US Top Gear Host Drives A Tundra

Rutledge Wood, host of the History channel’s Top Gear USA television show, is a proud Tundra owner. According to TruckTrend.com, Rutledge rates his Tundra pretty highly:

“[The Tundra CrewMax is] a great truck; it’s plenty big enough,” he says. “We have two kids, so I definitely have to have something that holds the whole family…Rutledge used to rate the [Tundra} a 10, but that’s changed now that he has his eyes on the new Ford Raptor. The Tundra now gets an 8. “The Raptor is just the most insane truck I’ve ever seen,” he says. “I really want one. I have to talk my wife into it, though. There’s never been a truck from the factory that’s been really good off-road.”

How’s that for a celebrity endorsement? Aside from the Raptor – which is definitely a cool pickup – Wood says the Tundra is a perfect 10.

If you don’t know much about Wood or don’t care what he drives, consider this:

1. Wood is a recognized NASCAR enthusiast, hosting a NASCAR trivia show and reporting on NASCAR events and teams for a few years now.

2. Wood is an avid car collector. The Truck Trend article spells out his car collection in greater detail, but Wood has owned a lot of different vehicles. Admittedly, Wood seems to have a penchant for imports, but he has owned a Chevy pickup. Once.

3. Tundra owners are supposedly more sophisticated. We talked about this idea a few months ago here, but Tundra buyers are supposedly a more savvy bunch than “domestic” buyers. Is Rutledge Wood that kind of sophisticated buyer?

I don’t know that I have a point here, but I will say this: People who like cars tend to have very evolved taste in automobiles, and TV show hosts can usually drive anything they want to (often for free).

Should you buy a Tundra because the host of Top Gear USA likes it? No. You should buy it because it has great power, great reliability, great safety, and best-in-class resale value.

Still, celebrity endorsements are interesting, aren’t they?