1 of 8
2013 Toyota Tundra CrewMax 5.7L
2 of 8
Tundra 2
The Platinum model comes with an array of wood look accents. I’m not a fan of faux-wood and found the trim on the steering wheel felt strange.3 of 8
Tundra 3
The control knobs are large and perfect for winter gloved hands – though my daughter thought them large and ugly.4 of 8
Tundra 11
The front seats were excellent and very comfortable. This trim package also came with heated seats.5 of 8
Tundra 13
Our tester was a CrewMax and the rear seat room was excellent. The seats were on sliders and reclined slightly. The downside to the sliding seats was poor rear storage. The seat backs fold flat to the seat bottoms but do not swing out of the way to access the floor for taller cargo.6 of 8
Tundra 20
The CrewMax cab is large and seats up to 6 – 4 very comfortably. Priced from $26,000, as tested $53,800.00 – although comparable to the big three, you’re reaching full size Diesel price range.7 of 8
Tundra 22
The Toyota Tundra offers (when equipped) up to 10,400lbs of towing capacity and up to 1885lbs in the bed.8 of 8
Tundra 25
The best rear sliding window in any full size truck. The entire glass slides down into the back of the cab.By Albert Vandervelde
Toyota continues to dedicate its efforts toward the full frame truck class and still has the largest body-on-frame vehicle fleet of all the major manufacturers. The 4Runner, Tacoma, FJ Cruiser, Sequoia, (Lexus models as well) and featured here, the full size Tundra all use a body-on-frame platform.
The Tundra is targeted directly at the 1/2-ton truck segment. Direct competitors include the Ram 1500, GMC Sierra and Silverado, F-150 and Nissan Titan. While still no where near the market share of the main big three, the Tundra continues to develop into a serious contender with tough truck looks and should not be overlooked.
Our tester was a full 4-door cab with a 5.5-foot cargo box labeled the CrewMax in the Platinum package.
It uses a double wishbone independent suspension in the front and leaf springs in the rear. Our tester also sported the 5.7L I-Force V8 with 381HP and 401 ft lbs of torque, while the base model 4.6V8 features 310HP and 327 ft lbs of torque. Both engines are backed by a 6 speed automatic transmission. Max towing capacity for the Tundra (depending on model) is 10,400lbs and stability and traction control are standard.
Typical to the class are a bevy of options from heated leather seats, Sat nav, climate control and specials packages from the off-road TRD package to the top end 4x4 Platinum model featured here.
My personal truck is a 2012 Dodge 1500 5.7 Hemi and driving the Toyota gives a similar experience from behind the wheel. The 5.7 in the Toyota offers good power numbers but it feels a little underpowered for the size of the engine, more than capable don’t get me wrong but it doesn’t give the same seat of the pants feel of the Dodge. This could be a function of the axle/gear ratio, as the rated power is very similar. This goes for fuel consumption as well, the 5.7 iForce uses more fuel than the 5.7 Hemi for casual city/highway mixed driving – not massive but noticeable. On average the difference was 1.5l/100km with our week long average of 15.1/100km or 19MPG – pretty close to the rated numbers on the web site.
Fit and finish of the truck is excellent with comfortable seats, nice big control knobs (that my daughter though looked ugly) – but I found very practical and easy to use - but I’m not a big fan of “plastiwood” interiors. The rear seats are on sliders which is handy as they recline and you can push them ahead for a bit of storage behind them but the result is you loose cargo space. The back of the seats only fold down onto the bottom portion and rather than tilt out of the way to clear the floor. The double cab seats fold up to access the floor in the rear but you have a smaller cab area.
The Tundra does feature the best rear-sliding window of any truck as the entire glass area slides down like a regular side window, no divided glass to look through. There is no lack of storage throughout the truck with large cup holders in the doors and flip up storage spaces are placed everywhere.
Ride quality is excellent but unfortunately we didn’t get a chance to tow with this unit. A downside is that in the CrewMax your max box length is 5.5 – where the big three all offer a 6.5 box length with the 4 door cab. Again here the double cab can be ordered with the 6.5 length box and an 8-foot box. Overall the Toyota has a lot to offer for a 1/2 ton truck, don’t overlook it in your next truck search.