2021 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro CrewMax
Class: Large Pickup
Miles Driven: 351
Fuel Used: 27.4 gallons
| CG Report Card | |
|---|---|
| Room and Comfort | A- |
| Power and Performance | B+ |
| Fit and Finish | B- |
| Fuel Economy | D |
| Value | B- |
| Report-card grades are derived from a consensus of test-driver evaluations. All grades are versus other vehicles in the same class. Value grade is for specific trim level evaluated, and may not reflect Consumer Guide's impressions of the entire model lineup. | |
| Big & Tall Comfort | |
| Big Guy | A |
| Tall Guy | A |
| Big & Tall comfort ratings are for front seats only. "Big" rating based on male tester weighing approximately 350 pounds, "Tall" rating based on 6'6"-tall male tester. | |
| Drivetrain | |
| Engine Specs | 381-hp 5.7L |
| Engine Type | V8 |
| Transmission | 6-speed automatic |
| Drive Wheels | 4WD |
Real-world fuel economy: 12.8 mpg
Driving mix: 55% city, 45% highway
EPA-estimated fuel economy: 13/17/14 (city, highway, combined)
Fuel type: Regular gasoline
Base price: $53,050 (not including $1395 destination charge)
Options on test car: Spray-on bedliner ($579)
Price as tested: $55,224
Quick Hits
The great: Build quality; cavernous cabin provides ample passenger room and storage space
The good: Smooth power delivery; simple, straightforward controls; distinctive TRD Pro styling touches
The not so good: “Trucky” ride quality; lousy fuel economy, even for the class; lacks most of the high-tech available features of domestic-brand rivals
More Tundra price and availability information
CG Says:
If you had to guess, would you say Lunar Rock is:
- Impossible to hear in the airless void of space.
- A Toyota paint color.
- All of the above.
Of course, the correct answer is “3.” As for the paint, you can find it on the Tundra TRD Pro, the most-off-road-ready large pickup currently in Toyota showrooms. The almost-pastel grayish green replaces Army Green as a TRD Pro color choice—and that’s about the biggest change (aside from a little boost in price) that’s been made to the 2021 model.
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The Tundra went Pro in 2014, sat out the 2018 season, then returned rejuvenated to the lineup for ’19. Its key external features include a raised suspension with specially tuned Fox shock absorbers with remote fluid reservoirs for the rear units, TRD dual exhaust and front skid plate, 18-inch BBS forged-aluminum black-finish wheels, LED fog lights, blacked-out Toyota-label grille, and “TRD PRO” debossing on the bed sides. The interior contains leather-trimmed front bucket seats with TRD Pro identification sewn into the backs and red contrast stitching.
Both of the Tundra’s 4-door cab styles are available for the TRD Pro: The roomier CrewMax with 5.5-foot-long cargo bed and the Double Cab that trades some rear-seat space for a 6.5-foot bed. Consumer Guide tested a CrewMax that starts at $54,645 with delivery. (The Double Cab sells for $4275 less.) Only the addition of a spray-on bedliner pushed the total to $55,224.
CrewMax passenger room is abundant in both rows, and the back seat easily hosts three adults. Step-in is fairly high, and without running boards or step rails that might interfere with operation in rough terrain, shorter passengers may find it a bit of work getting in and out. The seats are long-drive comfortable—and about the plushest things within considering that soft-surface areas in the cabin are limited to part of the tops of the doors, armrests, and the console-box lid. Interior storage is king-sized and well distributed throughout. Cushions of the 60/40-split rear seat flip up for extensive storage space on the floor. Operation of the standard premium audio system through the 8-inch touchscreen is uncomplicated. (Satellite radio, navigation, and Apple CarPlay/Android Auto smartphone compatibility are included.) The dual-zone climate-control system benefits from two convenient rotary dials for temperature settings.
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As of 2020, Tundra’s powerteam checklist had dwindled to a long-serving 381-horsepower 5.7-liter V8 and 6-speed automatic transmission. No surprise for an off-roader, the TRD Pro driveline is electronically controlled 4-wheel drive, though an inconvenient part-time system. With 401 lb-ft of torque and an aggressive rear axle ratio, the Pro is eager off the line, yet cruises easily on the highway. A tromp of the accelerator is rewarded by prompt kickdown from the transmission and a “’scuse me, coming through” warning blast from the exhaust. Tow rating for the TRD Pro CrewMax is 9200 pounds, but the 170-pound-lighter Double Cab can pull an additional 700. While some distance away from big-pickup ride leader Ram, an unladen Pro still does all right for itself with its leaf-spring rear suspension. Driving it as they did toward the end of an especially snowy stretch with deep accumulations, CG editors found its 4-wheel drive undaunted by the conditions. The only worries were at the gas station where they were seeing 14 or fewer mpg from a vehicle that the EPA rates at 13 mpg in the city, 17 on the highway, and 14 combined.
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Trailer brake and sway controls are included. Safety-enhancing driving aids—forward collision warning and mitigation with pedestrian detection, lane-departure warning, automatic high beams, adaptive cruise control—are part of the standard Toyota Safety Sense P system.
By the way, the Tundra TRD Pro also comes in Super White, Magnetic Gray Metallic, or Midnight Black Metallic—in case you’re not over the Moon for Lunar Rock.
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2021 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro Gallery
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2021 Toyota Tundra TRD
2021 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro
