Toyota first
began building trucks back in 1935 -- it wasn't until 1965 that the Japanese
automaker entered the U.S. marketplace with a diminutive hauler called
the Stout. Roughly, only 4000 Stouts were sold over its three year lifespan,
but it paved Toyota's way into the American truck scene. The sub-compact
Stout eventually led to the production of Toyota's full size Tundra, which
first bowed on our shores in 1999.
Toyota just
introduced their biggest and best Tundra to date -- the Tundra Double
Cab (or D-Cab). It's all new, with a redesigned frame, and it's larger
than previous Tundra offerings.
Tundra's
lineup now consists of a Regular Cab, an Access Cab, and the latest D-Cab
which sports four full sized doors. The D-Cab is nearly one foot longer
overall than its predecessors (6-inches longer than Ford's F-150), with
a wheelbase that measures 12.2 inches longer. It is also 4-inches wider.
The D-Cab takes on a carriage-style look, with the cab curving in from
top to bottom, and the bed curving in to meet it. The D-Cab Tundra features
body-on-frame construction, with a fully boxed front section and a rolled
C-frame rear section, stabilized by an X-type cross brace aft.
The Tundra
D-Cab national press launch took place in San Antonio, Texas on the site
where Toyota's newest U.S. plant will be built. The location consists
of 2,700 acres, just outside the city on an ancient rancho, which has
remained in the same family since its origin as a Spanish land grant.
700 acres of the site have been set aside as green space for public enjoyment.
The plant will be constructed at a cost of $800 million and will employ
2,000 workers. Annual production for the Tundra full-size trucks at the
new plant is expected to be 150,000 at start-up in 2006. The launch location
was deemed appropriate, since one of every seven full-size pickup trucks
sold in the U.S., is sold in Texas.
The D-Cab
will come in two trim levels: SR-5; and Limited, with power provided by
Toyota's 4.7 liter DOHC, 32-valve i-Force V8 with a cast iron block and
aluminum alloy heads. The engine produces 240 horsepower @ 4,800 rpm and
315 pound feet of torque @ 3,400 rpm. It runs on unleaded regular-grade
gasoline, is certified as a ULEV vehicle. and mates to an electronically
controlled four-speed automatic transmission. The Double-Cab is available
in 4x2 (rear-wheel drive) or 4x4 Four-Wheel drive configurations.The 4x4
system is Toyota's pushbutton shift-on-the-fly (up to 62 mph) Touch Select.
The shift-on-the-fly applies only from 4x2 to 4x4 Hi -- 4 Lo requires
stopping and shifting to Neutral before engaging. The same procedure is
required to exit 4 Lo. Throttle control is electronic with intelligence
or ETCSi.
