Tundra Aims to Shake Up Big Three

Toyota brings its first Texas-built Tundra to market this month with 31 configurations available in a price range of $26,480 to $41,580.

The 2007 models are historic not only for their Lone Star assembly line but for the role they are likely to play in helping Toyota overtake General Motors as the world's largest automaker.

In the U.S. truck market, expect a fight as General Motors gains momentum with its new Chevy Silverado and its sibling, the GMC Sierra.

Perhaps that new GM theme song from John Mellencamp, This is Our Country, is meant as a challenge for Toyota.

For those who still think of Toyota as a foreign manufacturer, the company brass likes to point to its 15 plants in North America that can build 2 million vehicles a year, its 1,700 dealerships, its 40,000 employees and its $17.6 billion investment.

In San Antonio, where the first 2007 Tundra was assembled in November, Toyota sank nearly $1.3 billion into the Texas turf amid plans to produce as many as 200,000 of the full-size trucks per year.

Also threatened is Ford Motor Co., whose full-size F-Series pickup has ranked as the best-selling vehicle of any kind for more than two decades. Economics sorrows were many for Ford last year. F- Series sales were down nearly 12 percent in 2006 as the truck market declined nearly 10 percent overall.

Still, the F-Series stayed well ahead of the pack with 796,039 sales to Silverado's 636,069. Dodge Ram ranked third at 364,177, and the GMC Sierra was fourth at 210,736.

Tundra's sales of 124,508 may look like weak competition, but that was before the new plant could play a part.

Defending its own turf in Texas, Ford last week introduced its 2008 F-Series Super Duty in San Antonio. The F-450 Super Duty's ability to pull 12 tons of trailer is unmatched by anything coming off the Toyota assembly line.

Toyota is not wilting when it comes to muscle-flexing, though. At the top of the line, it is offering a 5.7-liter i-Force V-8 that churns 381 horsepower at 5,600 rpm and 401 pound-feet of peak torque at 3,600 rpm.

Fuel economy in four-wheel-drive models is expected to fall between 14 miles per gallon in the city and 18 mpg on the highway. Rear-drive fuel economy is 16/20 mpg.

In the base versions, a standard 4-liter V-6 produces 236 horsepower at 5,200 rpm and 266 pound-feet of peak torque at 4,000 rpm. Fuel economy is rated at 17 mpg city and 20 highway.

A 4.7-liter i-Force V-8 powers the midgrade versions, producing 271 horsepower at 5,400 rpm and 313 pound-feet of peak torque at 3,400 rpm. Both 4x2 and 4x4 models equipped with the 4.7-liter engine should cover 15 mpg city and 18 mpg highway.

Tundra's 31 versions include three cab styles, three wheelbases, three bed lengths, three engines, and three trim levels.

A regular-cab 4x4 Tundra with the 4.7-liter V-8 carries a price tag of $26,480, and an SR5 double cab with the same engine costs $29,900.

The showpiece that started at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit last month is the four-door CrewMax, priced at $32,725 with the 4.7-liter V-8 and SR5 trim. In LTD trim and with the 5.8-liter V-8, the CrewMax tops out at $41,850.

Toyota calls its design theme for the Tundra the "power of the fist." Truck design wasn't that big of a deal until Dodge wowed everyone with its bold new Ram in the early 1990s.

Today, though, Ford's F-Series still has to be considered the design leader.

An increased tire-turning angle reduces the turning radius. The rear suspension features greater shock dampening efficiency, and the spring rates have been tuned to provide a flat stance when fully loaded.

All models come standard with dual-zone climate control system, AM/FM CD with a mini-plug jack and MP3/WMA playback capability, tilt steering wheel, two power points, tachometer, digital clock, coolant temperature gauge and dual glove box.

CrewMax models offer an optional rear seat entertainment system that combines a 9-inch wide-screen LCD monitor, DVD player, two sets of wireless headphones and a remote control.

An optional DVD navigation system includes a JBL audio system and integrates a rear backup camera that can be useful when backing up the Tundra to a trailer or easing a boat trailer onto a launch ramp.

(c) 2007 Augusta Chronicle, The. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.