So I took our long-term Tundra to Orange County's Little Saigon over the weekend. And I learned a few things.
(1) The most flavorful pho seems to be the kind that's packed with a bunch of random varieties of beef. I used to be a chicken pho man, but after slurping down some sublime broth containing filet mignon and like eight other parts of a cow, I was a convert.
(2) The Tundra's steering wheel doesn't telescope. What's the thinking here -- "Maybe people with long legs won't drive it"? The Tundra's chair-like driving position mitigates this annoyance to some extent: if you need to stretch your legs, you have the option of jacking the seat up a foot instead of sliding it back. But that tilts the cushion uncomfortably forward (another bad job), so it's an imperfect solution. The best I can say for Toyota in this regard is that our Silverado's wheel doesn't telescope either.
(3) Like many big V8s, the Tundra's does some of its most impressive work at extralegal speeds. Floor it at 60 mph, and this thing just keeps piling on the speed -- that is, until you remember it weighs a gajillion pounds and frantically hit the brakes. Nonetheless, I found myself thinking on a couple occasions that I wouldn't mind having a little more power on tap. Enter the optional dealer-installed supercharger, which bumps output to 504 hp and 550 lb-ft of torque (versus 381 hp and 401 lb-ft stock). I saw some unconfirmed reports that Tundras thus equipped are running quarter-miles in the mid-13s.
Josh Sadlier, Associate Editor, Edmunds.com @ 25,335 miles
louiswei says:
04:12 PM, 08/ 4/08
Welcome to the dark side... Chicken pho, what's that? Actually my favorite is the beef stew pho but not every place has that...
Michelle Magoffin says:
04:42 PM, 08/ 4/08
I don't get why seat bottoms tilt? Who wants to sit that way? Why don't more of they have a raise/lower control separate from tilt? I usually run into a problem because, proportionally, my legs are longer than my arms. A telescoping steering wheel works wonders for my seating position, but I also like to have maximum control over the seat.
zoomzoom22 says:
05:29 PM, 08/ 4/08
You want more power out of the Tundra? Someone give this guy a slap to the face. :D
lime679 says:
05:34 PM, 08/ 4/08
The 381 horses the Tundra makes are already killer. I loved driving that thing around! I couldn't imagine what it would do with the SUPERCHARGER!
dadoftay says:
05:34 PM, 08/ 4/08
504/550 is playing with $40K Mustangs, yeah?
Power is fun.
Mommy, can I go play with Josh?
No, honey, he smokes.
Nuh uhh..that's his truck tires!
billt9 says:
06:23 PM, 08/ 4/08
Ya. Supercharged 10 mpg. Let's take the Corolla out for tonight.
roar02ram says:
01:34 PM, 08/ 5/08
Tundras with bucket seats come with a telescoping steering column.
billt9 says:
07:18 PM, 08/ 5/08
That's dumb. I like the bench seat. But I'd want telescoping.
Not that I'd ever buy a Tundra.
skierx420 says:
08:33 AM, 08/ 6/08
Bench seats make the most sense in a pick-'em-up truck. All of them come with a fold down console anyway so what is the point of giant buckets in a truck?
ddkk10 says:
09:00 AM, 08/ 6/08
i love pho! yum.