Tundra v. F150 — Part II: Features and Pricing
Jason Lancaster | Mar 19, 2007 | Comments 19
UPDATE:
This comparison is from 2007 and is out-dated. Check out our 2009 Tundra vs. F-150 comparison instead.
The second part of our Tundra v. F150 comparison, Features and Pricing, will evaluate the relative costs of the two vehicles and compare the features found on both. We will only be highlighting the features that are unique — common features won’t be evaluated. Also, we’ll only be concentrating on features that a non-commercial “common man” user will probably desire. Last, features that are similar will be compared if and when the difference between them is significant.
Interior Features:
F150
F150 offers the “King Ranch” package, a unique saddle-leather interior featuring “King Ranch” engraved seats, unique badging, and the F150’s highest level of standard equipment. Very luxurious, only the leather in this truck is very delicate and extra care must be taken not to damage it. F150 also offers the “Harley Davidson” package, an interior designed to remind one of a motorcycle. Very cool.
Ford also has available, as an option, power adjustable brake and accelerator pedals, which allow you to adjust the position of the pedals. These are pretty nifty, but they don’t seem to make much of a difference in making the vehicle more comfortable for someone of average or above-average height. However, they do make quite a difference in comfort for people of below-average height.
Tundra
Tundra has some nice utilitarian features the Ford is lacking, including dual glove boxes, flat folding passenger seat (Limited), and a very smart center console filing kit. Additionally, the Tundra has sliding and reclining rear seats in the Crew Max. The Tundra also has a standard Bluetooth system, something that will come in handy for anyone with a cellphone in the coming years.
WINNER: If you need or want a very luxurious truck, the F150 is probably the nicest one you can find. However, we like the spartan “let’s get down to business” interior features of the Tundra over the F150’s accouterments. Tundra by a hair.
Exterior Features:
F150
Again, Ford offers the most variety of exterior options. A variety of wheels (up to 22″ on the Harley edition), paint schemes (two-tone and monochromatic), chrome upgrade packages, etc. But perhaps the best exterior feature of the F150 is the ability to choose from almost all of the different options and purchase only the options you want (though you may have to special order).
Tundra
Tundra offers fewer options for the exterior of the Tundra than Ford offers on the F150. However, Toyota’s lack of options is a blessing to anyone who’s tried to figure out just what every F150 option is. Sometimes, simple is just, well, simple. We also like the manually extending mirrors on the Tundra over the F150’s oversize standard mirrors, and Toyota’s deck-rail-system is nice for securing light loads.
WINNER: Who cares? We’re not buying a truck based on how it looks. But if you ask us, the Tundra looks cooler.
Safety Features :
F150 has excellent crash test ratings from both the IIHS and the NHTSA tests, with even a “Top Pick” to it’s name. Tundra has yet to be tested by the IIHS, but it seems they’ll be lucky to perform as well. As important as crash test ratings are, surviving a crash isn’t important if you never get in one. With the new Tundra you get vehicle stability and traction control systems that work to keep the truck glued to the road. The effectiveness of these systems is beyond question — so much so that Ford includes this system as standard equipment in their SUV’s (you know, the SUVs that everyone thought were rollover risks a few years back). In our opinion, Ford’s complete lack of any electronic stability and/or traction control systems on all but the Harley Davidson F150 is unforgivable. These features can mean the difference between staying on the road and flying off it.
WINNER: Tundra, by a mile.
Pricing:
It really shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone that the Tundra has a higher up-front cost than the F150. Like the saying goes, you get what you pay for. But don’t let Tundra’s higher initial costs fool you — the Tundra is the less expensive vehicle to own. Because Toyota products enjoy higher-than-average resale value, you can rest assured that a previously-owned Tundra will always be worth more than a similar F150. How much more? Depending on time of ownership, mileage, and condition, Toyota trucks usually appraise about 12% higher than Fords.
Furthermore, Toyota’s high reliability means fewer repairs and expenses down the road. When you combine the higher resale with the lower estimated repair costs, the Tundra’s higher initial cost is almost always recuperated.
WINNER: Tundra’s higher price is offset by higher resale values and lower ownership costs. Unless you can’t afford it, the Toyota Tundra is the way to go.
Up next in our Tundra v. F150 comparision — Part III: Ride, Handling, and Comfort.
Filed Under: Toyota Tundra Reviews and Comparisons
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How can you say that the cost of operating will be cheaper with the Tundra? To my knowledge, the truck was just released in February, and it is only March. If your going on basis’ that its a Toyota, it has to have superior build quality, lets give it some time and see if it can really compete with the big three. Long live the “American Pickup Truck”.
This is the most ridiculously biased review I have ever read. Poor, Poor, Poor.
It’s good to see unbiased, logical reviews. Tired of the “big 3” protectionism reviews. Keep up the good work!
How does the tundra win on safety when it only got 4 stars in the latest government crash studies whereas all the domestics got 5 stars?
Joe:
The F150 does not offer Electronic Stability Control, which has been shown to reduce single vehicle crashes by 30-35% (NHTSA stat). Toyota’s NHTSA crash test results are lower than the F150, but that slight decrease in crash safety is more than offset by the reduced likelihood of a crash occurring in the first place.
My Tundra’s sticker price was 33,800. An equally or comparable equipped F150 comes in ~40k/41k. I don’t know where you get that the tundra has a higher upfront cost. I went with the tundra cause It looks better, interior is better, quality is better, resale is better. If I wanted to buy used I would go with an F150 because they drop price like crazy used. But because I bought new I wanted something that would be at least worth something in 5 years.
A comparable equiped tundra is thousands more than a F150. Plus your getting a better frame the backbone of a truck. The engine may be under powered right now but with the redesign coming to the F150 in 09 it should be class leading hp and tq. This is the most biased review I have read thus far. Lets not forget how many unsucessfull atempts toyota has had at builing a full size truck. Looks like Toyota is having to have rebates or 0% to sell their truck thats changing it all!
Totally biased review, there is very little content here actually based on fact, and when fact shows the Ford to be superior it is brushed off as unimportant and the Toyota declared victorious. Put a big engine in a tin truck and you call it all new….we’ll see how the all aluminum 4 cam engine holds out under working conditions. As for looks, the Toyota is ‘cooler’….be serious
The Toyota is far more likely to be my next truck, but this review is awfully biased. A “straw man” argument, if you will.
But really, Toyota has nearly doubled its sales of the Tundra over last year, and they haven’t been selling at rock bottom prices.
Very biased review, but what would you expect from a site called “TundraHeadquarters”. As for work, the Tundra has nice features but is still new and has not proven it can hold up over time, yet. Other than the power (HP/TQ), 6spd trans and larger brakes, I see the Tundra having no advantage.
Also, the Tundra does have a higher sticker price, but after doing research on NADA & KBB, when equipped in similar fashions, the Toyotas doesn’t prove to hold it’s resale value as well. So the higher resale value is just and illusion. Do the research yourself if you like.
I know this is a Canadian publication but this site has facts and unbiased opinions. Check it out!!
http://www.canadiantruckkingchallenge.ca/
Biased or not the f150 is a pice of junk. I have a 05 lariat supercrew and I’ve had to put in 2 short blocks and a head to name the major things. Plus the ride un it sucks compaired to the tundra. My next truck will be a tundra ill never own a ford again.
this is biast but I think that toyota builds there cars and trucks better that ford toyota is a VERY RESPONSIBLE company yeah i think the power stoke and mustangs can be cool and stuff but still I’m going to side with toyota on saftey and things like that I mean i havent heard good things about ford in the past and as a matter of fact IF I WERE TO BE IN AN ACCIDENT RIGHT NOW I WOULD CRASH IN THE TUNDRA thats how dependent I am on toyota yeah
Don: Each person has their personal preference, and you have your right to feel how you do. Personally when it has come to safety overall, I truly can’t say Toyota or Ford is better, think it’s on an individual basis, depending on the particular vehicle in reference and the features installed/offered that may make the difference. Some Toyota models may be better than their Ford counter part, but visa versa could be said about certain models too. Just because a vehicle is built better by a quality standpoint, doesn’t make it safer. Now I do agree, Toyota is much more responsible in taking action on flaws or problems their vehicles have than the domestics, at least in my experience. This could be changing, at least that’s what the domestics claim, but we’ll truly have to wait and see.
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Exactly what have you heard about Ford being bad in the safety dept in the past? Simply would like to know the models and safety problems you speak of.
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And hey, you are more loyal to the safety of Toyota, no problem by me or anyone on this site. Personally most cars/trucks on the road are similarly safe in most aspects, unless we speak of a Corolla on Tundra accident. No matter the safety features, mass more than likely wins the majority of the time. And truthfully, no one wins in an accident.
Justin you know around the 03 model F-150 was bad in a accident. But still I had one. You have very good points there. I do agree with the personal preference. In any accident with a compact against a truck will have terrible results. To me even worse if the truck is lifted.
justin I think you’r right when you say that no one wins in an accident what i ment when I sayed I’d would have rather been in an accident in the tundra is because I’ve accually seen the 07 tundra get hit buy other truck and the tundra gave out some good results. thats why I would prefer to be in the tundra if i were to be in an accident I’m not going to win it but I think it less of a risk that I have to take because of what I’ve seen (sorry if I made any mis understandings) but any ways thank’s for your comment justin and no offence to ford or any of the domestic vihicles
Mickey: The 97-03 model F150 had a bad frontal crash test rating mostly in the Scab models, due to the lack of a B pilar, while the Rcab & Screw models weren’t nearly as bad. I also like to point out, the 97-03 model did have a decent crash test rating when released (1996 as a 1997 model) compared to the competition at that time. But over the years the crash test requirements/standards got more stringent, dropping the F150 back in this area until the 04-08 model release in 2003.
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Now lifted trucks can have their down fall in accidents as well. Increasing the height of these already top heavy vehicles only makes them more prone to tip/roll, especially if hit by another vehicle at the right angle.
Don: I understood you point, simply wanted to clarify that no matter if you come out on top or not, you are still at a loss, whether it’s vehicle damage, personal injury or god forbid death.
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Now I’ll refer you to a Ford site that I frequent, which a poster has created a thread called “Tundra Crash Pics”. He comes on the site and posts pics from http://www.copart.com about once a month. Now keep in mind, there are some blind Ford cheerleaders that totally hate Toyota and see that Ford can do no wrong, so you may want to disregard some/many/most of the comments people have made. Now to view the pics, you’ll need to become a member of the forum. Some of the pics you’ll see aren’t too bad at all, while others will make you wonder “What the hell was the driver doing?” This thread is roughly 22 pages long with many mangled 07-08 model Tundras, but page 9 and forward show some of the most mangled trucks.
http://www.blueovalforums.com/.....opic=13645
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Now I’m sure there are plenty of F150s and Fords out there, simply wanted to show that the Tundra is no exception to being destroyed in an accident.