2011 Toyota Tundra

The Toyota Tundra has been a massive--some say failed--experiment in changing American truck buyers' tastes. Toyota spent a billion and a half dollars to reinvent its nearly-full-size Tundra into a true gargantuan truck with more hauling and towing capacity than any other pickup, and moved its production from the Midwest to Texas, the heart of pickup truck territory.

The interior may be a letdown in quality, but the 2011 Toyota Tundra is every bit as big and tough as the other full-size trucks.

It hasn't worked, and Tundra sales once estimated at 200,000 units a year haven't even met half that goal.

Despite all that, the Tundra still does what Toyota said it would do, when it was redesigned for the 2007 model year. It planted the truck in the heart of the full-size segment; it won, if only briefly, the kudos for the highest towing capacity in the class; and it changed the fundamental assumption that trucks have to look completely boxy to be butch, even if the Tundra's looks don't exactly win us over.

Since truck sales have dropped precipitously in the past few years, the 2011 Tundra is essentially the same as last year's model, with an updated base engine and now, far fewer versions to offer buyers. Once it was a poster child for do-it-yourselfers who needed a custom truck; now Toyota ships only 28 distinct versions to dealers, leaving a raft of accessories to be installed at dealers, much like the company does with its Scion cars.

You'll probably be happier in the long run with a more fuel-efficient Ford F-150, or a better-riding Ram 1500, but there's nothing perfectly wrong with the Tundra, while it does a thing or two perfectly right.

Huge interior room and a choice of bodies and beds gives the 2011 Toyota Tundra all it needs to challenge the Big Three trucks--but its interior can come off stark. See details and best of the Web Great V-8 engines and six-speed automaticMore standard features than many full-sizersLots of storage cubbies insideCrewMax has exceptional leg roomGet Dealer Price Quotes Even the V-6 isn't great on fuel economyStyling is gimmicky, inside and outA huge truck that can be hard to maneuver

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Ford F-150, Toyota Tundra Get Top Marks In Rollover Protection

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has released its first ratings for large pickups in its rollover-related roof-strength test, and both the 2011 Ford F-150 and 2011 Toyota Tundra have earned top 'good' ratings.

The roof-strength test measures the force that can be sustained by the roof—over a specific area of the roof around the driver's head—before it deforms give inches, then compares that force to the overall weight of the vehicle, as a ratio. Vehicles that can sustain more than four times their weight earn the top 'good' rating.

In the tests, the Tundra withstood 4.5 times its weight, while the F-150 could withstand 4.7 times its weight.

Three other full-size trucks, the 2011 Nissan Titan, 2011 Chevrolet Silverado, and 2011 Dodge Ram, didn't fare nearly as well; while the Titan earned an 'acceptable' rating, the Silverado (and its sibling, the 2011 GMC Sierra) and the 2011 Ram were given a 'marginal' rating—indicating a higher chance of severe injury or fatality if

For the 2011 Ford F-150, it's noted that the results apply to models made after February 2011, as Ford had made some structural improvements.

Both the 2011 F-150 and Tundra also earn the IIHS Top Safety Pick accolade with thes test results, as they already have top ratings in the safety Institute's frontal, side, and rear test categories.

[IIHS] 

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2011 Toyota Tundra

The Toyota Tundra has been a massive--some say failed--experiment in changing American truck buyers' tastes. Toyota spent a billion and a half dollars to reinvent its nearly-full-size Tundra into a true gargantuan truck with more hauling and towing capacity than any other pickup, and moved its production from the Midwest to Texas, the heart of pickup truck territory.

The interior may be a letdown in quality, but the 2011 Toyota Tundra is every bit as big and tough as the other full-size trucks.

It hasn't worked, and Tundra sales once estimated at 200,000 units a year haven't even met half that goal.

Despite all that, the Tundra still does what Toyota said it would do, when it was redesigned for the 2007 model year. It planted the truck in the heart of the full-size segment; it won, if only briefly, the kudos for the highest towing capacity in the class; and it changed the fundamental assumption that trucks have to look completely boxy to be butch, even if the Tundra's looks don't exactly win us over.

Since truck sales have dropped precipitously in the past few years, the 2011 Tundra is essentially the same as last year's model, with an updated base engine and now, far fewer versions to offer buyers. Once it was a poster child for do-it-yourselfers who needed a custom truck; now Toyota ships only 28 distinct versions to dealers, leaving a raft of accessories to be installed at dealers, much like the company does with its Scion cars.

You'll probably be happier in the long run with a more fuel-efficient Ford F-150, or a better-riding Ram 1500, but there's nothing perfectly wrong with the Tundra, while it does a thing or two perfectly right.

Huge interior room and a choice of bodies and beds gives the 2011 Toyota Tundra all it needs to challenge the Big Three trucks--but its interior can come off stark. See details and best of the Web Great V-8 engines and six-speed automaticMore standard features than many full-sizersLots of storage cubbies insideCrewMax has exceptional leg roomGet Dealer Price Quotes Even the V-6 isn't great on fuel economyStyling is gimmicky, inside and outA huge truck that can be hard to maneuver

View the original article here

2011 Toyota Tundra

The Toyota Tundra has been a massive--some say failed--experiment in changing American truck buyers' tastes. Toyota spent a billion and a half dollars to reinvent its nearly-full-size Tundra into a true gargantuan truck with more hauling and towing capacity than any other pickup, and moved its production from the Midwest to Texas, the heart of pickup truck territory.

The interior may be a letdown in quality, but the 2011 Toyota Tundra is every bit as big and tough as the other full-size trucks.

It hasn't worked, and Tundra sales once estimated at 200,000 units a year haven't even met half that goal.

Despite all that, the Tundra still does what Toyota said it would do, when it was redesigned for the 2007 model year. It planted the truck in the heart of the full-size segment; it won, if only briefly, the kudos for the highest towing capacity in the class; and it changed the fundamental assumption that trucks have to look completely boxy to be butch, even if the Tundra's looks don't exactly win us over.

Since truck sales have dropped precipitously in the past few years, the 2011 Tundra is essentially the same as last year's model, with an updated base engine and now, far fewer versions to offer buyers. Once it was a poster child for do-it-yourselfers who needed a custom truck; now Toyota ships only 28 distinct versions to dealers, leaving a raft of accessories to be installed at dealers, much like the company does with its Scion cars.

You'll probably be happier in the long run with a more fuel-efficient Ford F-150, or a better-riding Ram 1500, but there's nothing perfectly wrong with the Tundra, while it does a thing or two perfectly right.

Huge interior room and a choice of bodies and beds gives the 2011 Toyota Tundra all it needs to challenge the Big Three trucks--but its interior can come off stark. See details and best of the Web Great V-8 engines and six-speed automaticMore standard features than many full-sizersLots of storage cubbies insideCrewMax has exceptional leg roomGet Dealer Price Quotes Even the V-6 isn't great on fuel economyStyling is gimmicky, inside and outA huge truck that can be hard to maneuver

View the original article here