2020 Toyota Tundra gets Toyota safety upgrades
Sunday Drive
The new 2020 version of the Toyota Tundra is now exclusively built in San Antonio, Texas, so it was more than fitting that our test drive came equipped with Texas plates.
We have driven many different vehicles over the years with many different plates. This was the first Texas plate to come our way. It had to be another statement on Toyota’s commitment to design and build their line of trucks right here in America.
Taking the ‘Work Hard, Play Hard’ mantra to heart, the TRD Pro version takes the ‘Play Hard’ part to a new level.
This year, the TRD Pro comes with a factory-installed lift kit to add some extra height to the ride and allow for more 4X4 adventures. Along with the lift were also some very nice Fox 2.5-inch front and rear shock absorbers that have given the Tundra an extra 1.5 inches of wheel travel up front and more than 2 inches in the rear.
We also found that the new shocks made for an even better ride just out on the open road. This was the first time that we have had a Tundra in the dead of January and winter in Utah, thus not allowing us to take to the hills and try out the advanced four-wheel drive options that the TRD department is known for.
It did handle very well in the couple of snow storms that we experienced during our test drive week.
The designers at Toyota have produced a truck that is more than capable, and enhanced with parts and finishes by running it through the TRD shop specifically to make it a better truck for the off-road Toyota racing team. This is why the Tundra has been stamped literally with the name Pro into both sides of the rear body panels, and has to be considered a Pro in the off-road category.
There were other upgrades that were obvious on the exterior of the Tundra — the best being the TRD Pro logo stamped into the body panels that ran down the sides of the truck bed. A number of years ago when we attended the launch of the new Tundra design, Toyota pointed out not only how hard it is to stamp words into sheet metal but how cool it was to have the name Tundra stamped into the tailgate on the truck. Now they have gone and added that same technology to stamping a rounded body panel, thus setting off the TRD Pro as being a very unique truck.
After that came the black-bezel headlamps, an oversized black Toyota grill, black badges all around the truck and the finishing touch being black alloy wheels. Toyota has chosen to only offer the Pro version of the Tundra in four colors: Midnight black metallic, magnetic gray metallic, super white and army green, which was as army green as one could imagine and the color of our test ride. In the end, any of these will stand out in the crowd.
Inside, one will find leather clad seats that have been designed to take the wear and tear a true 4X4 demands. They also include special red stitching and an embroidered TRD Pro logo in tops of both front bucket seats. The driver’s seat is 10-way power adjustable so he can get to the most comfortable driving position and take on whatever nature has to offer. There are also unique TRD floor mats and a special leather shift knob with the logo embedded. Again, there appears to be a TRD theme that runs the gamut in the Tundra.
On the performance side, the Tundra TRD Pro is outfitted to take on almost any challenge right off of the showroom floor. Equipped with a dual exhaust system made from 304 stainless steel, it not only gives the truck up to 15 extra horsepower but adds an unexpected roar to the engine. This roar turned heads and was what most folks that we talked to about the car, or rode in it, really liked.
The Tundra is also equipped with a special ¼-inch aluminum skid plate up front to help protect the vitals under the hood and keep the truck moving along and get it where other 4×4’s won’t make it.
Also, new this year is the addition of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto to the Tundra, along with an 8-inch touch infotainment screen. All of which were needed additions to the truck.
The current version of the Tundra is getting somewhat old in ‘Truck Years’ as it has not received any significant upgrade for many years. As all of the competition has come up with new and different trucks and ideas, we are looking forward to the Tundra getting an upgrade.
This year also brings the Toyota Safety Sense 2.0 package to the Tundra on all levels as Toyota has done with many of their vehicles. This includes blind spot monitoring, pre-collision system with pedestrian detection, lane departure alert, dynamic radar cruise control, automatic high beam headlamps and rear cross path traffic alert. These are all great features and come on all trim levels of the Tundra.
Driving the TRD Pro was a great experience as it turned sharper and handled better than other full-sized trucks we have had. Inside, there were many creature comforts like heated leather seats and the Toyota Entune System that includes connections to Alexa. There are not really any options to add to the TRD Pro package as Toyota fully expects users to enjoy the package provided. We would expect, however, for many aftermarket enhancements to come along to make the truck even more unique and powerful.
Base Price: $52,760
Price as Driven: $54,414
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