Toyota Australia has announced details of its full-size Tundra pick-up truck which,
subject to a successful local evaluation program, is likely to go on sale here in 2025.
If it does come here it will compete against vehicles such as Ford F-150, Chevrolet
Silverado and RAM 1500.
Built at Toyota’s factory in San Antonio, Texas the Tundra has been around since 1999
but only in left-hand drive. An initial batch of 300 vehicles will come here and be
converted to right-hand drive by the Walkinshaw Automotive Group in Clayton South,
Victoria.
They will then be leased out to potential customers on a 12-month real-world test
service lease basis as part of a real-world evaluation and validation program, reporting
back regularly to Toyota on their experience.
In addition to the switch to right-hand drive, there will be a number of new or modified
components including the steering rack, instrument panel, firewall, headlights, cabling,
harnesses, front seats, carpet and trim. Many of these new components will be sourced
from the LandCruiser 300 Series.
Tundra sits on a 3700mm wheelbase with a wide front and rear track of 1737mm.
Its rigid body measures 5955mm long and 2040mm wide and combines aluminium
(bonnet and front doors) and ultra high strength steel to provide a vehicle that tips the
scales at 2778kg.
The Tundra Limited is powered by a 3.5-litre twin-turbo V6 petrol engine with a
maximum power output of 290kW at 5200rpm and peak torque of 650Nm between
2400rpm and 3600rpm.
It’s paired with a 36kW/250Nm electric motor generator and 6.5Ahr nickel metal hydride
battery (Ni-MH) that delivers total system maximum outputs of 326kW and 790Nm.
The engine drives through a 10-speed automatic transmission with Eco, Normal and
Sport modes that is combined with a part-time all-wheel drive system with a two-speed
transfer case and automatic limited slip differential.
With a maximum braked towing capacity of 4500kg, the Tundra also offers two
selectable Tow modes that optimise transmission shift points, pedal response and
power steering depending on the load.
Toyota Australia Vice President Sales, Marketing and Franchise Operations Sean
Hanley said this was an important step in what was a world-first local re-engineering
program for Toyota to ensure the Tundra is perfectly suited to the demands of
Australian customers.
“We know there is a demand for full-size pickups like the Tundra but we wanted to
ensure that the local right-hand drive conversion and the vehicle as a whole met
Toyota’s exacting standards for quality and the needs of our customers,” Mr Hanley
said.
“That’s why we are putting this vehicle through such a rigourous and demanding
evaluation program. Our engineers have been working on this project since 2019 and
now, together with our partners at Walkinshaw Automotive Group, it’s great to see
vehicles being delivered to our customers.
“Toyota has never undertaken a project like this before and we look forward to hearing
what these first customers think and feel about the new Toyota Tundra,” he said.
