2021 Toyota Tundra TRD Video Review: MotorTrend Buyer's Guide

MotorTrend

Jonny Lieberman explores if the new 2021 Toyota Tundra has enough features and capability to gain an edge over the competition in this Buyer’s Guide.

Transcript

00:00 This is the 2021 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro.

00:03 The Tundra is the biggest pickup truck

00:05 that Toyota sells in the US,

00:07 and the TRD Pro badge means that this is

00:09 the most off-road capable Tundra in the lineup.

00:12 However, can the Tundra's tried and true status

00:14 really give it an edge over higher tech

00:16 and more modern competitors?

00:18 Let's find out.

00:19 Before we go any further,

00:24 let's take a brief look at the history of the Tundra.

00:27 It's been around since the 2000 model year,

00:29 and for 2007, it got a new generation,

00:32 this second generation Tundra.

00:34 Now, 2007 was the year that I graduated high school in,

00:37 and when I say that, I kind of feel old.

00:39 So you can imagine how the Tundra feels

00:42 when it competes against players like the F-150,

00:45 the Ram 1500, the Chevy Silverado,

00:48 all of which have received new generations recently.

00:51 In order to be a prime player

00:52 in the most competitive segment in the industry,

00:55 you have to be more capable

00:56 and you have to have more technology.

00:59 One thing that the Tundra does nail,

01:01 despite all these years of not getting updates,

01:03 is the design.

01:04 And I mean, just look at it.

01:06 I love the way that it looks.

01:08 I love the aggressiveness.

01:09 I love the macho and the toughness that it has.

01:12 And that starts with how wide the grill is, right?

01:15 It gives it a lot of presence on the road.

01:17 I love the way that the Toyota letters

01:19 are spelled out across the grill.

01:21 And then as part of the TRD Pro package,

01:23 you do get a hood scoop and you get a ski plate.

01:25 The ski plate, of course, helps with off-roading.

01:28 And moving on to the side,

01:30 I love the way that the proportions look.

01:32 The big cab and the short bed really stand out

01:35 in the TRD Pro.

01:36 You do get 18-inch wheels, black wheels.

01:39 And then moving on to the rear,

01:40 that's probably not the strongest point,

01:43 the strongest viewpoint,

01:45 but you do get dual exhaust tubes

01:47 as part of the TRD Pro package.

01:49 Now, one thing that I do want to point out

01:50 and I love about it is the color.

01:53 Toyota has been playing around with colors recently

01:55 and this lunar rock really stands out in the Tundra.

01:59 So I'm inside the Toyota Tundra

02:02 and right away you can tell

02:03 that this is where it shows its age, right?

02:06 I sit here in the driver's seat

02:07 and I look at the center console

02:09 and I feel like I'm taking a trip back to 2010s or something.

02:13 The small screen, for example,

02:15 you just don't see it in today's trucks.

02:16 We're used to seeing iPad-like screens.

02:19 The plastic around the center console

02:22 is just kind of cheap, kind of old.

02:26 And the design itself is just old, really.

02:28 I do want to point out a couple of cool things.

02:31 The big knobs, it's something that resonates in a truck.

02:36 The big shifter too,

02:37 you kind of want to feel in control of the big truck, right?

02:39 So if you have gloves or something,

02:41 you always want to be able to grab the knobs and the shifter.

02:45 Now, this is a TRD Pro model.

02:47 So what that means is you're going to get

02:48 some interior appointments,

02:50 like the leather seats with red stitching

02:53 across the door panels, the dashboard,

02:56 also the TRD Pro logos across the cabin,

02:59 like in the back seats here in the center console

03:01 or in the shifter.

03:03 In terms of interior materials,

03:04 it's a mixed bag, to be honest.

03:06 There's here in the A-pillar and the door panels,

03:09 there's just a lot of hard plastics,

03:11 but the leather seats do feel soft and pretty comfortable.

03:14 And actually here in this cabin,

03:16 because it's a big CrewMax cabin,

03:18 I feel like I have a ton of space up here

03:20 and those sitting in the rear

03:21 will also be having a lot of legroom and headroom.

03:24 Overall, inside there's pros and cons

03:27 like in every vehicle, right?

03:28 So the biggest con I think is the old design,

03:31 but the pros are the leather seats,

03:33 the comfort and the interior space.

03:35 Let's talk about performance.

03:38 So TRD stands for Toyota Racing Development.

03:40 So naturally everything that has a TRD Pro badge

03:43 means that it is going to be pretty fast, right?

03:46 Well, not really.

03:47 Every Tundra is powered by a 5.7 liter V8 engine

03:51 that delivers 381 horsepower and 401 pound feet of torque.

03:56 In terms of capability, it can tow 10,200 pounds

04:00 and it can hold just north of 1,700 pounds.

04:03 That's actually a little bit behind the competition.

04:05 Newer players like the F-150 or the Ram 1500

04:09 do have a little bit more capability than the Tundra.

04:12 And in terms of fuel economy,

04:13 it delivers 13 miles per gallon in the city,

04:16 17 on the highway,

04:18 and that makes it the least fuel efficient truck

04:20 in the segment.

04:21 Now for Toyota, a company that for the past 20, 25 years

04:25 has been focusing on fuel economy,

04:27 that's just not great.

04:28 I do want to point out that this is a TRD Pro trim

04:31 and what that means is that you get nicer shocks

04:33 and a two inch lift.

04:34 So in terms of off-road capability, it is pretty good.

04:37 So like the GMC Sierra and the Chevy Silverado,

04:41 the Tundra gets a four star rating from the NHTSA,

04:44 which is actually a pretty good thing.

04:46 It also comes with a list of safety features

04:49 like lane departure warning, automatic head beams,

04:52 adaptive cruise control that works at speeds

04:54 of over 25 miles per hour,

04:56 and automatic emergency braking.

04:58 So although it's not the safest truck out there,

05:01 it's a rather safe truck.

05:03 So how much is a Toyota Tundra?

05:05 Well, the base truck starts at just north of $35,000,

05:09 which is a little bit more expensive than the competition.

05:12 But again, the V8 engine is standard across the lineup

05:15 in the Tundra,

05:16 something that the competition doesn't have.

05:18 This trim right here, the TRD Pro,

05:20 starts just under 56 grand.

05:22 I think that's actually a pretty good value for your money

05:24 because you're getting a ton of off-road equipment for it.

05:27 You also get the extended cab and the shorter bed.

05:30 And also overall, the Tundra is a Toyota, right?

05:33 And Toyota owners brag about the reputation

05:36 and the reliability that the products come with.

05:39 So overall for a V8 truck,

05:41 I think the Tundra is priced right.

05:43 If there's one thing you should walk away with

05:46 about the Toyota Tundra, it's this.

05:48 After all these years, after 14 years of being around,

05:52 it still manages to look great.

05:54 It's very macho looking, very aggressive.

05:56 And for a truck, that's actually a good thing.

05:59 Now this TRD Pro trim, it's very good off-road.

06:02 It has the capability and it has the hardware to do so.

06:05 So if you're looking for a V8 truck,

06:08 I ask you to consider the Toyota Tundra TRD Pro.

06:11 For more on the cars we love,

06:14 be sure to visit motortrend.com/cars.

06:17 (upbeat music)

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