2004 Toyota Tundra Review

Specifications

Double the Work, Double the Fun

The rugged Rockies might be the ideal location to fully test Toyotas new Tundra Double Cab pickup. Such were obviously the feelings of the brands PR staff that organized the event, escorting a group of aging automotive journalists on a drive from the soft and sophisticated city up to our rough and tumble mountainous location.

En route we were provided an opportunity to test the trucks mettle in a snow-covered off-road trail site. Although Toyota would most likely want to take credit for the sensational weather we experienced, they can at the very least be praised for providing a no-holds-barred opportunity to put their trucks to the test - both on and off road.

New in the highly respected lineup of 2004 Tundra trucks, is a full-size double cab configuration. Toyota states this larger than life machine is the longest, widest, deepest and roomiest Tundra they have ever built. I would also venture a guess that it is the quietest and most comfortable truck, whether seated up front or in the rear that the automaker has ever built.

“With the Tundra Double Cab, weve created a truck with the most comfortable rear seating in its class,” stated a Toyota spokesman. For some reason I thought Fords new 150 Crew Cab won that distinction, however, Paul Given, a consultant with Toyotas Product Planning and Distribution Department corrected me.

Paul claims that the rear seat in the Tundra Double Cab provides passengers with a segment-leading 24 degrees of reclining seatback angle. And he should know - he was riding in a Tundra Double Cab rear seat when he issued the claim. A 60/40 split in that same rear seat allows it to fold down and tumble forward, maximizing interior cargo carrying capacity.

More kudos to Toyota for designing a rear window that opens fully by dropping down into the rear wall of the cab. Not only does this create a wonderful wind in the hair ride when the moonroof and the 4 door windows are open, but it also allows large objects to extend between the cab and cargo box.

In keeping with Toyotas reputation for high quality fit and finish, the Tundra Double Cab I tested was accurately and solidly assembled. Doors opened and closed with a luxury-car whump and all switch gear functioned smoothly. Interestingly, the Tundra trucks that Toyota presented were not the top-of-the-line Limited editions, but rather the real-world models that most people will be buying. While not overstuffed or leather clad, the interior of the Tundra I drove was nicely appointed. Still it paled in comparison to the 2004 Ford F150 I recently road tested. Of course the Ford was the top-tier Lariat model, but even in base trim I have to give Ford the nod when it comes to interior design, materials and workmanship.

While the Tundra interior is complete in terms of instrumentation and equipment, it has little appeal in my view. Why? Its design is uninspiring and overall it relies too much on hard plastic surface materials. To pull died-in-the-wool domestic truck fans away from their Ford, GM and Dodge products, as Toyota hopes to do, the brand will have to work on the curb appeal and interior fashioning of future Tundras. Toyota also competes with Nissan in its quest to convert the orthodox domestic buyer, and the new Titan pickup offers edgier styling, both inside and out, and can brag about larger dimensions, greater engine output and a better executed interior.

But beauty is only body panel deep, so to speak. Purchasers who base their selection on empirical findings may find the Tundras ride and handling, or reported reliability and better than average fuel economy more suitable to their personal style. But those more reliant on emotion to guide their selection process may pass over the Tundra in favor of the big-rig Dodge Ram, the rakish new Titan or the redesigned F150. Stylistically the Tundra is an attractive, yet conservative “wall flower,” not a heart pounding looker - and at the school prom we all know that the one who dances first is also the one that dances last, before being taken home. But the prom queen doesnt always make the best life partner.

And neither does the best looking pickup truck, for that matter. If you want further empirical evidence to support a Tundra selection, youll need to take it out on a test drive. To say the big Tundra Dual Cab drives like a car is not an overstatement. I had the pleasure of piloting the Tundra through winding backroads and heavily rutted, snow covered off-road trails in one of the worlds most spectacular mountainous regions. On the highway or about town, the Tundra is very genteel and easy to handle.

And its civility is all the more impressive when the truck is put into perspective. A quick look in the rearview mirror makes one thing very clear, just how much roadway is consumed by the full-size cab and box of the Tundra Double Cab. Toyota didnt diminish the length of the Tundra Double Cab box. It extends approximately 7 inches further down the road than that of the Ford F150 Crew Cab or the new Nissan Titan Crew Cab. Even with its extra box length factored in, the civilized attributes of the Tundra Double Cab belie its substantial overall length of 230 inches and heft of 4,980 pounds.

Thanks to an independent front suspension incorporating a double wishbone design, coil springs, gas filled low-pressure nitrogen shocks and a sway bar, the Tundra successfully pulls off the car-like ride. Of course the rear suspension must do more than merely transmit a favorable ride, it also needs to be capable of supporting whatever payload is foisted upon it. To do this Toyota has armed the Tundra with lengthened leaf springs at the rear and outboard mounted gas-filled, low-pressure nitrogen shocks.

Collectively, the front and rear suspension calibrations nicely blend the ideals of ride quality, handling and payload carrying capacity. But dont let the notion of a smooth riding pickup deceive you into believing that it must lack decent off-road ability. A short jaunt over some very steep, craggy pitches covered with foot deep snow dispelled that myth. The accompanying pictures dont tell the full story. Well into the bowels of the off-road site, the Tundra climbed and descended pitches that led me to feel I was breaching the Great Wall of China. The Tundra undertook and executed these maneuvers with competence and tenacity, partly due to my testers optional off-road package.

Shifting the big Double Cab into 4X4 Hi or Low range was a snap. A dash-mounted switch electronically activated the transfer case and voila, the Tundra morphed into a hill climbing champ. Held in low gear, the Tundra is also a competent downhiller as well. The engines resistance is sufficient to hold downhill speed in check, while ensuring that vehicle control and stability are maintained.

The engine that performed so admirably on- and off-road was Toyotas tried and true 4.7-liter i-Force DOHC, 32-valve V8. This smooth-running conscript is capable of 240 horsepower and a muscular 315 ft-lb of torque. It hustled the Tundra down the highway with reasonable velocity, but was not a standout when it came to highway passing and hill climbing. Each of the Big-3 domestics can out match the Toyota in engine output and straight-line performance as well. As for the Tundras Japanese competition, the Titans standard 305-hp 5.6-liter power unit is the clear winner with its 379 lb-ft of torque.

Balancing the performance equation is safety, which Toyota has attended to. The Tundra protects its driver and front seat passenger with the inclusion of multi-stage, reduced power dual front airbags as standard equipment. Also standard at all five seating positions are three-point seatbelts. Toyota has also furnished the Tundra with antilock brakes as standard equipment.

Tundras front wheels are arrested by disc brakes, while the rear wheels are collared with what Toyota claims are the largest drum brakes in the segment. A load sensing proportioning valve adjusts the braking force of the rear drums to account for differences in payload. Gone are the days of standing on the brakes with every scintilla of ones strength to grind a fully loaded pickup to a rapid halt.

The Tundra Double Cab V8 is dispatched in two trim levels, beginning with the SR5 4X2 with a base price of $26,185. The 4X4 SR5 tips the scales with a base price of $29,515. The Limited version of the 4X2 Tundra Double Cab rings in at $29,810 and at $33,140 for the 4X4 Limited.

Wallflower or not, the 2004 Tundra Double Cab 4X4 is a Toyota, and that spells reliability. Buyers can be assured that their hard-earned greenbacks are being invested into a vehicle that will serve them well, on the road or off. Since its introduction in 2000, the Tundra has contributed to Toyotas excellent reputation for dependability. The new Double Cab configuration doubles the Tundras equation of hard work and hard play.