Long-Term Road Tests
2007 Toyota Tundra SR5 Double Cab
September 24, 2008
I was thinking the other day (always a dangerous proposition, I know) and wondering how all the current (or really, really recently departed) Edmunds/Inside Line long-term vehicles stack up against each other in fuel economy, at least the fuel economy we've been recording during their time with us. So I made a list. For you and for me. In case we were both wondering.
The only current vehicles missing from my list are the Audi R8 and the Dodge Grand Caravan, and that's because no one has entered any fuel data into the tracking spreadsheet for those vehicles yet. The very top and the very bottom of the list aren't going to surprise anybody (I don't think), but the middle is kinda interesting. Seeing the Rondo and the WRX so close to each other made me raise my eyebrows. Ditto the Ford GT's spot above the Veracruz. Ready to check it all out? Follow the jump with me.
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- Posted by: Bryn MacKinnon September 24, 2008, 10:06 AM
- Categories: 2002 BMW M3, 2004 Toyota Prius, 2005 Ford GT, 2005 Volkswagen Jetta GLS TDI, 2006 Lexus RX 400h, 2007 Chevrolet Silverado LT, 2007 Ford Edge SEL, 2007 Honda Civic GX, 2007 Honda Fit Sport, 2007 Kia Rondo, 2007 Saturn Aura XR, 2007 Toyota Tundra SR5 Double Cab, 2008 BMW 135i, 2008 BMW X5 4.8i, 2008 Buick Enclave CX, 2008 Cadillac CTS V6 DI, 2008 Ford Focus SES Coupe, 2008 Honda Accord EX-L V6, 2008 Hyundai Veracruz SE AWD, 2008 Mazda CX-9, 2008 Mercedes-Benz C300 Sport, 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X MR, 2008 Pontiac G8 GT, 2008 Scion xB, 2008 Smart Fortwo Passion Coupe, 2008 Subaru Impreza WRX STI, 2009 Ford Flex Limited, 2009 Nissan GT-R
August 4, 2008
So I took our long-term Tundra to Orange County's Little Saigon over the weekend. And I learned a few things.
(1) The most flavorful pho seems to be the kind that's packed with a bunch of random varieties of beef. I used to be a chicken pho man, but after slurping down some sublime broth containing filet mignon and like eight other parts of a cow, I was a convert.
(2) The Tundra's steering wheel doesn't telescope. What's the thinking here -- "Maybe people with long legs won't drive it"? The Tundra's chair-like driving position mitigates this annoyance to some extent: if you need to stretch your legs, you have the option of jacking the seat up a foot instead of sliding it back. But that tilts the cushion uncomfortably forward (another bad job), so it's an imperfect solution. The best I can say for Toyota in this regard is that our Silverado's wheel doesn't telescope either.
(3) Like many big V8s, the Tundra's does some of its most impressive work at extralegal speeds. Floor it at 60 mph, and this thing just keeps piling on the speed -- that is, until you remember it weighs a gajillion pounds and frantically hit the brakes. Nonetheless, I found myself thinking on a couple occasions that I wouldn't mind having a little more power on tap. Enter the optional dealer-installed supercharger, which bumps output to 504 hp and 550 lb-ft of torque (versus 381 hp and 401 lb-ft stock). I saw some unconfirmed reports that Tundras thus equipped are running quarter-miles in the mid-13s.
Josh Sadlier, Associate Editor, Edmunds.com @ 25,335 miles
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- Posted by: S.B. True August 4, 2008, 3:05 PM
- Categories: 2007 Toyota Tundra SR5 Double Cab
July 31, 2008
I haven't slimmed down for summer, I've chunked up. My scale didn't tell me. Nor was it the lack of attention from women on the beach. It wasn't even due to the fact my jeans are harder to put on or that I just powered down a foot-long Subway sandwich in under ten minutes. I know I became a little more festive in appearance because the Tundra told me so.
No, I'm not crazy. I know the Tundra can't actually talk, but you don't have to speak to say a lot.
In the past few days I've driven our Tundra to locations all around LA for photo shoots, errands and the like. While coming home late at night from two of those photo shoots I traveled the 405 south past Highway 101. It's there that the spacing in the freeways surface is the perfect distance to cause the Tundra to bounce in rapid succession.
The bouncing made me painfully aware of every lump of fat on my body. My gut, love handles, you name it. Actually, maybe it's best you don't mention anything. It was a little bit embarrassing, to be honest. The second time through the same section was salt in the wound.<
I'm taking heed of what nature and the Tundra are trying to tell me. Maybe I will start using that gym membership I've been paying for these last few months.
Scott Jacobs, Senior Photographer
July 23, 2008
Our long-term 2007 Toyota Tundra + a dirt parking lot + a disabled traction control system = fun.
Scott Oldham, Inside Line Editor in Chief @ 24,603 miles
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- Posted by: Scott Oldham July 23, 2008, 12:52 PM
- Categories: 2007 Toyota Tundra SR5 Double Cab
July 14, 2008
I had a little mountain bike adventure in the Tundra last Friday. Loaded it up with four bikes, four people and plenty of gear and headed for the Southern Sierras. In fact, we did the same ride as last fall's adventure in the Chevy Silverado.
The Tundra performed flawlessly and didn't give a rip about the bikes hanging on the hitch, the extra cargo, or the thousands of vertical feet we had to climb to reach our starting point. I was reminded how truly potent this truck's powertrain is when it's pointed uphill and how much latitude there is in its transmission. The six speed is brilliant whether you're asking it to pass a freeway creeper or needing to hold a constant speed on a grade. And there's never any shortage of power. It's just an impressive package.
Fuel consumption averaged 17.16 mpg over the last 393 miles of mostly freeway driving.
Josh Jacquot, Senior road test editor @ 24,341 miles
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- Posted by: Dark Helmet July 14, 2008, 7:13 AM
- Categories: 2007 Toyota Tundra SR5 Double Cab
July 10, 2008
The Tundra has been pressed into heavy road trip duty lately and I was about to continue the trend. It recently went out to Utah on special assignment, racking up 1,400 miles. Less than a week later, I was going to put an additional 1,300 miles on the odometer. I was returning to LA from a wee bit north of Lake Tahoe and I was happy to have the Tundra as my travel companion.
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July 9, 2008
The Fourth weekend to my family is very important. Traditionally it's the opening weekend of our summer cabin located an hour and a half north of Lake Tahoe. It's one of the few chances we all get together. With the amount of work needed to be done, it was important for me to drive the Tundra.
Our cabin is on a 40-year lease from the Tahoe National Forrest. To renew our lease, we are mandated to clear the under-brush, cut down trees under four feet in height and branches going up five feet from the base in a radius of 30 feet from our cabin. This is a fairly dense forest so it was going to be a work holiday.
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July 3, 2008
So far our new Escort 9500i Passport radar detector has been on three cross country runs. It has gone from Detroit to Los Angeles on the windshield of our long term Dodge Grand Caravan, Atlanta to Los Angeles suction cupped to out long term Audi R8 and now it has gone from Los Angeles to Wendover, Utah and back stuck to our long term Toyota Tundra.
That's about 6,500 miles of driving.
Number of tickets issued: Zero.
Scott Oldham, Inside Line Editor in Chief @ 22,567 miles
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- Posted by: Scott Oldham July 3, 2008, 12:26 PM
- Categories: 2007 Toyota Tundra SR5 Double Cab
Welcome to middle of freakin' nowhere.
Last week lived in our long term Toyota Tundra for three days, covering three states and 1,409.1 miles. At the end of the run I have a new found respect for the Tundra and the men that created it.
This is a comfortable truck. Very quiet on the highway. And the seat is as good as truck seats get. At 15.9 mpg, the truck's mileage might not impress, but believe me when I tell you I was on it. Drove the last 600 miles like a I stole it. And that big V8 is always ready to go. At over 100 mph, this big truck is steady as a rock. Hums along like a good sedan.
Occasionally our route also passed through some mountains, which only put the Tundra's excellent brakes and handling on display.
My complaints are limited to what our Tundra is without. Satellite radio would have been nice, and a range feature would have helped schedule some of our six gas stops. Both are options we were too cheap to order. Mistake.
Scott Oldham, Inside Line Editor in Chief @ 22,567 miles
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- Posted by: Scott Oldham July 3, 2008, 12:07 PM
- Categories: 2007 Toyota Tundra SR5 Double Cab
July 2, 2008
This is as fast as our 2007 Toyota Tundra will go. Hits some sort of fuel cut off, probably because of the speed rating of its tires. Sucks considering our long-term Dodge Grand Caravan will do 113 mph.
Scott Oldham, Inside Line Editor in Chief @ 22,001 miles
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- Posted by: Scott Oldham July 2, 2008, 2:46 PM
- Categories: 2007 Toyota Tundra SR5 Double Cab
July 1, 2008
We took our Tundra SR5 in for its 20,000-mile service the other day. Our normal service advisor at Toyota Santa Monica was on vacation, so we made an appointment with the next advisor in line. She told us to expect a call at 3, when our truck would be ready.
No news by half-past 3, so we called her. We sat on hold for 10-15 minutes while the operator tracked her down. "Come experience the Santa Monica difference," the recording warned us. Then it began to skip, "Please hold and someone will be right-right-right-right with you." That was good for a laugh.
When the other end finally picked up, we learned our Tundra was ready. It cost $116.24 to rotate tires, perform visual inspections and change out 8-quarts of oil. Over 80-bucks of the total was for labor.
Mike Schmidt, Vehicle Testing Coordinator @ 20,836 miles
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- Posted by: Mike Schmidt July 1, 2008, 2:06 PM
- Categories: 2007 Toyota Tundra SR5 Double Cab
June 23, 2008
Pick-up trucks have always been a favorite among surfers. If you don't believe me all you need to do is drive down the Pacific Coast Highway on a Saturday and count the number of pick-ups on the side of the road. This past weekend when I was given the opportunity to drive our 2007 Toyota Tundra I called my buddy, threw the boards in the back, and added one more truck to the side of the PCH. The entire time we were commenting on how great it was to have a truck to throw surfboards in rather than messing around with a roof rack. By the end of two days of surfing I was starting to entertain crazy thoughts of buying a truck. That was until Monday morning. One weekend of surfing coast a little over $80 in gas, the same weekend would only coast about $25-30 in my car with a roof rack. How high will gas prices get before the scenery on your drive down the PCH changes, and pick-ups are no longer the favorite vehicle of surfers? For me we're there now. I'll stick to my car and a roof rack.
Seth Compton, Broadband Production Coordinator @ 20,834 miles
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- Posted by: scompton June 23, 2008, 4:08 PM
- Categories: 2007 Toyota Tundra SR5 Double Cab
June 20, 2008
I was up in Simi Valley yesterday. For those of you who aren't familiar with the Southland Region, it's basically north west of Los Angeles proper and just south of the Sun.
Yes, it gets hot up there. Really hot...
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June 19, 2008
In a case of using a sludgehammer to crack an egg I just picked up a new wicker loveseat with our long-term 2007 Toyota Tundra.
The local Green Thumb had the couch on close-out, and I've been wanting some yard furnishings ever since we installed new paving stones in front of the house. I also picked up an $80 recliner for the backyard (in the box on the couch), and both items fit in the bed with room to spare.
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- Posted by: Karl Brauer June 19, 2008, 3:03 PM
- Categories: 2007 Toyota Tundra SR5 Double Cab
June 18, 2008
This morning I needed to buy about 10 storage containers (the 12-gallon size). We'll be stuffing them into various crossover SUVs when we take photos of their cargo bays. None of those crossovers happened to be around, so I looked around the garage and spotted the 2007 Toyota Tundra.
When I wheeled my cart out of the Home Depot and loaded the stacked containers into the Tundra, it was comical. It was so much more truck than this task required. I'd suspected as much before I left, but frankly I wanted an excuse to drive the Tundra. There's not much more I can add about its drivetrain, which is simply excellent, but I will add that I like the steering, too. The weighting is good, and it feels accurate. That said, after a week of driving crossovers, I slightly misjudged the Toyota's width when pulling into this space.
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- Posted by: Erin Riches June 18, 2008, 12:07 PM
- Categories: 2007 Toyota Tundra SR5 Double Cab
June 11, 2008
The Tundra's gauge cluster completely overstyled and thoroughly ridiculous. The picture above is a true representation of what they look like in a partly cloudy sky at around 4:30 pm. Can you tell how much gas I have? No, well that's because you'd probably have to stick your eye up to the peephole gauge tunnel to see anything. I wasn't entirely sure what I'd see. Below is a visual multiple choice quiz.
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- Posted by: JRiz June 11, 2008, 9:55 AM
- Categories: 2007 Toyota Tundra SR5 Double Cab
June 4, 2008
Now that automakers are illuminating just about every control in sight when the headlights are on, I've got a question for Toyota: What happened with the Tundra's power mirrors? It's not like this particular control falls readily to hand -- you have to reach forward and down to get it. How are you supposed to do that when it's dark?
It's a minor point, I know, and one more likely to be noticed by people like us, since we're in different vehicles every night and thus have to adjust the mirrors, etc., on a daily basis. But surely there are some Tundra owners out there who share their vehicles from time to time...
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- Posted by: S.B. True June 4, 2008, 9:48 AM
- Categories: 2007 Toyota Tundra SR5 Double Cab
June 2, 2008
Say what you want about the Tundra's styling, but I can assure you that the engine in nearly flawless. As smooth as a Camry's V6 and never at a loss for power, the Tundra's 5.7-liter engine is a refined beast that has no equal in the segment. Add in the nearly perfect six-speed automatic and the Tundra makes for an excellent truck whether you're towing a load or just tooling around town. This weekend it returned just over 15mpg on a 200-mile round trip and it was getting hammered most of the time by my right foot...
That mileage figure just so happens to match its lifetime average of 15.1mpg. Not great, but for an engine that delivers as much performance as the Tundra's 5.7, it's a respectable number.
Ed Hellwig, Senior Editor @ 19,657 miles
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- Posted by: Ed Hellwig June 2, 2008, 4:37 PM
- Categories: 2007 Toyota Tundra SR5 Double Cab
May 23, 2008
After living on the water for a couple months with a random Craigslist roommate, I decided that it was time to strike out on my own, which in L.A. translates as "time to move into a 200 square-foot cube miles from the ocean with a hot plate and a mini-fridge." As luck would have it, we've got a couple full-size pickup trucks in our long-term fleet. When I saw that the keys to the Tundra were available, I didn't hesitate to grab them, since I've always preferred the Tundra's beastly yet refined powertrain and handy backup camera to the Silverado's neck-snapping upshifts and camera-less parking sensors. Although it took two trips (I'd hoped to do it in one, but my full-size mattress turned out to be only a bit smaller than the Tundra's bed), I definitely gained some appreciation for the versatility of these gas-swilling behemoths...
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- Posted by: S.B. True May 23, 2008, 1:04 PM
- Categories: 2007 Toyota Tundra SR5 Double Cab
May 19, 2008
Schlep my beat-to-hell LeMons car and associated claptrap to its last race with our Long Term 2007 Toyota Tundra? Why, yes, thank you. If you plan on towing, there's something to be said for buying more truck than you need. It makes for much less stress when towing.
I packed hundreds of pounds of spare parts, tires, tools, duct tape and zipties into the bed, four passengers into the cabin, and lashed a heavy steel dual-axle trailer carrying a lightweight Honda CRX to the hitch...
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- Posted by: Jay Kavanagh May 19, 2008, 4:17 PM
- Categories: 2007 Toyota Tundra SR5 Double Cab
May 7, 2008
So let's be honest. If you were going to drive a 38-year-old, 607-horsepower muscle car across the American west would you really do it without some kind of contingency plan?
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- Posted by: Dark Helmet May 7, 2008, 4:07 PM
- Categories: 2007 Toyota Tundra SR5 Double Cab
April 28, 2008
Just fifteen miles of driving our 2007 Toyota Tundra Double Cab pickup truck on a simple 4x4 trail in Joshua Tree National Park left both sides of the truck with a serious case of Desert Stripe. The driver's side (above) looked a little better than the passenger side, as the natural tendency is to clear the things on your side, which puts the passenger side up against it.
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- Posted by: Dan Edmunds April 28, 2008, 9:10 PM
- Categories: 2007 Toyota Tundra SR5 Double Cab
April 27, 2008
Because it has true four-wheel drive with low range, our 2007 Toyota Tundra became the preferred mount for a day trip to Joshua Tree National Park for a hike to the summit of Monument Mountain. Why? The guidebook my friend Scott and I were using lists the dirt road leading to the starting point of the hike as "4x4 recommended."
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- Posted by: Dan Edmunds April 27, 2008, 7:52 PM
- Categories: 2007 Toyota Tundra SR5 Double Cab
April 25, 2008
James hadn't told me about the Ford sticker on our 2007 Toyota Tundra, nor had I seen his blog entry. I drove around for two days before noticing the sticker on the rear tailgate while refueling. I felt a bit like a kid who finally finds the "kick me" sticker taped to his backpack. Not offended, mind you, as I like the F-150...
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- Posted by: Dan Edmunds April 25, 2008, 10:07 PM
- Categories: 2007 Toyota Tundra SR5 Double Cab
April 22, 2008
I did a double take when I climbed out of the M3 this morning. This was the view that greeted me.
"That's not right," I said in my best Austin Powers voice.
It would seem that some Ford nut who inexplicably carries around a supply of Ford stickers decided to tag our Toyota Tundra...
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- Posted by: JRiz April 22, 2008, 10:14 AM
- Categories: 2007 Toyota Tundra SR5 Double Cab
April 7, 2008
A couple weeks ago I noted the somewhat flimsy tie downs in the bed of the Tundra. I liked the idea of having adjustable loops, but the way they flexed made me a little leery of securing anything important to them. When it came time to pick up a “new” motorcycle this weekend, however, I took the Tundra anyway.
I figured its longer bed would allow me to close the tailgate, so the loose tie downs probably would be an issue anyway...
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- Posted by: Ed Hellwig April 7, 2008, 10:43 AM
- Categories: 2007 Toyota Tundra SR5 Double Cab
March 31, 2008
My husband is compost-obsessed. On cold nights, he likes to sneak out into our backyard to marvel at how hot our compost is, beaming with pride at the steam rising from what used to be our kitchen scraps.
And that’s one of the problems with our compost pile: It’s mostly kitchen scraps, which isn’t such a good way to compost. You need “brown matter” (e.g., dry leaves) to keep the compost “healthy” and “not stinky” or “vile.” And so, this weekend, we loaded up the family and pointed our long-term Tundra toward the Los Angeles Equestrian Center in Burbank to get ourselves some brown matter, aka straw and horse poop.
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- Posted by: Bryn MacKinnon March 31, 2008, 12:28 PM
- Categories: 2007 Toyota Tundra SR5 Double Cab
March 27, 2008
I didn't exactly tax the Tundra's 10,000 lb towing capacity with this chore but I needed to recycle plastic bottles and aluminum cans. I had a little scrap metal lying around too. I know it's over kill to use the Tundra for such light duty but I wouldn't want to cram wet, stinky soda cans or sharp metal panels in a minivan or crossover. The bedliner is a worthwhile option too...
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- Posted by: Brian Moody March 27, 2008, 2:17 PM
- Categories: 2007 Toyota Tundra SR5 Double Cab
March 24, 2008
I snagged our Toyota Tundra for the weekend in anticipation of picking up a new motorcycle. With its 6.5-foot bed, I figured the Tundra would be perfect for swallowing my new ride without having to drop the tailgate. I never got the chance. The deal fell though before I ever saw the bike in person, but I did notice something about the Tundra that made me think twice about using it again...
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- Posted by: Ed Hellwig March 24, 2008, 6:20 PM
- Categories: 2007 Toyota Tundra SR5 Double Cab
March 19, 2008
With the approach of the summer driving season and the continuation of high fuel prices, you'll likely see media outlets publishing stories about how to save gas. But do these fuel-saving tips really work?
Well, we tested them to find out. In our Edmunds We Test The Tips Part II article, we used our long-term Buick Enclave, our long-term Toyota Tundra and a Lexus ES 350 to determine what techniques deliver the best improvements in fuel economy. We tested tips such as driving style, tire pressure, running the air-conditioner and lowering a pickup's tailgate.
Obviously, you'll want to read the story if you're interested...
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March 14, 2008
Here's one clear way in which the Chevrolet Silverado gets it right, and the Toyota Tundra gets it wrong.
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March 10, 2008
I've never had the need to spend much time in our long-term 2007 Toyota Tundra. Until we bought a house.
Seems like every weekend now there's something that needs to be picked up, donated, or just plain hauled to the dump. After spending a few days removing the 45-year-old door casings and baseboards from nearly every room in the house, I needed to pick up the new trim before the carpenter came to piece things back together...
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- Posted by: Kelly Toepke March 10, 2008, 3:54 PM
- Categories: 2007 Toyota Tundra SR5 Double Cab
March 7, 2008
1655 lbs > (56 x 21 lbs) + (8 x 30 lbs) + 205 lbs
The above is a good thing. You see, the number on the left represents the maximum payload of our 2007 Toyota Tundra. The number on the right is how much said Tundra was payloading back to my house after a trip to the local home center. The number on the right is made up of: 56 12x12, 21 pound concrete pavers, 8, 30 pound bags of paving sand and, a soon to be decrepit, 205 pound photo editor...
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- Posted by: Kurt Niebuhr March 7, 2008, 3:50 PM
- Categories: 2007 Toyota Tundra SR5 Double Cab
February 22, 2008
I've driven the Silverado a bunch and while I've generally walked away impressed, I absolutely can't stand the pedal position. The brake pedal and accelerator are too far apart from each other both length-wise and width-wise, which usually leads me to driving with both feet. Considering I'm 6-foot-3, I've found that pedal positioning usually affects me more than others.
The Tundra, on the other hand, has pedals that are much closer together, allowing me to comfortably drive as I prefer -- with my heal on the floor, fanning my foot back between each pedal. I also find that I can sit closer to the steering wheel and still have my legs comfortable in the Toyota...
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- Posted by: JRiz February 22, 2008, 10:22 AM
- Categories: 2007 Toyota Tundra SR5 Double Cab
February 19, 2008
What is it with big displacement trucks and tuned exhaust notes these days? Maybe I'm more aware of the loud guttural trumpets since I was driving the Tundra all weekend.
Driving in Culver City the other night I was in a mini-caravan formed up of Nissan Titans and me. Being a nice night, my window was down and our engines were echoing off the buildings as we blasted down the street...
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- Posted by: February 19, 2008, 11:43 AM
- Categories: 2007 Toyota Tundra SR5 Double Cab
February 15, 2008
Where’s the Tundra, you ask? Not in my customary parking space – it didn’t fit. I had to leave it in the uncovered guest-parking area instead, and it still took about a seventeen-point turn, and a lot of panicked beeping from the proximity sensors, in order to squeeze it in between its neighbors for the night, a Solara and an Elantra. (Incidentally, the rear sensor seems a bit paranoid – when it launched into its full-on “imminent destruction” beep, I still had a few feet to go.)
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- Posted by: S.B. True February 15, 2008, 2:57 PM
- Categories: 2007 Toyota Tundra SR5 Double Cab
February 5, 2008
The bathroom remodeling continues at the Jacquot house and this weekend that meant moving some heavy wares...
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- Posted by: Dark Helmet February 5, 2008, 10:30 AM
- Categories: 2007 Toyota Tundra SR5 Double Cab
February 1, 2008
While it might seem it's all glory around here with M3s and Ferraris, the real world does occasionally intrude, such as when I hoisted myself into our long-term Tundra SR5 Double-Cab recently. One of my less-than-glorious daily duties is picking up my almost-2-year-old daughter from daycare, so I had the sometimes-daunting task of installing her car seat before I left our office parking garage. Sexy, no?
Maybe not, but I was pleased with how well her rear-facing convertible car seat fit in the center position, once I folded the center console armrest down. (Even though she’s technically old enough and heavy enough to switch the seat to forward-facing, experts agree that you should keep kids in the much-safer rear-facing position as long as it’s physically possible.) Unlike with a lot of our smaller vehicles, I had enough room to maneuver back there, so installation was easy, too...
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- Posted by: Bryn MacKinnon February 1, 2008, 5:09 PM
- Categories: 2007 Toyota Tundra SR5 Double Cab
January 31, 2008
Our 2007 Toyota Tundra SR5 Double Cab has just spend three happy days in the Central Valley of California rubbing shoulders with a virtual parade of different work vehicles. Trucks, vans and delivery vehicles of all shapes and sizes surrounded our Tundra. And guess what? Unlike the pickups in LA, which are driven by stock brokers and computer programmers, who've never had grease under their fingernails, these trucks are actually used for work. The beds are full of stuff, the springs are compressed and the engines are straining mightily. The cabs are packed with guys wearing coveralls and hardhats, guys with names like Jake and Jose and "Stan the Man," guys that drink coffee in truck stops and complain about grain prices and the cost of diesel.
Sadly, our Tundra wasn't hauling anything other than one automotive editor. It was actually engaged in a different kind of work. We drove a 30-mile stretch of Highway 99 south of Visalia, CA, going south and then back to a Shell Station where we filled up and measured our fuel economy to update and expand "We Test the Tips." And as this editor drove he watched the trucks going by all around him. It seemed like he was seeing a cross section of a very different America than the one where the offices of Edmunds.com are located. But there was one common denominator: the consumption of vast quantities of petroleum products.
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- Posted by: Philip Reed January 31, 2008, 11:25 AM
- Categories: 2007 Toyota Tundra SR5 Double Cab
January 25, 2008
Here’s a case where Toyota screwed up on the design of the Tundra. There’s plenty of room in the back of the extended cab, but when you fold the seats up to load some cargo, the space is obstructed by the seat rails. Our particular truck also has a subwoofer that eats up a little more space, but that’s our fault for getting the upgraded stereo. Contrast this with our Silverado which has a completely unobstructed load floor and it’s obvious that Toyota missed the mark on this particular aspect of the Tundra’s design...
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- Posted by: Ed Hellwig January 25, 2008, 10:53 AM
- Categories: 2007 Toyota Tundra SR5 Double Cab
January 23, 2008
So the Tundra will never win any “best looking interior” awards. Too many colors and not enough symmetry are just two of the reasons. It’s a functional design though. Take those preschool-sized climate control knobs. They might look goofy, but I much prefer turning those big knobs to pushing the small buttons in the Silverado. Add in a pair of gloves and the difference would be even more dramatic.
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- Posted by: Ed Hellwig January 23, 2008, 11:24 AM
- Categories: 2007 Toyota Tundra SR5 Double Cab
January 22, 2008
The Tundra is the only full-size truck to offer front and rear parking sensors. They generate audible warnings in addition to the dashboard display you see here (it's all lit up as I just turned the system on). It seems like overkill at first, but when you’re trying to swing that big nose into a tight parking spot it’s actually quite helpful to know you’re not about to shear the bumper clean off. Same goes for the rear end, although the rear backup camera is usually more than enough to keep you from impaling the tow hitch on anything.
Another thing I noticed about the Tundra this weekend? Its drivetrain is far superior to the 6.0-liter setup in our Silverado...
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- Posted by: Ed Hellwig January 22, 2008, 10:58 AM
- Categories: 2007 Toyota Tundra SR5 Double Cab
January 10, 2008
Our 2007 Tundra, which is a Tundra Double Cab with a standard 6-foot, 5-inch bed, has the optional bed liner and cargo tracks. Both items can be had via a factory option package or as accessories.
To test the durability of the bed liner, editor James Riswick and I donned sleeveless flannel shirts and hard hats and started throwing boulders into the bed while grunting loudly. Hmm. Or maybe that's just something we saw on TV while playing foosball in the Inside Line game room. You decide.
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- Posted by: Brent Romans January 10, 2008, 1:00 PM
- Categories: 2007 Toyota Tundra SR5 Double Cab
January 7, 2008
I took our 2007 Toyota Tundra in last Friday for its 10,000-mile service. The manual calls for an oil/filter change and tire rotation. In a welcome change of pace, the dealership's service advisor wrote me up for those items only – I didn't have to haggle over unwanted dealer add-ons like inspections or road tests...
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- Posted by: Brent Romans January 7, 2008, 11:17 AM
- Categories: 2007 Toyota Tundra SR5 Double Cab
January 3, 2008
Toyota released its December and end-of-year sales figures today. It's been reported that Toyota was aiming for 200,000 units sold. It came very close – the company is reporting 196,555 units sold, the best-ever for Tundra.
Interesting, perhaps, is that the Prius wasn't far behind at 181,221 units, also its best year ever...
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- Posted by: Brent Romans January 3, 2008, 12:43 PM
- Categories: 2007 Toyota Tundra SR5 Double Cab
December 27, 2007
I brought the Toyota Tundra home for the first time last week. Upon seeing it parked in our driveway, my wife remarked, "Could you have brought home anything bigger?"
Well, maybe. Admittedly, the Tundra looks pretty massive when parked next to her Altima. And it feels big to drive if I've just previously come out one of our smaller long term cars...
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- Posted by: Brent Romans December 27, 2007, 10:23 AM
- Categories: 2007 Toyota Tundra SR5 Double Cab
December 11, 2007
At the last second I scored tickets to a sold-out Tool concert at LA's new Nokia Theater (through a fan message board, not a scalper). The massive capabilities of our 2007 Toyota Tundra were totally unnecessary for the drive to downtown Los Angeles, but this is the vehicle I was assigned for the evening, so off we went.
I'd never been to the Nokia and it was a good thing I'd printed out directions in advance, because it's very hard to lean over and examine the Tundra's map screen while still giving any attention to traffic ahead. There's a nice new parking garage next to the Nokia, and if you're willing to drop $25, you can have a nice roomy parking spot on the roof...
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- Posted by: Erin Riches December 11, 2007, 12:57 PM
- Categories: 2007 Toyota Tundra SR5 Double Cab
December 10, 2007
I had to move a mattress and box spring this weekend. I asked Vehicle Testing Guru Mike Schmidt for a truck, preferably the Silverado. "Not the. ...
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- Posted by: Doug Lyoyd December 10, 2007, 2:41 PM
- Categories: 2007 Toyota Tundra SR5 Double Cab
November 29, 2007
Trucks aren't always for work, sometimes they're for play too. This past weekend I was home for turkey. It's been a tradition of ours to get the family Christmas tree the Saturday after the feast. We had a lot of people on this expedition...
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- Posted by: November 29, 2007, 1:52 PM
- Categories: 2007 Toyota Tundra SR5 Double Cab
November 13, 2007
Ok, I know a lot of people think folks in LA are a bunch of self-centered jerks. Though true to a degree, just about any big city has plenty of them. It just happens that our jerks tend to have some degree of fame and are publicized more often.
However, where LA gets plenty of its shares of jerks is on the road...
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- Posted by: November 13, 2007, 11:18 AM
- Categories: 2007 Toyota Tundra SR5 Double Cab
November 6, 2007
We can't all be perfect. A few weeks ago, I drove our brand-new Toyota Tundra. False confidence was on my side, since, while a dyed-in-the-wool sedan lover, I had driven a handful of Edmunds' larger test cars, like the Kia Sedona minivan, the Audi Q7 and the Chevy Silverado. All large and cumbersome, but I felt I could handle 'em...
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- Posted by: Doug Lyoyd November 6, 2007, 12:57 PM
- Categories: 2007 Toyota Tundra SR5 Double Cab
November 5, 2007
Remember this?
Back in '82, Toyota's color combo for a FJ60 Land Cruiser dash included tan, gray, and dark chocolate brown.
Now fast forward 25 years to the present day.
Maybe I'm crazy, but I can't get over the dark brown trim...
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October 29, 2007
My family owns a cabin in the Sierra Nevadas about an hour north of Lake Tahoe. Every year around this time we close it for the winter. It was my turn this year to do the close down duty. I got the keys to our long term Tundra for the long drive north.
As a kid growing up in the San Francisco bay area, it was a nice four-hour drive to my cabin. Now that I live in LA, it's a nine and a half hour drive. Its uncomfortable no matter how many breaks you take or how many play lists you put on your iPod.
I was surprised to find my backside didn't go completely numb by the ninth hour on the road. The seats were surprisingly comfortable after countless hours behind the wheel. The mighty iForce V8 blasted around those endless lines of semis on the interstate without a problem and the big side view mirrors helped me keep tabs on everything around this sizeable truck.
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October 17, 2007
No that is not a coffin in the bed of our long term 2007 Toyota Tundra SR5 Double Cab. Although after I hauled this big, heavy piece of furniture 150 miles I did want to kill myself. Those suicidal tendencies are no reflection of the Tundra. The big truck hauled Lead Senior Editor Ed Hellwig and myself out to the oasis that is La Quinta, California and back without a moments discomfort...
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- Posted by: Scott Oldham October 17, 2007, 2:32 PM
- Categories: 2007 Toyota Tundra SR5 Double Cab
October 16, 2007
As stated in a previous post, we've had the Tundra for a bit before it's "official" introduction. A few weekends back, it was used for boat launch duty in the Mammoth Lakes area.
Although the ski boat wasn't towed the whole trip, when hooking and unhooking the trailer, and launching the boat, the backup camera proved to be a huge help. Instead of having someone guide me with hand gestures and an "O.K....O.K......Whoa!", I was able to get the ball and reciever within an inch most of the time...
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October 15, 2007
I have an idea. Why doesn't Toyota just put the Tundra's nav screen in the backseat. As it is, I can't reach it from the driver's seat and most features don't work when the truck is moving anyway. If it was back there, my super genius 5 year old could probably reprogram it to watch You Tube videos of people falling down or to surf the Webkinz site...
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- Posted by: Brian Moody October 15, 2007, 2:26 PM
- Categories: 2007 Toyota Tundra SR5 Double Cab
We've only just recently added a section for the 2007 Toyota Tundra in the Long-Term Logbook blog, but it's already got a few thousand miles on it. And this past weekend it served duty in a towing capacity for the first time since its arrival here.
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- Posted by: Jay Kavanagh October 15, 2007, 10:56 AM
- Categories: 2007 Toyota Tundra SR5 Double Cab
October 12, 2007
We've added a Toyota Tundra to our long-term fleet.
At 228 inches long, 76 inches high and with a 146-inch wheelbase, it's quite large.
But it's still easy to drive. It also has 381 horsepower and a towing capacity of 10,300 pounds...
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- Posted by: Donna Derosa October 12, 2007, 11:45 AM
- Categories: 2007 Toyota Tundra SR5 Double Cab
