2 Full years into the 3rd generation Tundra

For those of you that moved into the 3rd generation Tundra from the 2.5 I am interested in your thoughts. Are you happier with your 3 than your 2.5? What is better/worse? Are you as happy with the reliability as you were with the previous generation? I am looking for the good the bad and the ugly.

For background, I moved from a 2019 1794 in the summer of 2021 to a Ford Superduty with the 6.7 liter power stoke for towing. The need to tow 15,000 lbs is no longer needed and I want to get back into a Tundra. The question is do I go back to the 2.5 I really liked, or move onto the newer 3rd generation?

Thanks in advance for sharing your experiences.

 

3.2.1.
Let the shit birds start chirping.

 

Yup... LOL. For some reason they love to roost in the 3rd gen forum.

 

I had a 2021 SR5 and now I have a 2022 SR.

I never find myself regretting the change, but I do miss a few things from the 2021:

Flat floor in the rear
A peaceful existence free from trolls on the internet
Flirting with the toothless gal at the gas station during every other day fill ups.

 

Not sure there's a good answer here as far as reliability. Too soon to tell in my opinion. I do trust my truck but wonder if my grenade day will come. Who knows. Toyota will fix it if it happens. . .and then I'll get another.
With that being said, I do love this truck far more than both 2.5 gens I had. It drives better, rides smoother, runs better with better fuel economy and will tow circles around it!
I guess to sum it up, with reliability being everyone's main concern as far as 3rd gens, if mine pops tomorrow and I were to trade it after the rebuild, it would be for another 3rd gen. Not a 2.5. . And I'd get the extended warranty and drive the piss out of it.

 

I find the new 3rd gen more comfortable than my 2017 (think it may have been 2nd gen than 2.5) and the technology much more modern (of course). I have a 24 now but traded a 22 for it, so I'm 2 years in also. I have not had any reliability issues with this one or my 22. However, Toyota bends over backwards to make things right so I'm not too concerned about mechanical issues.

 

2.5 guy seems genuine. I thought it was Friday.

 

There's no replacement for displacement. Everything else is just Fantasy Island.

And now a word from our sponsor:

 

I came from a 2018 platinum that I bought new and drove for 70k miles. I loved that truck. Stepped onto a 23’ pro over the summer. The new truck is light years ahead of the old one. The only thing I miss is the short hood on the last gen. It was definitely a lot easier to park. Oh. And I’m still up in the air about the fed in exhaust noise.

 

Interesting... lol.

 

I had a 2018 for 5 years, 126,000 miles and loved just about everything about it. It was a TRD Sport, which is based on a SR5, so it did not have keyless entry and did not have climate control; those were the only 2 things I wished I had on that truck. Other than that it was awesome. I loved the V8, the reliability, build quality etc.
Then I itched for a new one when the 3rd gen came out. I traded for a 2022. I used the keyless entry and climate control as justification to "upgrade". Android auto is also a plus that I didn't have on the 2018, and never knew I missed.
So far I have 40,000 miles on the 3rd gen. Not a single problem (except I had the window seal replaced due to wind noise issue, which is now fixed). I love just about everything of the truck. Power is good. I often tow and it tows as good if not better than the V8. MPG is a bit better.
Build quality is not quite the same though. Some things on the interior is a little more flimsy, little thinner or cheaper materials etc. but not anything specific that I can say I have an issue with.

I do miss the old truck, just because of the iconic reliable good looking beast that it was, but at the same time I do not regret upgrading to the 3rd gen.

 

I can’t speak to 3rd gen vs 2.5 as I have never owned a 2.5.

But being 1 year into owning my 3rd Gen 2023 Platinum and having 30 years of experience owning and driving other manufacturers’ trucks, I will share my top “likes” and “dislikes” for my 3rd Gen. Overall I really like my truck and am super glad I bought it.

Likes:
1. Ride, running gear, synchronization of the engine and transmission, power, and acceleration (I haven’t towed with it, so I can’t speak to that).
2. Overall Comfort——seat, arm rest, headroom, rear seat legroom, and seat adjustability
3. Bed—-tough composite (it is slick), ample and adjustable tie-offs, and molded-in cavities for accessories
4. Sound system, wireless Apple CarPlay, and wireless phone charger (have heard lots of complaints but mine works well)
5. General function “adjustability” —examples—mirrors can be set to rotate down for parking (or not), door unlock can be set to open all doors or just the driver door, seat and steering wheel can be set to automatically move to facilitate exit (or not).
6. I like the look and styling

Dislikes:
1. Toyota National Customer Service and my local Toyota dealer —— both have been horrible to deal with
2. Toyota’s slow response to what seem like serious recalls——about six months to have a solution for their Tonneau over issue and another four months to have a solution for the fuel line issue.
3. The loss of app functionality after the 12 months trial period unless you sign up to pay a fee. I now have no remote start on a $70,000+ truck. Knew this when I bought it, but seems a bit cheap for a company and brand like Toyota. My 2021 Subaru Legacy that cost less than 1/2 as much as my truck has a wonderful, full-function app that includes remote start (and no restart after opening the door) and no monthly fee.
4. Rear bed step—-mine has the powered retractable corner step on the rear driver side. Seems like a less well thought-out solution than the other manufacturers. Shin buster if you are not careful and has some weird functionality issues that go along with the design. One example—-if you have the tailgate down; then drive or move the truck, the step will retract and there is no getting it back down till you put the tailgate up and back down again (which my not be practical if you have a load that extends onto the tailgate).
5. The “one key fob” issue
6. Heated seat——has three levels of setting —-mine are burn your butt, too hot, and uncomfortable hot. Even the lowest setting is uncomfortable after 10 minutes or so. I have always enjoyed a low / warm heated seat on a cold day. Not an option in my Tundra.

But, overall, I am very glad I bought my 3rd Gen and plan to keep it a long time. The big things like ride, running performance, comfort, and functionality are great for me.

 

You won't regret buying a 3rd gen. I still have the 14' rolling over 196,000 miles, it's a great truck, love it. The 23 is a completely different animal...power, electronics, and turbo whooshy noises. 8000 miles so far on it, truly a pleasure to drive. Like others have said, go test drive one for yourself. If you're worried about anything (like I was) , get the extended warranty

 

I had a 2012 SR5 TRD Offroad that I traded for a 2022 SR5 TRD Offroad. So not a 2.5 for a 3 trade but a 2 to 3. Still think it’s close to an apples to apples comparison tho.

I’ve got 52k km on it now and I think the 3rd gen is better in every single way. The complaints I see on here (not on FB and don’t follow any other forums) about wind noise and rattles and cheap plastic and such are a little out of context. The cab on the 3rd gen is so much quieter than the 2nd that I think even if all these issues were worse on the 2nd, I wouldn’t notice. I also think it makes sense for Toyota to spend more money on making the truck reliable and safe and save some money on the interior for lower trims to keep pricing down.

First test drive I had in the 3rd gen, I felt like visibility and space was greatly reduced like some people on here have said. I took it for another test drive with my wife a week later and had more time to adjust seats and mirrors properly and it instantly felt a lot better and on par with gen 2. In Canada, SR5 comes with power cloth seats FYI.

I have my reservations about the longevity of the TTV6 compared to old V8 but only time will tell and I am gaining more confidence in my truck every day. I love driving it more every time I get in and I find excuses to drive it even when I don’t have to.

 

3rd gen does everything better, especially towing

much more comfortable, quiet , more power with more torque and lower torque peak. Comforts aren’t even close

if you haul or tow get the auto load leveling rear , it’s awesome

and if your going high trim, get the AVS system , it’s wonderful

 

Deciding if moving to Gen 3 from a Gen2 makes sense shouldn't take more than 10 minutes. Sit in it for 5 minutes at the dealer. If you don't think the fit and finish is better and fresher go no further. If it's a go from there, drive it around for 5 minutes. If you don't notice an improvement in the motor, transmission and suspension that's worth it to you, pass. The differences are that large. Up to you to decide on a test drive if it's a move you want to make.

In diesel speak, the changes rhyme with clattery 7.3's going to common rail. I sold my Father in Law my 7.3 and never looked back. He loved it.

 

Agree and the seats are a bit smaller on the 3rd gen but fit more snug if that makes sense ?! Love the uniform Pro interior over the last gen's interesting mix of colors.

 

Except it is softer sprung than the Gen 2 and squats more with a load on (or trailer). I am ok with that since it rides that much better unloaded.

 

Factory air bags.

 

Sure, if you can afford to buy the top trim levels... Of course there is always aftermarket.

 

no it doesn’t, it auto levels

 

Call me a troll as someone here said but I absolutely HATE the 3rd gen. I think is either love it or hate it, just 2 camps. Besides the horrendous design (looks like BMW guys took over) I can't stand the $70K + price point for a decent truck. Absolutely ridiculous. I have a 2nd gen with 120K miles on it and decided to buy another one, a 2.5 gen instead the 3rd gen. Luckily I found a 2021 SR5 CM old but brand new unicorn with 108 miles on it for 39K and I have about 3K miles on it now. Can't beat the price point and a rock solid 2.5 gen. So yeah, is either love it or hate it

 

Gen 2.5 is a "decent" truck. Sensible design, rock solid V8 engine, perfect price point. To me the gen 2.5 is the perfect balance.

 

See also posts #2 and 3. LOL.

 

I don't mind calling your baby ugly But hey is your baby and that's all that matters

And by the way the OP is asking for opinions on 2.5 vs 3 rd gen, so no I not am shitting on your parade

 

Hello OP I don't have a 2.5 gen but I have had my Gen 3 TRD sport for almost 2 years now (March 22 build date). I'm in north Houston and drive a 4x2 SR5 given 99% of my driving is on road and I don't really need 4x4. I'm just approaching 24k miles currently. I have driven my parents 2007 and 2014 Tundras and while they both are great it just doesn't compare to a gen 3 IMO.

Good:
Drivetrain is great and still super smooth. Sport mode is one of the most fun driving experiences you can have.
Plenty of power
Carplay integration is nice.
Plenty of storage in SR5 configuration especially with underseat storage in the rear.
Very quiet/comfortable drive. I don't have any window noise as some others.

Bad:
Rattling developed on center console after a few thousand miles. This was resolved by wrapping the latches inside the lid with some felt but still annoying nonetheless.
Remote start is completely pointless but yet other Toyota vehicles have addressed the car shutting off when opening the door. Needs to be updated for Tundra.
Paying 50k for a vehicle but still can't get all safety features like blind spot mirrors. Part of me thinks well it's one less thing to deal with for maintenance but another part of me thinks I spent so much money and my wife's car still feels more equipped for 20k less.
Still no solution for the window seals. It looks tacky how there is a gap and it doesn't sit flush.
Mileage suffers tremendously if you switch off stock configuration. When I switched to 275/65/R20 on stock wheels I went from an average of 19-21 mpg on stock to 15.5-18 mpg on new setup.
Turbo lag is extremely real. I can almost 100% replicate it without fail when I'm approaching a stop sign or a red light. If you come up to the sign and don't fully brake and then accelerate up to move through you will experience lag and the whiplash effect that follows through.

Ugly:
None honestly at the moment. I will say this is the first vehicle I've owned that made me follow fellow enthusiasts forums. I would be lying if I said I didn't have some concern over the engine failure reports I'm seeing across here and the tundra Facebook groups. In some ways I wish I never knew about it so I'd have more peace of mind but it does concern me on if my truck is a ticking time bomb.

None of the bad aside from the turbo lag and window seals I think is unique to 3rd gen Tundra's and can happen with any vehicle really. All in all I'm still as happy with my purchase as the day I got it and I look forward to driving it the next 10 years.

 

Test drive a 2021 and then test drive a 2024. I think the decision will be made for you. That's what I did.

The 2021 felt archaic and sluggish. The V8 sounds nice, but it really has to rev to get the heavy truck moving and out of its own way. It also noticeably downshifts to 4th/5th with moderate grades and headwinds while driving on the highway.

I owned a 2014 Tundra for 4 years and it wasn't perfect. My head unit went blank and became pixelated at 20k miles and there was an airbag recall. The water pumps don't seem to last more than 80-100k miles either. I thought the headlights were terrible. I had a bed rattle I could never figure out. I also averaged 14 mpg.

The 2022+ has so much low end torque, it really increases the drivability of the Tundra. It isn't sluggish off the line, it doesn't need to rev like the 5.7L, and it didn't need to downshift with small grades or headwinds. The creature comforts and technology are also much improved. I love the 14" screen and the cameras. I'm also averaging 18.5mpg, which is a nice improvement.

I'm sitting at 12k miles and I haven't had any issues. I recently got my second key fob and I had the EPB recall performed, although I never had any hiccups with the EPB prior to the recall.

Again, test drive both back to back if you can.