Well not exactly a Tundra owner...yet...

So long story short I am prematurely getting rid of my 2017 4Runner. It really is a great truck however now that I have a small commuter car I am able to seriously look at a Tundra.

My wife owns a highlander so I truly don’t want an SUV again and the Tacoma is out of the question because I really don’t trust putting a 800 pound ATV in the bed. In addition to the questionable drivetrain. I have two kids in booster seats and plan on using the Tundra for some road trips. The plan is to get the double cab because I need the space for the ATV and otherwise it kinda of defeats the purpose of having a full-size pickup for me. I do miss a my 2nd gen Tacoma bed.

So ultimately I would like hear about cons/pros from anyone who has gone from a 5th gen 4Runner to a Tundra, putting booster seats in a double cab, and hauling an ATV in the bed. I do tow long distances but generally lighter loads. This really was my only complaint with the 4Runner...not designed for towing at all.

I realize it a much larger truck but I grew up driving full-size truck in NYC. And gas mileage is going to be horrible. I only put about 7k a year and I want to keep it 8 to 10 years.

I appreciate all input thanks!

 

Welcome!

 

Welcome then not exactly gonna welcome you from Colorado

 

Welcome from Ontario Canada

 

Welcome from NC! My personal suggestion with two children is to go CM and get a bed extender. You will wish you had the extra interior space....

 

If you're hauling the ATV + the family, AND you're comfortable with a larger truck, I would recommend considering a crewmax with either the 6.5 foot bed or 8ft bed. We looked at the doublecab, but went crewmax - there's just so much more room. Seriously, I have joked about putting a mini-fridge, microwave, and tv back there to turn it into a man-cave. Plus, the CM back doors are HUGE - should make it a breeze putting the car seats in. The DC would be more of a struggle. Definitely go sit in both cab configurations before you rule one or the other out.

Welcome, and happy hunting for your Tundra!

 

Howdy from Alabama.

 

Welcome from southern NJ.

T

 

Welcome from NY.

 

Welcome from Ohio

 

welcome from So Cal

 

Welcome

 

Welcome, read up on the Tundra payload before you make any permanent plans. The Taco and the Tundra have close to the same payload, though the Tundra will do a much better and safer job of pulling the weight. A lot of people that buy these to load them up are surprised when they read that door jamb. Payload on a crewmax 4x4 is somewhere around 1100lbs I believe. An 800lb atv, family and gear will surely go over. I go over payload all the time, I shouldn't but I do. I love my truck and wouldn't trade it for anything, just keeping it real with you. Its info you should know

 

Hello and welcome from S.W. Oregon, we love our DC and have had large people riding in the back seat, I've never ridden back there but I have sat in the seats and they are really pretty comfortable.

 

I have a DC with 2 kids. The child seat can be a pain because it is huge. Boosters would be just fine. The whole family doesn't go in the truck all that often, but if the kids think they need more room, they sure don't let it be known...they beg to go in the truck instead of our large SUV that has considerably more room. I don't regret getting the DC. It is a good compromise. I wanted a Tundra but a 5.5-5.75' bed on any truck is a deal killer for me.

 

It’s funny but a lot of what your guys are saying has been said by the couple of Tundra owners I spoke to. My coworker has a 2010 DC and my neighbor has a 2018 DC. The both have grow children 12 to 17 on the average height size and all the kids prefer taking the Tundra on any trips. My coworkers wife has a fully loaded Highlander and my neighborhoods wife has a Ford Explorer. And they both love theirs trucks.

I am only 5’5 and my wife is 5’3 so we keep the seats in the middle. My daughter is in a booster and my son is about to get one. For me personally I can’t justify getting a full-size with a small bed just I will use it. There are times my 5 x 8 trailer is too small.

I did notice the payload rating. Lucky the only time I will be putting my Yamaha Grizzly 700 in the bed will be when I am meeting people to ride. Otherwise I would put my son’s future 90cc in the bed and use my trailer for mine. My wife and daughter are not even remotely interested is any Offroad activities.

Thanks again for all the advice and info greatly appreciated and I am looking to pull the trigger very soon.

 

We just got ours about a month ago and we love it. We ended up going with the CrewMax only because I thought about the # of times I said "I need more truck bed space...." and it was a VERY distant second to the # of times I said "I need more backseat space." Any larger and I feel like I'd need a set of walkie-talkies to communicate with the kid. LOL

Were it me, knowing you plan on holding on to it for a while, I'd personally go with a CrewMax and purchase a small trailer (assuming you don't have one). A bit more of a PITA than loading it in the bed, I'm sure, but as the kids get older, you'll want the backseat space (or rather they will), and you can load a LOT more in a trailer than you can in the back of any of the truck bed sizes that a Tundra offers, Double Cab or CrewMax. Just my .02.

 

Howdy from DFW and

 

Here ya go!