2012 Toyota Tundra Vs F150, Silverado and Ram, A 2012 Comparison

For those of you looking to buy a 2012 model year half ton truck, never before has their been so many choices available. Only a few years ago there were only a couple of truck makes that stood out above the rest, but today most of the other trucks have caught up.

Ten or fifteen years ago, the only reasons to buy a Toyota truck were low prices, good fuel mileage, and durability. If you needed a truck that could haul a large load or pull a fifth-wheel camper you definitely did not slow down for the local Toyota dealership. If you wanted a roomy cab with lots of extras, Toyota trucks were not for you. Times have definitely changed.

With Toyota's introduction of the Tundra several years ago, it has continually strived to compete in the half-ton pickup market. They have made their larger truck more bulky, more powerful, and more comfortable in order to catch up with Ford, Chevy and Dodge. But have they? Do Toyota Tundra's "measure up," or are the American made half-tons still the better buy for truck buyers?

First off, Toyota has made the mistake of sacrificing too much fuel economy for power. For years Toyota has been known for their economically viable choices in the automobile markets. However, with their change of focus in the pickup market, Toyota has chosen to go more for a high horsepower truck than an economic truck. That will definitely get them a look from people wanting a strong looking and feeling truck, but at a time when fuel mileage is key, Toyota has placed themselves near the back of the pack with Dodge for Fuel mileage.

Yes, their 4.6 L version gets 20 mpg, but that model does not come close to the payload and towing capacities as the other trucks. The 5.7 L version gets 18 mpg, and, although it outpaces both the Chevy (5.3L) and Ford (5.0L) standard engines in HP (Toyota 5.7L - 381 hp, Chevy 5.3L - 315 hp, and Ford 5.0L - 360 hp) it lags in fuel efficiency and still comes up short in max payload and towing. The Toyota engine packages just don't yet have the right mix of efficiency and power to appeal to the mass of truck buyers in the American market as well as Chevy and Ford, yet. I would expect them to put in the effort to catch up in efficiency as quickly as they caught up in horsepower.

There are a few areas where Toyota did a good job.  First, Toyota's Tundra has added a huge amount of size to the cab interior in recent years. Many people see Ford as one of the roomiest cabs in the truck market today, but the only interior dimension that they beat the Tundra in is in head room, and that is only by 1 inch. The Tundra's shoulder, hip, and leg room is leaves room for any rider or driver to stretch out and enjoy the ride.

Second, although Toyota trucks have not been known for their interior extras and innovations, the Tundra has come a long way. The 2012 Tundra has an optional 4-disc changer, when Chevy is removing their 6-disc changer option. It also has bluetooth wireless and rear seat DVD system options. These bring the Tundra up to date and more. The Tundra also has 2 115 volt power outlets making the truck great for everyone who loves the outdoors or using their truck as a work truck.

And Third, just looking at the Tundra exterior, it looks like a large, muscular truck. Although the outer look of a half ton truck does not necessarily sell it, it can definitely help. Most men that buy half ton trucks want the strongest and most dependable. The Tundra's large front end definitely conveys strength and the Toyota symbol is synonymous for most people for dependability.

I would most likely place the 2012 Toyota Tundra in third on the American full size, half ton pickup market, just behind Ford and Chevy. The Tundra is considered one of the most dependable pickup trucks out today, but they have yet to fine tune their engine packages for the best mix of horsepower and efficiency. Also, with recent changes in Ford and Chevy frames and suspension, Toyota will have to adapt to keep up with their maximum payload capacity and their towing capacity. They have plenty of horsepower available in the 5.7L to tow as much, so some changes must be made elsewhere.

Although I did not consider Tundra a truck I would be interested in before researching for this comparison, I would definitely consider them now, when buying a new truck. I have listed some changes they need to make, but overall they are very competitive with the Ford and Chevy and their overall look and size are quite appealing.

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Looking For A Smaller Truck?? A Small / Midsize Truck Comparison

Since the 1970's, Americans have wanted to have the biggest and strongest trucks available.  However, today many Americans and many people worldwide prefer a truck that is smaller, easier to get in, uses less fuel, and yet is still capable of performing serious work. For those people, small or midsize pickup trucks are the better choice and give them the capability of having a strong truck for less money all while conserving fuel.

For quite some time, Ford and Chevy have had great small pickup trucks on the market and, besides the loyal Toyota following, have had a large share of the market. Today there are several different midsize pickup trucks put out by Toyota, Ford, Chevy, and Nissan to choose from and each have their own strong suits.  No, Dodge was not listed among the midsize truck makers. As of 2011, Dodge no longer is making its Dakota, opting to focus on full size trucks and crossover vehicles.

Although many people these days are willing to give up a little size and power for better fuel economy, most are still wanting some elbow room and some creature comforts. Even though small and mid size trucks are aimed primarily at providing utility with economy, they do not have to give up all comfort.
Each of the four makes came within an inch of each other in front headroom, with the nod going to the Toyota Tacoma with 40" of front headroom, and the smallest being the Ford Ranger with 39.2". In hip room, however, the Nissan Frontier has some wiggle room. The Nissan has 55.8" of front hip room, where the other makes have on average 53". The Ford Ranger also comes in an average of 3" smaller in front shoulder room.

As far as interior comfort and accessories, the Toyota and Chevy are slightly stronger than the others. Toyota, for one, offers a rear back-up camera, has a JBL stereo system, and has included their new Entune system, similar to Ford's Sync. Toyota did not, however, have a leather seat package that I could find. The Chevy Colorado had available leather seats and was the only make to have Blue-tooth as standard in every package.

Any small or midsize truck comparison should have two types of fuel economy comparison: a comparison of the best overall mileage, and a comparison of the best mileage with their largest engine.  This is simply because there are two main types of people who are searching for a small or mid-size truck: those who want a utility vehicle but must have fuel efficiency and those who need strength and comfort but are willing to sacrifice a little for a little better fuel efficiency. With this fact in mind, for each make we will look at how they compare overall with their smaller engines here, and will compare the larger engines in the horsepower comparison.

Coming in with the highest overall fuel efficiency is the Ford Ranger. Ford's 2.3L I4 power-plant touts an excellent 22 mpg city / 27 mpg highway. This is the same power-plant that is in the Escape and several other Ford vehicles. It puts out 153 Hp, so it is not Herculean, but for a utility vehicle with primary importance on fuel conservation, the Ranger is king of the small and mid-size trucks.

The other trucks were a bit behind the Ford EPA rating, with some not really focusing on stretching the mileage. Coming in second in overall fuel mileage is the Toyota Tacoma with their 2.7L 4 cylinder engine at 25 hwy mpg and a slightly higher 159 Hp output. Third is the Chevy Colorado with a 24 hwy mpg from their 2.9L 4 cylinder manual power-train that puts out 185 Hp. Finally, the Nissan Frontier is slightly lacking with a 2.5L 4 cylinder that gets 23 hwy mpg but only puts out 152 Hp.

Information to compare these trucks on payload and towing capacity is slightly difficult to ascertain. The Ford website does not have any info, that I could find, about the Ranger's payload or towing capacity. (I am sure some Ford fanatic will prove me wrong!) The largest payload by any of the other three is the Nissan Frontier. The Frontier has a 1524 lb payload capacity, which is over a half ton. Following the Frontier is the Colorado with 1465 lbs and the Tacoma with 1430 lbs.

Only the Tacoma and the Frontier, however, published their rated towing capacity, so between the two of them, the Frontier has a 6400 lb towing capacity. That is just 100 lbs above the Tacoma which can pull 6300 lbs.

Sure, these are nowhere near the huge towing and payload capacities of some of the full size trucks on the market today, but they are, however, more than sufficient for most jobs. These trucks would be excellent for any person needing to carry or pull an occasional load, and won't break the bank to purchase

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Ecoboost, Take A Second Look!

For those of you who have discussions with friends about who has the best truck, which is strongest, or which truck has the most room, Ford's new Ecoboost line of engines changes the whole conversation. First produced in 2009 for several 2010 models, the Ecoboost engine brings a smaller engine block that packs a double punch of higher horsepower and better fuel mileage.

Although it was initially in a couple of Lincoln concept cars in 2007-2008, it began production as a v6 made in Cleveland, Ohio. Now the Ecoboost line of engines includes a 1.6 L I4, a 2.0 L I4, and the original v6. It soon will include a 1.0 L 3 cylinder engine and a v8 500 hp power plant. In each model, the Ecoboost engine includes turbochargers for more power, and fuel injection changes that allow the engine to consume more air and less fuel.

The Ecoboost engine currently is available in a few different sizes. The smalles version, the 1.6L I4, is an in line 4 cylender with 1596cc of displacement that offers 150 to 182 horsepower depending on the setup. The other 4 cylender, the 2.0L I4, has a 1999cc displacement and offers203 - 240 hp.

The larger engine that is currently available, the Ford Ecoboost v6, is built from the old Duratec 35 engine block. Originally these engines put out up to 285 hp, but with the new Ecoboost package they pack a punch with 365 hp available.

An area in which Ford has needed to progress to compete with other makes has been fuel economy. In the past, Ford has had plenty of horsepower, but has not had a decent fuel economy to go along with it. That has changed.

The new Ecoboost engines, in each size, rank at or near the top in fuel economy in each of the models in which they are placed. In the Fiesta, the 1.6 L gets up to 40 mpg. The Focus, with the 2.0L I4, also gets up to 40 mpg. And the Ford F150 Ecoboost fuel economy is definitely respectable at 22 mpg.

Each of the Ecoboost engines come with turbos to increase their power output. Due to the smaller size, and a desire to not give up power while achieving better fuel efficiency, Ford has included Turbochargers on all of the Ecoboost engines and in some cases it has added two turbochargers.

The I4 engines, both the 1.6L and the 2.0L, each have one turbocharger. These turbos are made by Borg Warner, an award winning U.S. company that makes powertrain parts and was founded in 1928. The 1.6L Ecoboost uses the Borg Warner KP39 Turbo and the 2.0L uses the larger K03 Turbo.

The 3.5L V6 has twin turbochargers, however. It uses the Garrett GT15 turbo manufactured by Honeywell. These turbos can add over 100hp to an engine which is why this V6 can be used in both full size trucks and in sports cars.

Although the Ecoboost engine has largely been publicized as an available engine for the F150 and the Mustang, the line has made its way as an option in most of the current Ford models. The V6 is available in the F150, Mustang, Explorer, Flex, Taurus, and certain Lincoln models.

The I4 1.6L is offered as an option on the Focus currently, but will soon be offered on the Fiesta and is also offered in the European Ford's: the C-Max and the Volvo S60. The 2.0L I4 is currently offered on the Edge and Explorer, but will soon be found in the Focus, the Taurus, and some Range Rover models.

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Eight Ball, Side Pocket...

For those who liked the debut of the Dodge side-rail toolbox, more may be to come.  Word is that the 2012 Dodge will have side-rail toolboxes standard on all Dodge trucks, or at least have them as an option on all truck packages.

This change follows the recent surge in truck makers adding resourcefullness to their trucks.  Recently Ford added steps built into the side of the truck and the tailgate.  These new steps are long needed due to the depth that Ford added to their truck beds a few years ago.  Before adding these steps reaching something in the bottom of the truck bed from beside the truck was nearly impossible while stepping up to the tailgate with a raised bed on a Super Duty has always been a chore to say the least.

The Dodge side-rail toolbox gives the owner the ability to have a small toolbox space without giving up bedspace, adding more bed weight with a big box, and puts it all within easy reach from the side of the truck.  With Dodge Ram trailing the field in overall truck sales, Dodge should use this platform and become the "innovative" truck maker, adding some more needed extras to their trucks.

Some other options that may be available soon on trucks are power receptacles at the rear of the truck bed and a stow away air compressor and hose built into the side of the truck bed.  Both of these new options have been seen on some Chevrolet show models.  Anyone else have any ideas about some needed new options?

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