Thoughts, review. First new truck in 17 years.

(Sorry for the long post, just getting out my thoughts...)
Hello. I thought that, after 6 weeks with my new truck, I would do a review. I've owned Toyota 4x4 trucks since '94, and now I own a '19 Limited TRD-OR 4x4. My point of view is that of a woman who does not mod her trucks; they gotta work right for me and my usage 'out of the box'. This is most important as I can't lift my truck because work parking has a 7'2" clearance, and I've got the coveted structure permit (close to my building on a UC campus) that I am not giving up. And while my father taught me how to change oils, and tune a car back in the old timing light days with carburetors, (and weld front ends on), I really don't fix my trucks any more. They gotta work right.

Well, my last Tundra was a 2002 SR5 4x4 extra suicide door cab. Loved it. I was the original owner and had it 2 months shy of 17 years. I've been off road with it everywhere west of the Mississippi. This is the bar I am comparing my new Tundra to.

Interior. Well, it has some really odd things about it, nitpicking yes, but odd. First off, my old Tundra had a really useful storage space under the rear seats. Along with the jack and tire irons, I was able to put some open end wrenches and a socket set, and a last ditch can of tire inflator and some rags. The new truck lacks this space, and I see that others here have remarked the same. Yes it can be added, but it's quite a few $$ to add such a small space. Yes the sound system really sucks, and needs a sub woofer bad. The old Tundra did as well but I think it sounded better. Now, I'm a short 5' 1.5" woman, and to Toyota's credit, both on the old and on the new, it was easy to set up the drivers seat to accommodate me. However, the location of the side view mirrors on the new Tundra make a blind spot. On the old Tundra, they were more forward and not in the way. But on the new, they block my view of close items on the sides and I have to take the time to crane my head around. Maybe taller bigger people would not have this issue, but I do. Otherwise, the view around the truck is very good, I almost don't bother with the blind spot indicators as I see what is going on around me. The leather seats are a bit hard but they are comfortable despite this, and the dark/light grey works well with the white exterior. The heating, AC and defrosters work great, and having defrosters for the side mirrors and rear window is a great plus over the old truck. Very small nitpick- the dome lights go out 2 seconds after locking the doors; a few more seconds to get the key in the ignition in the dark would be nice.

Performance. I have not been off the beaten track yet. That's next weekend, thank you Presidents day. But around town and on the freeway, this truck lacks for nothing in the getup and go (5.7L). It is a quieter truck than the last, in terms of both engine noise and that sound of power one wants at the back. The ride is stiffer but I like that. But the feel at the steering wheel is less precise. It takes more small steering corrections to keep it tracking straight as compared to the 2002, which I could thread the eye of a needle with if I had to. The feel at the wheel is also more soft. It almost feels like I am turning a wheel that is connected to a vat of lard, it's very smooth but leaves me feeling somewhat disconnected from the road. I prefer more feedback. It's not bad, just a preference. This may change when I change tires, which I won't do until I test what I have in the Mojave sand. They may be good enough to keep for a year, we shall see. In the rain, they work very well. We've had a lot (for us) of rain the last few weeks and this new Tundra feels confident in the wet. No issues with handling in emergency braking or on twisty roads in a downpour.

Tech. Ok, some people want Apple I-junk play (sorry I phones suck) or Android play but this is unimportant for me. I put all my music on a stick and play from that, which is great. The old truck had just a CD and tape player so I have come from the stone age here and love the improvements. The navigation works well but hearing it say '1 mile ahead, heavy traffic' as I sit stopped on the freeway, is good for a laugh. And I need that on the freeway. The small LCD between the gauges provides details on navigation, making it easy to quick glance when a change is coming up. I don't need to add 'apps' or watch movies here, what it offers is what I need. What I do wish it had, was push button start. I don't mind pressing a button to unlock the doors, but it would be nice to be free of that dang key. Maybe something can be added at a later date??

Yes, I love the new truck. Is it perfect, no, nothing is. Things like the side view mirrors are partially due to me being smaller, for sure, than the target 'audience'. At least I can make it fit me well otherwise. The interior space is most welcome, lifting the rear seats gives me a good size space for large boxes or a good size cooler and bag of clothes for camping trips. When the XtraVision Snugtop is put on in a week, I'm going to mount a tool box to the rear rail for my emergency tools, along with my fire extinguisher. This is a full size truck for sure, it feels heavier and wider than the old Tundra, and very solid. No, I don't plan on trading it in for an ox drawn carriage (sorry green deal nonsense) I gladly accept the MPG which is about the same as my old trucks. I think that with a little luck I'll be driving it around 17 years from now, wondering if I need the laser 3d entertainment system and auto driver on the new one enough to trade it in. I might not...

 

I like that you included the half inch to your height, haha.

Congrats on the new truck and welcome to the forum. You should post some pictures of the truck!

 

The DC’s have a better storage, under the backseat is a fairly large storage bin. I suggest adding a few psi to the front tires, it does help for a little better feel. I added a rear swaybar and that helped tremendously with the steering feel and lean in the corners.

 

Welcome. You can change the light timer under vehicle settings thru the head unit.

 

Welcome from CO. Nice review. Not sure what to do after airplanes are eliminated...that greenie thing...lol..