The Toyota Tundra will come to Australia in a single variant, with a higher base price than all its American pickup rivals.
That’s according to an industry pricing guide seen by CarExpert, which lists a single Limited hybrid variant priced at $145,990 before on-road costs.
In contrast, the Chevrolet Silverado 1500 opens at $128,000 before on-roads, the Ford F-150 at $106,950, and the DT-series Ram 1500 at $119,950.
The Tundra’s presence in an industry pricing guide is unusual as the American pickup is still some time away from reaching showrooms.
“The Tundra has not been released for retail sale, so the quoted amount is indicative only,” said a spokesperson for Toyota Australia.
“As we’ve communicated, Tundra is undergoing an evaluation program with customers.”
Toyota confirmed in December 2023 the Tundra was at least 12 months away from retail sales as it conducts its “real-world evaluation and validation program”.
300 potential customers will lease the Tundra, with deliveries commencing last year and set to be completed by April.
For a monthly payment of $2500, the lease covers all six-month/10,000km logbook servicing, mechanical repairs, replacement tyres, roadside assist, registration and compulsory third-party insurance.
Lessees will be required to report back to Toyota regularly on their experience.
This project has been in the works since 2019, and Walkinshaw Automotive Group has been enlisted to remanufacture the 300 Tundras to right-hand drive at a facility in Dandenong, Victoria.
“Right now we don’t officially have approval to launch this vehicle in Australia,” said Sean Hanley, Toyota Australia’s vice president of sales and marketing, in December.
“Until we get over all the quality criteria requirements of Toyota, we can’t confirm a time when that’ll happen.
“But so, first priority, get these 290 on the road, go through the trial period, make any amendments that we have to make, recheck our quality criteria, and then determine whether we can launch.”
The only Tundra variant offered locally with this pilot program is the Limited, which is technically a mid-range model in the US lineup.
All Australian-market Tundras are powered by the i-Force Max powertrain.
It pairs a 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 petrol engine producing 290kW and 650Nm with an electric motor generator producing 36kW and 250Nm that feeds a 6.5Ahr nickel metal hydride battery pack. Total system outputs are 326kW of power and 790Nm of torque.
This i-Force Max powertrain is mated to a 10-speed automatic transmission with drive sent through a part-time four-wheel drive system. There’s also a two-speed transfer case and an automatic limited-slip differential.
There are Normal, Eco, Sport, Tow, and Tow+ drive modes that are claimed to change the transmission shift points, pedal response and power steering.
There are number of new and modified components that are required as part of the remanufacturing process from left- to right-hand drive. Some of these are sourced from the LandCruiser 300 Series which is based on the same TNGA-F body-on-frame platform.
The Tundra Limited measures in at 5955mm long, 2040mm wide, and 1985mm tall, with a 3700mm wheelbase.
Its tub measures in at 1666mm long, 1490mm wide (1237mm between the arches), and 530mm tall.
It has a braked towing capacity of 4500kg while unbraked towing is 750kg. Maximum payload is 758kg, gross vehicle mass (GVM) is 3536kg and gross combined mass (GCM) is 7825kg.
The Limited comes standard with the following equipment:
- 20-inch alloy wheels
- Automatic LED headlights
- Automatic high-beam
- Heated and power-folding side mirrors with reverse tilt-down function
- Active front spoiler
- Tub management system with side and back rails and moveable tie-down points
- 12-pin trailer wiring harness
- 50mm tow ball (3500kg rated)
- 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster
- 14.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system
- Wireless Apple CarPlay
- Wired Android Auto
- DAB+ digital radio
- 12-speaker sound system
- Wireless phone charger
- Dual-zone climate control
- Proximity entry and push-button start
- Five USB ports
- 12V outlet
- Front and rear carpet floor mats
- Leather-accented steering wheel
- Black synthetic leather upholstery
- Heated and ventilated front seats
- Eight-way power adjustable front seats
A 70mm tow ball is optional and enables the Tundra to able tow a 4500kg braked trailer. There are also a range of genuine accessories ranging from a tonneau cover, load distribution hitch, and all-weather floor mats.
It also includes the following safety features:
- Eight airbags
- Autonomous emergency braking (AEB)
- Day and night time pedestrian detection
- Day and night time cyclist detection
- Blind-spot monitoring
- Rear cross-traffic alert
- Lane departure alert
- Lane trace assist
- Emergency steering assist
- Adaptive cruise control
- Surround-view camera
- Front and rear parking sensors
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