2024 Toyota Tundra Hybrid CrewMax

The 2024 Toyota Tundra continues making inroads into the full-size truck segment, where rabid brand loyalty limits what current truck owners will buy. That notwithstanding, the Tundra has elbowed its way into the pack of Ford F-150, Chevy Silverado, and Ram 1500 by offering a better-than-average ride experience and high resale value. It may not tow as much as its rivals, but that’s a trade-off for the Tundra’s smoother ride. For those who want a full-size truck for weekend chores, light towing, or just showing off, the Toyota Tundra fills the bill.

Buyers can now option the Nightshade package, featuring blacked-out accents, on the Limited trim. A factory 3-inch lift kit is available as an option on all but the TRD Pro trim. The TRD Off-Road package is now an option for the Platinum grade.

Before buying the Toyota Tundra, check the Kelley Blue Book Fair Purchase Price to know what you should really pay.

The most popular of the Toyota Tundra’s engines is the 389-horsepower twin-turbo V6. It’s the standard powertrain in all but the SR, TRD Pro, and Capstone trims. It, as well as the other two V6 variants, uses a 10-speed automatic transmission to funnel output to the wheels.

Although Toyota mostly follows the traditional full-size-truck path with a body bolted to a boxed ladder frame, it also strays from tradition with its coil-spring rear suspension. This type of rear suspension, also found on the Ram 1500, delivers a softer, more composed ride. There’s a bit of a trade-off in towing capacity, with the Tundra rated to tug a maximum of 12,000 pounds. The Ford F-150 can pull up to 14,000 pounds, while the Chevy Silverado 1500 can handle up to 13,300 pounds.

We find that generally, over pavement, the Tundra’s ride is smooth and pleasant. Although it exhibits a bit of suspension stiffness, it still outshines the General Motors (Chevy and GMC) pickups.

Although the SR uses the same twin-turbo V6, it’s tuned for less performance. Its power output is 358 horsepower. On the other end of Tundra’s engine spectrum is the i-Force Max twin-turbo V6 hybrid with 437 horsepower.

We’ve spent hundreds of hours driving and evaluating this generation of full-size pickup trucks, including the Toyota Tundra.

Fuel Economy

There isn’t much difference among the estimated mileage numbers for the three V6 variants. The hybrid delivers 22 mpg in mixed city-highway driving. Both non-hybrid variants get 20 mpg in combined driving. With 4WD in the mix, the combined mileage drops to 20 mpg for the hybrid and 19 mpg for the non-hybrids. You can find more Toyota Tundra fuel economy information on the EPA’s website.

The Tundra’s passenger cabin isn’t as upmarket in design or materials as those of the F-150 or Ram 1500, but it’s nevertheless well-designed and functional. We find the seats adequately supportive and all the gauges, screens, and controls logically placed.

Toyota presents the Tundra as either the Double Cab or the CrewMax. Both feature four doors, but the rear doors on the Double Cab are half size. The rear doors on the CrewMax are full size and open into a much larger rear-seat area (41.6 inches of rear legroom versus 33.3 inches). Therefore, if your Tundra needs to include hauling multiple passengers, the CrewMax is the better solution. However, both cabs will fit five people. By the way, the rear-seat legroom in the CrewMax cab is slightly more than in the Ram 1500 but a little less than in the Ford F-150 or Chevy Silverado 1500.

The Toyota Tundra looks exactly like what it is: a full-size truck. It has the prerequisite billboard-size grille, wide stance, and healthy ground clearance serious truck owners demand. There are enough creases and corners in the sheet metal to avoid being boring. Toyota made the marketing decision not to offer a regular cab, even in its base model.

i-Force Max
This hybrid powertrain combines a 3.4-liter twin-turbo V6 with an electric motor, colluding to generate 437 horsepower and 583 lb-ft of torque.

Power running boards with Power BedStep
Providing manual and automatic settings, this available feature extends and retracts the side running boards. At the same time, the BedStep that extends from under the rear bumper also deploys and retracts.

14-inch touchscreen
This bigger-than-Texas touchscreen commands the infotainment system in upper trims and is optional in the SR5. It’s paired with either a 6-speaker audio system or, in the top trims, a 12-speaker JBL audio system. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are included.

Multi-Terrain Monitor
Available in a package for some trims and standard in the TRD Pro, this is a surround-view camera for off-roading. It helps you negotiate tricky terrain without a spotter.

Easy lower and lift tailgate
It slowly lowers on its own, and you can close this tailgate with one finger.

Toyota Safety Sense
Standard in all the Tundra grades, this bundle of safety and driver-aid technologies helps protect you and yours. It includes forward collision warning with automatic emergency braking and pedestrian detection. Adaptive cruise control, lane-departure alert with steering assist, lane-tracing assist, and high-beam assist are also part of the package.

Toyota has found a creative way to employ the same 3.4-liter twin-turbo V6 and 10-speed automatic transmission to gain three different results. The most popular is found as the standard powertrain on the SR5, Limited, Platinum, and 1794 Edition trims. It generates 389 horsepower and delivers 20 mpg in combined driving.

Tuned to make 358 horsepower, this same powertrain motivates the entry-level SR. Finally, in the i-Force Max powertrain, Toyota mates the twin-turbo V6 with an electric motor in a hybrid powertrain that delivers a combined 437 horsepower, standard in the TRD Pro and Capstone. You can also add the high-power hybrid powertrain to the Limited, Platinum, and 1794 Edition grades.

If we had one gripe about the Tundra’s engine lineup, it would be the absence of a V8. However, when you consider the Chevy Silverado’s 5.3-liter V8 and 6.2-liter V8 muster 355 horsepower and 420 horsepower, respectively, Tundra’s V6 hybrid seems a respectable alternative.

3-Year/36,000-Mile Warranty

Toyota covers the 2024 Toyota Tundra with a limited bumper-to-bumper warranty for three years or 36,000 miles, whichever comes first. It also covers the powertrain for five years or 60,000 miles. This is fairly standard for the segment. It also tosses in free scheduled maintenance for two years or 25,000 miles.

Safety Ratings

The National Highway Safety Traffic Administration (NHTSA) gave Tundra its highest overall 5-Star rating for safety. Furthermore, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) named the Tundra to its elite Top Safety Pick+ (TSP+) list. Although Tundra’s rivals can claim the NHTSA 5-Star rating, none have also achieved the IIHS TSP+ accolade.