The Tundra is Toyota’s full-size pickup truck, and it combines the company’s famous reliability with all the strength and power you need in a pickup. With six trims, two cab sizes, three bed lengths, and two massive engines, the Tundra has options for every truck buyer. However, if what you want is toughness then you’ll be most interested in the following features.
Two Eight-Cylinder Engines
The low-end engine of the 2019 Toyota Tundra is a 4.6-liter V-8 that offers 310 horsepower and 327 pound-feet of torque. Its payload limit is around 1,600 pounds and it can tow just under 7,000 pounds. Those are impressive numbers for a low-end full-size pickup truck. The second engine takes up 5.7 liters and can generate 381 horsepower. With one of these under the hood and the right body configuration, the Toyota Tundra can tow 10,200 pounds or carry a payload of 1,730 pounds.
The TRD Packages
Depending on the trim, you can improve your performance by getting a TRD Sport or Off-Road package. With the TRD Sport, you get better on-road performance thanks to 20-inch wheels, Bilstein-brand shocks, and sport-tuned anti-sway bars that keep the truck level even during a high-speed turn. The off-road package uses 18-inch wheels since the extra air padding is important on rough surfaces, and it also gives you off-road Bilstein shocks that can absorb a lot of punishing bumps and skid plates that protect the engine from sharp rocks and heavy branches.
The TRD Pro
Returning for the 2019 model year is the TRD Pro, a trim designed by the Toyota Racing Division. The trim not only adds interior comforts, it improves most of the mechanical parts with features that combine the off-road and sport packages available to lower trim levels. These improvements include a TRD-tuned FOX suspension, forged aluminum wheels that cut the vehicle’s weight, aluminum skid plates that protect the undercarriage, LED fog lights, and a dual exhaust that improves engine airflow while adding to the Tundra’s roar.
Trailer Control
The 2019 Tundra has several features that help it keep a heavy trailer under control when you’re driving out of the neighborhood or heading down the highway. The larger engine comes with a built-in Tow/Haul Mode that causes it to hold on lower gears for longer so the engine doesn’t have to struggle at low rpm. You can also get the available Integrated Trailer Brake Control for trailers with their own braking systems, and Trailer Sway Control is a standard feature that uses the truck’s brakes to counter any detected trailer swaying.
The Tundra is a tough, reliable vehicle, and it comes with all the features an American truck buyer could want. Even if you don’t get a TRD trim or package, the Tundra can take a lot of off-road punishment and it can haul heavy loads for hundreds of miles on the highway. No matter what you need a pickup truck to do, you’ll find that the Tundra is up to the challenge.
Image via Flickr by DiamondBack Truck Covers
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