Price (as tested) 💲: $70,760
Powertrain ⚙️: Twin-Turbocharged 3.4-liter V6 Hybrid
Output 💪: 437 hp/583 lb-ft of torque
Transmission 🕹: 10-Speed Automatic
0-60 MPH 🚦: 5.8 seconds
Top Speed 💥: 107 mph
MPG (as tested) ⛽️: 18 city/20 hwy/19 combined
Curb weight ⚖️: 6,015 lbs
On the surface, the new Tundra is a knockout – especially in TRD Pro guise.
Rugged good looks, a new FOX Internal Bypass coil-over suspension, and 583 lb-ft of torque elevate the latest generation far beyond its origins.
And yet…no V8.
The move to a hybridized, twin-turbo V6 has sparked intense controversy among truck buyers.
Toyota, a brand renowned for its reliability, eschewed its bulletproof 5.7-liter V8 in favor of a forced induction hybrid that bumps both output and fuel economy, but introduces durability concerns.
Already, some owners have encountered turbo waste-gate failure, with dealers struggling initially to source replacement parts.
Toyota was quick to investigate the issue, and have since found a fix for all current Tundras and a new part supplier for all future units, but the hiccup has dampened the confidence of some constituents.
Some – not all. In fact, demand remains so strong for the new Tundra TRD Pro that even as the automotive market starts to cool, dealers are still getting away with $50K premiums over MSRP.
While $50K worth of price padding is extreme, the Tundra TRD Pro is well worth its $70K starting figure.
Its leather-trimmed cabin is packed with creature comforts, sizable screens, a full power-sliding rear window, and ample passenger space.
It’s hard not to miss the NA V8 growl, but the twin-turbo V6 serves up its own sonorous tune (enhanced by the JBL sound system).
Power is prodigious, ride quality is among the best in the full-size segment, and the composite bed can take a beating.
It’s hard to imagine Toyota’s new, significantly more complicated powertrain will hold up as effortlessly well as its stout, simple V8, but the gains to performance and efficiency may well be worth a couple extra service visits.