We don't do much performance testing of the vehicles we review here at Autoblog, partly because we don't have the resources and also because our seat-of-the-pants-meter usually gives us the pertinent information we need about how a car (or truck, in this case) performs. There are times, however, that we do get the urge to get real, actual numbers. Take, for instance, this 2008 Toyota Tundra TRD. Last month, Motor Trend put it to the test and claimed it could muscle its way from 0 to 60 mph in just 4.4 seconds. While we have no doubt that this time could theoretically be achieved assuming unlimited amounts of traction, we called shenanigans and vowed to get our hands on the truck to record our own numbers. Fortunately, Toyota was game and provided the same exact Tundra TRD used in Motor Trend's test with a fresh set of rear tires. We're not here to debate the point of a performance truck or argue with those who think vehicles like this are the cause of global warming. We just want to see what it'll really run. So along with our pal Mike Levine of PickupTrucks.com, we set out to play drag racer for a day and find out. Read on to see the results.


Photos copyright ©2008 Drew Phillips / Weblogs, Inc.

One glaring omission in the range of Tundra trim levels is a stripper model suitable for duty as a basic work truck. Toyota will change all that at this year's San Diego Auto Show (Dec. 31, 2008 to Jan. 4, 2009) when the 2010 Toyota Tundra Work Truck Package debuts. Like any good work truck, a Tundra with the Work Truck Package is decontented enough to guarantee that your employees don't enjoy the drive too much. All the chrome on the Tundra's exterior has been replaced with black plastic, including the front and rear bumpers and grille, the latter of which has been slightly revised with a two-bar design. The side view mirrors are only manually adjustable, the bench seat is upholstered in washable vinyl, the floor is rubber and the dash is all black plastic. Cruise control and remote keyless entry are also gone as standard features. Available on Regular and Access Cab models in standard and long bed configurations with your choice of a V6 or V8 engine, the Work Truck Package will lower the price of your Tundra by as little as $550 and as much as $665. While not exactly the most exhilarating debut this auto show season, Toyota no doubt sees the benefit of broadening the Tundra's appeal to businesses that get their hands dirty.


[Source: PickupTrucks.com]

When Mike Levine at Pickuptrucks.com sets his mind to something, it gets done in a big way. Witness last year's 2007 Heavy-Duty Diesel Truck Shootout. This year he's back with a comparison test that bests his previous effort not only in size and scope, but also in relevance. For 2008 he has assembled every player in the half-ton truck segment, including brand new 2009 models of the Ford F-150, Dodge Ram, Chevy Silverado, GMC Sierra, Nissan Titan and a 2008 Toyota Tundra. Despite the sagging economy, Americans still love us some trucks, and we've never encountered a more thorough comparison of their performance, towing abilities and fuel economy than what Mike has published at Pickuptrucks.com. Consider it the bible of half-ton pickup comparison shopping and have it pre-loaded on your iPhone when you start visiting dealerships.

We're not going to tell you which pickup won, but we will say that it was remarkable to learn how varied are the targets at which each of these trucks is aiming. Some were great for one task while failing miserably at another, and the winner was the one that performed well the most often. Click the source link below to check out the Pickuptrucks.com 2008 Half-Ton Shootout.

[Source: Pickuptrucks.com]

As reported recently, even though Toyota halted Tundra production for a while, the company pledged not to lay off its workers. At a total cost of potentially $1 billion to the company, Toyota instead placed the employees in retraining and civic works programs during a Kaizen and Development Period.

What kinds of civic programs? One of them, in San Antonio, is called the City-Toyota Green Clean-Up Project, which has put up to 340 workers on the streets to "clean, paint, and plant." Factory staffers have painted curbs, picnic tables and trash cans, trimmed trees and plants, and cleaned up lots. While employees do want to get back to the factories, they're enjoying the time away and being able to give back to the city -- all the while earning their regular wages and benefits.

A second round of city improvement will begin next month. After that, Toyota expects to have all hands on deck again at the factory in November, building 2009-model-year Tundras. Thanks for the tip, Mike!

[Source: My SA News]

Click above for a high-res gallery of the Toyota Tundra

The full-size pickup truck woes continue to worsen, leaving even mighty Toyota little choice but to slow production of its Tundra model. In fact, Toyota's brand new plant in San Antonio that was built just for the Tundra will be shutting down a total of 14 days between now and October. Full-time workers at the plant will be able to use vacation days, take the time off unpaid or find something else at the plant to do while the assembly line is halted.

Unfortunately, temp-to-hire workers aren't so lucky. Two-hundred employees who were hoping to land full-time positions at the plant will be laid off this summer. Toyota spokesman Mike Goss says, "We have a very long-term view of that factory in Texas. We're trying not to overreact. We're trying not to shut it down." Whoa... back up. Shut it down? We hadn't heard any such thing until it was spoken by Goss. Sounds like things are just as bad for Toyotas with beds as they are for pickups from Detroit. Thanks for the tip, Mike!


[Source: AP via My San Antonio]

Sluggish market conditions in the United States are the reason Toyota Motor Corp. is slowing down the launch of its new Highlander crossover plant in Tupelo, Mississippi. Originally scheduled to open in late 2009 with production at 150,000 vehicles per year, Toyota will instead begin production in May 2010 with an expected reduced annual output of 120,000 units a year. Of course, that number will increase if U.S. market conditions improve.

While the slowing economy is a leading reason for the delay, Toyota officials also confirmed that they are facing difficulty hiring skilled labor for the Tupelo project. They are now recruiting from around the country to fill positions in maintenance, along with tool and die engineers. Toyota expects to employ 2,000 workers at Tupelo. This isn't the first time Toyota has faced recruiting issues. When they opened San Antonio in 2004 and 2005, they found themselves challenged to staff the Tundra pickup plant. The Texas plant recently made headlines when Toyota slowed production of the Tundra. For the fiscal year, Toyota is forecasting operating profits to decline by 29-percent.

[Source: Automotive News, subs. req'd]

Although Toyota has recently claimed the title of the World's Largest Automaker in terms of global sales, the Japanese-giant is finding out that life at the top isn't all it's cracked-up to be. While the Camry, Corolla, Yaris and Prius sedans are reportedly brisk movers, the same thing cannot be said about Toyota's line of trucks and sport utility vehicles. Toyota has cut Tundra and Sequoia production already, but dealers are still declining to purchase them, pushing the number of unclaimed units to an all-time high. Automotive News quotes an unnamed Toyota dealer as saying, "Last month, Southeast Toyota had 9,700 vehicles that had been turned down twice by dealers and are either sitting at the port or at sea. That's a significant number." Right now, Toyota/Scion has a high 58-day supply of available inventory on hand.

Some dealers, though, see the high number of available units as a blessing-in-disguise. "We've been asking for more inventory for two years and now we finally got it. This is a great opportunity. You have to take it when you can get it," says Steve Cain, general manager of Lewis Toyota-Scion in Topeka, Kansas. Regardless of your viewpoint, we expect that Toyota will align itself with market realities in order to bring production in line with actual sales sooner rather than later. In other words, if you've been in the market for a Toyota truck, chances are good you'll get a decent deal.

[Source: Automotive News - sub. req'd]

High horsepower trucks have come and gone. The SVT Lightning and Ram SRT10 are but two examples, but we miss the GMC Syclone something fierce, as well. Toyota is readying its TRD supercharger for the Tundra, which should help sate those who hunger for extra horsepower in their truck. An employee of Toyota of El Monte, California and member of TundraSolutions.com revealed on his forum that TRD reps brought a Sequoia to his dealership equipped with the TRD supercharger mounted on the large SUV's 5.7-liter V8 – the same V8 in the Tundra. Not only did he say that TRD claimed a rating of 504 horsepower, an increase of 123 over the stock engine, but he also got the opportunity to ride shotgun while one of his fellow employees took it for a road test. He even brought back the above picture as proof. Visit the Tundra Solutions forum to see the details of the kit and read about the test drive.

[Source: Tundra Solutions via PickupTruck.com]

Click above for high-res gallery of the 2007 Toyota Tundra Limited

As of today, production of the Tundra full-size pickup is split between Toyota's facility in Princeton, Indiana, and the automaker's brand new San Antonio plant in Texas. According to a Wall Street Journal report, Toyota is considering moving all production of the Tundra to just the Texas plant. Just over two weeks ago, Toyota announced it was slowing production on the Tundra (and Sequoia) due to lagging sales. The move to consolidate all Tundra manufacturing in one location may be seen as a sign Toyota only expects to sell 200,000 full-size units or less this year, as that number represents the production capacity of the Texas facility. You may remember that Toyota boldly claimed it would sell 200,000 units of the Tundra in 2007, the newly redesigned truck's first year of sales. It missed that target, but not by much with 196,555 units sold. Toyota hasn't officially commented on the rumor yet, but we'll let you know when it breaks the silence.

UPDATE: Toyota has issued a statement saying it is not moving all Tundra production to San Antonio.

[Source: PickupTruck.com]

Gigantor. The 2008 Toyota Sequoia arrives humongously revised from the already beefy first-generation. The Timberland Mica (Metallic Green) example that Toyota lent us for a week definitely deserves whatever size-related superlatives you can dream up. It's big, it's powerful, it doesn't sip fuel. There is a need and a market for this type of vehicle, however. If Sequoia buyers don't actually utilize its considerable capabilities, that's not Toyota's fault. This year marks the migration of Toyota's full size Sport Utility to the same mechanicals that underpin the new Tundra, ladling on capability to an already fairly competent and refined vehicle.


All photos ©2008 Dan Roth / Weblogs, Inc.