In my adventures over the years, I’ve had the opportunity to drive a lot of different vehicles. What I’ve come to realize is that I’m definitely a “car guy” – meaning that I have little interest in motorcycles, and a limited knowledge of trucks. That doesn’t mean that I haven’t driven them, as I’ve been behind the wheel of many, but surprisingly it’s full-size pickup trucks that have largely eluded me. That’s just one reason why I was so intrigued by the chance to get behind the wheel of the 2017 Toyota Tundra Limited Double Cab – a full-size pickup, and a ride that feels just gigantic compared to what I’m used to. The quick take? I loved it.
A striking vehicle straight away, the truck was delivered to Rock Father HQ by DriveShop courtesy of the Toyota press fleet. The “Inferno” red-orange was immediately a polarizing color, one that I found dramatic and appealing, but one my neighbors openly questioned. It’s different – and a head-turner. At one point, I dropped the girls off at a birthday party screening of Beauty and the Beast, and while waiting to pick them up in front of the movie theater, three separate groups stopped to look at the truck and ask me about it.
Built-in-America with a final assembly point of San Antonio, Texas, the Toyota Tundra is a legendary truck, and despite the “import” name (Toyota builds a ton of vehicles in the U.S.), it was an unmodified Tundra that famously towed NASA’s Space Shuttle Endeavour across the 405 freeway in Los Angeles back in 2012. If that doesn’t signify power, I don’t what does – and cruising through Lake County, Illinois as my daily driver for a week, the rumble of the beefy 5.7-liter DOHC EFI V8 was pretty awesome… even if I was largely just running the kids to-and-from school and activities.
The interior on this particular model was nice and comfortable, but not particularly flashy – but you can get pretty luxurious if you wanted to. Being able to comfortably fit two kids in car seats in the back was great in using the Tundra as a family ride, though if you don’t need the cargo and towing power, rockin’ a 15mpg truck probably isn’t the most economically-feasible option. What I will say is that the ride was so, so smooth – and with the TRD Off-Road package, I was very tempted to go off the beaten path and start ripping across some of the local cornfields.
When it comes to payload and towing power, you can hold over 1600 pounds in the bed, and pull over 10,000 pounds. So what did I haul? Appropriately, I used the Tundra to move toys… specifically, one toy – the Step2 PAW Patrol Lookout Climber, which we delivered to it’s new home with one of the girls’ best little friends.
The 2017 Toyota Tundra starts at $30,120. As-driven, $43,570. With six unique models and numerous trim options, there’s a Tundra for every taste when it comes to a full-size truck. Learn more, and build and price your own at https://www.toyota.com/tundra/
