“Here’s a big enough spot,” I say to my wife as we head towards the grocery store parking lot’s back 40. This has been the story of my week, having been unable to park near the front doors — virtually anywhere — since picking up my tester, the 2010 Toyota 4×4 Tundra Double Cab pickup truck.
Pickup trucks, especially the full-size ones, have always been about trade offs. To get the capacity and grunt you need for hauling building supplies, piles of dirt, large boats and horse trailers, you’re saddled with a thirsty behemoth.
The 2010 Tundra is no exception, at least in terms of size. Substantially larger than Toyota’s first effort in ’93, the humble V6-powered T100 — today’s Tundra is every bit as brawny as its Big Three competitors.
But Toyota has felt the effects of buck-a-litre gas on truck sales and has responded with a new 4.6-litre base engine that improves not only on fuel economy, but in power. My tester was built upon the base 4×4 Double Cab SR5 (4.6 litre) at $35,790, adding the TRD Offroad package ($4,105), along with a rear bumper step ($347 installed) and a two-inch trailer ball ($28 installed). This brings the MSRP up to $40,270 and gets you a well equipped vehicle.
Standard equipment on the 4×4 Double Cab SR5 includes power windows and locks with keyless entry, dual zone climate control with filtration, six-speaker AM/FM/CD/MP3/WMA audio system, 60/40 foldable rear bench seat and a full suite of gauges that includes voltmeter, water temperature and transmission oil temperature.
