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I did consider some other trucks while searching. The other options I test drove were:
2004 Chevy Silverado 1500 4wd v8
2005 Ford F-150 4wd v8
2004 Chevy Tahoe 4wd v8
The point of this review is not to bash a competitors product but I will give a few reasons why I opted for the Tundra over these other choices.
1. Toyota Reliability - Having beat the snot out of my previous tacoma I knew that whatever I threw at the Tundra it was going to handle it. Toyota has always stood behind their warranty program 100% even with slight modifications done to my truck early on. Toyota always took into account that people off road their trucks while some friends of mine with Chevy and Ford Trucks always have problems showing up for service checkups with mud on their trucks.
2. Power - Hands down the Tundra had more off the line and more top end of all the trucks. The new 2005 v8 VVT-i engine pumping out a stock 282HP is amazingly quick for a heavy truck. The acceleration and gear changing with the automatic transmission was smooth. I was left wondering why the Ford was jerking me into each gear as I test drove it. The Chevy was better here than the Ford but I too felt a jerk or pull going through most gear changes.
3. Size - Coming from a smaller truck (2000 Toyota Tacoma) I wasn't sure how I was going to favor driving a fullsize truck. After taking some time to negotiate turns, get on and off the freeway and park the Tundra was my favorite. It is smaller than the other trucks and with that you do lose some interior space. I will say the Chevy interior was by far the best in size, feel and looks. The Ford looks a little too space age for me these days.
There were other smaller reasons why I went with another Toyota but those are the main three. Remember, these are my opinions as I am sure there are many Chevy and Ford owners out there VERY HAPPY with their trucks!
Less than one week old and over 1000 miles down the drain. This truck is so nice. I tried my best to baby the truck during this first 1000 miles in order to break it in properly but coming from a 2.7L, 4 cylinder engine to what I have now it was hard. The get-up-and-go is awesome! I even took it out for some dirt testing to make sure the 4wd and limited slip differential was working. Everything A-O-K.
About a month before I purcashed the truck I gave my good friend Jason DeMello of DeMello Offroad a phone call to talk about coilovers and possible suspension upgrades to my new truck. We talked about all the available coilovers and upper control arms on the market and I told him I was considering going with Donahoe Coilovers and Camburg U.C.A's (Upper Control Arms). On my Tacoma I was running Camburg Long Travel Suspension with Sway-a-Way Shocks and loved every minute of it over 5 years and 100,000 miles. Knowing that SAW's were a good product and some things I had heard about the different coilovers on the market I felt I would give the Donahoe's a try. A few friends of mine have the Camburg Coilovers, King Coilovers and Fabtech Coilovers and I will hopefully be reviewing them side by side soon enough. After I give them all a shot I am sure I will be running what I think is the best regardless of what I have on the truck right now. Jason ensured me that as soon as I was ready he would have the parts I needed in stock and ready to install. Here are a few pictures of the coilovers and upper control arms installed on my truck. The install itself is very simple so simple that I didn't feel the need to show pictures of the install. Everything is bolt-on and very simple. If you have some questions about installing your setup feel free to email me.
Please click on each image to view a larger size
Please click on each image to view a larger size
The rear suspension on my truck is very firm. The truck is really bouncy going in and out of driveways and over speed bumps. You really cannot ask for too much from the factory though because they are not building these trucks to perform like a racecar. The rear is setup to tow and haul a certain amount of weight. I know a simple way to get rid of this problem would be to run a Deaver Leaf Spring Pack and a set of 7100's in the rear but I cannot afford to lose my load capacity as I will be carrying bikes and/or quads to the desert soon enough. Keep in mind I am also used to 15" of rear wheel travel. :)
The stock tires could be better. I find myself slipping around many turns and often even under mild acceleration I am also getting tire slipping. These will be replaced ASAP with BFG ATKO. I wonder if being a leadfoot is also part of the reason this is happening? haha
Aside from that I don't see any real problems with the truck. I am hearing on the net people claiming 20mpg with their Tundra's and I don't see how that is possible! I am currently averaging 14-15mpg and at best 16mpg on the freeway. The truck is suppose to break in around 5000 miles giving a little better mileage. I will keep you updated if this is true. I think some people out there failed in Math Class.
Overall, I am very pleased with the truck. A few minor things as mentioned above are to be expected from any new stock vehicle. The power is still amazing to me along with how smooth the truck drives down the road. I cannot wait to get my exhaust system and some tires and rims on the truck. It looks a little bare for me! Next update soon...