How is the Tundra lacking techology?

Im looking at trading my tacoma for a tundra. One common complaint i see about the tundra is the lack of technology. In what way is it lacking? I get its an outdated design. I know they dont come with pushstart or remote start. I dont understand what else its missing.

 

If your using as an actual truck you will be happy, those who want this thing to replace a luxury car are not. I'm not big into the tech but my guess is the lack of the smart key entry, auto up/down on all windows, around view camera...stuff like that. Those items are now on the newer gens of the competing trucks.

Other then that its a good truck, if I could of found a base model SR with 5.7 I would of bought that instead of my sr5. My biggest gripe is I couldn't get the bigger gas tank on the lower trim models and the persistent cam tower leak issue which I had to deal with personally.

Good luck with your search, the Tundra is a beast compared to the Tacoma.

 

I have had my Tundra for just over a year now and I have not missed much as far as technology.
The whole radio/entune system sucks, but it doesn't really bother me. I use my phone for GPS and I don't care much about music - it works fine for me, but is a problem for some.
Push start would have been nice, but I don't see it as a necessity.
The rest of the technology related to the drivetrain is old, but that's a good thing - it is proven and reliable.

 

I just traded my 17 Tacoma off road for a 19 Tundra off road. There were more gadgets on the Tacoma and I will miss a lot of those features. The push button start, the proximity key. Toyota puts more into the Tacoma because it is their best selling truck. Ford does the same thing because it is the best selling vehicle in their whole line up. Chevy and Dodge have to compete with Ford so they have to add a bunch of tech to their trucks too.

A lot of those features are nice to have but we all bought a Toyota for dependability and reliability and that is what I hope to get out of this Tundra. My 04 Tacoma treated me very well and it had no technology and I was fine with it.

 

My other Toyota truck was an '86...hell, I'm just happy to (finally) have cup holders.

 

Tundra has plenty of tech. Not as much as some of the better selling vehicles in the lineup but it’s getting there. Also people are comparing to ford etc that has way more tech than needed for a truck. (And they have several problems to go along with it). If you need a button to back up your trailer for you there is a problem.

 

My buddy has a ford and has constant problems with the sync system.

If i can listen to podcasts or audiobooks while driving, i call that high tech.

 

Sometimes less is more.....

 

I'm not missing anything. I like the safety features on my 18 SR5 that has my insurance cheaper than my Wife's Venza. Remote start, auto winders, surround camera, butt warmer...eh...more things to break or have a recall over.

If you want all the bells and whistles and living room comfort get a Ford. I needed a truck.

 

IMHO, I think vehicles have wayyyyyy to much crap going on in the drivers seat. I think it leads to distracted driving and more accidents the less the better imo.

 

The only tech that I feel is missing from my truck that I would want, is all the buttons lit so I could see what the hell I'm doing when I’m driving at night. I’ve gotten really good at knowing where everything is by braille. But still they can’t light up all the window switches and mirror controls? Other than that it’s got a radio and XM and cupholders. Everything else is just a bonus.

 

I would like to see on board wifi that being said I went with the Tundra over the Denali because it just had to much stuff on it I didn't feel I would ever use plus the 18000 more

 

Tech stuff is cool. But if it vibrates down the road and leaks water in the cab. Tons of recalls. What good is tech then? Former 14’ GMC Denali owner. Tundra is the best truck I have ever owned.

 

@Grey Wolf ...The truth!

If you want a heated steering wheel, vibrating seats, coffee warmers, back scratchers, nose hair trimmer...opps well not really you won’t find this in a Tundra. Just more “so called” high tech issues. No, I will pass.

What you will find is reliability. At least I have, and I don’t need car eye candy, just a solid reliable truck.

 

Bingo.

 

Tech stuff missing? LOL I don't know cause I don't want to spend $60 grand for a truck first of all. Secondly, all the so called missing tech can be installed after market.
Most can be done aftermarket and for cheaper than OEM installed.

Here's some that I know was lacking on my SR5 compared to my 16 silverado LT,
- android auto,car play (easily upgrade-able will probably do it in the future)
- auto tail gate lock/unlock (already done)
- remote start (might do it in the future, not sure I don't really care)
- backup camera telemetry /etc (i use my mirrors to backup most of the time anyways)
- No internet WIFI or ability to view your truck info online
- another gimmicky stuff

But to be fair, the SR5 has adaptive cruise control that my chevy didn't and Toyota safety sense(whatever it's called). I would have to go way up on the Chevy trim to get this compared to my Tundra.

Honestly, do I want all those modules to break? no, so it's probably easier to keep it simple stupid.

 

Absolutely. If I want luxury, go buy a Benz or BMW. It is nice to have a few luxury items and with my 1794, I have an extra 12k in my pocket over an F-150. I want to buy American (and the Tunrda definitely is!), but the Ford and Chevy's are just crap for the 60k they charge. Very disappointing.

 

I want to drive the right way, not be lazy and use a button LOL. Real skills can be transferred.

 

I just came to a 2019 Tundra from a 2017 Ram 2500 Laramie. Before that, a 2010 Raptor. Before that, a 1998 Chevy 1500.

The Chevy... well it was a GM truck from the 90s. The Raptor has a revolutionary jump forward. The Ram was an even bigger jump and the class leader in "tech" when I bought it.

The Tundra falls somewhere between the Chevy and Raptor, in terms of "luxury" as well as "tech" with one major exception: dynamic cruise control. I can't tell ya how much I enjoy and appreciate DCC in the Tundra.

With all that said, I've enjoyed every one of the 2k miles in the Tundra so far more than I ever enjoyed any of the 38k I put on the Ram. There's just this sense of toughness in the Tundra that the Ram never had. Hard to explain. Is it the lack of "tech"? Maybe its the lack of "luxury" feel? Can't say. Probably both.

Maybe the best way I can answer your question is this: what have I gone to use in the Tundra that I was used to having in the Ram?
-all four windows auto up and down. No excuse for Toyota not putting this in the Tundra SR5, IMHO.
-push button start (coming in 2020 for the Tundra)
--but that's not fair; I do miss it when I'm jumping in to drive, but I DO NOT miss it when trying to listen to the radio outside the truck when washing it, for example. The auto off timer (10mins?) killed me. No such problem with a keyed ignition of the Tundra
-auto locking tailgate. Add a PopNLock to the Tundra and that's solved
-keyless entry. I do miss just grabbing the door handle and having the doors unlock automatically. I quickly adjusted though and now its barely a thought
-remote start; I used it a handful of times with the Ram and yeah it was nice. I don't miss it enough to add aftermarket to the Tundra though. This probably has a lot to do with the climate you're in.
-is a larger gas tank a "luxury"? I'd say yes. Not cool Toyota doesn't make the bigger tank available as a stand alone upgrade/option.
-... that's about it

It really boils down to what you like. If you want to feel like you're climbing into a resort every time you drive, the Tundra isn't for you. If however you're willing to know you're in a "truck", and enjoy it as such, then yeah the Tundra should be at the top of your list. I have to admit I was seduced by the Ram. But when the honeymoon wore off, I missed whatever it is we're talking about here; I just never felt 'that' with the Ram. So far, I do every time with the Tundra.

 

Odd thing is I see more RAM's or Dodges on the side of the road than any other trucks LOL. Driving from Portland down to California and back, i've done that road many times.. never once had I seen a Toyota.

Techs will not help - I'd take reliability over tech any day.

 

Well, yeah. Maybe some of my feelings about that truck are tainted by the fact that I had it back to the dealer more than 10 times (stopped counting after 10) in the 38k miles I had it.

I mentioned it in another thread but a friend of mine has had a very similar experience with his 2018 F150. He's ready to turn in those keys.

By now (2k miles) I'd already had the Ram in 3 times. Not a single hiccup with the Tundra, so far.

 

I've learned to appreciate reliability over features. my F***K**G Piece of S**T Acura has every single bell and whistle from dynamic cruise with stop/start, to rear cross, to S-AHC, to remote start, you name it, it has it, and at some point in the near future all of it will break because the cars a F***K**G Piece of S**T (sigh, ok rant over...). The ONLY thing I would have liked to see on my Tundra that even the Tacoma has is a bed 110v. I saw that and it was like..oh man.. I very often need 110V plug in the bed.

 

Had one in my Ram. Never used it. Added my own. The OEM came with a stupid low amp rating.

 

Intermittent wipers.... and ac

 

the Tacoma is 400W so that's roughly 3.6 amps? thats enough to use some basic items outdoors, I don't use my Truck for any kind of work, so it would be ok. If I used my truck for work on a worksite, I can see that being a little low.

 

I wish there was keyless entry, push start, car play, and wireless charging. After driving the new tacoma, the tundra seems very outdated.

 

Toyota closed the gap quite a bit with TSS. The 2020 MY is supposed to have push button start and the apple/android features. Only thing missing would be 360 degree camera. None of those were a necessity for me. The 38 gallon tank was the one I wanted the most.

They wouldn’t have to change much to get more sales. 6.5’ bed in CM and add a few more mpg and there wouldn’t be much to complain about.

 

For the most part, I'm good with what's in the Tundra. I think most people who say it's outdated are looking for a luxury car with the image of a truck, and don't really need a truck. There's plenty of nice features in it for me. The few things I wish it had are really pretty inconsequential.

 

cylinder deactivation, turbos, a bidet for da bootie... all of which I have no interest. Tundra is perfect for me.

I like a key, a gas cap, 6 speed transmission.

 

Not everyone thinks it lacks technology, I bought a truck for truck purposes and it has more than enough technology for me, 2014 limited 4x4. People that complain about the tech bought the wrong truck, my phone has all the technology I need. I need my truck to start, get me from A and B and be reliable. I never went to my friends or family and go “look at this cool technology in my truck”, I have more than enough self-esteem I don’t need anyone’s approval.