by Cheryl Eldridge
This week’s tester was really special to me. The 2014 Toyota Tundra not only was a great drive, the delivery’s timing was grand.
Last week Alabama had a winter snow/ice storm which left students, educators, drivers and others stranded in the Deep South.
A lot of drivers’ vehicles were either stranded or damaged.
The Tundra was definitely put to the test. I put the car in 4 wheel drive with at least 5 mph and got ready for my journey.
The Tundra SR5 Double Cab seats six and I was able to take six people home that evening to get out of the winter storm. The Tundra is one of Toyota’s larger trucks and it saved a lot of people’s lives last week by the grace of God.
The Tundra has always been known to dominate its peer, the Toyota Tacoma, which is really the older version of the Tundra.
My husband owns a 2000 Tundra and was impressed with all of the new amenities and the smooth drive.
The 2014 Toyota Tundra has updated exterior styling and a revamped interior. The Entune suite of smartphone-connected services is now available in the Tundra, and there’s a new, Western-themed top trim level called the 1794 Edition. On the safety front, a rearview camera is now standard across the board, and a blind-spot monitoring system with rear cross-traffic alerts is a new option.
After years of standing pat, Toyota has finally pulled the trigger on a major restyling of the full-size Tundra. It’s not the complete overhaul you might expect at this point in the truck’s life cycle, though. Toyota has left the Tundra’s powertrain and suspension hardware largely unchanged, and that’s a potential liability in the light-duty full-size truck class, in which competitors continue to set new benchmarks for fuel economy and ride comfort.
Technically speaking, the 2014 Toyota Tundra is a full-size pickup offered in three body styles: two-door regular cab, extended four-door double cab and the four-door crew cab called the CrewMax. These body styles are mixed among two wheelbases and three bed lengths – 5.5-foot short bed, 6.5-foot standard bed and 8.1-foot long bed. Double cabs and CrewMaxes seat five or six, depending on how you equip them.
Added to this matrix are five trim levels: the base Tundra SR, SR5, Limited, Platinum and 1794 Edition. Not all of these variations are available together, and the availability of some options depends on the region where you live.
Standard equipment on the entry-level SR regular cab models includes 18-inch steel wheels; a matte black lower front bumper, rear bumper and grille surround; tow hooks (four-wheel-drive models); keyless entry; heated mirrors; full power accessories; a windshield wiper de-icer; a damped tailgate; cruise control; air-conditioning; cloth upholstery; a 40/20/40-split bench seat with four-way manual adjustment for the driver’s and passenger sections; a tilt-only steering wheel; two 12-volt power outlets; Bluetooth phone and audio connectivity; a 6.1-inch touchscreen; a rearview camera; and a four-speaker audio system with a CD player and USB/auxiliary audio inputs. Options for the base 2014 Tundra include a bed rail system and a Work Truck package with vinyl seats and flooring.
Get the SR Tundra in the double cab body style and you add front and rear map lights, an eight-way manually adjustable driver seat (four-way for the passenger) 60/40-split fold-up rear seats and two extra speakers.
The SR5 trim is available in the double cab and CrewMax body styles. Additional standard equipment includes foglights, a chrome grille surround, chrome rear bumper, variable intermittent wipers, a center-console shifter, an upgraded instrument panel, a manual sliding rear window (power sliding in the CrewMax, which also gets an overhead console), a higher-resolution 7-inch touchscreen display, satellite radio and HD radio. The optional SR5 Upgrade package brings front bucket seats with an eight-way power driver seat, a tilt-and-telescoping steering wheel, a front console, a rear under-seat storage tray (double cab only) and an alarm system. The TRD Off-Road package adds 18-inch alloy wheels, all-terrain tires, an off-road-tuned suspension, skid plates and tow hooks (2WD models).
The 2014 Toyota Tundra is offered with a choice of three engines and rear-wheel or four-wheel drive. Unlike on the competition, each engine comes with a single rear axle ratio, making it easier to configure a truck that meets your needs.
Rear-wheel-drive SR models come with a 4.0-liter V6 that puts out 270 horsepower and 278 pound-feet of torque. A five-speed automatic transmission is standard. EPA-estimated fuel economy is 17 mpg combined (16 mpg city/20 mpg highway).
On the safety side, my tester the 2014 Toyota Tundra SR5 Double Cab, comes standard with antilock brakes, stability and traction control, trailer sway control, front side-impact airbags, side curtain airbags that cover both rows and front knee airbags. A rearview camera is standard across the board, while parking sensors are optional on the Limited and standard on the Platinum and 1794 Edition. A blind-spot monitoring system with rear cross-traffic alerts is optional on the Limited, Platinum and 1794 models.
Inside, the Tundra has received a thorough update for 2014. Everything seems at once larger and more legible, and the uncomfortably long reach to the audio and climate dials and buttons on the center console has been remedied by reorienting the dashboard 2.6 inches closer to the driver. The instrument cluster now features two conventional and wonderfully legible dials for the speedometer and tachometer. It’s nothing wacky or trendy – it’s just instrumentation that works.
The 2014 Toyota Tundra’s interior materials also look and feel higher-quality than in past years, and the leather appointments in the upper trims are particularly appealing. A touchscreen display is now standard across the board, and most models are available with Entune, a suite of smartphone-connected services that includes such features as the Bing search engine, Pandora streaming radio, real-time traffic and sports and stock information. Getting started with Entune can be a hassle, though, since you have to install an app on your phone and register for an account, plus you always need an active data connection to use it.
The front seats in every trim are broad and comfortable, but as this is a truck, you shouldn’t expect much in the way of lateral support. There’s a vast amount of legroom and headroom in the backseat of the CrewMax, which shouldn’t surprise considering the enormity of this configuration’s footprint. The folding rear seats in double cabs and CrewMaxes also provide a good amount of protected storage for valuable items you’d rather not leave in the bed.
Gas Mileage was not great at 13mpg in the city and 17 mpg on the highway with a sticker price of $37,976, full loaded.
Until next week, drive safe, buckle up, don’t text and drive ; and help someone, you never know when you might need help.
