drive, including a Chic-filet drive through. It was a challenge. I thought it was the 8 ft bed but the visibility was equally as bad as my 2024 with a 6.5 bed. The deal breaker was the dbl cab back seat. My drivers seat was nearly touching the back seat and I'm only 5'9". Taller drivers will find the back seat almost useless. Somehow it's like all of the pictures that show this have been scrubbed from the internet, kinda like bad dealer reviews. I was shocked, like, whose idea was THAT!? Definitely go see for yourself before plopping cash down on a vehicle in transit. The Gen 2 dbl cab back seat was awesome, so don't assume Gen3 is the same.

I love the fact the whole back window rolls down. Feels kinda convertible-ish. Computer told me I had 100 miles of range left so I put 24 gals in the tank last night. I love the longer range. I'll be driving from Tennessee to Wisconsin tomorrow. I'll post what the roadworthiness feels like on a longer drive.

I've been criticized for simply making a stupid uneducated buying choice in these thread but the original post asked about shortcomings that may have been improved in 2024. I take my vehicles, especially my beloved Tundras, very seriously. The difference from my 2016 to the 2024 was a real shock. Do your homework better than I did. It's not that simple to just skip over to the ford dealer and trade my three week old 2024 Tundra for a new F250. Don't trust the reputation or past experiences for any detail of your buying decision.

 

In your first post you went off on a tangent about micro chips, tire sensors (TPMS) etc, that have been standard for all vehicles for over a decade now. So based on that should have gotten a classic like something 20 years old.

Anyway be thankful you didn't get the 8 foot bed. There was a low millage one on Marketplace for months dirt cheep that no one wanted. This was when used truck prices were at its peak.

The lack of tow points is a deal breaker. I have no idea what they are thinking. And reduced visibility. Those are some good points that people should test drive one before purchasing.

We also have technology such as phones that I'm sure you use as well. The hands free option and all the collision prevention is saving lives and preventing wrecks every day. The leading cause of death for 16-19 year olds is wrecking while distracted driving. Older vehicles and phones are not a good combo. Someone else may crash into you. I witnessed a wreck yesterday kid slamming into back of lady's car. There are consequences too for anyone doing that, as its negligence and punitive damages. I turned off lane departure but keep blind spot on, and rear sensors already prevented me from backing out in parking lot, when I had if for the first day, and driver in parking lot was zipping around. So I like the safety features that came with it that was an extra 1k in 2021.

But I can be the same way when something is new. Having a 60k truck is the kind of problem everyone needs. Something is wonky with my fan when it's in heat mode but can't get anyone to help and it's under warranty.

 

OK. First big road trip to the Wisconsin/Illinois border in early December. 79 miles into the trip, my cruise control stopped working (approx 800 miles on the truck). I got a message that my radar sensors were dirty. The truck was completely clean. After a food stop, the sensors must have gotten clean. Cruise worked again.

Once at my destination, I found my elderly parents had just contracted Covid for the 1st time. I had to call an ambulance for my Dad. Planning to follow the ambulance to whatever hospital he was going to, I jumped in the new Tundra and buckled up. I needed a little fresh air and went to open the back window a crack. Did you know the emergency SOS button is right next to the window button? I know now. Once pushed, I had one hell of a time turning it off. The ambulance was waiting for me while I tried the second push to turn it off, which didn't work. 911 was about to rescue me. It was connected through my phone, so I powered my phone off. Not an option. MY TRUCK TURNED MY PHONE BACK ON. Who is in charge? If my TRUCK can use my phone, then I can use my phone. If I need help, I can already use my phone without telling my truck to use my phone for me. Eventually, I was able to do another "second push" to turn the emergency call off.

I think I spent 30 minutes trying to figure out how to adjust the bass on my horrible horrible sound system. Toyota is clearly trying to punish us up to the next higher trim package. All of my other trucks had sound systems I was happy with, without ANY upgrades. This one has speakers that buzz, even at low volume. Sometimes a commercial would come on my XM and it was so loud it felt like it was shaking the neighboring vehicles. Other times I had to turn it way up just to hear what people were saying. Very weird and sounds like CRAP. This was a purposeful undoing of something that was working just fine in the prior gen Tundras.

I have an iPhone for work and an Android as my personal phone. I argued with the Tundra for at least an hour over a series of spats, trying to make it connect to the phone I wanted to use. Maybe I'll get the hang of it but it's never a problem with the vehicles I rent on a regular basis. Even my computer savvy son, who has programmed the apps I sell online had a hard time trying to figure out how to stop the truck from connecting to the phones when we wanted to do something different.

Last weekend, we drove to the mountains to do some astrophotography of the Geminid meteor shower. SUPER annoying that every time I got near my truck, it turned the dome lights on. I can turn my own damned dome lights on. The lights were really interfering with what we were trying to do with the photographic equipment. We got inside the truck a couple of times to warm up but the display came on and was so bright it was causing issues. After a while, we found a way to stop it but it took a real effort.

What is the line between what the truck is going to do FOR you or what the truck is going to do TO you. We are all different and we all have different needs. The more crap they pile on the trucks for convenience, the less the decision is up to YOU about how much it will cost and how much you get to decide how to use it. We used to say KISS. All of the complexity is a distraction from just having a durable truck to drive by yourself without the vehicle yelling at you and without having to get training to turn all of the conveniences off. KISS was the original "smart." Now, things have to get named "smart." Hello? I think I know smart when I see it. My IQ is 138.

Toyota tossed out the lumbar support for the current generation Tundra, unless you spend a minimum $2290 for one of the Premium packages. The base model seats have always been the picture of comfort in all of my prior Tundras, to the point I've regularly gotten compliments. I truly loved them. My 2024 is horrible, at least for me, without the missing lumbar support. Plus, the seat is WAY too low. It's almost comical how low. Of course, you can raise it if you buy the Premium upgrade. My son looked at me and laughed. Dad you look like you just sank into the seat. Yeah, I can barely see over the hood. No surprise there appears to be a thriving aftermarket for seat risers for this model. $60000 isn't enough for you to see over the hood or have a seat that doesn't hurt. Yeah, it's just me hating on the 'Yotas.

The last note I will add about what improvements could be made to the 2024... The key fob. I never used the fob from my past trucks because it's bulky in my pocket and when I move or sit, it triggers the alarm. The new ones are far worse (AND YOU ONLY GET ONE!) I have triggered the alarm 4 times in 4 weeks and that's when I'm trying to never have the darned thing in my pocket unless it's absolutely necessary. I have accidentally triggered the tailgate to drop several times but fortunately, I was never parked where it would damage another vehicle or damage my gate (yet). Honestly, has anyone used this feature and been delighted to have it? I'm not being facetious. If I have a free hand to push the tailgate button on my fob, I surely would have that same finger handy to push the button on the tailgate. Who wants to drop the tailgate from far away? I would keep the fob in the top drawer in my closet like all the rest, if I didn't need it to operate the vehicle.

Toyota deserves significant blowback or we lose the legacy of practical functional durable design that every damned reader of my rant craves. That's what used to sell their trucks. Don't forget, they didn't sell em. We BOUGHT them.

 

By the way, if you think these upgrade packages are the fix... think again. You don't get to decide. You can't just order the truck you want, like you could in the old days. Some of you thought you could but there's a funny little thing going on called dealer allocation. Dealers place your order and wait to see what they will be allocated. Hopefully, it's something close but there are zero guarantees and basically no one gets what they ordered. Trust ME not the dealer on this one. Ask around. With the current chip shortage and supply chain based shortages of parts, Toyota is working hard to deliver the closest possible vehicles when they can. I get it and I give credit but don't think you are immune to crap like a missing lumbar support or some other feature that means a lot to you because you can just order THAT package. People are paying retail, sometimes higher to buy them off the truck that hasn't left the port yet. You have to take whatever the dealer has or whatever they can get.

Oh yeah, I just got a Toyota survey that wanted to know if I thought it would be valuable for Toyota to offer training on how to use the new Tundras. Really. That's right. I'm the one who just needs to get with the times. I should welcome classes to help me figure out how to enjoy my new $60000 truck. Toyota knows they have a problem. It's because of loyalists like me who are speaking up. I want to love me a Toyota again. I dream of it!!

 

Just watch the first 3 minutes of this video lol

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=4fnnEbeKHbo

 

One very cool thing... (I KNOW! It's really me, the big Tundra hating jerk who shoulda bought a different truck saying something COOL!) It's the big gas tank. YES, YES, YES! A poke in the eye to the EV morons. Range, baby, range. I've been stranded in ORANGE COUNTY when I couldn't find a functional recharge station after 4 hours to charge up the Mercedes EV I rented. In the new Tundra, I filled up one time driving from eastern Tennessee to the border of Wisconsin/Illinois. I'm driving to Death Valley in a couple of weeks to do some astrophotography out of Las Vegas and the rental place wanted to give me an EV. That's potentially life threatening. You break down there, you can die. The first three weeks I owned my 2024 Tundra, I didn't buy any gas because the dealer gave me half a tank! Driving cross country, the most I put into it was 26 gal because I was so low the truck was already yelling at me. Someone wake me up.

I also love the fact that the bed has rails with detachable tie downs. They came std with my rig. I used them to secure a large tile saw, a couple of bins of tools and a large miter saw I have mounted on a rolling floor stand with a big wood scrap bin in the bottom. It's a very large tool I usually only move around my shop. The bed rails let me position the tie points effectively to secure the payload and the tarps I used for protection from snow and rain. Really nice and this should have been standard on all Tundras since God invented the Tundra.

As the last positive point, the truck is very fast. On the accel ramps, it's surprising to look down to see if you are at 60 yet... and I'm at 85. I can get used to that. For me, turbos are engine music. Maybe a different song from a V-twin or a lopey idle 3/4 cam with glass packs but it's all sweet music. Time will tell if these turbos live up to the Toyota legend. I was skeptical of the 32 valve 5.7 and I was wrong. Gen 2 V8 was a HP monster and COMPLETELY reliable. I'd love to have one again.

 

Imagine what would happened if you took all this time and effort you just spend writing us a soap opera here and just relax, read a book or an article, learn something new... Enjoy life.

 

Unless he didn’t write it.