Advice on what year to choose from on a 2.5 Gen Tundra?

First of all.... Thanks for allowing me to join the forum

I’m currently in the market for 2.5 Gen Tundra and want to ask the current owners and gurus of the forum on what’s the best year to choose from. Due to the current high price of the Tundra’s, I started looking for a low miles 2014-2015 Tundra.
Are their any changes between the first years of the 2.5 Gen compared to a 2017-18 and up? I do know in 2018 they finally started using LED headlights, but what else is different between them? Did the navigation platform changed between the years? any advice and feedback is appreciated.


Again appreciate all the help and advice.

 

Biggest changes are like you stated:

LED headlights in some models 2018+ (Able to upgrade any year with minimal to moderate effort)

38 gal tank with sr5 package 2016+

loss of external transmission cooler 2019+ (some here claim major issue if you tow in mountain country a bunch, others say not a big deal. I have no idea one way or the other)

pretty much it from what I can remember. Good luck. Expect to pay about $5k-10k more than what you would have 1 year ago.

edit to answer your Nav question:
Upgrades/newer maps can be found on eBay for $20. Swappable mini/micro SD cards. Nav isn’t great, but sufficient if you’re in an area without phone service. I use Apple Maps shouting at me via Bluetooth.

 

Official welcome from Gettysburg

 

2018+ Get the Toyota Safety Sense with adaptive cruise, lane departure warning, pre-collision, auto high beams.

I have a 2020 SR5 with TRD Offroad package and it also has push button start and automatic dual zone AC. Don't know when that started.

 

Thanks for the info....

I have read about the bigger gas tanks on the 2016 and newer and the no transmission cooler issues on the 2019 and newer models, which i won't even be able to get a 2019 and newer cause of the crazy high prices plus i have my mind set on a 1794 trim .

Thats why I'm looking at a low miles 2014 maybe 2015 and don't know if being 6 years old truck ill have something major different from a 2017 or 2018.

 

Thanks for the feedback.... I'm basically looking at 2019 and older model due to the pricing crisis

 

No problem. Stick with a 16-18 model. That'll get you the larger tank, and an external transmission cooler.

The nice thing about Toyotas (if this is your first) is that mileage is relative. I'd rather have a 80k mi pavement princess than a 30k mi truck thats been hitting whoops at 50mph. I'd look for stock trucks, people overvalue their wheel, tire, and suspension mods/upgrades and look to re-coup on resale. A properly maintained 2016 1794 with a 100k will get you another 200k or more if you take care of it.

 

thanks for the advise ill keep on search for a 2016-2018 TUNDRA... The bad thing about those years and that they don't even come with LED headlights
To me it kinda seems weird how they did not include LED lighting until 2019

 

I would go with the 2018 model year. 2018 is the LAST year with a transmission cooler. 2018 model year is the FIRST year with the updated gauge cluster and larger, updated digital dash/info screen. 2018 model year is the FIRST year with LED headlights available. 2018 is the FIRST year of the latest "honeycomb" style grill. 2019 and up, unfortunately, saw the removal of the transmission cooler.

 

Yeah. You’ll find that some of the “tech” in tundras is a little behind. Most here aren’t concerned about that. Some use it to bash Toyota. The mod community here is top notch and can get you most of the “tech” upgrades found in the other makes for a little bit of scratch and some effort / work on your part.

For the led headlights thing, search the forum for the big @iHacker thread for his wiring harness and you can get oem led headlights and they function well.
I added philips ultinon led bulbs to mine (before oem led was available and wicked expensive retrofits were the only option) and they’re probably the least scattery of the led “bulbs” in halogen housings available.

 

Auto high beams are one my favorite features on my 21' Sport.

 

I need a year clarification. I thought gen 2.5 was 2019-21.
Am I wrong?

 

2014-2021

 

Same. It works shockingly well.

 

Best advice given. Nothing to add.

 

2018 seems to be the sweet spot. Then in 2020 you get pushbutton start and android auto and apple car play.

I have a 2019 and i'm pissed about not having transmission cooler, and pissed that it doesn't have keyless entry and pushbutton start. I really got used to that in my cars from the last 10 years.

 

I’d look for an ‘18 for the reasons already stated. I was on the hunt for a 1794 when I ordered mine, because I was under the impression that it was the most feature-rich model. Further research taught me that a Platinum is the same, but with black interior and grill, as well as color matched bumpers. We all have our preferences, but those features were hotter for me than the orange/tan interior on the 1794. Both are really nice trucks though, and as loaded as they get.

keep in mind that if you’re looking for a TRD Pro, you can’t have a 2018. Skipped that year….

 

I liked my 2020 SR5 TRD O/R and now my 2021 because it has LED headlights, push start, Apple CarPlay, honeycomb grill, adaptive cruise, and auto high beams. I don't believe these features were available on 2018 and older models.

 

17 or 18 Limited then add what you like. I got the 17 regular ass Limited and added the lift, wheels and tires and LED lights.

 

I really like my ‘21. Feature-wise, it is great for me. CarPlay, LEDs, dual climate, auto-dimming mirror, etc. Plus stuff I don’t ever use: lane departure, adaptive cruise, etc. All on my lowly SR5. I added an external transmission cooler. When I was shopping, I was originally looking for a well-maintained, stock 2016-2018 with 60-80k miles. These were so expensive that I decided to spend a few extra grand and buy new.

The second generation is 2007-2021. 2.5 gen is the name the forum gave to the mid-gen facelift/refresh the Tundra got in 2014. The forum used to call ‘14-‘21 3rd gen until Toyota confirmed that the ‘22 is the actual 3rd gen Tundra.

 

2018 for the win ...

 

I’m late!

2018 is what I consider a Goldilocks year.

I was ready to buy (and actually started shopping and test driving) in 2017. I held off for a 2018 because that is when the Tundra got the safety sense package that I wanted, especially the adaptive cruise, which I had experienced on a rental car and really was impressed with. I selected the SR5 upgrade package and the Offroad package to get the big tank, LED headlights, 18” alloy rims, etc…

In my opinion, the 2018 is the year that offers the most available features without surrendering the transmission cooler.

You can reasonably add almost any feature on these trucks EXCEPT for the Safety Sense, and I would argue the transmission cooler (you can do it but it will be $$ at a dealer, or you’ll have to do it and buy the parts).

So, if you want SS and a trans cooler, you are stuck in 2018. If the SS is all needless bells and whistles, 14-17.

When I was shopping I made a list of non-negotiable must-haves that I would not deviate from, and that’s how I landed on 2018.

Good luck and welcome from Oregon!!

 

2021 has the shark fin antena instead of a traditional one. Also, you lose the CD player this year too.

 

Yeah but CD just means a Coaster for Drinks. Not necessary in a vehicle.

 

Tell that to my CD case of music that is now angry and useless. I would have paid for a cd option.

 

I get that. I'm sure over the last 50ish years, as various formats have gone from default to niche, many people have felt the same way.

There is hope, though: if you have a computer that still has an optical drive, convert them to a high-quality file format (AIFF, WAV, Apple Lossless). If you're an iPhone user, you can load them into the Music app, make playlists for them, and listen to CD-quality music through CarPlay.

I still have a ton of CDs...many are rare, imported, bootleg, or special editions/remasters. The last thing I want to do is scratch them up by repeated loading and ejecting in an in-dash CD player.

One word of caution: the lossless file formats take up a lot more space than a crappy 128k bitrate MP3.

 

I love my 2019! It’s a TRUCK that’ll pretty much go anywhere & last a long time

 

2017 is the best year imo…no Toyota safety sense crap with a trans cooler.

 

^^ This. I like my '18, but hate all the nanny nonsense. I'd turn it all off, but then I'd have to look at all the extra lights on the dash and that would annoy the hell out of me.

 

I’ll opine the transmission cooler isn’t a big deal if you don’t tow. There are a lot of high mileage 4.6 trucks running around that didn’t come with it. Even if you do tow the OE cooler on the 14-18 trucks is pretty small compared to aftermarket.

I love my 2021. CarPlay is nice and Toyota Safety Sense works well. Love the adaptive cruise control. I don’t use the lane departure warning because it’s too sensitive. I installed a cooler in my truck, was pretty easy.