The Fast Lane has recently pitted all three generations of the long-running Toyota Tundra against each other. At nearly a mile above sea level in Colorado, that is, on a runway. Given that both the first and second generations of the Tundra boast naturally-aspirated V8 engines, the third generation is – without a shadow of a doubt – the favorite here.
How did they fare? Not surprising in the least, the hybrid-assisted gen three proved quicker in the quarter mile than its combustion-only predecessors. The numbers in question are 15.24 seconds at 94.4 miles per hour (make that 152 kilometers per hour), 16.84 at 86.6 mph (139 kph), and 17.53 seconds at 82 mph (132 kph). Significant differences, for sure!
The Fast Lane also performed a braking test from 60 miles per hour (97 kilometers per hour), which – obviously enough – is the most technologically advanced pickup won by a considerable margin. Pictured with off-road tires in a paint color that Toyota dubs Terra, the TRD Pro in the video below required 93 feet (28 meters) to come to a full stop.
The second and first generations of the Tundra performed rather similarly: 111 feet and 115 feet, respectively, meaning 34 and 35 meters if you prefer metric. Oh, and by the way, that gen two happens to show a little over 225,000 miles (362,102 kilometers) on the clock. It's not much for that V8, though, an engine that is well known to handle a million miles as long as it receives fresh oil and filters on time. Victor Sheppard's 2007 workhorse comes to mind.
Toyota purchased Sheppard's million-mile truck in 2016, a truck powered by a 4.7-liter V8 that began life as a piece of cast iron in Huntsville, Alabama on March 28, 2007. Internally referred to as 2UZ-FE, this engine isn't the only V8 offered in the second-gen Tundra. The 4.6-liter 1UR-FE also needs to be mentioned, along with the larger 5.7-liter 3UR-FE.
Photo: The Fast Lane on YouTube
Older Tundras also came with six-cylinder lumps, namely 3.4- and 4.0-liter V6 engines from the VZ and GR families. Rather than improving the UR-series V8, the Japanese automaker decided to make the third-gen Tundra exclusively V6. But with a twist, that twist being forced induction. A 3.4-liter sixer rather than 3.5 as implied by the V35A-FTS codename, said engine comes in a variety of tunes. The TRD Pro is exclusively hybrid, which means 437 horsepower and 583 pound-feet (790 Nm) of electrified twist.
Not exactly the most capable half-ton pickup in production today, nor the best value for money in the segment, the 2024 model year Tundra carries a base price of $39,965 for the work-oriented SR. The rest of the lineup comprises the SR5 ($45,500), Limited ($51,855), Platinum ($62,105), 1794 Edition ($62,460), TRD Pro ($72,130), and Capstone ($78,845).
Cab choices include Double Cab and CrewMax, whereas bed choices range from 5.5 feet to 6.5 and 8.1 feet. Of course, the 8.1er is exclusive to the Double Cab. Going hybrid means $57,625 at the very least. When it comes to towing and payload capacities, the most you can get out of the 2024 model is 12,000 pounds (5,443 kilograms) and 1,940 lbs (880 kgs).
From January 2023 through September 2023, total deliveries of the Tundra numbered 113,939 units in the United States market. By comparison, General Motors and the Ford Motor Company sold 629,201 and 573,370 pickup trucks in the first three quarters of 2023.
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
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