Crewmax with a 6.5 foot bed to long?

Hey all,

Love the idea of having the room in the cab and the bed but will the Tundra Crewman with the 6.5 foot long bed be to long for daily driving? What are your opinions?

I could imagine it could be a headache to park and maneuver around town.

FYI, I never owned a full size truck before.

 

Try and find one to test drive. I have a 07 double cab longbed. It’s a pain sometimes. But it’s not a pain to put lumber and building materials in it. Just depends what you need/want.

 

Depends where you live. Here in Texas most parking areas have enough space for big trucks, minus parking garages. Definitely lived in other areas that weren't set up for long vehicles.

 

My first and current truck is the size you mention and other than parking garages it’s fine after you drive it a few times and get used to it. The 360 view cameras help with parking so it isn’t bad. You may hop a few curbs with the back tires at first but after a few you get used to the length and don’t even think about it.

 

Personally I think it’s too big. But that’s my opinion. I’ve never been a fan of daily driving a large truck, my current tundra is big enough for everything I need to do.

That being said, if you need the bed space and the cabin room, the CrewMax with 6.5ft bed is the way to go. I know from experience that the 5.5ft bed is too small for much of anything if you are working with the truck.

 

I drove a Ford F350 4x4 crew cab with an 8 foot bed for 10 years in the Washington DC area, you just have to plan your escape and parking in advance. I still miss that truck and it's 8 foot bed.

 

My first truck was an F-150 SuperCrew with a 6.5' bed. It was my first full sized truck, and it was honestly more bed than I needed. If you're a homeowner who only needs the truck for occasional hauling, a 5.5' bed is probably sufficient. If you work in construction, I'd say get the double cab and the long bed. For what it's worth, I currently have a 1 week old 2022 Tundra Limited Crew Max with the 5.5' bed, and I'm happy. Of course, how could you not be happy with a brand new truck?

 

https://youtu.be/cHWeAl9g_V8

 

When I dropped my 22 off at the dealer they had a standard bed crewmax SR5 and I liked it. I have no use for anything other than a standard bed, even then I rarely use it. I wouldn’t mind a leveled out standard bed with 35’s.

 

All depends on your needs. My 2022 CrewMax has the 6.5' bed. In our house it is the best vehicle to drive down the highway with it's long wheelbase. When I take it to suppliers I'm parked away from the building or doing 5 point turns to get it into a spot. It's my commuter to the shop yet we have 18 wheelers coming into the parking lot as well.

Any time I need to go into the city I take the FJ - much easier to park (or finding a place to park). Downtown we take the Golf.

 

Great that they finally offered longer bed for the cm

 

The overall lengths are:

245.6” for the crew max with 6.5’ bed
233.6” for The crew max with 5.5’ bed

233.5” for the double cab with 6.5’ bed

252.5” for the double cab with 8’ bed

measure to see if they will fit on the driveway and then take one out for a test drive around where you typically roam (or the most restrictive place you go to like a parking garage or lot) and see how it handles.

 

I currently have the crewmax with short bed. There have been many times I wish I had just a little more space hauling demo or grabbing lumber. But at the same time I always managed to get by with the shorter bed. I wonder if the suspension and ride quality would be better in the longer bed though.

 

I have a long bed on order for that reason. I do a lot of work around multiple properties, so material hauling is one consideration. The other is that I have two kids so a little bit extra will help with stuff for trips and camping. I do live in the suburbs which helps a bit but I’m still concerned with parking and maneuverability in tighter places. That said, I typically only find myself going to building suppliers and grocery stores, so my parking situation is a bit less concerning. My thinking is that you can always find a parking space further down in the parking lot but you can’t get more bed space.

 

My main concern for parking any version of Tundra is the width, not the length. I'm not gonna be parking any version in tight spaces up close to stores and such. I always park out far away, even with my Tacoma. So, the 6.5 bed will be the best balance of size and utility for me. And the garage is not an issue since none of these would fit in my 1-car "closet" anyway. My one area of concern is friends' condo parking lots. Sometimes there is no far and away parking available there.

 

I guess you’re going to have either audit your friends to see if visiting them is worth it or host as your place LOL - just make sure you get the right tuck for you because you will be in a world of regret if you don’t.

 

Yup... them or the truck... hmmm. I was in the Navy back in the day and one of my POs made a sketch one time whilst we were at sea... it had 2 sailors with daydream bubbles over their heads, one dreaming of his girlfriend, and me dreaming of my car. It was accurate! LOL. And to be clear, I am not worried about being able to park it. I am worried about taking door dings from others when they park too close.

 

I specifically buy crew cab 5.5' bed trucks these days for ONE big reason....they'll fit in a standard residential garage.

Having said that, I've had 5, 5.5, 6.5, and 8 foot beds on my trucks over the years. Honestly I have NEVER one time ever missed the 6.5 or 8 foot beds. And I haul and tow things frequently. I find that a 5.5 foot bed with the tailgate down is a 7 foot load floor and that's plenty to do 99.8% of the jobs I ever find myself needing to do.

 

I would suggest that you decide what you want, people mover or cargo mover. If you want a people mover, get a Sequoia with 8 seats, you will still have enough cargo space with the seats folded down, if you want a cargo mover, get a 6.5 or a 8 ft bed but a double cab.

I was in the same dilemma and went with a '19 Limited DC with 6.5 ft bed and don't regret it, I have used the bed a lot more than the back seats which is plenty spacious, but then I also have a 8 seater Sequoia for long road trip, but its rarely used.

Even with the shorter cab, there have been underground parking garages which have hit the max headroom bar a few times prompting me to make a U turn out of the garage, parking space is a whole different issue underground. Parking at certain Walmart and Whole foods parking lots in big congested cities was no fun with a 6 point turn to get in and out, after I even installed a front facing camera for parking assist.

One other reason to get a DC with a 6.5 ft bed is that it fit in my garage, there is no way a CM with 6.5 ft bed or a 8 ft DC would have fit in my garage, and that was a deal breaker.

 

This, exactly. I have done the math and for me DC with 6.5 ' bed fits the bill. But... in their infinite wisdom Toyota does not offer the DC option for Platinum and higher trims. And the Limited DC/6.5 with the max PVM option package comes only in one color, at least for now. Toyota likes to sell short beds and CrewMax cabs so finding what I want in that DC/6.5 configuration is gonna be nigh impossible.

 

Use a different zip code.. thats your issue i believe on the builder

 

We must be the only ones here that actually carry longer things inside that stay there while everyone else just picks up and carries somewhere else and delivers? It all just depends on what works for you.

 

Worth a try. I was also thinking that maybe choices would improve on the Limited colors as supply improves or they rotate colors in the paint shop or whatever. But I still don't know if you can get a platinum or 1794 in a DC at all, ever. I'll check back on that later.

 

Never have been able to get a platinum or 1794 in DC, just like the big 3 to my knowledge.

 

I suspected that. I just changed zips and redid my Limited DC/6.5 build with the "limited PVM with options" package and still the same, only color is silver. LOL.

 

I had a 02 Chevy 2500 HD Crewcab with an 8' bed and loved the truck, not the gas mileage. The Tundra CM with the 6.5' bed would be no problem. I wish I could get a 6.5' bed put on my current Tundra.

 

I really missed the larger box when I went down to the crewmax from a F-150 crew 6.5 (that’s about all I missed though). I also think the proportions look more traditional truck-like and less like an avalanche If it fits where you park and you don’t live in downtown Tokyo, it’s the way to go imho.

 

I'm used to driving long beds so I actually wish my DC had the 8ft bed...it's all a matter of preference.

 

I drive a Supercrew F150 with 6.5' bed, which has basically the same dimensions as the Tundra(157" wheelbase). I live in rural Utah and most of the time its completely fine. Driving into town to ski or down to SLC to get dinner or whatever can be annoying, but not impossible. If I know I am going somewhere tight I usually drive my Lexus GX with a 109" wheelbase.

That said, I would have a VERY hard time giving up the longer bed. With 2 kids and two dogs, that bed gets filled a lot.