Drove the new 2007 Tundra and all competition!!!

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Win, If you knew anything about me you would know I am a huge fan of Toyota's products and have been most of my life. I have only been working at a Toyota dealership for about 2 weeks now. If you look at my old posts you will see that my current ones are much more low key. Not once in any of my Tundra threads have I solicted a sale or mentioned the name of my dealership.

I have about 500 pages of material on this new product 12 hours of hands on driveing and class room study of it and the competition. I got to see all of the chasis's sectioned, rolling,cut away's of the engines on stands, displays of brake rotors,calipers,ring+pinion,axles etc..... of the Tundra and their competition. That is a lot of rather unique hands on experince that I want to share with my friends. I am not even on the sales floor yet so I could not sell anyone anything if I wanted to!! I am still shadowing more experinced salemen.

If the owner of the site tells me that I can not share my experince then I will surely respect it. I am not trying to sell anyone anything. I like talking oil,cars and trucks with my friends and I generaly consider most people on this site to be a friend until I have reason to treat them as anything else!
 
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I have about 500 pages of material on this new product 12 hours of hands on driveing and class room study of it and the competition. I got to see all of the chasis's sectioned, rolling,cut away's of the engines on stands, displays of brake rotors,calipers,ring+pinion,axles etc..... of the Tundra and their competition. That is a lot of rather unique hands on experince that I want to share with my friends. I am not even on the sales floor yet so I could not sell anyone anything if I wanted to!! I am still shadowing more experinced salemen.

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Wow. That's got to be the first time I've ever interpreted any description of a car salesman's job in a positive light! Sounds interesting. Usually talking to salesmen reveals that their sales drive/ability is priority #1, and technical knowledge is #20.
 
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Yes, I am now selling Toyota's. I have all kinds of technical information as well. I thought that hands on observations would be more interesting.

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Good luck with your new job and I hope you achieve Maslow's Self-Actualization. I believe you will do well given your enthusiasm.
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Thanks again for sharing what you can.
 
John, you sound like you are into it and that is a great start. I've been in sales my whole life and I love it too. I know a few good dealer salespeople and they all have one thing in common, they know the competition as well or better than their own product and that gives them the repeat business that makes one successful in the auto sales game. Don't believe everything that comes from the factory books, go out and find out for yourself. Go test drive the competition and get educated about them! I have a feeling you just might do well!
 
Thanks for the info JB! And good luck with the new career!

But why is Toyota and Nissan building huge, gas guzzling trucks for the half ton market? Surely the Toy will be more capable but why then would someone not buy a 3/4 ton for that very reason?

A half ton needs to be used as a truck but also needs to fit the customers requirements for fuel economy, overall size, and reasonable purchase price. None of the current crop fits these requirements very well, but the foreign trucks are the worst so far.
 
crashz, The Tundra's fuel economy is on par with it's competition. The amazeing thing is that they are able to produce as much power as they have and earn a ULEV rateing at the same time!!! Their is easily 40-60 more HP available with nothing more then a reflash of the ECM. We have people playing around with super charged and turbo charged models right now on their own not as part of Toyota's offical plans.
 
I have always liked Toyotas, but if I am to get a 1/2 ton truck, Ford F150 would be my choice.

Why? well, there's no question among the 1/2 tons, this tundra will eat the competition alive, especially the Nissan. And that only means the American trucks would be offering even more insane rebates and price cuts. That is when I will jump in and pick up my F150. I won't be towing any burgers or cattles, so I won't be needing the Tundra in the first place. Why the F150? Styling, price, and interior materials.

But yeah, this Tundra is the worse news for the american automakers that live on selling trucks. They are so dead.
 
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I will tell you what stands out about the experince in my mind. I will also answere any questions you might have, I made about 10 laps in the various Tundra configurations and about 5 laps in the various competition configurations. I did this with 1500lbs of liguid in a tank in the beds, then with 1000lbs of liquid in the bed and 3500lbs of trailer. We did this on a road course and a towing course. We also did an off road course with empty beds.

Whats stands out in my mind is how much better the tundra did in terms of acceleration,brakeing handleing,towing etc..... I was able to point the tundra where I wanted it to go then use trail brakeing and power to steer the truck. It felt very stable and easy to control even when drifting. The 5.7L V8 teamed with their 6 speed automatic is an acceleration machine loaded or unloaded. It was faster in 0-60,1/4 mile and 0-60-0 then any of their competition loaded or unloaded. The engine has lots of usable HP and torque. The power band is very wide. I did not notice any brake fade issues at all.

The trucks axles, frame and suspension are built like 3/4-1 ton even though it is a 1/2 ton truck. It has a very car like ride with out suffering dive or excessive sway. It has a lot of axle articulation and ground clearance. The aproach and departure angles are also impressive for a modrern truck with it's level of handleing prowess.

Even if you are not in the market just yet do yourself a favor and take on for a spin. A positive note is that most so called domestic brands will be starting an incentive war soon to try and compensate for the Tundra many standard features performance.

If anyone wants any specific insights in terms of comparisons between it and the competition just let me know!!
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Lets set a few things straight about the Toy verus the Big Boys. The Toy is only quicker for a reason. Have you ever wondered why if you look at the MPG label that its gets worse than a Chevy (5.4) It has a 3.92 rear end. That is where it makes it speed. If you would drive the Chevy with the 6.0....you'd see who has the real Truck. BTW the Chevy is rated to haul more. I'm not just a Chevy fan...as I'm sure Ford and Dodge with the Great hemi is also wonderful. I'm just tired of everyone (rice Lovers) bragging so much on the Toy. Its still not a real truck. Come down to the south where we haul real loads. You'll need a 3/4 ton or a one ton Dually. I'm sure the Toy will catch up later on. And before you say I'm a USA only guy...I've owned five non US name plates.
 
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Lets set a few things straight about the Toy verus the Big Boys. The Toy is only quicker for a reason. Have you ever wondered why if you look at the MPG label that its gets worse than a Chevy (5.4) It has a 3.92 rear end. That is where it makes it speed. If you would drive the Chevy with the 6.0....you'd see who has the real Truck. BTW the Chevy is rated to haul more. I'm not just a Chevy fan...as I'm sure Ford and Dodge with the Great hemi is also wonderful. I'm just tired of everyone (rice Lovers) bragging so much on the Toy. Its still not a real truck. Come down to the south where we haul real loads. You'll need a 3/4 ton or a one ton Dually. I'm sure the Toy will catch up later on. And before you say I'm a USA only guy...I've owned five non US name plates.

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I think you are right, the Toyota probably won't outperform when doing the real truck jobs. But how many people really need the full utility of a truck anymore? I know a lot of people who have trucks that rarely use them for the utility (myself included). I think Toyota is going after a larger market segment that wants the truck without the "truck". If that makes sense.

They need it to tow and haul occasionally but most of the time it is just a large vehicle that gets them where they want to go. At least that is what I see 99% of the time on the freeway. I see a lot of trucks that don't have a scratch in the bed with guys in them that are clearly white collar workers. Most of them have never used the trailer hitch or have seen the dirt.

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Toyota can try to fit in, but they just arent American. Big V-8s, Horsepower and gas guzzling pickups are a American tradition. Iam betting they fall flat on thier face with Nascar. Most pickups I see with a white collar drivers are in Nissans or Toyotas, Most real trucks I see the ones with dents, rusty trailer hitchs and baler twine tied to the bed, them thar are real trucks and they are Chevies, Fords and Dodges.
 
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Lets set a few things straight about the Toy verus the Big Boys. The Toy is only quicker for a reason. Have you ever wondered why if you look at the MPG label that its gets worse than a Chevy (5.4) It has a 3.92 rear end. That is where it makes it speed. If you would drive the Chevy with the 6.0....you'd see who has the real Truck. BTW the Chevy is rated to haul more. I'm not just a Chevy fan...as I'm sure Ford and Dodge with the Great hemi is also wonderful. I'm just tired of everyone (rice Lovers) bragging so much on the Toy. Its still not a real truck. Come down to the south where we haul real loads. You'll need a 3/4 ton or a one ton Dually. I'm sure the Toy will catch up later on. And before you say I'm a USA only guy...I've owned five non US name plates.

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I think you are right, the Toyota probably won't outperform when doing the real truck jobs. But how many people really need the full utility of a truck anymore? I know a lot of people who have trucks that rarely use them for the utility (myself included). I think Toyota is going after a larger market segment that wants the truck without the "truck". If that makes sense.

They need it to tow and haul occasionally but most of the time it is just a large vehicle that gets them where they want to go. At least that is what I see 99% of the time on the freeway. I see a lot of trucks that don't have a scratch in the bed with guys in them that are clearly white collar workers. Most of them have never used the trailer hitch or have seen the dirt.

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If people have trucks and never use them....why not drive something that gets better MPG??? I see here where the TOY gets the ULVE....but a truck that earns this still polutes more than something that get more MPG but doesn't earn this rating. Its burning more fuel. As far as full size MPG is concerned....check this out: Gov. MPG As you see for yourself Chevy 5.3 is 16 city 22 hwy...Toy 5.7 si 16 city 20 hwy. Toy 4.7 is 15 city 18 hwy...this smaller engine is aweful...and Toy with some magazines bragged on how advanced it was....well if advanced means very low MPG in its class...then thats bunk. I admit the new Toy 5.7 is a lot better. Even Toy V-6 is is not as good as chevy at 17 city 20 HWY. The Chevy V-6 is 17/21. And to think that Chevy is doing that with 4 speed autos vs. Toys 6 speed auto. So will the Chevy even widen the gap when it switches to 6 speeds??
 
Don't think I'm trying to just run down the Toy. Its just the statement was made about how much better the Toy is and I don't agree. In fact if it wasn't for the low hard seats of the Tacoma, it would be my favorite smaller truck. I'm not even saying I'll never own one, seeing how I've owned non-US name plates in the past. I'm just tired of everyone bashing US made Trucks...and cars for that matter. My Honda Accord I had never had a problem and was a great car. But guess what, my Ford Taurus never broke down on me either. And my current Chevy Impala has now 60,000 without a problem. You can tell me about american cars breaking down if you'd like and I can also tell you about friends Toys that failed. If you buy a new Toy (or other non us made brand) they still try to sell ext-warr. for a reason. And every shop has cars in it. They are all man made. Do I feel that Toy-non us is more reliable as a whole than Us made...yes...but I feel (as well as consumer reports) that american cars are getting better. So people shouldn't give them a bad rap. I'm for one am not married to any of them.
 
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Don't think I'm trying to just run down the Toy. Its just the statement was made about how much better the Toy is and I don't agree. In fact if it wasn't for the low hard seats of the Tacoma, it would be my favorite smaller truck. I'm not even saying I'll never own one, seeing how I've owned non-US name plates in the past. I'm just tired of everyone bashing US made Trucks...and cars for that matter. My Honda Accord I had never had a problem and was a great car. But guess what, my Ford Taurus never broke down on me either. And my current Chevy Impala has now 60,000 without a problem. You can tell me about american cars breaking down if you'd like and I can also tell you about friends Toys that failed. If you buy a new Toy (or other non us made brand) they still try to sell ext-warr. for a reason. And every shop has cars in it. They are all man made. Do I feel that Toy-non us is more reliable as a whole than Us made...yes...but I feel (as well as consumer reports) that american cars are getting better. So people shouldn't give them a bad rap. I'm for one am not married to any of them.

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I am with you, I believe that American made cars are improving and I think they are near equal to their import counterparts. In some areas, the domestic manufacturers do better sometimes they aren't as good.

When I bought my Tundra in 2002 I really wanted the F150. It had more room, I liked the ride better and the trim was a little better IMHO. The thing the got me was the safety rating. The F150 didn't do nearly as well as the Tundra (that received 5 star crash ratings for front, side, and rear). That was more important to me. As for the engine, the 2UZFE motor has got to be one of the lowest wearing motors on this board. The thing runs like a champ.

I just think that Toyota maybe appealing to a slightly different market than the guys who need "real trucks" (whatever that means). People who are diehard American truck lovers are going to be really hard to pry away from the domestic brands. I don't think Toyota is trying to do that - yet. They are trying to appeal to us (for lack of a better term) "wannabe" truck users who don't use a truck for its intended purpose.
 
Let's try to remember we are talking about 1/2 ton trucks. Sure, a 3/4 ton powerstroke will pull more but we are not talking about 3/4 ton trucks.
If the new 1/2 ton Tundra isn't a real truck then that would mean none of the domestic 1/2 ton trucks are real either. In the engine dept. the Tundra can tow as well or better than any other 1/2 ton. Brakes are better than any other 1/2 ton. I think good brakes are a good idea on a truck myself. Maybe "real" trucks don't have good brakes.
A few here still don't think the big three have anything to worry about but you better believe the big three are worried about this truck. It is entering the last profitable segment the domestics have and the stakes could not be higher. This truck will be the best thing that could happen to buyers who are going to buy a Ford or Chevy regardless. Now Chevy will be forced to build an engine that the pistons don't slap in and Ford will have to step up quality as well. It seems to me everybody wins becouse of the introduction of this truck.
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mokanic, i think it is the other way around..if it wasn't for ford trucks, chevy and dodge then tundra would have never existed...i wouldn't put tundra in the class of ford trucks...just another toy..
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