Considering a 1794 Hybrid

I currently have 2019 Ridgeline. I had a first generation Tundra years ago I have a great deal at my local DFW dealer for around MSPRP 9k off of 2024 1794. I test drove the 1794. It is big and feels like a big truck in comparison to the Ridgeline. I have a new boat that is 4600 pounds. When going down a steep slippery ramp my Ridgeline tires will skid some. The Ridgeline has no problems when pulling up the steep ramp. The sliding really scares my wife. The day I test drove the 1794 hybrid Tundra, I also drove the new Tacoma. The new Tacoma impressed me with the 4 cylinder turbo charged engine and felt nimble when driving. Unfortunately the Tacoma rear seat is too small. I have a big dog and I'm concerned when jumping off the rear seat the dog may injure itself. I also keep my boat in my garage which requires me to do a 90 degree turn to pull my 24 ft boat into my garage. My driveway widens out to around 40 ft right before I need to do the 90 degree.

1. Are there any latest generation Tundra users that switched from a Ridgeline or other smaller pickups to the Tundra? How was the transition? I'm more worried about my wife and the much bigger vehicle. Hopefully all the cameras and sensors will help her.

2. There a multiple reviews on-line (e.g., Motor Trend) that are less than glowing and indicate the Tundra is near the bottom of the pack. Any thoughts on this? I could care less on payload but towing a boat or a small trailer < 6000 lbs is important.

3. How is the quality (e.g., fit, finish, reliability) of the 2024 Tundra hybrids and would you buy another one?

4. My Ridgeline gets over 21 mpg on average. I realize that the Tundra hybrids is a much bigger and heavier vehicle that if is driven conservatively may get over 20 mpg. Is this a pipe dream?

 

I went from an 89 Toyota pickup to a 24 Tundra Hybrid. Probably a little more on the extreme side as far as differences go, but I'm really happy with it so far. Mine is the Crewmax with 6.5 bed, so it is a long truck, and my wife doesn't have any issues driving it. Personally, I wouldn't weigh too much on reviews like Motor Trend, etc., if you like the truck and it meets your needs. The cameras all over with the panoramic monitor are great if you have parking OCD like me. You can easily pull 6000 lbs. as well (Up to ~11000-ish.) My driving so far has mostly been around town and I average closer to 14 mpg. If you're on the freeway and don't have your foot into it, I can see getting closer to 20, but daily driving mpg is going to be less than your Ridgeline. Hope that helps.

 

Welcome from west MO.

1. No personal experience here, but many others have loved having the extra room and power. The cameras are sweet, but best to not let the wife drive it

2. They're all a bunch of haters. It'll tow 6k no problem.

3. Hit and miss, test drive and look it over. Yes I would

4. 20+ on the hwy is no problem. All depends on how much you like listening to the turbos.

 

1. I think if you are looking short bed your wife should have no problem. Like you said with the 360 camera system it’s pretty easy to maneuver. Plus the 360 camera comes on under I believe 7 miles an hour so it’s always showing when in parking lots and stuff like that. But that being said my wife will not drive my tundra, I do have the long bed crew max so it’s a huge vehicle. Biggest vehicle I have ever driven (learned to drive on an excursion).
2. Don’t read motor trend or anything like that, all marketing and paid for by the highest bidder. All that stuff is biased. Evening coming to this forum you will read all the 3rd gen threads about engine failure, blah blah blah. It’s such a small number of trucks compared to what is on the road so don’t drive yourself insane and talk yourself out of the tundra cause you found a couple post about bad stuff happening. Any vehicle can have these issues and most are way worse than Toyota.
3. Quality is definitely on par with my two 3rd gen Tacomas. My first Tacoma was built in Mexico and my second was built in Texas. But the 3rd Gen tundra blows the Tacoma away with tech and power. Plus I have yet to have any issues with my and it’s so smooth for long trips. Would definitely buy again and honestly wouldn’t consider anything else in the half ton truck market.
4. I just took a 200 mile road trip but didn’t calculate manually just went off the computer on the dash and it showed 19.4 mpg. I did get on it a couple time to pass people but most was cruising at 75 and I did have one stop just to use the bathroom kept truck running though. Honestly I am more than impressed with that number and happy it is more than my Tacoma ever got. For a 6000+ vehicle it blows away my expectations. Just remember that it is truck and as aerodynamic as a brick, so don’t expect the rated epa numbers and be realistic.

hope this helps make a decision. I love my tundra. I needed a bigger truck for the family and a new business venture we took on. So I’m very happy with it so far. Plus the long bed had come in clutch more often than not.

 

1. Ridgeline PPPFFFTTT. Not in my house
2. Tows WAY better than my 2012 Platinum Tundra. I have a 5000# surf boat and can't even feel it.
3. I would buy another one tomorrow
4. Non Hybrid owners will say no way.......Hybrid owner say yes. Key is the speed, once you pop over 65 you get the same milage as everyone else. The savings are 65 MPH and down and learning how to manipulate it around town.

When I first got it I highway cruised 60-65 ( majority of Canada's speed limit) and was blown away how good it was. Now I just race around every where and don't care, but I average 24 on the highway at 70+. Put it back to stock and stay below 65 that will get better

EDIT: My wife is 5'4" 130 lbs and has zero issues driving mine. She prefers taking the truck anywhere over her Lexus.

 

I traded my 2019 Ridgeline Touring Edition in on my Tundra Limited TRD. The AWD in the Ridgeline was great in the crappy weather where as the Tundra seems to be mad whenever I try to use 4H. I don't use 4L because the steering in tight spots is a no-go!

We tow an Airstream that comes in at around 4,200 lbs. The Ridgeline pulled it fine but it was a noticeable pull and the gear hunting drove me crazy.

There is no debating the towing capacity of the Tundra but the payload is a bit low for the high towing capacity.

My buddy has a 2023 Taco and it is way too small, even compared to the Ridgeline. The Tundra Hybrid is supposed to be a great towing truck but others have reported lower mileage than they were expecting. It may be that you wont be happy with the mileage so if you set yourself up for ~60% of what you are getting with the Ridgeline, you might be satisfied!

Parking is a real treat if you have gotten used to parking the Ridgeline in city parkades! The Tundra seems quite a bit bigger but it isn't much wider than the Ridgeline so it might be the sight-lines are less, good thing for the 360 degree cameras otherwise it would be dented on every corner!

We have been watching the engine failures for a while and hope that it doesn't happen to us but more to that point is the reliability that drew us to Toyota seems to be a myth! The puzzle for us is why a company with a great reputation would just let people (who trust in the brand) drive into an engine failure when they know how to fix it.

Otherwise we are trying to keep our thoughts positive about this vehicle given how much we paid for it. I would have kept the Ridgeline if I had spent more time on this forum, but the engine failures weren't a thing when we got ours (lots of other issues but not the engine failures).

I do need to add that the 2024 seem to be past the engine failure time line.

 

Thank you all so much for your feedback. I do like how the 2024 Tacoma handles and the turbo 4 impressed me. I have a big dog that travels everywhere with me and as he ages it my be tough for him to maneuver/jump up and down from the back seat of the Tacoma. When we test drove the Tacoma my wife who is agile said it was a little difficult to get into the back seat of the Tacoma and the leg room was definitely lacking. The back seat space and entry ease of the Tundra was excellent especially with the powered running boards. The 1794 hybrid is heavily discounted while the 2024 Tacomas are selling for MSRP in Fort Worth Tx. I expect that the 2024 Tacoma limited will be well over 60K (2024 non hybrids are at $56K) which will be in the ball park of the 2024 1794 hybrid Tundra. If I go Tundra I will definitely miss the Ridgeline AWD and the large under bed storage. Also the 2024 Limited Hybrid Tacoma's has full time 4WD. The big benefit to me is the increased towing of the Tundra and hopefully no sliding down a steep ramp when launching a boat and trailer that weighs 4600 pounds. I am a little concerned pulling out of slippery ramp with the Tundra. Will it be just a simple button push for my wife to engage the 4wd.

 

1. I switched from a Nissan Frontier to a Tundra, and the transition was pretty smooth. Obviously you have to get used to the size difference, but the nanny features help mitigate the difference. Annoying at first, but they help when parking and such. My wife doesn’t like driving the bigger rig, but that doesn’t mean it’s an intimidating ride. It’s actually quite smooth and refined. Y’all would get used to it pretty quick.

2. Watch The Car Care Nut’s mechanical break down and driving impressions review for a solid review. I wouldn’t pay too much attention to Motor Trend, etc. There’s tons of positive towing reviews for this truck online/YouTube. I tow a small camping trailer, about 4,000 lb, once a month and the difference between the Tundra and my Frontier is night and day. Pulls great and the ride is comfortable.

3. I don’t have a hybrid, but the fit and finish of the interior plastics and trims is still questionable. Mine is a 2024 SR5 w/premium and TRD Off Road package, and I’ve had a window seal replaced 3 times. There’s some rattling here and there, and some of the body panels on exterior are pretty thin/flimsy feeling. I’m fairly certain that these issues can be found across all trims, not just SR5 and below. Mechanically, my 2024 has been solid with about 3K miles.

4. Toyota has been transparent about the hybrid being more about torque and power than fuel economy. I actually have friends that own hybrids that get worse gas mileage than I do. I average around 18 mpg doing 50/50 city/highwy driving in a non—hybrid. Towing, I’ve seen around 12 mpg in the Texas Hill Country, going up and down.

 

About to do this myself
Had a 2012 4x4 Tundra Crewcab, but forget what model. Traded 2007 4x4 GMC double cab, long body, diesel monster for it in 2012. Traded it for a 2019 Ridgeline 5 years ago and this week I get my 2024 Hybrid 1794 Crewmax. I’m excited. No real complaints about the Ridgeline, it served my needs. When looking to upgrade, decision was between the Honda TrailSport and this 1794. Wife really favored the 1794 in spite of $$ difference. Ridgeline never able to pull out my stuck tractor, she reminded me. We have been Toyota people. She had an older Toyota pickup when I met her in ‘83. Don’t think she’s fully forgiven me when we traded it in ‘86. Limited research says the Leer 100XR top will fit the 1794. As I didn’t sell with the Ridgeline I will be looking to get it installed on the Tundra. Can’t really comment on driving etc yet. Ridgeline mileage is just above 20. so anything even close will be fine and better than previous Tundra. I’ll turn 78 next Sunday, possibly my last new truck.

 

Is that 1784 a special edition?

 

I don’t see anything that says Special edition.

 

I was just pointing out the typo

 

Just late night fingering