2018 Toyota Tundra 4×4 SR5 TRD Sport Review - For the Long Haul

I’d like to think of myself as a reasonably enlightened being. Despite living my entire life in the cultural wasteland known to coastal elites as “flyover country,” I’ve somehow avoided marrying kin and sought to broaden my views on any number of subjects.

However, some of my neighbors are doing their best to keep the stereotypes alive, at least in the automotive realm.

As any self-respecting automotive journalist does when handed the keys to a truck, I headed to the home center to haul things I didn’t want to subject my usual ride to. In this case, bags of mulch. When I handed my receipt for 20 bags of mulch to the young man tasked with loading, he genuinely seemed concerned that the 2018 Toyota Tundra would need at least 10 trips to handle the load, and that even two bags would cause the bumper to drag. Xenophobic jokes like this are getting old.

I wanted to remind the guy that the Tundra was American made, perhaps even more than the Big Three trucks he clearly idolized. I didn’t hang around long enough to find out if he had a Calvin peeing on Ford/Chevy tattoo, or “Don’t Just Dodge It Ram It” emblazoned on the back window of a ratty Dakota, but I figured that engaging in conversation with this mouth breather wouldn’t be worth the fight.

The Tundra may never sell in the numbers the Big Three see, but roughly one out of every twenty full-sized pickups sold in 2017 was a Tundra. There are plenty of folks who found that Toyota’s take on the big truck is right for them.

[Get new and used Toyota Tundra pricing here!]

My week with the Toyota Tundra 4×4 SR5 TRD Sport (if only I were paid by the word, I’d just repeat that model name a few extra times) was not my typical week. Rather than commuting on my usual back roads, I had a long drive across several states to accomplish. I wasn’t hauling much — a suitcase, a cooler, and some camera gear — all of which fit in the locked cab rather than open in the bed.

Indeed, I see so many full-sized trucks hauling nothing but people on long interstate drives that I’m glad I had the opportunity to try it myself. My typical mount for such a drive would be a minivan, or preferably a small efficient car — but I came to realize that the effortless power from the big V8 and the long wheelbase make the Tundra a comfortable interstate cruiser. It’s not plush — the off-road biased suspension transmits road imperfections into the cabin — but it’s still a pleasant drive.

I’d have been happier with a more fuel-efficient powertrain, however. The EPA estimates 17 mpg on the interstate, but my drive (using several tanks of fuel) only netted 15.7 mpg while cruising around 75. Maybe I should have slowed a bit, but the Tundra just feels right at that speed. Wind noise wasn’t bad, though the road noise produced by the big 20-inch wheels and 275-section tires did intrude into the cabin, forcing me to turn up the volume a bit.

On that note (sorry), Toyota, please do something about Entune. Yes, it’s functional, but it’s slow and awkward to use. The seven-inch touchscreen is sluggish to respond to inputs, which left me tapping the screen multiple times for the same attempted maneuver, only to have the first touch register then the subsequent ones, making me work my way backward. Not fun while trying to use navigation when you accidentally get off of the wrong exit in a sketchy part of Chattanooga.

381 horsepower certainly was plenty for my needs — I’d probably have been fine with the four-cylinder found in entry trims of the midsized Tacoma, as little as I was hauling. This crew-cab 4×4 configuration is rated to tow 9,900 pounds, so boat, horse, or race car owners will have no worries yanking their toys.

I was mostly comfortable in the driver’s seat, though I’d have preferred a longer lower seat bolster for thigh support on the highway. I found myself fidgeting a bit toward the end of each fuel tank, trying to work out kinks in my knees. I didn’t haul the kids for very long, but they had plenty of room in the second row. I might not have been so happy in the rear, however, as the seat back is rather upright for my tastes — as is typical in most crew-cab pickups.

I appreciated the hard-wearing cloth interior, as I believe a truck should be for working, not for showing off. I’d rather not be afraid of scratching a plush leather seat with an errant screwdriver in the pocket.

I’m sure I’m in the minority, however, witnessing the ever-escalating lux-truck wars. In that perspective, this well-equipped Tundra seems a relative bargain at $43,624 delivered. It’s not cheap, but for the capabilities it presents, I’d be quite proud to put a Tundra in my driveway.

[Images: © 2018 Chris Tonn/TTAC]