TFL Live Tundra Q&A

Coming up today

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RyLid7VU-Ss

 

My question would be why is the Tundra so Fugly?

 

New Tundra was ranked 4th out of the five mainstream 1/2 ton auto makers. Not surprising. I think most of us knew it would. Still nice to hear the honesty. Always respected TFL for telling it like it is.

 

I missed the livestream but I really wanted to watch it. I've noticed that it has been taken down by TFL - did anyone watch it? Did something go wrong - I wonder why it was taken down after being streamed.

 

They were quite harsh on the new Tundra, basically said that it’s below in almost every aspect behind Ford, Ram, Chevy but slightly above Nissan. Honestly it was brutal. They did not like the front end being so low and forward… terrible approach angle which I completely agree. They harped on no tow hooks, also seats not as comfortable, ride not as good, interior sound was not as good as it’s competitions. Basically they were dumbfounded why Toyota is not listening and doing quirky things like those things are not important. Mike S basically made a giant leap but still fell short…. This is my opinion but the bottom of that front bumper has to be replaced now with a steel bumper with tow hooks before I would even attempt to off road the TRD off road…..? Or get a lift and large tires…. 20” on TRD why would anyone do that. I like TFL but they were just being honest. Maybe they are getting too big and honest and realized they need to tone it down….

 

Every time they criticize toyota, they immediately take down the video. Same thing happened with their tundra trans cooler video, they took it down, edited what they said and included a quote from toyota engineer regarding the test.

 

I think that they got a bit too emotional in their Live series on the Tundra. They already know that it’s not going to perform as good as the competition so they got ahead of themselves. I mean look at how the Limited TRD came off the assembly line: 20” wheels with street like tires, no chunky rubber which will be problematic to off road and a low chin “front bumper” that will hinder its capabilities. Basically I know those things so I have to Option A: spend $2k on a steel bumper which has to improve the approach of the long front end, new 18” wheels $2k, new off road meats $1k… hopefully one can modify the front end without cutting into the grill and fenders and repositioning the sensors. In Total that is $7k including installation on top. Or option B get the 3” lift kit from Toyota and larger tires. My opinion and I hope that I am wrong because I want it to succeed (I am buying one) but……. The way the current 22 TRD is set up it will do terrible in their next few videos…. So they basically took down the video because the dissatisfaction needs to be spread out over a few weeks of videos not this 0-200mph dragster like emotional outburst! Just my opinion.

 

Wow, that is a bit of surprise - but I guess that is the beauty of the "livestream" since nothing is hidden and the truth comes out. I suppose they didn't want to upset Toyota which helped them to get the Tundra early and decided to either take it down permanently or perhaps they will edit it and re-upload. Did the viewers get upset or emotional then? - since many viewers would have been loyal Toyota/Tundra owners or buyers...

 

20inch “off-road” wheels. “Why would anyone do that?” Agreed.

 

Sadly. The trucks meh to a lot.
But they’re still going to sell like crazy and we’re going to be stuck with it for 10+ years


I fear for the taco and 4runner/sequoia now

 

I'm not too concerned yet. I watched the entire thing and they got cutoff at the end. I could be wrong but I thought you had to select an option to record a live stream in order to archive it on YouTube. Maybe them going over time messed up the saving of the live version. Surely someone recorded it from their computer and will post it somewhere. I think the review was more honest than brutal but wasn't particularly informative. I found it boring.

 

New truck didn't live up to the hype, nor was it worth the 14 yr wait. That analysis may hurt some people's feelings on here, but those are truck guys and they would know. As a guy that's loved and only owned Toyota model trucks, it sucks to hear.

I too am worried about the Sequoia.

 

They pretty much covered things we already know or have info on so it was a little boring being so redundant. Them taking it down is BS, yeah they were hard on it but it deserves it where its due, if Toyota builds an underwhelming product they should be able to voice there opinion on where they think it lacks. All these youtubers are in a love fest with Toyota so they don't step on toes and no one ask any hard or real questions that matter. Now as the trucks roll out things members where worried about or skeptical of are coming to fruition, like that cab being tighter inside and payload not moving forward much. They really dropped the ball on the bed, that's an area where many other manufacturers are being innovative and all Toyota did was give us the composite bed and 400w inverter that's been around since 2005 in the Tacoma. I know some will stick up for Toyota and what not but you cant argue its underwhelming in that area, my 2012 Tacoma bed is more innovative then this 2022 as i have 2 open storage compartments and then the rear two enclosed compartments...nothing like that with the Tundra.

Toyota is the master at giving you stuff that's been around forever in the other vehicles, telling you the customers don't want anymore and will buy our product because reliability. With everyone else getting better and pushing the bar that's just not going to cut it going forward, Toyota gave us a boutique truck with the 2022 tundra and its disappointing.

 

Dang @Alloutdrs1. Well said.

 

I’m waiting for someone’s first 3,6,9,12 month impressions, both new and prior Toyota owners. I don’t know what he drove before, but those of us that have had numerous Toyotas, maybe it’s “more comfortable” in ways that’s others don’t have the familiarity with.

My own opinion after I have mine for a while may be positive, negative, mixed? I have a Tacoma now, and there are things I love about it and absolutely hate about it. No car/truck is ever perfect, and I’ve been through a lot of vehicles. The Tundra checks a lot of boxes for me (towing, residual, dealership relationship, off road capability for what I’m dealing with on my property day to day, etc…). It’ll be perfect for some, while others loathe it and those in between.

 

I agree. I think the hard-core fans who have known nothing better will see this as a step up (cause it is for Toyota). Those who have driven and loved a well equipped big 3 model probably won't be as impressed.

I trust TFLs judgement. They have nothing to gain by putting down a truck. Everyone else is being fake IMO. TFL is just being real.

 

It’s only disappointing out of the box “as is”. You have to go down the modification route with aftermarket parts to make it better than the competition. That means spending money. I’m not sure I want to spend $58k on a limited TRD then add another $5k for steel bumper and taller tires on existing 20” wheels which may need a 2” lift to work. Let’s be honest the front bumper is a big limitation. I’m going to get the PRO which has some of this done and engineered from the factory. Last thing I want is to have a $65k truck that has been moded and drives like crap on road. I want the comfort of warranty and as much capability engineered by toyota.

Not to keep on harping here but Mike S. designed the regular lineup of TRD’s to be a good dependable truck that hauls and towes and is a Jack of all trades, but not the best of any of those trades. Mike S was not going for an off road worthy vehicle in its original setup. I’m hoping I’m wrong but it will fail miserably in TFL videos when they try to take it off road.

I have done my fair share of mods to vehicles and some have worked out while others have not. Everyone is different, I want as much out of the box with warranty and keep that original ride quality.

 

My hope is that it’s reliability is still there like my first gen or second gen tundra. They are selling me on this reliability at this point and the looks/ design of the interior and exterior which I like, because on all other areas it seems (and I can’t judge for myself yet) that it’s just a bit below (like the front bumper), but I’m ok with that if it drives good and is very dependable. I can add more things to it late to make it fun for off road purposes.

 

Why not just get a basic SR5 and then mod it the way you like it?

 

He basically stated "out of the box" with warranty and quality ride. Aftermarket can jack up your driving comfort.

Which coming from a Jeep, I 1000% agree with. Why I got a decked out Rubi the second time around instead of messing with it myself.

 

You bring up a good point, if I go that route I would do the dealer installed (not sure if factory will) 3” lift kit, then I’m in warranty with factory approved mod. The 3” lift is available this summer from what I understand. Or wait it out for the PRO which is also summer because I’m not paying $25k markup for the PRO.

 

wow, it was that bad eh?

the more and more time goes along, they more Im kinda souring on this thing. Have to drive one for sure.

toyota better have the reliability perfect on this thing, otherwise my lord, its over.

bigger truck that will be a super struggle to fit in a standard garage, but tighter on teh inside, pushing 20" wheels on off-road models, no tow hooks, etc etc.

damn

 

While I was not planning to upgrade my paid off '17 to a '22, everything I read about the '22 only confirms my decision. I admit that improvements were made, but I also feel that it fell very short in so many ways. Issues such as the front end, 20" wheels on the Off Rad package and no front tow hooks are all targeting soccer moms and mall crawlers. Perhaps this was Toyota's intention all along and just wrote off the customer base who uses trucks as trucks. Hopefully they will listen to everyone and make improvements over the next few years.

 

it still comes off as really strange to me when people think of a full size truck as a possible “good off road truck” anywhere I would off road I would want the smallest truck possible like a Tacoma or smaller. To me lifted full size trucks are pavement princesses and look like such. Unless your idea of off roading is flat ground mud pits or something.

 

Everyone getting better? This is really laughable.
New fords come pre-rusted from the factory these days. Engines are leaking/burning oil as a known design flaw. But does Ford invest in fixing? Nope. They invest in shifters that fold down for a flat "work surface." Everyone is not getting better, they're getting more gimmicky.

And I'm not sure you know what boutique means, since the real boutique trucks are coming from the big3. The AT4, Raptor, and other super premium or super-offroad trucks are beyond boutique. They're geared and designed for "serious offroaders" which is a very small fraction of the market. Or they're pushing huge HP/Torque numbers, again, for a fraction of the market.

You can argue that different trims in the '22 Tundra are for slight splits of the market, but they're shooting for a general market truck that is "good in all time zones" versus the actual boutique trucks the big3 are trying to proliferate into.

 

My opinion on the livestream...

• Yes, they were particularly harsh on the new Tundra.
• I usually agree with the TFL guys and they have my respect when it comes to truck YouTube content. They've whiffed a few times, (like when they called the mid-90's S10 Blazer a "reliable" off-roader...big oof), but despite that I agree with them 9/10 times.
• I respect the reasons for which they ranked the truck at #4.
• I'll have to wait once I get my own truck next week to see if I agree with them or not.
• For me, a lot of their criticisms about Off-Roading are valid but don't impact me a ton. Yes, I want to and definitely will off-road the truck. I will probably lift/level it one day once a reliable kit becomes available. That being said, 90% of the time it will be a pavement princess. The better MPG and interior features are what "won the day" for me to order a 2022 vs looking for a CPO 2021 or used 2020.
• Trigger Warning for Some: As a big Toyota fan it definitely hurt to hear they ranked the truck at #4. That being said, I'm still willing to bet that 10 years from now there will be more 2022 Tundras on the road than 2022 Fords, Rams, & Chevys.

My 2 cents.

 

Agree. I worked on a suzuki samurai as a rock crawler. that was so much fun offroad and climbing big obsticles.

 

It shouldn't hurt that much. The Tundra has been ranked between 4th and 6th (depending on whether you combine GMC and Chevy or not) since about 2010 by the media on everything other than reliability.

 

This is true. I think many folks, myself partially included, expected the truck to shoot to the top of the rankings in the other areas with the refresh. That being said, I still always stick with Toyota because (until they prove me wrong) I trust their reliability more than any other brand. I'm buying this truck because I plan on keeping it 10-15 years.

 

Some people (like me) can’t justify a dedicated off-road rig so we use what we’ve got. I need a Tundra instead of a Tacoma because:

• I’m over 6’ tall and no one has ever accused me of being small
• Family of 5 with oldest being a teen
• Towing over 5,000 lbs

Thankfully my Tundra has taken me on plenty of awesome off-road adventures. If you think the Tundra can’t go off-road you’ve never tried it.


ETA - not my truck in the video, Me and my truck are behind the camera - but we got to the same spot.