Review: 2016 Toyota Tundra Limited
15 December 2017, Neil Parkhi
Introduction
The Toyota Tundra is one great pickup truck you can buy today. You can get it in a work truck or even in a unique off road vehicle. However, the Tundra does have some real competitors, such as the Chevrolet Silverado, as well as the GMC Sierra. However, it does have some great features which the other competitors could not have.
Heritage
The Toyota Tundra was introduced in 1999 for the 2000 model year. It shared a lot of styling with the Toyota Tacoma, and its predecessor, which was the Toyota T100, which had a 3.4 Liter V6 engine. When the Tundra went on sale in May 1999, it was the first ever Toyota Truck to have a V8, which was that new 4.7 Liter V8. Which is interesting though, the prototypes were actually known as Toyota T150s, which is quite interesting. At the time, you were able to get a 2 door regular cab, an access cab with a back seat, and even a double cab as well, which had a full 5 seat truck. There was a 3.4 Liter V6 which produced 190 hp, and there was a 4.7 Liter V8 producing 245 horsepower. In 2004 The Tundra had an update and a 4 liter V6 producing 230 hp replaced the 3.4 liter V6, and the V8 got 282 hp. Since 2003, There was a new step side model for the Access Cab models. There however were safety recalls on this though. In late 2009, Toyota recalled an issue where there was a rust problem on the rear crossmember. First it was from 2000-2001, but then they expanded it to 2003 models. It got action taken on over 110000 vehicles total, and later on, they found another problem like that with the Tacoma, so they had to do even more. As of January 2012, Toyota had recalled over 533000 vehicles, which were Tundras and Sequoias, due to faulty ball joints of the suspension, which made steering harder, and a wheel on the car had been able to fall off without notice. Toyota believed this is what had caused 11 accidents of some of the cars, resulting in 6 injuries. Remember, this is only the previous generation though. In February 2006, at the Chicago International Auto Show, Toyota introduced the new Tundra, with more styling cues from the Tacoma. There was a 4 Liter V6 producing 230 hp from 2007 - 2014, but however in 2014, it produced not 230 hp, but it produced 276hp. There also was a 4.7 liter V8 from 2007 - 2009 producing 276 hp, and since 2010, it was replaced by a 4.6 liter V8 producing 310 hp, which since the V6 was discontinued, it became the standard engine, and it still is today. This vehicle has the 5.7 liter V8, which has been on the Tundra since the second generation even started, and it produces 381 hp. First the Tundra used to have a 5-speed automatic transmission, but later, it was updated to a 6-speed automatic transmission. The Tundra also had a refresh at the 2013 Chicago Auto Show. This refresh was for the 2014 model year. They redesigned things such as headlights and taillights and a lot of unique styling cues. The suspension had also been retuned for better performance on the vehicle. For 2016, a new unique chrome grill had also been added for better styling.
Review
The Toyota Tundra in my opinion is really a great vehicle. Given that it is a pickup, it really does the job it is supposed to do, and the truck really handles well. The ride comfort and reliability is great, and it is really worth getting it over most others. It has what you would expect out of a Toyota. It did meet all of my expectations here.
Specifications
| Steering and Transmission | |
|---|---|
| Steering Type | Speed Proportional, Hydraulic Assist, Rack and Pinion Power Steering |
| Transmission Type | 6-Speed Automatic |
| Gear 1 Ratio | 3.33 |
| Gear 2 Ratio | 1.96 |
| Gear 3 Ratio | 1.35 |
| Gear 4 Ratio | 1.00 |
| Gear 5 Ratio | 0.73 |
| Gear 6 Ratio | 0.59 |
| Reverse Gear Ratio | 3.06 |
| Wheels and Tires | |
| Front Wheel Type | 18 inch 5 twin spoke black and silver alloys |
| Rear Wheel Type | 18 inch 5 twin spoke black and silver alloys |
| Front Tire Type | 275/65R18 |
| Rear Tire Type | 275/65R18 |
| Front Brake Type | Ventilated Disc |
| Rear Brake Type | Disc |
| Suspension | |
| Front Suspension Type | Independent Coil Spring High-Mounted Double Wishbone |
| Rear Suspension Type | Live Axle with Trapezoidal Multi-Leaf |
| Suspension Features | Stabilizer Bars, Coil Springs, Nitrogen Gas Pressurised Shock Absorbers (Low pressure in front and high pressure in rear) |
| Dimensions | |
| Length (in, mm) | 228.9in, 5814mm |
| Width (in, mm) | 79.9in, 2030mm |
| Height (in, mm) | 76.2in, 1935mm |
| Wheelbase (in, mm) | 145.7in, 3701mm |
| Weight (lb, kg) | 5670lb, 2572kg |
| Engine Specifications | |
| Engine Type | 5.7 litre i-Force 32 valve V8 |
| Power (bhp, PS, kW) | 381bhp, 386PS, 284kW @ 5600RPM |
| Torque (lb-ft, Nm) | 401lb-ft, 544Nm @ 3600RPM |
| 0-60 mph (0-97 kmph) | 6.8 seconds |
| Drivetrain | All Wheel Drive |
| Fuel Tank Size (gal, L) | 38 gallons, 144L |
| Fuel Type (AKI, RON) | 87 Octane/AKI Petrol (92 RON) |
| City Fuel Economy (mpg, kmpL) | 13mpg, 6kmpL |
| Highway Fuel Economy (mpg, kmpL) | 18mpg, 8kmpL |
| Cargo Specifications | |
| Cab Length (in, mm) | 66.7in, 1694mm |
| Cab Width (in, mm) | 66.4in, 1687mm |
| Cab Depth (in, mm) | 22.2in, 564mm |
| Price Range | |
| U.S. Dollars | $43,585 |
| Canadian Dollars | $56,009 |