Toyota Tundra reviews

2003 Toyota Tundra Driving Impressions

The Tundra rides as quietly as a luxury sedan, whether it's a four-wheel-drive or two-wheel-drive. This is the quietest pickup we've ever driven. There's very little wind or road noise in the cabin. And the ride quality is extremely smooth.

The V8 engine provides excellent acceleration in the 45-mph range. It allowed our four-wheel-drive Tundra to pass slower drivers with no drama on winding Hawaiian roads, and our two-wheel-drive model to dash through Virginia with a full load of furniture.

Toyota's V8 is a marvel of balance. It is silky smooth, quick, and extremely responsive. At the same time, it isn't overly sensitive to the throttle at tip-in, so it doesn't lurch off the line. It also sounds great. Stand behind the Tundra when it is started, revved, or even idling, and you're treated to a classic V8 burble that's pleasant to American ears. Yet, it's super-quiet when sitting inside the truck or standing in front of it.

V8 engines with twin cams and four valves per cylinder are usually associated with imported luxury sports sedans. Toyota perfected this design in its Land Cruiser and Lexus luxury vehicles. With distributorless ignition and other state-of-the-art features, the 4.7-liter V8 produces nearly 200 foot-pounds of torque at as little as 2000 rpm. It's the first V8 in the segment to qualify as an ultra low-emission vehicle, or ULEV, by U.S. government standards.

The automatic transmission is smooth and responsive, communicating well with the engine, and always choosing the appropriate gear.

Starting from a dead stop, a two-wheel-drive Tundra Limited easily accelerated up a long steep grade while pulling a 3,000-pound trailer. This rig was stable going around sweeping turns, braking from high speeds on steep downhill sections and bouncing over a rough, lava-covered dirt road. There were none of the up and down motions some trucks exhibit when their front suspensions aren't up to balancing weight on the rear tongue. Transmission and engine oil coolers are standard.

Ride quality is excellent. On rough pavement and bumpy dirt roads, the Tundra's suspension really shines. It damps out unwanted vibration and harshness and controls the movement of the wheels precisely, keeping the tires in contact with the road surface for excellent grip and handling. Bouncing up a steep mountain trail, barely a path, on the Big Island of Hawaii, the Tundra 4WD's suspension performed amazingly well. It was easy to control over the rough terrain. Bounding over harsh dips and humps, the suspension offered impressive travel and damping. The suspension never bottomed on the bump stops in spite of my efforts to beat it up.

Both the two- and four-wheel-drive models offer exceptional handling as well, even with the standard suspension. The 2WD SR5 I drove through Virginia was incredibly responsive. Everything about it felt exceptionally tight.

While bouncing over moguls, we noticed that neither the cowl nor the front hood shook. The Tundra's chassis is highly rigid with boxed front frame rails. Toyota also claims this truck offers class-leading ground clearance, and that everything underneath is tucked above the frame rails.

The brakes felt great to us, even when pulling a trailer, and Toyota claims the Tundra can stop quicker than the domestic pickups.

The new Sport Suspension Package promises better handling on paved roads. And for those who prefer fast travel off-road, Toyota offers the TRD Off-Road Package, developed with Toyota off-road-racing legend Ivan "Ironman" Stewart. Using Bilstein shocks and special progressive-rate springs, this suspension is designed for performance in extreme off-road conditions; and it reportedly rides better on rough road surfaces than the standard suspension.