A few questions before I buy my first Tundra

Hi Everyone,

Apologies for the long post! I am a long time reader and first time poster. A little background on me – I currently drive a ’06 Honda Ridgeline that’s up to 200K miles (cue the “that’s not a real truck” friendly shaming & ridicule – I’ve handled it fine for the last 13 years!). I have found the Ridgeline to be very reliable and capable (sufficient for probably 80%-90% of truck owners needs in reality, but I digress). Anyway, I am looking for something to tow a larger boat (and can’t stand the new Ridgeline body style). The Tundra is at the top of my list due to its strong reliability track record and the obvious capability enhancements. A couple questions I have after shopping used Tundras (and a few F150’s):


Is there really no “All-time 4WD” or AWD option? Isn’t this annoying for guys who live in snowy climates?

I live in Northern MN and 5-6 months a year the roads have intermittent snow/ice (conditions often changing throughout a single drive i.e. ice in shady spots etc.). Do I need to constantly switch between 4HI/2HI based on conditions? My Ridgeline (again… 13 years old) seems to have a superior system in this regard – it’s always in AWD and has proven to be very stable on icy/snowy road conditions. Constantly switching between 2/4WD or toughing it out in 2WD feels like a downgrade. Are guys really spending $50K on a truck and driving around in 2WD in iffy conditions to baby their 4WD systems? Am I overthinking this?


Is the Crewmax cab worth it?

It seems like there are far more double cabs on the used market. I find this odd considering the vast majority of F150’s I see are Supercrew’s (Crewmax). Is this because the Tundra double cabs are larger than the F150 access cabs, and thus Toyota sells more due to their increased functionality and lower cost? I’m also guessing the lack of a Crewmax LB plays into this. The crewmax’s around me are definitely selling at a premium.


How many “Real World” MPG’s am I giving up to the F150 (3.5 or 5.0)?

Is Toyota more reliable than the ford? Of course I think it is. But if I am really giving up 5 MPG’s… that’s $2500 in 5 years I need to “make up” via less repairs (15K/ year with gas @ $2.50).


Do I need to worry about the “Cam Tower Leak”?

I have seen a variety of posts on this. I am not super mechanical, so maybe best to have it checked out by my mechanic before purchase?


Overall I don’t want to sound to negative – the Tundra is definitely still at the top of my list, but I figured this was a great resource to address some of my lingering questions.

Thanks!

 

Welcome from TX!

-Can't comment on 4wd

-Crew Max, big family? small children, great for car seats. Also really cool auto down rear window. Many think DC works well for their needs.

- MPG's, would really doubt 5 mpg better, but ok. Tundra Reliability trumps.

-cam tower leaks, many leak but very minutely. Getting mechanic to inspect always a good idea. I don't think it is a DIY repair.

 

I think you are going to be dissapointed in the 14 mpg.

We just leave it in 4 wheel drive. It hurts nothing driving in straight lines on dry roads.

If you are hauling adults I the back for greater than 100 miles every day, the crew max would be needed. Anything else, the double cab works just fine.

The saquoia has all wheel drive if you feel you need it. It's the SUV version of the Tundra.

 

Is there really no “All-time 4WD” or AWD option? Isn’t this annoying for guys who live in snowy climates?

There really is no AWD option. We get a couple days of snow every couple years in the Portland area, so I can't answer whether it's annoying to switch in and out of 4wd.

Is the Crewmax cab worth it?

If you have adults consistently riding in the back then it's definitely worth it. I had a 2018 Crewmax and now have a 2010 double cab, along with two children in car seats. It was obviously easier getting the kids in and out of the crewmax, but there is plenty of room in the double cab and I love the extra foot in the bed. Toyota definitely needs to offer a Crewmax with a standard bed with the next generation!

How many “Real World” MPG’s am I giving up to the F150 (3.5 or 5.0)?

I'm not sure what F150 owners are actually getting, but I've heard it's generally not what they're rated at. I consistently get 14 mpg around town in my Tundra.

Do I need to worry about the “Cam Tower Leak”?

I won't say this isn't a big concern. It won't leave you stranded, but my 2018 with 8,000 miles on it developed this leak. It was fixed under warranty, of course, but the dealer screwed something up in the engine in the process. I think my case is pretty rare, but what happened is unfortunately a risk of having the engine opened up. They ended up buying it back and I got a new Highlander for my wife instead of another new Tundra, if that says anything... It was hard to stomach having my engine opened up on basically a brand new truck, and I'm honestly kind of glad they screwed it up so I could get them to buy it back. I'm now in a 2010 Tundra and it's a great truck, but the cam tower leak is definitely a concern.

Overall these are great trucks and even with the cam leak, I still couldn't justify getting another 1/2 ton offering. Good luck with your decision!

 

Space
I came from a 2014 GMC Sierra . I bought the crew max tundra as a replacement for work due to the reliable problems of the gmc. I carry a lot of stuff to and from work in both the bed and the cab. In my case the extra interior space is really useful for fileboxes that were an issue in the extended cab I had.

4wd
I miss the auto 4wd AND the Locking differential for mud. We don’t have snow so I can’t comment there.

Cam tower leak.
Seals leak with age. I would rather have an oil leak than be stuck on the side of the road.

Gas mileage
It’s terrible. But, it’s a trade off I went from a combined 15.6 with the GMC to a combine 13.7-14 with the tundra. I tow boats and cars around with both vehicles.

The “gas savings” from the GMC and Ford Are from transmissions with lots of extra gears that are constantly hunting and cylinder deactivation that’s bad for reliability.

So the drivability of the tundra is MUCH better. There will always be issues and nothing is perfect but for my dollar the tundra is a better truck for my purposes.

 

Hi, welcome from PA

Is there really no “All-time 4WD” or AWD option? Isn’t this annoying for guys who live in snowy climates?

It's not annoying at all. I live in the snow belt, and rarely use 4wd. When I do, it's really easy.


Is the Crewmax cab worth it?

I went from a DC to a Crewmax for one reason, second car seat. Now that I have a CM, I'll never go back to a DC.


How many “Real World” MPG’s am I giving up to the F150 (3.5 or 5.0)?

I average 14mpg in my '18. I've had three Tundra's since 2003. I've replaced one O2 sensor. And maintenance items, that's it. Reliability trumps MPG for me.


Do I need to worry about the “Cam Tower Leak”?

6k on my 2018 and I'm not going to jinx it.


Get the Tundra, you won't regret it.

 

-no awd but imo manual 4wd is better, usually more reliable, especially long term. Just flip a switch when needed

-Crewmax is huge, love it with kids and trips. Not thrilled about crash test ratings though, didnt do as well as DC.

-Mpg is not great compared to competitors, but not by a whole lot in the 4x4 crewcab configs. Check out fuelly for real world, apples to apples (f150 5.0 4x4 to Tundra 5.7 4x4 are only a few mpgs apart).

-i purchased warranty specifically for cam tower and tss issues. Havent had to use it, maybe never will, but not a diy repair. Seems like it will happen in first 100k miles if it is.

 

Welcome from NY.

 

Welcome from Texas

 

Welcome from NC!

 

-I drive in the snow weekly. I leave it in 4 HI all the time. No issues.
-Having a 4runner and a Tacoma....the Crewmax is definitely better for a family and friends.
-I have routinely hit 17mpg on the freeway just cruisin'. I average 14 on a tank. MY friend has the smaller 2.7 Ecoboost supposedly getting 24 mpg. I drove his truck the other day and his in dash MPG was 15.
-Anything mechanical can have issues. I've had a Chevy, Ford, Subaru, and 5 Toyota's in the family. BY FAR the overall cost was significantly less on the TOY. But, the Subaru wasn't far behind. Both my Chevy and Ford imploded around 100k. Our Subaru made it 330k before we sold it. My Tacomas were both running strong with ZERO shop time at 150k. My 4runner was the same but traded it at 32k. My Toyota R22 made it 120k with no problems. My Tundra is at 180k right now and I've replaced the starter and several batteries over the years. That's it.

 

No awd in the Tundra but wish it did.
Crew max is huge at the cost of bed length, but worth it for me.
Average of 13 mpg, my friend’s f150 with turbo 6 and aluminum body averages 17 (and he has a lift, 35’s and a bully tuner).
Mine had a cam tower leak at around 20k ish. It is a bad design which makes it susceptible to leakage, but none of us know the % of failures.

It’s much more reliable than the other 1/2 ton choices. But if Toyota doesn’t address these issues in the redesign, it would be difficult to buy another in a couple of years when we will be ready to trade in.

 

Welcome from Ohio.

 

I’m in super snowy area and regularly have it in 4 wheel drive, sometimes for days at a time. It’s as easy as turning the switch on or off as needed.
The Crewmax is so sweet for space. We outgrew a Tacoma and this is incredible in the back. My daughter loves when I put the back window down.
I’m averaging 14 mpg per tank lately and that’s with one size up studded snows on.
I’m not sitting around worrying about getting a cam tower leak. The odds are in my favor, but if I do get one, it seems for the most part that Toyota has taken care of the issue for those that report it.

 

Thanks for the warm welcome and candid responses! Much appreciated! Looking forward to keeping up with the forum more now while I continue my search.

 

Welcome from Ohio

 

I went with a crewmax. I have a hitch mounted bed extender for the few times a year I carry long items. The larger cab is more useful more often for my family.

As for MPG, go on fuelly and look up the vehicles you want to compare. You can drill down by make, model, year, etc . There are so many options it is hard to generalize mpg by vehicle. When I looked at fuelly it appeared to me that on average the 5.7L was not actually much different then any of the other engines out there. There were some highway mileage advantages with the small turbo engines and the cylinder deactivation models. But, long term averages were all similar which means that even if they can get great highway mileage, the real world resulted in no real statistical advantage. At the end of the day you have to get thousands of pounds moving from an stop and that takes fuel. I am currently averaging 16mpg which is only 1mpg less than my 4.0L Tacoma I traded in. I think that is great. I love my Tundra and would by it again without hesitation .

 

Welcome from AZ!

 

Welcome from Colorado

 

Welcome to the party!!