We can’t tell you much about it. We don’t know how much it costs. Or when it will even be on sale. Sadly, there is an embargo on drive impressions, so we can only show you what it looks like without giving our opinion just yet.
But it must be said we were stoked when Toyota called and asked if we’d like to take a closer look at the new Toyota Tundra. Yes, we would.
And it is a new, ground-up re-engineering of the American LHD model. Toyota has partnered with Walkinshaw, to handle the task of putting the steering wheel on the correct side of the vehicle. And they aren’t mucking around. To call the Tundra simply a RHD conversion, would be an insult akin to referring to 2-minute noodles as ramen. Wrong.
Towing
We can confirm, the Toyota Tundra can tow up to 4.5 tonnes. Which is a massive thing for those who need to lug big loads. This is a full 1000kg more than most top-performing (on paper) dual cab utes on the market.
Power
Moving the big Toyota forward is a 3.5 litre V6, twin-turbocharged petrol motor with hybrid electrification. As you can imagine, just reading those words, this engine means business. It’s mated to a 10-speed automatic gearbox. Drive is a part-time arrangement, with power being sent to the rear wheels. High and low-range 4×4 can easily be selected via a little switch on the centre console. There is no rear diff lock, so you’ll have to rely on traction control off-road. Being a Toyota, it wil be effective enough.
Coil springs all round
Interestingly, or perhaps not surprisingly, Toyota has run with coil springs on all four corners of the Tundra. It seems they have borrowed plenty of parts from the 300 Series spares pile, which is a good thing I feel. As such, it’s fairly safe to assume, the suspension design is basically 300 Series LandCruiser. This should make tracking down spare parts in the future a simple task. As well as future upgrades, as you know the aftermarket industry is going to go nuts with the Tundra.
Watch the video
There’s not much more we can say, which is a shame. The embargo for this article lifts early next year, so stay tuned for our full impressions then. For now, here’s a walk-around video, showing you what the Tundra looks like, inside and out.
