2004 Tundra: Toyota's biggest pickup provides a refined ride
By Ann M. Job, For The Associated Press
12/20/2003
Toyota's Tundra pickup truck just got bigger. The latest addition to the Tundra lineup, the Double Cab, now ranks as the biggest vehicle Toyota makes.
New for the 2004 model year, the Tundra Double Cab has four, front-hinged doors, a rear seat for three with a seatback that's reclined a comfortable 24 degrees like that in the Toyota Sequoia sport utility vehicle, and a pickup bed that's longer than that of the new Nissan Titan Crew Cab.
Toyota officials knew they needed a full-blown four-door Tundra. In recent years, sales of these kinds of full-size trucks — which go by names such as Crew Cab, Quad Cab and Super Cab — have grown. They now account for nearly a third of the 1.7 million half-ton full-size pickups that are sold in the United States annually.
"We believe this segment will continue to grow until more than 40 percent of all full-size pickups will be double cabs by the end of the decade," said Jim Lentz, vice president of marketing at Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. Inc.
Toyota had to redesign the Tundra's frame to make the Double Cab, which has a starting manufacturer's suggested retail price, including destination charge, of $26,185 for a two-wheel-drive version.
This is $9,690 more than the starting price for a base Tundra 4X2 with regular cab and V6.
The new model is 230.1 inches long, surpassing the other Tundra models — the Access Cab and Regular Cab models — that are 218.3 inches in length.
The new Double Cab also is wider and taller than the other Tundras.
As a result, Toyota officials note they didn't compromise the size of the pickup bed and didn't skimp on interior space for the second row.
Indeed, the Double Cab's 74.3-inch-long bed is the same length as that for the Access Cab model and bests the 67.1-inch-long bed of the Titan Crew Cab.
The Double Cab also is the only Tundra model that offers a factory-installed, DVD-based entertainment system so rear-seat riders can watch movies or listen to audio programs while they ride in this truck.
The reason? "Buyers of the Double Cab are more likely to be married, and younger than buyers of regular cab and access cab models," Lentz said. He also said that 40 percent have children under age 18, and that more than 80 percent of all full-size truck buyers are men.
They will find the Tundra Double Cab provides the same powerful ride as other Tundras with the uplevel 4.7-liter, double overhead cam, i-Force V8. It's the only engine in the Double Cab.
As it does in the other Tundras, this engine produces 240 horsepower and 315 foot-pounds of torque at 3,400 rpm. Mated to a four-speed automatic, it's smooth and surprisingly quiet.
I didn't lack for power to pass other vehicles on the highway and to move along quickly off-road.
The maximum towing capacity for the Tundra is 7,200 pounds.
I think of the Tundra as a refined kind of big truck. Besides the noticeably smooth shifts, the Tundra provides a quiet ride inside — thanks to lots of attention to sound-deadening.
I hardly heard the V8 unless I really pushed down aggressively on the accelerator.
The ride in the test 4X4 model in Limited trim with the TRD off-road package and 16-inch wheels was controlled and well-managed. I felt mostly mild vibrations, nothing harsh, while traveling on pavement. There was some bobbing up and down as the truck traveled over expansion cracks on a concrete highway.
Off-road, the bumps were cushioned and I didn't see flexing across the truck's cowl or in back where the long bed is. Inside, the Tundra has a familiar, car-like feel.
The quality here is well done, to be sure. All seams and body panels on the test vehicle lined up without a flaw.
The Double Cab's exterior, with styling akin to that of the Sequoia SUV, isn't as bold as that of the F-150, Titan and certainly not as bold as the Dodge Ram.
The Tundra is a recommended buy of Consumer Reports, which lists the predicted reliability of the 2004 Tundra as much better than average.
Lentz said annual Tundra sales are projected to reach 120,000, with half of them Double Cabs.
Tundra sales through 11 months of calendar 2003 totaled 92,112, up just slightly from 91,453 in the comparable year-earlier period.
Price-wise, the Double Cab has a starting price that's a bit higher than some competitors. The four-door Super Cab of the 2004 F-150 has a starting MSRP, including destination charge, of $24,660, while the Titan Crew Cab starts at $25,750.
