Toyota’s answer to the Ford F-150, RAM 1500 and GM Chevrolet Silverado 1500 is set to hit the Australian market this November.
The demand for vehicles capable of towing 3500kg-plus is growing as trailer weights with boats, caravans and light machinery increase in size.
Enter the US-built Toyota Tundra — a 1500 Series cab on chassis ‘truck’ built to compete with market leaders Ford, RAM and GM, sharing similar specifications for weight, size, engine ratings and load and towing capacities. Like its competitors, it is remanufactured locally from left-hand drive to right, this time by the Walkinshaw Automotive Group.
What do we know so far?
The Tundra is built on the TNGA-F platform that also underpins the LandCruiser 300 Series and soon-to-released Prado 250. Car companies have been moving to more modular platforms for years now, but single-market variants — like the Tundra — do not share that many components with their platform siblings.
The Tundra is powered by a 3.5L twin-turbo V6 i-FORCE MAX powertrain that generates a combined 326kW of power and 790Nm of torque thanks to its hybrid power system. That’s right, like most new Toyota vehicles, the Tundra lands as a mild hybrid. Technically, the V6 makes 290kW, with the e-motor making up the difference.
Unfortunately, unlike the recently announced Ford Ranger PHEV, the Tundra’s battery is small at only 1.87kW/h and not useable as a mobile power station. The combined power figures trump main rivals in the Ford F-150 by 28kW and 112Nm, the RAM by 35kW and 234Nm and the Silverado 1500 by 13kW and 166Nm — quite the difference.
The Tundra’s turbo-six runs its power through a 10-speed automatic transmission that is mated to a part-time 4WD system with a dual-range transfer case.
As we all do, owners of the Tundra will no doubt add on accessories like extra fuel capacity (standard is 122L), frontal protection, bigger (and better) wheels and tyres at least … which raises a slight issue. With a kerb weight of 2778kg and a GVM of 3536kg, you’ll want to pick light options or look at a GVM upgrade immediately after purchase. The Tundra is to launch with a paltry 758kg payload — less than its HiLux counterparts and well below what we run, with Hema Maps’ stout LandCruiser 70 Series.
Why? Because the Tundra — like its competition — is designed for mass appeal, not a rural workforce, so it comes with the upscale comfort befitting of a high-end European vehicle, including:
- 20-inch alloy wheels
- Leather-accented seats that are both massaging and ventilated
- 14-inch infotainment touchscreen
- Wireless Apple CarPlay and wired Android Auto
- 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster
- 10.9-inch head-up display
- A big speaker and audio system
- Dual-zone climate control
- Trailer brake controller
For those that tow, that comfort will be well appreciated, and with a 4500kg maximum braked tow capacity, it is more capable than the LandCruiser 300 Series by a long way.
Its 7825kg GCM is reasonable but like many vehicles sold here, you cannot run it at its max GVM and tow capacity combined, as you would be overweight. Where the Tundra will do well is at towing 4000kg with a moderate on-board load.
The Walkinshaw Automotive Group is the partner for the Atteco Group (importers for RAM, among others) and GMSV (the company behind the locally sold Chevy Silverado 1500), so they have plenty of experience having remanufactured more than 30,000 RAMs alone. Only Ford doesn’t use the Clayton-based business for its job making US trucks legal locally, choosing to use RMA Automotive, a close local partner to Ford Australia.
According to Toyota Australia, it has taken six years to bring the Tundra to market, so we know this is not a reaction to the roaring success of the RAM and its counterparts. Six years ago, the RAM was selling in the hundreds of units a year, not thousands.
So, why enter the market at all? As mentioned previously, demand for vehicles with big towing capacities is increasing plus if they sell well in the States, surely they will here too (Ford sold more than 650,000 F-150s in 2023 alone).
For more information on the incoming Tundra, head here.
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