Driving Impressions

Pickup makers like to tout their different tacks on frame design, materials and construction. There's hydro-formed this, C-channel that, fully boxed the other, then welded versus one-piece, high-tensile steel against, well, whatever; for the record, the Tundra is a hybrid, unibody-on-frame, which is fully boxed in the front half, rolled C-channel in back. Truth is, though, what a driver really cares about is how it all comes together under the right foot, at the seat of the pants and at the hitch. And of all five-and-a-half (to cover Chevy and GMC) full-size, light-duty trucks in play, the Toyota Tundra heads the class. A couple examples from the powertrain department make the point. The V6 and the 4.6-liter V8 are what has been state of the art for a number of years, as are many of the competition's engines, with variable intake valve timing, sequential fuel injection, knock sensors (allowing in most cases use of 87 octane gas), electronically managed throttle-by-wire and dual-length intake manifolds. But the real news, and in the truest sense of that word, is in the 2007 Tundra's 5.7-liter V8. This all-new (there's that word again) V8 advances light-duty truck engine technology with the addition of variable exhaust valve timing. And not just timing, but phasing as well, also changing the speed of the valves' movement, the duration (how long the valves stay open) and the overlap between exhaust and intake. Careful manipulation of these dynamics achieves two, complementary goals, optimizing power and fuel economy and lessening stress of valve springs. Downstream, the two-into-one, dual exhaust system achieves balance between the two pipes by looping one back on itself inside the muffler, thus making them in fact the same length and, for the most part, equalizing back pressure so one bank of cylinders doesn't have to work any harder than the other in pumping combusted gases out of the engine. There's more, but these examples make clear that Toyota's engineers didn't just cobble together some bits and pieces from the engine department's parts bins in building what's currently the most powerful V8 in the class. The benefits of this level of attention to detail are evident throughout the 2007 Tundra. More generally, power delivery in the two V8 engines is linear, and surprisingly strong at low engine speed. This is especially so in the larger of the two, where 90 percent of the torque is on tap from 2400 revolutions per minute to 5500 rpm. Very impressive is the absence of any discernible surge associated with any of the intake manifold length transitions or valve-related variations. Fuel economy is competitive, with the V6 4X2 earning an EPA-estimated 17 miles per gallon in the city and 20 mpg on the highway, the 5.7-liter V8 4X2 16/20 city/highway and the 4X4 14/18 city/highway; only the Silverado does the Tundra one better, with its 5.3-liter V8 4X2 earning a highway rating of 22 mpg. Gear changes in the transmissions are smooth, but more apparent when trailering. Adaptive downshifts during braking on downhill grades are well managed, properly timed and helpful. Based on a half-day of towing on interstates and country roads, there seems to be quite enough power, although the Tundra's optional brake controller lacks the sophistication of Ford's, which works more like a rheostat than an on/off switch, making for much smoother stops. Opening and closing the tailgate is dramatically eased by the Tundra's ingenious tailgate assist. Not content with merely incorporating a torsion bar in the hinge assembly to make the tailgate feel lighter, the Tundra gets a gas-pressurized strut, concealed behind the left taillight, to damp the lowering and to assist the raising of the lockable tailgate. Talk about thoughtful and thorough. Steering feedback is, well, odd. Not disturbing or uncertain, but odd. There's a softness on center, which tempts a driver to m

Final Word

At last, the Toyota Tundra is a full-size pickup. And in almost every measure, the all-new 2007 Tundra equals or tops the domestic brands. It offers more power. It can tow more. It's more comfortable. And with the right options, it's even more fun to drive. The new Tundra is clearly award-winning merchandise and the truck Toyota faithful have been waiting for. NewCarTestDrive.com correspondent Tom Lankard filed this report from Louisville, Kentucky.