Since moving to the United States from the United Kingdom over 20 years ago, I’ve dreamed of driving but one vehicle. No, not a Morgan or a Bristol or even an Aston Martin—but a big, burly beast of a truck. That’s right, and the bigger the better, for a pickup truck is many an Englishman’s dream.
When my daughter was born in 2004, however, I committed to buying practical family cars that garnered top safety ratings from only the biggest manufacturers. The vehicle had to have all-wheel drive, a big trunk, and a flawless record of reliability in its class. Not only that, but it had to come in under $40,000 (pre-owned) and be of a size where street parking in New York City would not be a headache.
18 years later, it’s goodbye to the Volvo wagon, and time to indulge my automotive whim. Over the last decade, competition has grown increasingly fierce in the arena of full-size pickup trucks, with more traditional choices like the Silverado and the F-150 having to rally to stay ahead of new entries into the market, such as the 2022 Tundra Limited Crewmax TRD Off-Road, which I tested recently.
My test vehicle came in ‘Supersonic Red’ with black accents, and was to be my mode of transport from New York City to Richmond, Virginia and back again. I was concerned the Tundra would be too big for Brooklyn and Manhattan, as taxis often double park whilst waiting for passengers. I also wondered how much earlier I would have to leave in order to get my daughter to high school on time, what with waiting for a gap in traffic when behind a delivery truck or an Uber blocking my lane.
While the truck was larger than my daily driver, a Volvo XC70—it really wasn’t that much bigger. It just felt larger because I was sitting higher up. A good portion of vehicles on any city street these days are Amazon delivery vans and other courier service trucks, and they seem to manage. If you live in the middle of a major city then—it’s not that a full-size truck is ‘too big’ for daily driving, it’s really just a different style of driving. You have to be more patient, as squeezing through tiny gaps between a Fresh Direct truck and a U.S. Mail van is just not an option. Also, if you don’t have a private parking space, driving around looking for a spot big enough to stash the truck for the night is going to become an arduous task.
There are actually some benefits to driving a pickup in town. One is that you sit much higher up and so it’s easier to notice pedestrians and cyclists. Visibility is also improved at intersections where only two roads have a STOP sign. In the Tundra I could see over the roofs of cars when readying to pull out. A couple of other benefits are the larger wheel and tire combo, steel bash plate, and extra ground clearance, for when winter comes and meteor-sized potholes start appearing.
Once I cleared Manhattan en-route to Richmond, it was time to settle in for a nice long drive. You know the feeling I’m sure. You’ve got something to sip on, a little food, music or an audiobook. Once I was clear of all signs of urban sprawl (about three hours into the drive) I decided to stop and get a late breakfast at one of my favorite restaurants, Cracker Barrel. The parking lot was full, but at the end was a place for trucks and R.V.s, so I pulled the Tundra into an open spot between a Ford F-250 and a Maverick. The ‘Supersonic-Red’ of the Tundra looked sharp, not like cherries or lipstick, but like the blood of freshly-slain orcs.
Like many of Toyota’s offerings in the TRD line, my Tundra had more visual personality than anything parked near it. The black and red combo gave it a cool, sporty feel, which I like as it’s easy for a pickup truck to give off old-guy vibes. In terms of appearance, the TRD Pro is shod with 18-inch TRD Off-Road alloy wheels and all-terrain tires. They leave enough space in the wheel wells for suspension travel on either the trails or the mean streets of New York City.
The rest of the drive south was uneventful, and I got to enjoy the quiet power of the i-Force 3.5L Twin Turbo V6, which puts out 389 HP. The steering was taut and responsive, while acceleration was consistent—though pushing the pedal too quickly on a wet road whilst turning, I felt all the Tundra’s 479 lb.-ft. of torque, and the back end began to flare out. Fortunately the traction control kicked in and saved me from myself. As I said before though—driving a truck takes a different driving style from a typical family SUV, especially when the bed is empty and there’s very little weight over the rear axle.
Another thing to admire about the Tundra is the focus on safety features. For instance, standard safety equipment includes Toyota Safety Sense 2.5: Pre-Collision with Pedestrian Detection, Full-Speed Range Dynamic Radar Cruise Control, Lane Departure Alert with Steering Assist, Lane tracing Assist, Blind-Spot Monitor with RCTA, and a few other bells and whistles. One glaring omission however, is a Head Up display for directions, as reading on the lower part of the windshield is far safer than taking your eyes off the road—even to glance at the laptop sized Tundra touchscreen. I’m not sure I’d buy a vehicle these days without that feature.
The drive back to New York was met with some heavy rain that led to the road flooding in places. It was lovely to sit above the spray and without having to worry about the deeper puddles thanks to the truck’s 30-inch wading depth. Stopping to fill up the tank I again marveled at the striking red and black appearance of the Tundra, which made it feel more dynamic than one of its American peers. I could see myself offering to pick people up at the airport, and how easy it would be to throw some gear in the back and go camping with friends—as the rear seating area is like a sitting room, and the seats also fold to reveal a storage compartment. If I bought this truck, it would most likely be something I keep for the long-term—a tool vehicle that’s fun to drive, but can be relied upon to haul loads and get you across the country without any fuss. Fuel economy wasn’t too bad for a vehicle this size, and I averaged about 22 miles on the highway.
With the TRD Off-road package option ($3,085) and a few other things such as the special paint ($425), rock rails ($625), and JBL 12-Speaker Premium Audio ($565), the total cost was $60,188.00, which is certainly competitive with other trucks in this class, and vehicle that in all likelihood, won’t be as fun to drive or to look at.
