Still riddled with issues, the V6-only Tundra has received a special edition with a few unique touches. Toyota makes a case for "ultra-premium leather" in the 1794 Limited Edition, but is that true?
Sourced from the Saddleback Leather Company, the leather upholstery in question does look the part. On the other hand, calling it ultra-premium is a bit of a stretch on Toyota's part. What should we call the extremely high-quality leathers used by Rolls-Royce and Bentley, then? Mega-, hyper-, or giga-premium?
Look beyond the tawdry marketing vernacular, and you get a rather nice truck. With driver-side seat plastic that cracks rather easily, that is. Limited to 1,500 units, the US market-exclusive 1794 Limited Edition promises enhanced off-road capability due to a 1.1-inch lift kit and shock absorbers from Fox.
The 2.5-inch diameter shocks use internal bypass technology, which can be summed up as a tube inside the main body with ports and shim stacks. Simply put, said construction enables better handling, ride, and stability at higher speeds over a wider range of terrain compared to conventional shock absorbers.
What else makes the hybrid-exclusive 1794 Limited Edition stand out? As you can tell from the pics in the featured gallery, the list comprises an embossed label with the vehicle's number, dark chrome for the bodyside moldings and front grille, a 1794 Limited Edition-stamped tailgate, and some black accents.
Photo: Toyota
To arrive on dealer lots in the spring of 2024 for the 2024 model year, this half-ton pickup is available in four exterior colors: Blueprint, Wind Chill Pearl, Smoked Mesquite, and Midnight Black Metallic. Revealed at the State Fair of Texas, the 1794 Limited Edition is called as such after a cattle ranch established in 1794.
Upon the ranch's land, Toyota built the factory where the Tundra is assembled. Toyota Motor Manufacturing Texas started production of the second-gen Tundra in November 2006. TMMTX also produces the Sequoia, a full-size sport utility vehicle based on the GA-F platform of the Tundra.
Exclusively Crew Cab with a 5.5-foot bed and four-wheel drive, the 1794 Limited Edition further sweetens the deal with Saddleback Leather Company leather goodies that include a small pouch, a large overnight bag, a key glove, and a tool roll. Equipped with the same 10-speed auto as every other Tundra, this fellow belts out the same 437 horsepower and 583 pound-feet (790 Nm) of twist as lesser trims.
Officially dubbed i-FORCE MAX, the hybrid powertrain brings together an electric motor (located inside the transmission's bell housing) and a twin-turbo V6. Listed with 3.5 liters despite a displacement of 3,445 cubic centimeters, the force-fed sixer combines direct and port fuel injection.
It's not exactly frugal, though. As per the EPA's fuel economy ratings, the best a four-wheel-drive Tundra hybrid can do is 20 miles per gallon (11.7 liters per 100 kilometers) on the combined test cycle. By comparison, the Ford F-150 PowerBoost is rated at 23 mpg (10.2 l/100 km) with four-wheel drive.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?
Google News