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Toyota Tundra Double Cab adds up to a larger four-door truck
Bob Plunkett
Date Posted: 5/10/2005
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BANDERA, Tex. -- Cattle, grazing on a ranch studded with limestone and live oaks in the hills of Texas, give way to a big-rig pickup as we bump across rough terrain on sandy soil parched from the lack of rain.
To keep the tires tracking through this sand and stone demands a sturdy vehicle that's not only hiked high in the suspension but outfitted with a traction system that applied the engine's strength to all four wheels.
For this task we're steering a new four-door and stretched-cab version of Toyota's full-size Tundra truck.
Toyota brands it as the Tundra Double Cab.
It comes with seats for five, including the most comfortable rear bench for any truck, then adds a pickup box in back over six feet long and stuffs below a brawny hood the strength of so many horses hitched through a Toyota V8.
No need to worry about rocks scraping the undercarriage because this truck's pitched high with a generous ground clearance about a foot tall so it can scoot across objects along the trail.
No need to concern ourselves with tire traction, either, as Tundra's optional four-wheel-drive (4WD) mechanism with an electronic transfer case brings push-button convenience for switching between rear-wheel-drive and four-wheel high and low modes.
All we have to do is steer clear of cattle and keep the throttle fed from a comfortable position in a passenger compartment with luxurious appointments and enough room to haul a crew of ranch hands.
Exactly how much space's inside this truck?
Well, official figures from a federal agency certifying the volume of space indicate there's more than 61 cubic feet for the front-seat section and 54 cubic feet for rear seats -- including surprising room for long legs and broad shoulders and even Texas-tall torsos.
But the news here for Toyota's new truck goes beyond dimensions of the physical space and concerns the quality of the cabin's interior and the comfortable fit of the seats, particularly the back bench.
There are two form-fitting bucket seats up front separated by a floor console with storage compartment.
The rear bench has indentions for two but ample room for three with the seatback tipped rearward to a comfortable angle and supportive bolsters around the rim.
That bench splits 60/40 and will fold up and tumble forward when more cargo room is required in the cabin.
And there are conveniences aboard for rear riders, such as cupholders fixed in the trailing end of the console, ducts to deliver heated and conditioned air, and a headrest and three-point seatbelt for each of three seat positions.
There's even optional gear available for the amusement of backseat passengers, such as a rear audio kit and a DVD-based video entertainment system with wireless headphones.
And the cab's vast rear window can do tricks with optional power controls to drop the glass vertically into the rear wall in a manner like side windows slide down into door frames.
Tundra Double Cab amounts to more truck than simply a Tundra with four doors added.
It varies from Tundra's two-door Regular Cab and the four-door Access Cab by employing a different superstructure and different sheetmetal.
For the structure, Toyota's designers adapted the framework of the full-size Sequoia sport-utility vehicle, which has a taller cab with higher beltline and a larger ring of windows.
Thus, the roof of the Double Cab runs three inches taller than the Tundra Regular Cab and the width of the truck expands by four inches.
And because Sequoia's beltline is about four inches higher than a regular Tundra, the Double Cab version of Tundra gets a truck box in back with deeper side walls.
Box dimensions for the Double Cab are 74.3 inches long by 63.3 inches wide and 20.7 inches tall, which goes well beyond the box size for any crew-cab truck competitor.
Tundra Double Cab rides on Tundra's rigid ladder-frame chassis but with the wheelbase expanded to 140.5 inches.
It cradles Tundra's front independent suspension elements of double wishbone design, with leaf springs in the rear and low-pressure nitrogen gas shocks at all wheels plus a stabilizer bar fore and aft.
Vehicle control comes through sophisticated mechanisms like power-assisted rack and pinion steering and brakes with linkage to an anti-lock brake system (ABS).
Also, the list of equipment options shows an advanced vehicle anti-skid system -- Vehicle Stability Control (VSC) with Traction Control (TRAC) -- that unites the ABS and TRAC through a computer that can automatically correct oversteer or understeer when cornering.
Tundra's power flows from a V8 engine dubbed by Toyota as the iForce plant, with the 'i' denoting an intelligent application.
Off an iron block fitted with aluminum alloy heads, the engine displaces 4.7 liters and carries twin cams on top. It produces 240 hp at 4800 rpm and as much as 315 lb-ft of torque at 3400 rpm.
The V8 delivers substantial low-end torque and can tow a rig weighing up to 6500 pounds.
An automatic four-speed transmission mates exclusively with the plant in Tundra Double Cab and executes smooth and quiet shifts.
Toyota offers two traction modes with conventional rear two-wheel-drive (2WD) or 4WD system.
The 4WD mechanism provides automatic shifting through an electronic transfer case with shift-on-the-fly feature. A dashboard Touch Select button switches front differential and transfer case settings between 2WD rear-drive and 4WD high and low gears.
Two trims -- SR5 and Limited -- work for Tundra with standard features like power controls of windows and locks and mirrors, air conditioning with the backseat ducts and a rear window defogger. The Limited loads up on luxury gear.
An optional TRD Off-Road Package installs Bilstein monotube shocks, the suspension tuned for off-road treks, 16-inch aluminum wheels, foglamps, mug guards and overfenders.
And bottom lines for Tundra Double Cab begin at $25,645 for the SR5 2WD.
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| Vehicle Specifications: |
| 2004 TOYOTA TUNDRA DOUBLE CAB Specs |
| Description: |
Full-size 4-door pickup
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| Model Options: |
Full-size 4-door pickup
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| Wheelbase: |
140.5 inches
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| Overall Length: |
230.1 inches
Bed length 74.3 inches
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| Engine Size: |
DOHC 4.7-liter V8
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| Transmission: |
Auto/4
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| Drive: |
2WD (rear)
4WD
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| Braking: |
Power disc/drum/ABS
opt. VSC/TRAC |
| Gross Weight: |
2WD: 6600 pounds
4WD: 6600 pounds |
| Towing Capacity: |
2WD: 6800 pounds, 4WD: 6500 pounds |
| Gas Mileage: |
2WD: 14/18 mpg
4WD: 14/16 mpg |
| Price: |
SR5 2WD: $ 25,645, SR5 4WD: $ 29,270, LTD 2WD: $ 28,975, LTD 4WD: $ 32,600 |
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