Why I wouldn't be worried about reliability.

So, official price is unknown. ChrisFix posted a YouTube video about changing the battery pack in the Prius. He was able to find a quality refurbished pack that came with a warranty that was, I think, less than half of what the dealer cost was. I believe he got it for around 1200 and the dealer wanted like 2500-3000 for it.
My numbers may be way off... Let me find the link..


https://youtu.be/Q3RCdrh666w

 

Average hybrid battery life is way higher than people think. The battery they’re using in the tundra should last 10 years at least. Longer if you don’t let them get overheated. (Blocking the cooling system) there’s highlanders going 15 years with original batteries. When they do go figure 3k for Toyota replacement. Likely less sine the tundras setup appears to be much simiplier than a highlander


Hell hybrid taxis with no maintenance and 300k miles are plentiful

 

Just adding a turbo and removing cubic inches doesn't always equal better fuel efficiency. Two cars nearly identical. The Mazda Miata with the NA 2.0 L engine and the Fiat 124 using a 1.4 multiair turbo. Both cars get very similar real world MPG numbers. The Fiat with the smaller engine may have a slight edge traveling at slower than highway speeds on flat roads with no head winds. How often does that happen?

 

I think the TT V6 will be plenty reliable, just not Afgan desert million mile reliable. Which means it's fine for 99% of people. The bigger issue will be working on it, that is a lot of plumbing crammed in the bay that I don't think most Toyota Dealer techs will be familiar with.

As for MPG, sure the TT V6 and direct injection will be a plus but the larger impact will come from the weight savings and aero. My 2020 Silverado 5.3L with the DFM "4 cyl mode" disabled still pulled 20mpg all day long on the same trip my Tundra gets 14mpg from. Both stock V8 but a difference in 1300lbs per the city dump scale and more aero on the front of the Silverado. Again the downside is aluminum is a B to fix and manufacturers never use enough to compensate for the strength of not being steel. The new Tundra's front end also looks like its composed of many different sections of plastic which will all attack each other in any sort of a collision. Sure the current gen doesn't offer a ton of protection as is but it's easy enough to replace parts on it and damaging one part doesn't necessarily mean that the damage will transfer to another.

All in all, I may buy one because it's still the most reliable truck and I love turbos for elevation traveling but I'm in no rush.

 

EDIT: Control unit has been calibrated to current tire size. It also provides a really accurate speedometer function that matches the GPS exactly, unlike the dash speedometer which is off about 7% due to larger rubber.

This was July 17th. Took the photo because I had just replaced knock sensors (thank you mice and chipmunks). 7.3 mile drive to work. Neutral when I can, cruise control otherwise. Country roads, a few stop signs, lots of rolling hills. The tranny wasn’t even fully warmed up yet (159* vs the usual 180-190).
Yep. It’s possible if you don’t drive like you stole it. Haha.
That being said, I can knock that mpg down to 12-13 in a hurry if I choose to do so, but at the cost of saving 1-2 minutes on my drive? Meh.

 

7 miles….

I can probably get 30+ mpg rolling down 50+ mile stretch of I-17 … that doesn’t mean I get 30 mpg.

 

You do you bud!

 

You too! BTW, coasting in neutral is illegal most places if you care about that kind of thing… Guessing you don’t since you’re hypermiling a lifted Tundra…

 

People have been complaining about battery replacement costs for decades now, since the Prius was even first announced. Yet its never been a real issue. My dad got 360k on his Prius and it was a headgasket failure that put the nail in the coffin, battery health was still solid. Even with battery issues, servicing the battery yourself isn't as scary as people think. With EV's becoming the standard you're just gonna need to learn and become comfortable working on those systems.

 

It's also illegal to turn your vehicle off at stop lights but now every vehicle manufacturer requires you to do it.

 

Technically the vehicle remains “on” even if the ICE cuts out while stopped.

 

Dammit... he got you on a technicality, which he can do, technically.

Reload your artillery, adjust fire and fire for effect. One you have him bracketed you can drop shells directly upon him.