Convince me to buy a Tundra

I’ve been waiting to buy a truck through corona but it’s getting time soon. I had my sights set on F150 crew cab 6.5FT bed. Do not want a useless short bed. The new tundras don’t seem to offer crew cab w/ 6.5FT bed and 6 person seating (front 3 person bench seat). I found a 2021 SR5 extended cab 6.5FT bed asking 42900. It’s a really solid truck. Checks all of the functional boxes I need. I have a 09 corolla with 130k miles and very few problems so Toyota reliability is a huge plus as I own vehicles for years. Only thing holding me back is fuel mileage and 26 gallon tank range needed to drive up to camp. What’s honest lightly loaded interstate 80mph through Western PA/Appalachian mountains mileage? 15 would be bearable, 12 would be a deal breaker.

 

There's an SR5 package that gives you the 38 gallon tank.

2022 offers a crew max with a 6.5' bed.

You already know Toyota's are solid so there's no selling you on that

There's a million threads on here regarding mileage. In that area, depending on your drive habits, you can get 15 with summer gas. Anything over 75mph though is when you see your mpg drop so there's that.

I haven't taken my Tundra through the PA turnpike so I cant give exact numbers.

Welcome to the forums!

 

My opinion only. Unless you’re driving a lot of miles, the difference between 15 and 12 wouldn’t add up to much. I wouldn’t count on 15 but everyone’s truck and driving styles are different. I typically get less than 15, but I drive most in town, and a lot of my highway miles are towing a boat. Good luck!

 

I drive my truck from the Allentown area to Pittsburgh quite often. On the turnpike from Carlisle to Pittsburgh which is about 160 miles. Doing about 75, I usually average about 16 mpg. My normal mixed driving of city and highway get me about 14.5 mph.
Hope that helps.

 

Welcome from NY.

You should get 14+ MPG. Reliability is the key factor and nobody can compete with Toyota. The gas will definitely last longer in the Ford because it will spend most of the time being repaired.
Good luck with your search.

 

Welcome from LA (Lower Alabama)! I would think that reliability would be the critical parameter to consider if you're going to depend on the truck in deep woods camping.

 

I would recommend the 36 gallon tank if you can get it with the model your looking at. I drive a mix of city and mostly highway and I cruise 75-80 mostly.. I fill up once a week approaching 500 miles and 32 gallons of fuel on average.. Comes out a little over 15 mpg for me.. I have a 2019 DC with 6 1/2 bed.

Doesn't the 2022's have the v6? Not sure of their mileage..

Love my truck, looks like I could sell it for what I paid for it 3 years and 50,000 miles later..

 

80 mph? Your looking at 12 to 14 mpg’s unfortunately. I just finished a 400 mile trip to western PA (RT80) and I averaged 17.5 doing 68 mph using cruise control. The faster you go the exponentially quicker the mpg’s go down. These trucks are simply not efficient at any speed over 70 mph. But other than that I love mine and have zero regrets.

Welcome!

 

That’s great feedback on the mileage thanks. I drive from northern Virginia up to northwest PA 4.5hrs on a good day. I like the flexibility of driving up and not having to stop for gas. 14-15 would work for me. My dads F150 with 5.0 only gets 16-17 anyways. The 3.5 eco boost is better mileage but cost more right now as well.

 

You can hit 15 mpg in the Tundra, mine averages around there and I don't drive it conservatively, but tend to stay under 80 mph as Oey12 said, these trucks aren't efficient when speed goes up. You don't buy a Tundra for gas mileage, you buy it for proven reliability compared to other makes.

 

Official welcome.

 

Thanks fellas, I also wish it had 6 person seating. Not to hold 6 but when you stuff 4 or 5 guys into a truck with guns, backpacks and extra jackets it’s nice to have that center center bench seat space. We do that often all fall and winter. Nobody I know has a center console in a truck, that’s for the wife’s SUV. The new tundra crew cab SR5 model with 6.5ft bed does not offer front bench seat, just center console. When I built the new SR base model online it doesn’t even offer the crew cab with 6.5FT bed either like the F150 XLs base model do. I really like the idea of reliability but these two aspects are tough to get over. Maybe a new V6 double cab SR with 6.5FT bed and front bench seat is the ticket but who knows when the new ones will be available and at what price the dealers in Northern Virginia don’t have them yet. Seems hard to beat getting this 2021 for 42900+tax/tag.

 

If you watch the TFL truck "ike gauntlet" videos (there are dozens of them) the mileage while towing at 60 mph varies from 2 mpg up to about 4 mpg in a gas half ton. The eco boost I think was the better of the bunch on mileage.

Point being there isn't going to be a meaningful difference in mileage across gas powered half tons.

You could get into a half ton diesel at a substantial premium to $43k and get to deal with all the bugs, glitches, and recalls...but your mileage would be way better.

edit: the ike gauntlet videos show about 5-6 mpg in dodge and GM half ton diesels.

It is a good time to buy as the dealers are likely trying to shed the previous generation inventory.

 

The Crewmax backseat area is HUGE. We have more room in our 2020 CM than there is in our friend's F350 Crew Cab.

Take the Tundra for a test drive, load your buddies up and see if you think it'll work!

We've never owned a Ford, but have had GM 1500 ext cab and RAM 1500 RCSB - the Tundra CM surprised me how much more we like it. Hard to explain because the GM and RAM were nice trucks, but almost 2 years later I still look forward to driving the Tundra. Fuel mileage was a little better in both the GM and RAM, but that's the only area where they had any advantage in how we use our trucks (light to med duty work). The overall driving experience I just find more enjoyable in the Tundra.

 

The truck itself will give more of a convincing argument than any of us could. Go sit in one. Drive one. I'm not telling you not to do your research (which you have and still are), but what did it for me was actually sitting in one. It's hard to explain. When I got fed up with the constant issues out of my F-150 (Ford still has a little place in my heart, but I was beyond tired of wondering what was going to go wrong next), I explored Ram, GMC, and Nissan. I honestly never even considered a Tundra because Toyota simply didn't come to mind when I thought of a truck for me. I was pretty close to settling on the Ram when I ran into a friend of mine who has a Tundra. I spent some time poking around in it and talking to him, and then a few days later I found myself driving to the dealership just to look around. When I sat in this truck, it spoke to me. The layout, the fit and finish, the power. There's no other way to put it. I didn't choose this Tundra, it chose me.

Keep doing your research, choose the truck that's right for you based on how you use it and what your needs are. But don't forget to let yourself feel it a little when you're choosing. If you drive the Tundra and don't feel it, maybe it's not for you. They're not for everyone. But if it is, you'll know.

 

Get a non-turbo engine if you plan on keeping it for many years.

 

FWIW, I glanced at my buddies 2019 F150 3.5l eco-boost. His dashboard Average MPG was 13.4. He doesn't tow.

 

Over 150k miles, at $3/gallon the difference between 14mpg and say 17mpg with a F150 5.0 is $5,673

That is exactly what happened almost as you describe over the past 2 years I’ve been looking. I just drove this truck on a whim yesterday and I liked it a lot. It has the center console and sounds like a few mpg less mileage so I just have to get over those features. It sounds like I’ll get over it and be pretty happy.

 

I'll give you my scenario. Had an 06 F250 diesel 4wd. Bought in 08 at 28,000 miles. In 2015 at 68k it had both sets of pads and rotors either turned or replaced (it was blamed on setting around a lot), safety and security module replaced two sets of batteries. In 2015 needed a bigger truck. Bought a 2013 crewmax trd for the room. My biggest complaint was ride height. With 87k on it, the truck pulled 15 mpg. I put a level kit and plus size tires. Fixed all my complaints. It now gets 12.7 -13 but does everything I ask. Total parts til now with 108k are brake pads all the way around, plugs, belt, and a battery.

 

If you keep stock size, standard load tires on it you can easily hit 17-19 mpg highway. I got better than the MPG estimates (13/17) when my Tundra was stock. Now that I added some weight with mods and 33 inch LT E load tires I see 12 to 12.5 city, 16 to 16.7 highway.

One thing for sure- since the Tundra is shaped like a big brick, 50-70 is the sweet speed for best MPG. Anything over and MPG does down a bit. The MPGs I listed for my truck is generally running around 80MPH on highway, so I could do better if a slowed a bit

 

I get 12 going up and down parleys truck camper and sled trailer.

80 with a 18ft walleye boat I get like 13/14. I'm also at elevation.

Not sure what lightly loaded means to you, but 15 should be doable.

 

Had a Escape 1.6l eco. Gas mileage stunk unless you were on freeway going 55.

 

Like I've read a lot from F150 owners , you either get ECO or you get BOOST never at the same time .

 

Mine was all boost lol. It was a blast to drive and had tons of power, but I averaged 14.5 mpg with it. No different than the 5.7.

I miss the twin turbos every now and then, but unfortunately the rest of the truck was junk.

 

Got a price from Koons today on the same truck so i’d have a
two dealers to shop against, SR5 double cab with the 38gal tank. 42900+5500 dealer markup + tax/tag/fees. So about 50k OTD. That’s rough

 

For whatit's worth, I am currett shopping a 2022 ram 2500 - tradesman 4x4 cummins with tech package. 53k.

Well see what they are my tundra at.

 

I bought my 2018 SR5 double cab TRD4x4 brand new in 2018 for $42k out the door. It stickered at $42k, then after all the fees and whatnot I was up to $49k ish. Then with trade (barely $3k for my F-150 after loan payoff), $3k down, and about $1,000 worth of back and forth haggling, I was back down to $42k. Yours seems about on par with that, although I feel like you should have some wiggle room to negotiate it down to mid $40s. Is it 4x4?

Smart to go with the 38 gallon tank, by the way. I have it and it gives me the illusion of good fuel mileage lol.

 

I'd love one of those, but they started putting the dumb shift knob on there like the 1500. I don't think I could do it!!

 

I think the tradesman still lacks that level of "refinement"


That being said, the trade In would have to be more than generous. Even then. I don't think I want (need) to leave half ton territory for a few more years.