Author Archive for Jason Lancaster

2010 Tundra Pricing Announced

Toyota has announced the manufacturer’s suggested retail prices (MSRP) for the 2010 Tundra full-size pickup truck.

Prices for the 2010 Tundra will range from $22,960 for the Regular Cab 4×2 standard bed with a V6 engine and equipped with a Work Truck Package to $42,155 for the CrewMax Limited 4×4 with a 5.7-liter V8 engine. The new MSRPs reflect an average overall increase of $557.

The new 4.6-liter V8 engine will be available on all 2010 model year Tundras. With 310 horsepower, 327 lb-ft. of torque and EPA fuel efficiency estimates of 15 mpg city and 20 mpg highway on 4×2 models, the new engine will deliver the best combination of power and fuel economy of any standard V8 in the full-size pickup segment. Like Tundra’s optional 5.7-liter i-FORCE V8 engine, the new 4.6-liter V8 will be mated with a six-speed automatic transmission.

Truck Camping – Napier Truck Bed Tent

Camping is fun, but it sure can be complicated. Think about all the work that goes into setting up a tent. You’ve got to find a safe and dry spot, assemble the tent so that it at least resembles something that’s fit for human occupation, then you’ve got to secure the tent to the ground so that it doesn’t blow away. By the time you’ve got everything figured out, it’s usually bed time (or later). While lying on the cold and lumpy ground in a less-than-perfect tent setup, many a man has gazed out the tent flap longingly at the warm and inviting cabin of his pickup truck, wishing there was some way he could squeeze inside.

The Napier Sports Truck Tent III is a top-quality tent that’s easy to assemble and incredibly mobile. It’s also available in camouflage, making it a nice truck camping tent for hunting season.

While it might not be practical to sleep everyone in your truck’s passenger compartment, it is definitely possible to take advantage of the level and safe space provided in your pickup’s cargo bed. The Napier Sportz Truck Tent is an easy to use alternative to the standard tent. It allows you to camp high off the ground, increasing your chances of staying dry and critter-free. Perhaps more importantly, the truck tent also allows you to camp anywhere you can park your truck – no more scouting around for the ideal camping location.

The truck tent III has all the standard features you’d expect in a quality tent

Why Some Americans Hate Japanese Trucks – The Ridgeline

We’re constantly dealing with emails and comments here at TundraHeadquarters that all say something like (paraphrasing) “If U were a real truck owner, you wouldn’t buy a Jap rice burner truck, you’d get a real pickup from GM, Ford, or Dodge…” Right. That’s a pretty ignorant thing to say considering the Tundra is made in Texas, has more domestic content than trucks from Dodge or GM, and meets or exceeds the trucks offered by the not-so-big-three in almost every measurable way. The Tundra is, after all, the 2nd most American truck on the market today.

Still, we get hate mail. So be it. We’re fighting the good fight, trying to explain to loyal American truck buyers that the Tundra should stand right alongside it’s brethern from Detroit. Then, out of the blue, Honda goes and does something like this:

No wonder the Honda Ridgeline is hated by hard-core truck enthusiasts.

That’s a screen-shot of an advertisment for the Ridgeline – the “nimble yet powerful” truck.

Come-on Honda let’s be real! The ad says “Nimble Meets Powerful,” but that statement is bordering on an outright lie.

LS6 Tacoma Follow-Up

Remember the 2005 Regular Cab 2wd Tacoma with the Corvette LS6 we mentioned back on March 11th? It’s back from the paint shop.

The completed 05 Tacoma with the Vette motor.

We’ve done a little reckoning – here’s what we’re thinking:

• A stock 2005 Tacoma Reg. Cab 2wd weighs about 3300lbs.
• A brand new 2009 Tundra Reg. Cab 2wd with the 5.7L weighs about 4900lbs.
• The horsepower to weight ratio of an 09′ Tundra Reg. Cab 2-by with the 5.7 is 12.8 to 1.
• The horsepower to weight ratio of this Tacoma is about 7.2 to 1.
• A stock 09′ Tundra Reg Cab with the 5.7 will run a 14 second quarter mile (give or take).

Anyone want to guess how long this Taco needs to go 1/4 mile?

Is the Tundra’s Bed Bounce Problem Overstated?

On August 30th, 2007, we wrote a post about “Bed Bounce,” a problem that we heard a lot of new Toyota owners complaining about at the time. We laid out a reasoned analysis of the problem and the likely causes, and many people who read the post seemed genuinely concerned and/or effected by the problem. At that time, we weren’t completely certain about the actual size and scope of the bed bounce problem, so we decided to send an email to Toyota. After a lukewarm response, we realized that we needed some hard data if we were going to have any hope of getting a sense of the size and scope of this problem.