Since the 2000 model year, the Toyota Tundra has grown in size and power. Even though the full-size truck has had a massive 5.7-liter V8 for several years, it’s become more aggressive for 2015. The Tundra TRD Pro is Toyota’s most hardcore off-road version of it.
The weather here in Central Texas has recently been hardcore, too. It made me cancel my plans to take the TRD Pro to an off-highway vehicle park out of town. However, I did get plenty of miles on it driving to the Toyota Texas Bass Classic in the city of Quitman and out to Austin’s Mansfield Dam.
That meant I didn’t get a chance to fully use my $43,159 tester’s TRD-tuned front springs/oversize 2.5-inch remote-reservoir Bilstein shocks and rear Bilstein shocks/TRD off-road leaf spring. However, I did discover that the TRD Pro is the best-riding off-road pickup that I’ve ever reviewed. It handled bumps in the road without snapping my spine or giving me motion sickness.
With the exception of smallish volume and tuning knobs that required a bit of reaching, I enjoyed the interior’s features. Bluetooth phone pairing and audio streaming were simple, intuitive processes. The weather map was convenient, although I would’ve preferred the ability to tell the system which city in particular to look up.
I could’ve spent more time in the cabin had the Tundra’s engine not required me to stop for gas so frequently. When my time with the TRD Pro ended, I was averaging a combined-driving mpg figure of 15.3, slightly higher than the 15 for which the EPA rated the truck.
I enjoyed the V8’s 381 horsepower and the roar it let out exiting its TRD dual exhausts, but with gas mileage of 13 city and 17 highway mpg, it just felt dated.
The transmission with which the engine is paired, a six-speed automatic, felt the same. Ram and GM have moved to eight-speed units. Ford’s moving to gearboxes with 10 forward gears for 2017.
Even though I wish I could’ve taken my review vehicle to its natural environment of trails and rocky inclines, I still enjoyed my time in it. Perhaps the next-generation Tundra’s fuel economy figures can get to the heights a truck like the TRD Pro is capable of reaching.
Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
Where do you go for answers when you have a Lexus with a gorgeous leather interior but are not sure about how to maintain that luxurious look? The "Club Lexus" forums, of course.
