Welcome to middle of freakin' nowhere.
Last week lived in our long term Toyota Tundra for three days, covering three states and 1,409.1 miles. At the end of the run I have a new found respect for the Tundra and the men that created it.
This is a comfortable truck. Very quiet on the highway. And the seat is as good as truck seats get. At 15.9 mpg, the truck's mileage might not impress, but believe me when I tell you I was on it. Drove the last 600 miles like a I stole it. And that big V8 is always ready to go. At over 100 mph, this big truck is steady as a rock. Hums along like a good sedan.
Occasionally our route also passed through some mountains, which only put the Tundra's excellent brakes and handling on display.
My complaints are limited to what our Tundra is without. Satellite radio would have been nice, and a range feature would have helped schedule some of our six gas stops. Both are options we were too cheap to order. Mistake.
Scott Oldham, Inside Line Editor in Chief @ 22,567 miles
johnmarco says:
12:54 PM, 07/ 3/08
Where is this particular middle of nowhere? And what are you doing out there?
I'm amazed that you would cruise at 100 MPH in the Tundra. Solid or not, if you blow a tire at that speed you're going into rollover-induced death immediately.
pengwin says:
05:05 PM, 07/ 3/08
This is where you guys recorded the top speed... lol
dougtheeng says:
05:41 AM, 07/ 4/08
Thats a pretty neat lookin old building. Abandoned structures are cool.
lvranger says:
09:21 AM, 07/ 4/08
johnmarco: Testing has shown that blowouts do not cause rollovers, rampant overreaction and overcorrection by the operator does. Also the tires on their Tundra should be "S" rated to 108mph so if they are properly inflated the risk is minimal.
hondacura4 says:
05:40 PM, 07/ 4/08
Id like to see the overall milag and compared it with the Silverado. I know the Tundra has the awesome 5.7L V8 and the Silverado has the 5.3L V8?
hondacura4 says:
07:40 AM, 07/ 5/08
"Id like to see the overall milag and compared it with the Silverado. I know the Tundra has the awesome 5.7L V8 and the Silverado has the 5.3L V8?"
It should have said:
Id like to see the overall milage and compare it to the Silverado. I know Edmunds LT Tundra has the awesome 5.7/6AT combo while the Silverado I believe has the 5.3L/4AT?
johnmarco says:
11:07 AM, 07/ 5/08
lvranger I didn't know that. If that's true then I guess the joke's on me!
But I still think it sounds a little nutty. But that's me. Conservative (grandpa?) driver.
greenpony says:
10:17 AM, 07/ 7/08
Recently took my '05 F-150 on a similarly long road trip (a little over 1800 miles). It's a 4WD crew cab, 5.4L, 4AT, LT tires. Got the exact same fuel economy (15.9 mpg) cruising 70-80, no jaunts into triple digits. I'd guess the Silverado would perform similarly, if it had a transmission.
By the way, lower speeds do wonders. I actually got 18.0 mpg around Chicago, where heavier traffic and lower speed limits reduced my cruising speed.