The Tundra is the only full-size pickup truck in the Toyota range of vehicles, which first saw the light of day in the year 2000. The first series Toyota Tundra although considered in its time as being a trend setter in the full size truck niche, was actually considerably smaller than the Series Two version which was launched in 2006 at the Chicago Auto Show. The Series Two Tundra has been assembled for the North American market at the Toyota plant in San Antonio, Texas since 2008.
As is the case with its smaller brand partner the Toyota Tacoma, the Tundra full-size truck comes no less than eighteen distinct formats, taking in three different cab configurations, ( regular, double cab and CrewMax) , three engine sizes (4.0 liter six cylinder producing 270 horsepower and 278 pounds per feet of torque, 4.6 liter eight cylinder producing 310 horsepower and 327 pounds per feet of torque and lastly a massive 5.7 liter eight cylinder producing 381 pounds of horsepower and 401 pounds per feet of torque) All of the Tacoma's V6 engine configurations come with five speed automatic gearboxes while the V8 is paired with a six speed automatic gearbox.
There are also a few combinations of cabin size and bed lengths available with the full-size Toyota Tundra truck, kicking off with a single two seater cab, five seater Double Cab and the massive six seater CrewMax body The single and double Cabs comes with a choice of either a six foot six inch or an eight foot bed, while the CrewMax comes with a standard and shorter five foot six inch bed, each permutation coming with an easy lift tailgate.
To make for very easy access the Double Cab comes with front hinged doors, while the Tundra CrewMax provides tremendous roominess and comfort, with a sliding and reclining rear seat. Comfort is one thing and strength is another with the Tundra's super powerful engine capable of hauling a payload of just over 2,000 pounds for the V8 engine and 1620 pound for the V6.
The Tundra has been handed a towing capacity of up to 10,000 pounds. To make the tow a lot less traumatic, especially for inexperienced drivers, all 2011 Toyota Tundra models come with a trailer sway control feature as standard.
Other driver refinements that Toyota have added to the 2012 Tundra specifications are a 26.4 US gallon fuel tank, extra-large disc brakes and calipers, an integrated trailer hitch as well as optional extra large automatically controllable tow mirrors that can be manually extended outward to increase driver vision around a trailer which can be more than eight foot wide.