Big pickups are not really my thang!
Sorry for all you macho types who picture yourself in cowboy boots and hats with that chaw between your cheek and gum. I’m just a little dude who struggles to climb aboard this mystery ships.
Mystery? Yes, as to why so many folks feel they need a monster truck to get around the suburbs and cities these days. Oh, I get it if you’re a farmer, construction worker, or horse trainer, someone who actually needs to pull a big trailer or load weighing, let’s say 11,400 pounds.
That’s when the sporty (ha!) Magnetic Gray Metallic Toyota Tundra SR5 Crewmax and its like from other brands makes sense.
In a previous life I towed a variety of loaded down snowmobile trailers about for the winter. We needed a heavy hauler pickup. So, I get it. Pickups are needed, sometimes.
But now that nearly all have a full second row of seats and enough luxury and comfort to substitute for the more efficient and easier driving family sedan, well, I must face the fact that they are our nation’s go-to vehicles, the top three sellers by volume.
Toyota’s full-size beast of burden is still not as popular as the industry-leading Ford F-Series pickup, which sold 765,649 units last year. But the Tundra still sold a solid 144,555 units last year, making it a big volume seller for the brand, and thus a monster profit generator.
My SR5 Crewmax represents the second trim level of five, just up from the base SR with a smaller 358-horse engine and just two-wheel-drive.
So, with AWD and the smaller 5.5-foot bed (6.5-foot is available) this is how many would-be buyers could climb into the full-size truck market. The SR5 upgrades to Toyota’s strong 3.4-liter twin-turbo V6 that ups power to 389 horses and an impressive 479 pound-feet of torque. It will pull that 11,400 pounds mentioned earlier while also clearing the ground by 9.3 inches in case you take it off paved roads.
Entry price is $52,955. I hope you’re not shocked, but any full-size 4x4 pickup will run you a bit north of $50 grand, before options.
Tundra’s advantage of course is that it’s a Toyota, so reliable and with better resale value than most.
It also smartly added a multi-link rear suspension with coil springs a couple years ago (the Ram 1500 also has this). That improves the ride considerably over the usual leaf springs on pickups. I took this one on some southeast Wisconsin back roads and over some pretty crummy streets and while there’s a bit of bounce as in any truck or SUV, the ride was comfortable. It’s well dampened so that you never get a spine tingler or rump thump, even on pathetic pavement.
That twin-turbo V6 delivers smooth and plentiful power too, so pulling a load or quickly escaping a stoplight is easy. The fine 10-speed automatic transmission is a winner too, no clunky transitions between gears, something that also smooths out trailering.
There are off-road controls, a small lever to slide into high or low four-wheel-drive and then three drive modes engaged via a console dial.
Handling is what you’d expect in a big pickup, a little imprecise, but easy enough to control. There’s some lane wander and windy days can push the truck a bit, so stay alert. Turning radius is also large and slipping the Tundra, or any large pickup, between parking lot lines can be a challenge. I find parking near the back of a lot where there’s less to dodge a helpful guide to pickup parking.
Note that the test truck was equipped with an $8,660 TRD Rally package. Those initials stand for Toyota Racing Development and so one would expect the pickup to not only offer more performance (and it is quick for its size), but also look racier, right?
Well, the TRD Rally package does spiff things up a bit, in both ways.
For instance, there is an off-road suspension with Bilstein shocks, a good part of that smooth on-road ride. It adds all-terrain tires for off-roading, electric-controlled and locking rear differential, a crawl and downhill assist system and Multi-Terrain Select, the Toyota name for off-road settings. Maybe most important, this package adds skid plates.
All that’s great for buyers who are mudders and rock climbers.
To impress the neighbors the TRD package adds 18-inch alloy wheels and some bling, tri-colored decals on the grille, front doors, and tailgate. Plus inside there’s a red TRD start button along with red accents on the shift knob and centered atop the steering wheel. My soon-to-be-driving grandson liked that red stripe to show when the wheel is straight. Maybe that should be standard, at least to help new drivers.
The package also adds easily cleaned SofTex-trimmed seats, 8-way power front seats with yellow and orange stitching, and the seats are heated. It also upgrades to a dual-zone climate control system. Bravo!
Naturally this is a big roomy and quiet interior with a large info screen and sharp digital driver instrument gauges. Starting in the SR4 a 14.5-inch info screen is available too.
All controls are easy to see and understand, but the dash does appear a bit button happy. Still, buttons are easier to use when wearing gloves than haptic touch buttons and often the touchscreens themselves. So I’m ok with buttons. Even the heated steering wheel here is engaged via a button to the left of the steering wheel, and it needn’t be reset every time the ignition is turned off. Ah, the advantage of buttons.
Crewmax vehicles also have full-size rear doors for easier entry and a massive 41.6 inches of rear seat legroom. A Double Cab model has but 33.3 inches in back and smaller rear doors. There’s also a power vertical rear window to let in air, or extend longer items for transport in case the 5.5-foot bed isn’t long enough.
Naturally you can also lower the power tailgate, easy because it’s powered and lowers without a startling thud. It also powers back up easily with just a slight upward push to engage the motor. Tundra’s bed is lined with a composite material too to avoid scraps, dents and (worst of all) rust. A rear step is optional.
Six lower-priced options, in addition to that pricey TRD package here, added just another $827, bringing the out-the-door price to $62,442, so nearly $10 grand more than the base price.
For those needing less power and just rear-drive a base SR model lists at $43,980 with 4WD adding roughly $3,200. Other trims include the tested SR5, the Limited and Platinum. A special 1794 edition is tops, listing at $68,250.
Good news though, the pretty much all-inclusive Toyota Safety Sense 2.5 is standard and for those fearing possible future tariffs, the Tundra is made in San Antonio, Texas.
Probably should mention this Tundra’s deficiencies, to be fair. It had no sunroof or running boards, the later (not ladder) making it hard to climb aboard for us short folks. Power running boards are optional, and I’d highly recommend them.
This version also got just 17.8 mpg as opposed to the 19.8 mpg I’d achieved with a hybrid Tundra three years ago. And the hybrid packed more power. The EPA rates this model at 17 mpg city and 22 mpg highway. In your dreams!
FAST STATS: 2025 Toyota Tundra SR5 CrewMax
Hits: Massive pickup with 5.5-foot bed, roomy and quiet interior, excellent power, smooth ride. Big info screen and fine digital instrument panel, heated wheel, heated/cooled front seats, power tailgate. Excellent towing power and acceleration, good safety systems.
Misses: No sunroof or running boards, a lot of buttons in the cockpit, still has gas cap and modest mpg.
Made in: San Antonio, Texas
Engine: 3.4-liter twin-turbo V6, 389 hp/479 torque
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Weight: 5,160 lbs.
Wheelbase: 145.7 in.
Length: 233.6 in.
Ground clearance: 9.3 in.
Cargo bed: 5.5-foot
Tow: 11,400 lbs.
MPG: 17/22
MPG: 17.8 (tested)
Base Price: $52,955 (includes delivery)
Invoice: $49,129
Major Options:
TRD Rally Pkg. (18-in. TRD alloy wheels w/all-terrain tires, tri-color decal on grille, front doors and tailgate, off-road suspension w/Bilstein shocks, skid plates, mud guards, red TRD start button, TRD leather shift knob and steering wheel, electric-controlled locking rear differential, Multi-Terrain Select, Crawl Control, Downhill Assist Control, SofTex-trimmed seats, 8-way power front seats, tri-color inserts w/yellow, orange stitching, heated front seats, dual zone automatic climate control), $8,660
Spare tire lock, $75
Wheel locks, $105
TRD Performance air filter, $135
Carpeted floor mats, $199
Bed mat, $224
Ball mount, $89
Test vehicle: $62,442
Sources: Toyota, www.kbb.com
Photos: Mark Savage
