Despite recording about 100,000 sales in 2008, Toyota Tundra cannot be called a success. Demand has fallen down and less than 80,000 units left the dealerships last year. Many people will like to blame the economy for this, but Toyota cannot be totally absolve of all the blames. Despite all the difficulties Toyota is experiencing in marketing its Tundra model, a reliable source inside the Japanese automaker confirmed that the next generation 2014 Toyota Tundra is already on the drawing board. The genuinely full-sized, Tundra will compete with Dodge, GM and Ford when it gets the dealerships.
The current Tundra model is without any doubt below the normal standard Toyota is known for. So, should we wait for 2014 tundra? According to some people who claimed to have seen preliminary images of the vehicles, the second generation 2014 Toyota Tundra changes in many ways; some changes are noticeable in the exterior. The tail lights and the grille will be slightly modified. We are inclined to believe this because we know that Toyota is aware of all the following limitations of the current Tundra.
The current design is a bit polarizing
With the new fuel economy regulations, manufacturers are encouraged to increase aerodynamic efficiency and reduce vehicle size to optimise the mpg.
The head of the design team in the U.S. where the model will be designed once requested for a change of styling in the Toyota Tundra 2014 model.
These are some of the 2014 Toyota Tundra changes we are expecting:
1). More aerodynamics and reduction in ride height. This is an effective way of improving the fuel economy. The 2014 Tundra will have a lower ride height and the underside will be flattened. The main challenge Toyota will have to overcome when doing this is how to do this without causing ground clearance.
2). New dash. We are certain about this already. The over-sized knobs may come back, but new gauges, better quality materials, and a modified layout will definitely come along with it.
3). Electric steering. Hydraulic steering pumps are less efficient than electric motors. GM and Ford will replace their electric motors with more efficient hydraulic steering pumps in their full-size trucks soon. This is will soon be the norm and we do not think Toyota will like to be left out.
2014 Toyota Tundra Engine
Other than the changes in styling and other consumer-driven changes expected, we have also heard some rumors about the powertrain. We have heard that the 2014 Toyota Tundra will have a direct injection engine among its powertrain. We do not know at this point if it will be the same direct injection V6 engine used by the 2014 Tacoma or direct injection 4.6L & 5.7L. The direct gasoline injection will further help the fuel economy – it’s estimated that it can improve gas mileage from 5-10%, depending on the engine. We know that a hybrid Tundra is coming soon, we also know that Toyota will soon replace its 4.0L V6 with a smaller and more efficient V6 engine in the Tundra and Tacoma, but we do not know how soon this will all happen. We will soon have all the answers, we should just wait for Toyota Tundra 2014.
2 comments
Andrea
January 10, 2013 at 4:53 am (UTC 0) Link to this comment
It appears to have a better driving performance that other trucks. Considering that the truck frame should not be highly rigid, it is better that the Tundra doesn’t have a box frame. The c-channel frame section at the back end avoids the bumping affect to the seats. You can imagine if the wings of Boeing 747 would have been rigid, they would break even before the plane would take-off. Ford seems to be dumb-struck having come up with the idea of using box frames.
DJ
November 9, 2012 at 10:36 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
“without any doubt below normal standard” It’s design is 6 years old yet it’s HP and torque numbers still stand up because all other domestic truck makers had to do something to catch up. Not to mention it was named the most reliable full-size pickup 7 yeras in a row, that’s hardly a let down. Let down is Ram and Ford that rank bottom or dead last in reliability.