Is the Tundra the truck for me?

First post. I promise I'm not a troll, lol.

Looking at buying a pickup in the next year or so.

I have a very specific list of must-haves and have been researching various trucks and configurations for a bit.

First off, I'm not a noob truck guy. I'm an old hot rodder and part redneck who actually needs a pickup.

I bought a brand new 2014 Ram 1500 quadcab 4x4 Tradesman and was very happy with it. I lifted it a couple of inches and added a few goodies to make it perfect for what I needed at the time. I just had a pop-up camper and a smaller ATV and would use the truck to go back into the Idaho mountains for recreation.

I commute 14 miles one-way to work and the Ram averaged 17 mpg with the 400 hp Hemi. I routinely got 20 mpg on road trips. The Ram was trouble free and I was very happy with it.

Then, my dog got too old to jump into the back, and I needed the back seat for passengers rather than the dog. So, I traded down to a 2005 GMC Yukon with 80k miles on it. Lost 100 hp and 1 mpg average. But it works well as a daily driver.

I then bought a Honda Pioneer 500 UTV and sold the pop-up. Been looking at 22' travel trailers.

So, I need a pickup that the Pioneer can fit into the bed, which means an 8' bed. It will work with a 6.5' bed, but then you have to get a hitch extension and tailgate supports.

I also need the truck to be able to tow a 7k lb trailer with a 1k lb UTV in the bed.

I initially looked at 3/4 ton Rams with the 6.4L hemi. But, they don't offer the shorter quad cab with an 8' bed. A 3/4-ton crew cab 4x4 pickup with an 8' bed is a heck of a lot of truck to use as a daily driver.

Plus, the gasser F250's and Ram 2500s average around 13 mpg in mixed driving.

I know, we're only talking about 3-4 mpg difference, but at around 15k miles a year, it means about $60 more dollars a month in fuel costs. I can buy a lot of beer for $60 a month...

So, since my overall amount I want to tow/haul is only around 8k lbs, I figured I could get by with a half-ton.

Ram doesn't offer the 8' bed with a quad cab in half or 3/4 ton.

Ford does have the option with the F150, but I searched a 100-mile radius for an F150 with the supercab, 8' bed, 3.5 Ecoboost motor, and out of around 700 F150s for sale, not a single one was in that configuration. So, F150 is out.

I then went to the Toyota site and built my ideal Tundra; quad cab, 4x4, SR5, 8' bed, 5.7 V8, tow package, and it was $41k. Found two in the color I wanted within 15 miles.

Was talking to my dad today about how the Toyota seems perfect, and he said that Consumer Reports rated them the worst in reliability of the full-size pickups.

What??

Then he said his neighbor had one and it got awful gas mileage and the rear springs were weak. He said the rear sagged with even minimal loads.

So, what is the truth?

Are the new Tundras struggling with reliability issues? Do they get awful gas mileage compared to other 1/2 pickups? And do they have weaker rear springs that sag easily when loaded?

 

Tundra’s are as bulletproof of a truck as your gonna get. (I want to say its actually #1 by quite a bit in expected reliability)

MPG on the yota does indeed suck. I get 14 mixed hwy/city.

I tow my corvette on an HD open car trailer...approx 5500lbs combined with no abnormal sag(seems to actually ride better loaded). Truck will pull it as fast as i want to go through Utah mountains.

151k miles on its 5.7 and I’ve never even had a CEL come on. Rock solid 12 yrs later.

 

Tundra is definitely up there in reliability for sure, MPG's not so much.

 

Welcome OP!

The Tundra is still top-rated for reliability by Consumer Reports. The current platform is simply an updated version of the truck, engine, tranny, etc... they have been selling for a decade; it is proven.

That said, it has been criticized for being outdated.

I drive in Portland gridlock and still get at least 16mpg. On open road, I have done better than 22mpg during several hours of driving.

The Tundra is as comfortable as any vehicle I have driven.

My brother in law tows his Wake Setter and says he forgets he is towing it- and that’s after years of pulling it with a Yukon and worrying he was going to explode.

Sounds like your dad might be absorbing some misinformation.

Look up the data yourself. You will find that the Tundra is the most reliable truck currently sold, it is made exclusively in America (contrary to the US brands), and owner satisfaction is high.

 

I would look at 3/4 ton trucks, honestly.

 

I love my Tundra, but tbh if I was in the market today I’d give a hard look at Chevy, Ford and Ram. the new Silverado with the 6.2L is intriguing. The 3.5 ecoboost runs like hell, and the Ram looks like an all around nice truck. Toyota is tops for reliability but by any other measure is probably ranked near the bottom. I get 14.5 mpg driving in Houston.

 

Order and have dealer ship in the F150 you want or get a 3/4 ton...the Tundra mpg is not much better then a gasser 3/4 ton.
The Tundra will not fit your needs.
7000lbs trailer = 700lbs tongue weight.. add your 1000lbs UTV and you are at 1700lbs
Now add driver, passengers and gear and you are way over the payload rating.

Most reliable truck? Yes
Sagging leafs? Not mine or any I know of
Fit your payload needs? HARD NO

 

Yeah, what all these guys said... For your needs, the Tundra isn't a good choice. If I had to haul a UTV and pull a camper at the same time I'd be looking at 3/4.

But, they are bulletproof, there's that.

 

Thanks for the honest feedback!