Toyota’s burly full-sized Tundra pickup gets some added standard features and optional mechanical, safety, convenience and exterior features for 2010.
Two new packages are also added: Tundra Platinum and Tundra Work Truck. The former, available only on the Limited CrewMax V8 with 5.7-liter engine, includes 20-inch alloy wheels, navigation system with backup monitor, premium audio system with Bluetooth, and a truckload of comfort, convenience and appearance-enhancing items.
The Work Truck package goes in the opposite direction, deleting a couple of convenience features and equipping Tundra with a heavy-duty vinyl bench seat, rubber-type flooring, and manual windows and outside mirrors. Trucks with this package are priced lower than the Tundra’s standard MSRP.
Among the additional options now available is an all-new 4.6-liter i-Force V8 engine, offered on all models. It’s paired with a six-speed automatic transmission, cranks out 310 horsepower and 327 lb-ft of torque, and is a towing juggernaut. A Double Cab 4×4 has a towing capacity of up to 10,300 pounds.
EPA fuel economy ratings for the 4.6-liter V8 are 15 mpg city and 20 mpg highway for 4×2 models. My 4×4 tester rates 14/19 mpg. Toyota points out that these ratings deliver “the best combination of power and fuel economy estimates of any standard V8 in the full-size pickup segment.”
With an overall height of 76.2 inches, the Tundra Double Cab 4×4 is not for the short-statured, especially if they are particularly short of leg. The average height for an adult male in the U.S. is 5 feet 9.2 inches, which is about how tall I am, and it still took a tad of effort for me to get into the truck’s cab. The grab bars were definitely utilized.
Once inside the cab, though, all is well. The view from way up there is commanding, providing increased safety as well as a sense of empowerment. Materials and build quality are of the highest order. And, Toyota is masterful at building passenger cabins that have everything you need right where you need it, and making use of every available space to create stowage spots, bins and compartments. It’s like they’ve hired professional clutter-clearers as design consultants. The tremendous amount of room in the Tundra cabin allows designers to super-size the bins, compartments and cupholders.
Ride comfort and cabin noise are at highly civilized levels.
The Tundra Double Cab has seating for six with the standard front bench seat, or five with the optional front buckets. The $185 bucket seat option includes a tilt and telescoping steering wheel and a center console with laptop and file storage.
My tester, equipped with the standard 6.5-feet bed, has a 5,385-pound curb weight, which the V8 had no trouble mobilizing. Tundra is enormous, so there’s no mistaking it for something dainty — but still, it’s pretty maneuverable, even in and out of tight parking spots.
This is a great workhorse of a truck; an attractive one, too. And the tester’s Salsa Red exterior paint made it look good enough to eat.
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