2004 Toyota Tundra Review

Specifications

Bit Enough?

If you still harbor doubts about a Japanese automakers ability to adapt, feast your eyes on the all-new Toyota Tundra double cab.

“The Double Cab is the longest, widest, deepest and roomiest Tundra that Toyota has ever built,” boasts a company press release.

No longer do small commuter cars define automakers from the Pacific island, but rather Japanese manufacturers are finding great success in the North American marketplace with large SUVs and pickups.

Toyota made perhaps the boldest and loudest statement to that effect when it entered a Tundra in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, the unabashed bastion of good old boy racing.

And while that regular Tundra is built for speed, the 2004 Tundra Double Cab is built for hauling, and Im not talking pea gravel here.

Still, the biggest advantage all this longer, wider, larger stuff brings with it is the spacious cabin, featuring seating for five adults and rear seats that are more SUV-like than pickup. According to Tundra press notes, the larger rear passenger compartment is comparable to Toyotas Sequoia full-sized SUV. Clearly, cabin comfort was top of mind when Toyota engineers set out to make the biggest Tundra ever.

Available in both rear-drive 4X2 and 4X4 configurations, the Tundra Double Cab rides on a stout ladder frame chassis that is longer than the chassis shared by the two-door Tundra Standard Cab and the four-door Tundra Access Cab.

The 4X2 Double Cab, 4X4 Double Cab and 4X4 Double Cab Limited are powered by a V8 engine designed with stump-pulling in mind. The 4.7-litre powerplant produces 240 horsepower and an authoritative 315 lb-ft of torque. That horsepower rating seems a little anemic given the cabin and box capacities of the Tundra, but the big torque number helps in that department.

Next years Tundra will arrive stock with a 4.0-liter V6 making 245 horsepower and 283 lb-ft of torque, not bad for a 6-cylinder. The V8 gets upgraded as well, with a much bolder 282 horsepower and 325 lb-ft of torque.

While my test Tundra, and all 2004 Tundras feature a four-speed automatic transmission featuring a lock-up torque converter and overdrive cancel switch, next-years truck will get a 5-speed auto in both V6 and V8 guises.

My tester, the Double Cab 4X4, was also equipped with Toyotas Automatic Disconnecting Differential (ADD) for all the benefits of convenient, shift-on-the-fly, part-time 4WD.

The ride and handling of all Tundras is solid and sure, though the fully independent, double-wishbone front suspension and solid axle rear suspension dont smooth out all the bumps.

In addition to the larger space in the cabin, the fit and finish on the dash, the inside of the doors and seats is very good (the last thing you want in a pickup truck is shoddy workmanship in this department as a loose piece of plastic is sure to drive you mad as it squeaks and squawks over every rise in the road).

Standard creature comforts include a six-speaker AM/FM/CD stereo system, air conditioning, keyless entry, power heated exterior mirrors, power windows and door locks, illuminated entry, an electric rear window defroster with timer, as well as cruise control.

The Limited trim adds leather seating surfaces; heated front seats with power-adjustable drivers seat; an integrated garage door opener plus exterior temperature display and compass; unique exterior styling cues; and a premium eight-speaker JBL sound system with AM/FM/cassette/CD changer, rear seat audio controls, two sets of wired headphones and steering wheel audio controls.

While Toyota has been criticized for not providing truckers a large enough “full-size” pickup truck, the Tundra Double Cab sure seems large to me. No doubt the next generation will grow bigger, better and “badder”, but until then the D-Cab is large enough for me.