Toyota goes full-size with the Tundra Ute with a special local touch as the drive re-engineering will be carried out here
Toyota buyers prepared to pay a bit extra for a Ute with more room and power have been drifting off to the big US-built Pickups and as a result, abandoning their cherished Toyota badge.
But all that has come to an end – company executives hope with the release of the Toyota Tundra built especially for our local market with right-hand drive.
And for Landcruiser buyers who have just lost their main motivation for purchasing the marque, they will be surprised to see a big V8 engine will not hold pride of place in the Toyota Tundra either. A 3.5-litre twin-turbo V6 engine has been installed instead.
See the story about the production end of the 4.5-litre turbodiesel V8 engine for Landcruiser here.
Toyota marketers will be hoping not too many Landcruiser buyers will be interested in the Toyota Tundra and instead will be content with the 2.8-litre turbodiesel four-cylinder engine with power at 150kW and developing 450Nm of torque that replaces the V8.
After all the figures don’t lie, this four-cylinder engine replacement offers 20Nm more than the V8 it replaces.
But sometimes, it’s not fancy figures that determine what the driver wants, especially when they are use to bigger engine grunt getting them out of sticky paddock situations when they are carrying a big load.
But putting all that aside,Toyota’s first full-size Ute the Toyota Tundra will officially go on sale here in November 2024 and there is a distinct Aussie flavour to the build as the conversion will be locally re-engineering.
Walkinshaw Automotive Group have that gig, a world-first for a third-party supplier, to re-engineer the US-built Tundra from left-hand drive to right-hand drive at their manufacturing facility in Melbourne VIC.
Toyota executives can finally breathe a sigh of relief as it’s taken six years of dealing with authorities to ensure the right-hand drive Tundra meets the exacting reliability standards Toyota has set for this marque.
Toyota Australia Vice President Sales Marketing and Franchise Operations Sean Hanley outlined the benchmark for re-engineering the Tundra meets, “This is not just a “simple” left to right-hand drive conversion.
“The Tundra has been completely re-engineered by Toyota engineers working in close collaboration with Walkinshaw and uses parts and components from other Toyota vehicles such as LandCruiser 300 Series to ensure the very highest quality standards.
“We couldn’t have done it without the great cooperation of Walkinshaw, Toyota North America, and the hundreds of customers that have been evaluating and reporting on the vehicle’s performance in real-world conditions as part of the Tundra Insider Program that kicked off in September last year.
“It really was a massive effort on behalf of everyone involved and I’m proud that we have been able to gain final approval from our parent company for what is a global Toyota first,” Sean Hanley added.
The first Tundra you can buy at the initial launch is the Limited grade variant, more affordable for those prepared to dip their toe in the water, to be followed by a top-of-the-range premium version with all the bells and whistles and big price tag in Q2 2025.
Both versions sit on the proven TNGA-F platform that underpins the LandCruiser 300 Series and are powered by a 3.5-litre twin-turbo V6 i-FORCE MAX powertrain that generates 326kW of power and has 790Nm of torque driving through a 10-speed automatic transmission.
The Tundra’s powerful engine is mated to a part-time 4WD system with a dual-range transfer case and offers a plentiful 4.5-tonne braked towing capacity1.
In Limited guise, the Tundra will be very well equipped with 508mm (20-inch) alloy wheels, LED lights, leather-accented seats with power adjustment, heating and ventilation for the driver and front passenger, 355mm (14-inch) multimedia touchscreen with a 12-speaker JBL®2 audio system and wireless Apple CarPlay®3 and wired Android Auto™4 compatibility, 312mm (12.3-inch) digital instrument cluster, dual-zone climate control, and trailer brake controller.
The premium-grade variant is easily distinguished on the outside by its unique grille, black painted alloy wheels, black-accented tailgate, a panoramic moonroof and other cosmetic changes.
Inside, it takes the luxury to a another level with standard equipment including leather-accented seats that offer a massage function for the front and heating and ventilation for the rear outboard positions, power-adjustable steering column and heated steering wheel, and 278mm (10.9-inch) head up display.
Customers that are currently participating in the Tundra Insider Program will continue to drive and provide feedback on their vehicles through to the end of their 12-month program.
Further information on the new Tundra will be released closer to the launch.
Definitions
1 Towing capacity subject to regulatory requirements, and vehicle & equipment design limitations.
2 Product & company names are trademarks of their respective owners.
3 CarPlay® is a trademark of Apple, Inc. registered in the U.S. and other countries.
4 Android Auto™ is a trademark of Google LLC
