We take a look at the impressive features of the Toyota Tundra, now available in Australia.
As four-wheel drivers, there really is a lot to be said for full-size “pick-ups” that are more associated with the US off-road scene than Aussie wheeling. But they legit offer a hell of a lot (albeit at a price) for the tow-tragic, tradie, camper or tourer. They’re probably not that suited to hardcore stuff, but very few new vehicles are, so we can let it slide. Throw the right mods at pretty much anything, and it’ll be ready for Tuff Truck in no time.
But back to the release of the Toyota Tundra in Australia, which is big news on several fronts. Firstly, because it’s been built right here by Walkinshaw. Yep, this isn’t some slapdash RHD conversion cobbled together with parts from the recycling bin and the tacho sticky-taped to the lower windscreen. This is a legit process that’s come about with six years of R&D all done with approval from Toyota Japan and tested to last in the harsh `Strayan conditions. Fully warranted, finished to the usual Yota-San high-quality standards and developed in Australia, for Australians, by Australians.
Is that ‘Horses’ by Darryl Braithwaite playing in the background, or is it just me? I’m tearing up. Let’s move on.
Evan Spence actually took one for a drive late last year and came away mightily impressed, which is remarkable given that he’s a Zook guy and hates anything with a wheelbase more than three feet.
Unsealed 4×4’s first impressions driving the Toyota Tundra
Fun fact: the Toyota Tundra about to become available in Australia is built on the TNGA-F platform, which is the same as the 300 Series Land Cruiser and shares a fair few parts with the flagship wagon. This brings us to the next big piece of “oooh, that’s cool” news, which is that the engine in this thing could best be described as an absolute ball-tearer. While the `Cruiser has the V6 diesel, the Tundra follows in its American counterpart’s footsteps and has been fitted with the 3.5L V6 twin-turbo i-FORCE MAX (you have to yell the last two words apparently) petrol engine that puts down an impressive 326kW and 790Nm through a 10-speed auto.
That’s serious numbers, more than enough to cart any amount of tools or pull pretty much any caravan or boat this side of the one that Leo and Kate found love on. I forget its name, whatever.
Let’s also take a quick moment to drool over the tuning and power-up potential when the starting point is already laying down numbers that’d make a worked V8 VDJ78 weak at the knees. Bigger injectors, a set of cams, a pair of aggressive turbos, an exhaust and a cranky tune- you’d have to imagine that 450kW and 1000 Newtons don’t seem that outlandish. I’m not excited; YOU’RE excited!
The Toyota Tundra can tow how much?
Perhaps most importantly in Australia for RV or boat owners, the Toyota Tundra will also feature a 4500kg tow rating, which is the maximum possible before you have to move up to a truck license. Why is this a good thing for 4WDers? Well, towing is important to so many of us these days, and having an extra tonne to play with opens up a huge amount of possibilities.
Compare it to a normal mid-size dual-cab that can nominally tow 3500kg as long as you don’t have a passenger, a full tank of fuel or the moth that landed on the windscreen at the last set of traffic lights and is too scared to bail. Any one of those things alone may put you over GVM. The full-size `Yota, though, is essentially built for heavy-duty work. You know who loves heavy-duty work? Aussies, that’s who. Chalk up another W for the Tundra.
There’s going to be two spec-levels initially. The Toyota Tundra Limited is planned to hit showrooms in November this year, and an upmarket premium model is due to land in Australia early next year. The Limited has 20in rims, LED lights, power seats that are heated and ventilated, 14in touchscreen multimedia unit and a 12-speaker JBL sound system and integrated trailer brake controller. Lots of luxury, lots of torque, lots of boat-ramp or caravan park cred – it’s like tow rig porn as standard, basically.
What about going off-road?
Look, is the Tundra going to be for everyone? Absolutely not. But assuming the price isn’t prohibitive (this is Toyota, so that’s a hell of an assumption, but stay with me), this is a rig that’ll come incredibly close to the unicorn “one 4X4 to do it all.” Towing? Built for it. Touring? It has enough internal space to fit two of every accessory under the sun, so yeah, no probs. Wheeling? With a lift, some serious rubber, a bit of bar work, and a locker or two, there won’t be too much to stop this thing, so I have to give it the nod there, too.
The Toyota Tundra is not a full-time 4WD, which some folks in Australia may find objectionable, and it doesn’t come with a rear diff lock,. It has coils at each corner – hey, some folks love their leaves – and it doesn’t have a big eff-off diesel under the “hood.” But it’s a massive ute that is basically designed around the need for towing huge trailers. In fact, it’s arguably the best off-the-shelf tow rig in the country that doesn’t require a truck licence. For us, that’s something special, and we can’t wait to have one for a longer-term loan so we can really give you the lowdown on whether this thing is worth your cash.
The early signs are good, though. Real good. I won’t tell many people if I ever win the lottery, but there will be signs. A lifted and locked Tundra in the driveway will likely be one of them.
Dex, you don’t need to write an article as if you are trying out for a gig as a stand up comedian. Leave that rubbish out and insert more relevance and facts, your research and writing abilities are great without the need to insert vague references.
What a lot of B S the trailer with the cattle crate unloaded is no where near 4.5 ton may be if you had it loaded with 4 heavy animals its just sales CRAP