Should I trade 2023 tundra for 2021 gmc 2500?

I swear I have scoured Craigslist with “manual or 5-speed”. Desperate for anything lol give me a Tercel

 

My dude got a whip for each day of the week. Lordy.

 

Doubles as an excellent anti-theft device.

 

After about a week of comparing both trucks side by side, here’s my conclusion:

Fuel Mileage:
It’s about even overall. I’m averaging around 15 mpg on both trucks when not paying attention to mileage. If I drive carefully:

Highway: 16.5 mpg in the Tundra, 22 mpg in the GMC.

City: 14 mpg in the Tundra, 15 mpg in the GMC.


Comfort:
The GMC has a slight edge due to its more comfortable seats and larger cabin.

Ride Quality:
The Tundra takes this one, even with the lift and rear airbags.

Looks:

Exterior: GMC

Interior: Tundra (in my opinion).


Interior Materials:
This one’s not even close—GMC is far better here.

Technology:
The Tundra wins in this category.

Exterior Quality:
GMC takes the lead here as well.

Mechanical:
The Tundra has the edge. After inspecting both suspensions, frames, and drivetrains on a lift, the Tundra looks better-built overall, with superior frame coating and durability.

Feel Behind the Steering Wheel:
It’s a draw. The Tundra feels sportier, while the GMC feels more rugged with lighter steering.

Which One I’ll Keep:
This was a tough decision. I’ll hold onto both for a few months, but long-term, I’m keeping the Tundra. Despite its cheap and plasticky interior, it’s overall a much more enjoyable vehicle for my needs. Since I don’t need a towing powerhouse, the Tundra is the better choice for me.

 

Even though I like the Tundra more overall, I still think Toyota really dropped the ball with the newest generation. The interior is a disaster: painted vents with overspray on the sides, cheap plastics, and my driver’s seat already has the infamous crack forming.

The sound system was terrible (though I upgraded it, thanks to the advice from forum members). And the button placement? Completely baffling—like the heated steering wheel button or the odometer trim reset button. It’s almost like the designers were trying to frustrate people.

I’ve honestly never wanted to punch someone for designing an interior before, but this might be a first. The decisions are so bad it feels like sabotage, or like the engineers were drunk and high the entire time.

That said, I still prefer the Tundra over the GMC. I just hope whoever handled the interior design and material selection gets fired—or maybe goes back to working for Tesla, lol

 

The Tundra is definitely half baked.

This is what happens when a product is designed by people working remotely from home. I don’t think there was enough hands on in person collaboration between engineering and design teams for the entire development process. It’s Toyota’s COVID vehicle and it shows.

 

sounds like gizmos over long term quality. BUT you know that, and you have like 100 cars so long term isn't so important. Hopefully you get some real enjoyment out of it!

 

I guess this means you mostly do city driving?

 

I feel like you already made this choice before - albeit vs. the GMC 1500 when you purchased the Tundra new. What made you choose the Toyota then? The look of the truck was a a factor for me (last truck was 2013 gmc sierra 1500) when I bought the Tundra

so I was surprised to hear the looks nod went to gmc

 

I like the looks of each truck! I like the interior layout of the Tundra a bit more, but the 24 GM's look much better than the 23 that we got.

 

Mostly highway driving with some city. I tend to have a heavy foot

 

IMO, this is a really good write up. I don't agree on the technology being better in the Tundra and I hold the interior quality in higher regard than you do but I came out of an F150. My interior at 20K and 1.5yrs is showing no wear anywhere with zero creaks or rattles. I like the whoosh of the Tundra much better even if some of them go whoosh bang.

 

Here's the surprise. It's a 7 speed and it's actually a good shifting well spaced gear set. I doesn't have any of the skip shift BS or the final gear that falls off the rev cliff. The auto ones are faster but I like the stick.

The Tundra transmission might be my favorite automatic I've ever had. It's smooth as silk and always seems to be in the right gear regardless of being empty or pulling a trailer. I thought 10 speeds were bullshit, I was wrong. My F150 had one and it was ok except for this kick in the ass clunk every 1/3 time going into reverse. Going forward, it was great too.

 

In that case, your numbers make no sense.

 

Not GM but a RAM Dodge Cummins user for decades. But my comments are still relevant to you Gas vs Diesel question.

Dura Max is an OK motor; Allison trans is VERY good. (To me the ultimate HD truck Cummins Motor, Allison Trans-Can always wish) I will not engage in a diatribe which motor is better, but Cummins is used in capital equipment and has fewer parts.

Diesel - Ton per gallon. No gas motor can surpass this efficiency, the point is moving and stopping lots of weight. Diesel does well on long runs. Cold is bad. They have wind screens for a real reason. (My experience is with Cummins) 49,000 mile is barely broken in. A well-maintained diesel will exceed 250-300,000 miles and beyond. My Cummins have exceeded 300,000 and are still running.

Maintenace is not a big deal-change the oil, use fleet guard filters and Delo oil. The most IMPORTANT relative to diesel is the fuel filter and water separator. This relates to the injectors. Not a big cost unless neglected. I have always maintained the filters (again fuel filter most important) and have never replaced an injector or pump. Unless you are hauling heavy weight you will gain little switching. Some of these comments regarding extra ordinary frequent maintenance in my opinion are not correct. Diesel do not have the ignition parts that gas motors. You purchase a diesel for the capacity and low maintenance.

The Tundra has a boxed motor linked to a 10 speed trans and has ample torque. Me personally why is this guy trading a barely broken in HD truck. Don't buy someone else's headache. If it has been modified-Exhaust (Cat-DEF system)-Oversized tires-Turbo-Trans-Crazy lift. I would not touch the vehicle.

Good luck rationalizing the proper decision.

 

Why?

When not paying attention to gas mileage, I averaged about 15 MPG in both trucks (over approximately 200 miles in GMC and much more in tundra) with about 60% highway and 40% city driving. Specifically, I got 14.8 MPG in the Tundra and 15.5 MPG in the GMC.

When I drove carefully—being mindful of the gas pedal and watching my driving habits—I achieved 22.3 MPG in the GMC while commuting from Wasilla to Anchorage, and 16.6 MPG in the Tundra (calculated by hand).

 

Thank you for providing so much useful information about maintenance!


The GMC I got is bone stock with no deletes. I’m the second owner, and the only modifications the original owner made were adding running boards and a higher-trim front grille. He sold it because he mostly used it as a daily driver and for towing a trailer with a side-by-side on weekends. It was more truck than he needed, so he switched to a half-ton truck (another GM, by the way).

So far, so good—the 2500HD drives like a dream. But honestly, I’m in a similar situation. I don’t haul or tow big loads. Most of the time, I drive it empty for estimates—and, let’s be honest, just to look cool, lol.

 

You said you get 15 city in each truck and you're averaging 15 with each truck but most of your driving is highway?

 

I think the usage should help in determining the suitable choice. In my case, the truck is not a daily driver. If there is a need to drive the unloaded truck more often, then fuel economy, operating costs and comfort should be top of the list. If you are towing or carrying cargo something designed to handle the cargo and move the mass would be the better choice.

I was guilty of trying to do both with my Tundra and my expectations of what my Tundra could do were messed up. The payload sticker was a neon sign telling me that my truck was light duty for hauling and excessive plastic front and rear and missing hooks were screaming to avoid off-roading It was nice to drive if I compared it to my car.

When you load it up or put a different tire that has a tread or is an inch bigger this is when you can see the struggle the V6 has to stay economical. Boost is fun but not if you want good economy.

I am okay with the cost of diesel (ours is probably the most expensive in North America) and the added expense of DEF etc... We have always used 91 or better premium fuel which is the same or greater than the cost of diesel. My Tundra was never really good on fuel always running at around 19l/100kms (12.9 mpg) no matter how much or little I pushed it.

I was mulling over the DTE (and I had the bigger 32 gal tank in the Tundra) would show me ~490 kms after filling it up.
The 3500 has a 34 gal tank so a few gallons bigger and shows a DTE of ~830 kms after filling. However, after a 50 km city drive, the estimated range only went down by 30 kms. The "Guess - O - Meter" is fun but never completely accurate.

Both of these designs seem to keep a good amount of fuel in the tank for pump cooling or whatever other reason. If we look at ~24 gallons of available fuel in each truck, there is a significant difference in the estimated range. This is just my experience and limited at that. I haven't seen the real results of the 3500 but I expect that the mileage will be better if doing the same work. If I add the extras and maintenance, it will probably be close.

The Tundra was running 34" AT tires. The 3500 has 34" AT tires as well but those were just put on so similar hit to the rotational mass.

There is a case for both trucks... It is hard to compare them straight across as they serve different functions/duties. There, I said it "duties"!

 

Well congrats!!

I cannot stress the fuel filter and water separator enough. If you keep dirt and algae that can grow in diesel during warm months out of the fuel system you are good to go. There is no magic running these motors. Just follow what the manufacturer. Don't get into the coal burning mod-snake oil crowd and your unit will last a long time. Under optimal circumstances they will outlast a most American gas motors but remember they also pull and stop up three times the weight. If you use as an unloaded daily driver, get use to slowing down as opposed to hard braking, you would be surprised how long components last.

Last we shut down diesel units (not turn off), we use fuel (not gas) and you mash the throttle to accelerate (no gas pedal). LOL

Cheers and enjoy!

 

That would be awesome!
I really appreciate all the information you provided. Thank you!

 

Gauging by the poll above, there seem to be many Prius lovers here, lol. One more vote is needed for this option to win!

 

I hope they get their heads out of their butts for the refresh. It’s definitely a half baked product. I’m wondering if Toyota Japan limited the budget a bit more on this one since they don’t want the American truck lineup anyways.

 

Wouldn’t surprise me if the Tundra budget was very constrained.

 

In these four page that I read, there is some good general truck knowledge. Interesting