I cannot believe I am thinking of doing this, but, I have questions!

Hi all,

Sooo, I am thinking about replacing my 2020 Tundra with a 2026 Tundra, as long as they work out more of the bugs, change the front end, and improve the quality, as promised by the new engineer!!

Anyway, I have never been able to afford a higher trim Tundra, and usually go with the Sx package or TRD OR in SR5, but I feel like I am finally in a good place to go with a higher end trim given that the 2020 is paid off and should hold some value. I am honestly leaning towards a TRD PRO if I can make the numbers work and the 2026 color isn't terrible. (I am guessing it will be a shade of blue or red, I HATE silver and black and any similar shade, and don't care for white even though it's the fastest color). My other option would be a limited TRD OR with whatever packages are needed to get the nicer stuff in it. I am also waiting because I may be interested in a Land Cruiser or 4Runner instead of a Tundra, and I want to wait until the new 4 runner is plentiful!

My question is, is it even worth it to get the TRD Pro if I won't even be off roading it?! Should I just get the limited, or platinum? If I test drive a 2026 in the fall when they land in dealerships, and I don't love it, I will be keeping the 2020 and buying a Honda HRV to start using as my daily instead, just to keep miles low on the Tundra and give it a rest, as it is currently my daily with 60K on the odo.

Thanks for any info!

-T

 

Given the fact that a 26 model is a year out, & we don't even know what changes will be made (if any), you have plenty of time to decide. Go test drive some 25's to get an idea of what you like. Still, that's a ways off not knowing what will even be offered.

 

Not that far out, the 2026 should be in dealerships by Fall of this year, so 9ish months.

 

Do you need a truck? Do you use the truck bed often? If I didn’t need a truck I’d have bought a new Land Cruiser. I like the look of them over the new 4runner personally.

trd pro will have better resale value down the road and always tend to hold value regardless of what other trims are doing. I’d argue that the majority of people that buy a pro have no intentions of off roading it ever. So don’t feel like you would be wasting it if it wasn’t an off roader.

The 3rd gen tundra is a great truck but I think if I was in your position I’d stick with what I had and just get a smaller vehicle as a daily. Your truck is paid off and the 5.7 will go a long time being needing to be replaced. And once the newness and fanciness of the new truck wears off you will be questioning if you made the right decision. The TTV6 is a blast to drive though and really moves when you get on it. Good luck with your decision!

 

The PRO will ride different than the other trims due to the fox suspension and slight front lift. If you like the ride and the sportier exterior and interior package, the PRO can be for you even if you’re not gonna wheel it.

 

One day we’ll all be stuck driving electrics or tiny 4 bangers. One day. But not today. I refuse to go into the dying light. I will drive large displacement engines until they take them away. 4R and LC both get 4 banger turbos. It’s a pass for me rn. We’re getting down to turbo 6’ers for big engine options, so GX would be my play in that space.

 

The TRD Pro is based on the Limited trim, but a pretty hefty upcharge. Without off-roading at all I see no reason to buy a Pro (Limited) for more than what a Platinum is. Naturally, I'm a little biased to the Platinum trim since that's what I have. The Pro and Platinum will have completely different rides, so it'd be best to test drive both.

Other than a Tundra trim decision, what do you really need/want out of the next one? Might help you decide between pickup or SUV. I thought about getting a non-pickup many times, but I always came back to wanting one available, but not wanting to add a vehicle to the home lot.

 

This sounds like a practical plan IMO too. Good luck with your decision!

 

It really does suck that manufacturers are being forced into this. Would be cool to see options of NA motors and turbo motors and let the consumer decide, at least from a Toyota standpoint. I know other manufacturers offer options but there are just as many horror stories of issues with those brands as the current state of the V35A. I do love the GX550 but I feel it’s going to suffer a similar fate as the tundra/sequoia with the motor issue even with the lower power and smaller turbos. I have heard pretty good things about the 2.4 turbo in the Land Cruiser and it seems it can deliver the power well. I do know that when I drive my wife’s 5th gen 4runner and then go back to my truck I am thankful to be back in my truck. The 4runner is great but man it’s so slow and I’m spoiled by the tech in my tundra.

 

A serious question: Did you bash the 3rd Gen as many other 2nd owners? If the answer is YES then skip 3rd Gen altogether and wait for 4th Gen in 2034. However, we human made mistakes and mistakes are forgiven.

Pro looks NICE and I love it but it often has NO discounts and NO low APRs while other grades can get really low APRs and 6-10% off MSRP easily. These 2 factors will add up to about $10k at the end of the loan.

 

Who is the engineer that promised these changes?
2026 is too far away to be actionable.

 

I don’t like the TRD pro and having to have the hybrid engine. I think the better value is in a nicely equipped SR5 or Limited with the TRD OR package.

1st I have heard of them changing the front end and I am not sure what bugs you are referring to.

Your 2nd Gen won’t last forever, eventually it will just be another pos that you can’t get parts for. but you can probably get another 10-15 years out of it. Question really is do you want to continue to drive that horse or get a fast shiny one?

 

Odd line of thinking here. That 2nd gen very well may last one persons forever. So far they have proved durable and reliable, we don’t have that kind of knowledge about the 3rd gen yet. And eventually, all vehicles will get old, including the 3rd gen, not just the 2nd gen she’s driving.

 

This is a no-brainer to me.

Keep the paid off low mileage 2020 Tundra and buy an economical daily driver.

 

maybe she is referring to the seat plastic that breaks? Or the radio knob that falls off? Or could be the wind noise? Pieces of trim falling off? Fuel line recall? Engine recall? Turbo waste gate failures?Rear axle issues?

it is hard to nail down what she means.

 

So you'll want a 4runner in a few years, but you're gonna dump a solid, paid-for truck in the meantime?

 

In a few years? what are you talking about?

 

This. Good luck!

 

Unfortunately I do use my truck bed quite a bit for household chores, mostly gardening type stuff and dump runs, as well as getting the ATV in for service as the dealer won't pick up and drop off. I honestly would MUCH rather have a small SUV as my next vehicle, but I tried that before and being single and having a SFH made it a huge inconvenience having to constantly bother other people if I needed a truck bed. I actually brought the tundra in today for service and looked at the land cruisers and liked them, but they are rather large, and I didn't care for the shape of them. I felt the four runner might be a tad bit smaller. If I bought a Land Cruiser or a 4 runner to replace the tundra instead of a new Tundra then I would have to buy a trailer, and a past incident at work traumatized me so much that I am nervous about using a trailer... I am going to test drive them all when the 26 tundras arrive and make a decision, more than likely I will replace the tundra with a new tundra or keep it and buy a small daily. Thank you for your insiteful post!

-T

 

Yes, this is the argument I am having with myself. I need the pick up unfortunately for the house chores, and I have tried not having a pickup and it became a huge PIA!! Anyway, I am also concerned because the beds are short in the new tundras, as I would want the crew max and I do not think that with the long bed would fit in my garage, and that is not optional!! I most def want heated seats because winter can truly suck here, like today when it's too cold to even step foot outside unless necessary! Def want the larger screen and would like a moon roof. Not a fan of any of the new rims, except the blacked out ones and no chrome!! I could keep the current Tundra and just make that my secondary vehicle and buy a small daily, but then that adds costs as well... Thank you for your insight!

-T

 

Nailed it!

 

Absolutely I did, and that's why I added the caveat "if improvements happen". It's not a mistake, it's my opinion, which I am entitled to have... Don't like it? Don't read it!

 

I don’t off road but the pro and TRD off road suspension has the best ride and drive as far as I’m concerned.

 

First 60,000 for a 2020 is barely broken in, that is an 300-400,000 mile motor is cared for properly. If it is good shape enjoy it. Here is California we do not deal with salt. Get your HRV or Miata. Here in California lic tags for my new truck are $800.00, new truck begins the process again.

If you do not use 4WD offroad I would not pay the TRD-Pro premium. I live on the Sonoma coast so we have winter weather that makes it nice to have 4WD. I am used to the RAM Laramie, so I went with 1794. I am very happy. Going limited equip the way you want is sounds a good way to go, I was contemplating that, but I could not get the locking rear end.

Lots of great options, and you taking your time performing your due diligences is solid path. Last, tells us a bit more how your 2020 is equipped, the V-8 is a solid motor, out dated but solid, and again I 60K miles is nothing.

Hope all works out any way you go.

 

Correct ! ..go for it as life is short and the Pro, while based on limited, is unique with many upgrades and way more features than the 2.5 gen Platinum/1794's.

Daily mine and no issues in 14 months.

 

At this point, I'd wait out for what they 2026 will bring. Sales went up Q4 in 2024. Tundra are doing good. Minus the new massage seats.
My 23 TRD is my first new vehicle purchase. I've always drove Lincoln Mark viii. Which my last one i had was back in 2007 and I've been driving a company truck since.

 

Personally , If I had a paid off 2020 v8, i wouldn't even be looking at the new tundras. You got a bullet proof engine there, you have no debt, and it sounds like your finances are still tight if you need to "Make numbers work"?

If you are inclined to get one, the PRO is a great choice even if you don't do hardcore off roading. I rather have a 4runner for that to be honest which is better for that kind of stuff. The Pro is a great hauler, has a powerful hybrid engine (reliability tbd still), it comes equipped enough where you don't need to "upgrade" parts for your average joe which saves you from a burning wallet, and the day to day ride on it is very smooth with that upgraded suspension. It also looks badass for a stock vehicle.