2017 Toyota Tundra

The 2017 Toyota Tacoma CrewMax has a lot of variants on offer, depending on your requirements. You can get the Toyota Tacoma in five trim levels SR5, TRD Pro, Limited, Platinum, and 1794 Edition. The standard features with the Toyota Tacoma CrewMax include 18-inch steel wheels, keyless entry, fog lights, a 7-inch touchscreen display, HD and satellite radio, and exterior chrome trim. The TRD Pro trim is an off-road-oriented model that adds 18-inch alloy wheels, off-road tires, off-road suspension, leather upholstery, and TRD badges on the exterior with red stitching in the interior. All the trims are available in either an RWD drivetrain option or a 4WD drivetrain option. 

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We recommend buying the TRD Pro trim level of the Toyota Tundra CrewMax as it is a pretty capable off-road vehicle. The TRD Pro trim also stands out from the crowd with the special styling elements that include the TRD logo along with red stitching inside the cabin. You can also get the heated tow mirrors and running boards as standalone optional features with the truck. That goes without saying that you should go for the four-wheel-drive variant for better off-road capabilities.

The 2017 Toyota Tundra does not come with multiple powertrain options to choose from like some of the other rivals that offer a plethora of options. The Toyota Tundra CrewMax gets only two powertrain options. The standard engine is a 4.6-liter V8 engine that produces a maximum of 310 horsepower and 327 pound-feet of torque. The engine comes mated to a six-speed automatic transmission. You can go for either an RWD or 4WD drivetrain option. You can also get the truck with a 5.7-liter V8 engine available as an option with the SR5 trim level and comes as standard with all the other trim levels. The engine produces 381 horsepower and 401 lb-ft of torque.

The performance should not be a concern for the buyers of the Toyota Tundra CrewMax. Although there are not many powertrain options, the available powertrain is quite potent. You can get the 5.7-liter V8 engine if you care about the performance of the truck. The Toyota Tundra CrewMax powered by the base engine completes the 0 to 60 mph sprint in 7.8 seconds which is quite good. However, things get even better with the bigger 5.7L V8 engine option as it completes the 0 to 60 mph sprint in just 6.8 seconds, which is a complete second faster than the base engine variant.

The Nissan Titan Crew Cab with its V8 powertrain variant comes out as the fastest truck in the competition as it takes only 6 seconds to complete the 0 to 60 mph sprint. The Chevy Silverado 2500 HD WT, which comes in second position, is significantly slower as it takes 7.4 seconds to complete the same. The Toyota Tundra CrewMax with its base engine is marginally slower than the Silverado 2500 HD in the 0 to 60 mph sprint. 

How well does the 2017 Toyota Tundra CrewMax handle?

The handling is not the exciting part of any truck’s review and it remains the same for the Toyota Tundra CrewMax. To be honest, it is not as good as some of the other trucks, which perform pretty well in this aspect. The Toyota Tundra CrewMax comes with a high driving position compared to the rivals and that is clearly evident in the handling of the truck. The higher ride results in a more pronounced body roll, which makes you slow down the truck whenever you are going through even a slight turn. 

The on-road driving behavior of the Toyota Tundra is also not at par with the rivals. The steering wheel offers no feedback at all. The response from the steering wheel feels dead and it is just good enough to point the car where you want without offering any feedback. The suspension setup of the truck is also not the most comfortable one for city drive or even for highways. There is evident horizontal movement inside the cabin. It feels better when you take it off the road. but it won’t be a great choice for cross-country highway drives.

2017 Toyota Tundra CrewMax Braking Performance

The braking performance becomes a crucial part when you are driving such a big vehicle on the road. The 2017 Toyota Tundra CrewMax will not disappoint the buyers in terms of the braking performance of the truck. The Toyota Tundra CrewMax uses 13.9-inch brake rotors at the front and 13.6-inch brake rotors at the rear. The braking hardware is of decent size for the segment and the fact that the Toyota Tundra is lighter than the rivals also helps the braking performance of the truck. The Toyota Tundra CrewMax takes only 130 feet to come to a complete stop from 60 to 0 mph. 

The Toyota Tundra CrewMax surprises with the best braking performance in the segment at least when you consider the stopping distance of the truck. The lighter curb weight of the Toyota Tundra CrewMax helps the braking performance of the truck and that is quite evident from the stopping distance of all the trucks above. The Nissan Titan Crew Cab comes at the second position with a stopping distance of 134 feet from 60 to 0 mph. The RAM 2500 Tradesman Crew Cab is also not far behind with a stopping distance of 136 feet from the same speed. 

The fuel economy is one area where the Toyota Tundra CrewMax falls significantly behind the other competitors. The 2017 Toyota Tundra CrewMax manages to return a fuel economy of 15 mpg in the city, 19 mpg on the highway, and a combined fuel economy of 16 mpg with the base engine. If you go for the bigger 5.7L V8 engine the fuel economy drops to 13 mpg in the city, 17 mpg on the highway, and 15 mpg in combined driving conditions. The 4WD drivetrain may further reduce the fuel economy to almost 10 percent. The Toyota Tundra gets a 38-gallon fuel tank which helps it deliver a maximum highway range of 722 miles on a full tank. 

The fuel economy of the Toyota Tundra CrewMax is not too bad when you compare it with the V8 engine options of the other rivals. However, when you pick the base engine option of Tundra and other rivals, the difference in fuel economy is quite significant. The Toyota Tundra CrewMax is not an option for someone who wants better fuel economy from the truck. The other rivals like the RAM 2500 or the Chevy Silverado 2500 HD offer more fuel-efficient engine options to rival the Tundra CrewMax and it is only the Nissan that falls short in terms of efficiency, averaging a combined mileage of 28 MPG. 

The Toyota Tundra CrewMax comes with a functional interior that offers good space inside the cabin. The interior of the Toyota Tundra CrewMax is not among the best interior quality in the segment. The lack of update for so long is quite evident when you look at the interior layout of the Toyota Tundra. Still, it looks good enough for the class and works fine for those who prefer practicality over the look and feel of the cabin. 

The first thing that you will notice when you get inside the Tundra CrewMax is the kind of space it has on offer. You are never going to complain about the lack of space in the truck. The front seats offer good support to the driver and the passenger. The dashboard looks a bit outdated for the class but it is still functional. The controls are easy to use. The best part about the Toyota Tundra CrewMax is that it gets equally good legroom in the rear seats as the front seats which are also better than the rivals. 

The Toyota Tundra CrewMax offers one of the best cabins in the class if you only care about space and practicality on the inside of your truck. But if you are someone who likes to have modern features and a fresh-looking cabin, the Toyota Tundra CrewMax will not impress you with its outdated cabin. The RAM 2500 Tradesman Crew Cab is a more modern alternative compared to the Toyota Tundra CrewMax. 

Standout interior features:

• 12-way power-adjustable driver's seat
• Heated and ventilated front seats
• 60-40 split-folding rear seats
• Power-adjustable steering wheel
• Dual-zone automatic climate control
• Cruise control

2017 Toyota Tundra CrewMax Infotainment

The 2017 Toyota Tundra CrewMax comes with a 7-inch touchscreen infotainment display. The infotainment system of the Toyota Tundra is not among the best in the class but it is good enough to get the job done. Although the graphics feel pretty good, they could be improved. The infotainment interface is pretty straightforward to use and there is nothing to complain about in that regard. The infotainment system comes with support for AM/FM/HD radio, Bluetooth hands-free phone capability, and SIRIUSXM Satellite Radio. The standard audio system is a 6-speaker audio system. However, the higher trim gets a 12-speaker JBL audio system for a better music experience.

Standout infotainment features:

• 7-inch touchscreen infotainment display
• AM/FM/HD radio
• SiriusXM satellite radio
• Bluetooth hands-free phone capability
• Voice recognition
• Navigation system
• 12-speaker JBL audio system

The Toyota Tundra CrewMax carries the big-truck design that buyers expect from the vehicles in the segment. Although the look is a subjective part, most buyers will not object that the Toyota Tundra looks a bit cartoonish in its overall appearance. The proportions of the truck do not look very well. Especially at the front, which looks overdone and could be improved to look more proportionate and attractive. 

The massive grille that houses the Toyota badge at the front was updated in 2014 and remains pretty much unchanged since then. The Toyota Tundra still manages to get a massive road presence out on the road and the big front grille plays a crucial role in the same. There is a big vent on the hood of the truck in the front which goes well with the big grille. The side and the rear of the truck look pretty simple and far better than the front side. 

The Nissan Titan Crew Cab is the shortest truck in the segment and also gets the shortest wheelbase which is quite evident when you look at the legroom in the cabin. Although the Toyota Tundra CrewMax also has only a marginally better overall length, it gets a significantly longer wheelbase which helps the space inside the cabin. The Toyota Tundra also has the best ground clearance in the segment. The Chevy Silverado 1500 HD gets the longest wheelbase in the competition of 153.7 inches and it is also the widest of the lot. 

Standout exterior features:

• 18” to 20” wheels
• Metal-look grille
• Deep tinted glass
• Front fog lamps
• Remote keyless entry

The Toyota Tundra CrewMax lives up to the Toyota standard when it comes to the safety of the truck. However, it doesn’t get the best safety features in the segment. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has given it a pretty good overall safety rating of 4 out of 5 stars in its crash-test ratings. The Insurance Institue for Highway Safety (IIHS) has also given it average ratings in its crash-test ratings. The Tundra CrewMax lacks some of the advanced driver assistance features that are expected in the segment in 2017. It does not even get automatic emergency braking which is a disappointment on the safety front of the car. 

The safety features include:

• Traction control
• Electronic stability control
• Front and rear parking sensors
• Low tire pressure warning
• Rear child safety locks

Toyota Tundra CrewMax vs. Nissan Titan Crew Cab

The Nissan Titan Crew Cab has only one powertrain option on offer which is a V8 engine option. The Nissan Titan Crew Cab has a more powerful engine and is also better than the Tundra CrewMax in overall performance. However, you are not going to buy a heavy-duty truck for racing. The Toyota Tundra CrewMax comes out as a better option in all the aspects where you expect a truck to perform well.

Toyota Tundra CrewMax vs. RAM 2500 Tradesman Crew Cab

The RAM 2500 Tradesman Crew Cab offers a more modern cabin when you compare it against the Toyota Tundra CrewMax. The RAM 2500 also offers multiple powertrain options to cater to the different needs of different buyers. The Toyota Tundra clearly feels outdated when you put it against the RAM 2500 Crew Cab. The RAM Crew Cab knocks down the Toyota Tundra CrewMax in most of the departments. 

Toyota Tundra CrewMax vs. Chevy Silverado 2500 HD WT

The Chevy Silverado 2500 HD WT is among one of the best-selling work trucks in the American market. That alone is enough to tell you about the package that the Chevy Silverado 2500 HD offers. Chevy offers a plethora of engine options to choose from and also offers a more upscale cabin with better driving behavior on the highways. The Chevy Silverado 2500 HD is an easy pick here between the two.

The 2017 Toyota Tundra CrewMax needs a major update to keep up with the competitors. However, there are still some areas where the Toyota Tundra CrewMax offers a great package. If you are someone who wants a sophisticated truck with an upscale cabin and great driving behavior on the road, the Toyota Tundra CrewMax is not for you. But if you want a capable pickup truck and do not care about all these aspects along with fuel economy, you can consider buying the 2017 Toyota Tundra CrewMax.