‘23 Edmunds Reviews

Does anyone have an opinion on the terrible reviews posted on edmunds.com? I am scheduled for Monday to pick up my first brand new vehicle ever. 2023 Tundra SR5 crew max in Magnetic Gray Metallic.

Honestly, these reviews have me worried. While I’m excited for my brand new Tundra, could I be making a mistake? Should I go for a used ‘18-‘21 model year?

One of the more common complaints seems to be MPG and how no one seems to get close to the EPA of 19/24.

And there seem to be a bunch of catastrophic failure and safety complaints as well.

Thanks in advance for opinions and/or your personal advice/reviews of the newest Tundra!

https://www.edmunds.com/toyota/tundra/2023/consumer-reviews/?pagenum=8

 

I got my 23 platinum back in April and it has 3700 miles on it. I have been averaging 15-16mpg before I got 34s on the truck. Now I’m averaging around 14.

I live in Dallas area so gas prices isn’t that bad. I can get around 425 miles on a full tank.

Other than that, love the truck. Rides really well and knock on wood, but so far so good. Toyota definitely fixed a lot of the smaller quality control issues with the 23s.

 

I read these reviews and I think the complaints are mostly "first world problems".

@cmiller61081 I know you probably will expect fan boy replies to your question. However, my own personal experience with my truck that I bought this past March has been nothing but positive. My truck is used for towing my travel trailer and it does a beautiful job. I get compliments on the truck, particularly the color, a lot. It has been flawless so far and I'm very happy with it.

I think you'll be happy with yours.

 

Awesome. Thank you for the reassurance. I’m too excited and I’ve been an ambassador for Toyotas for a long time. I hate to think that Toyota has begun to cut corners and give us less than what we will always expect from them.

 

I think you’ll like the 3rd gen. Other than the polarizing design of the grille, I think it’s the best new 1/2 ton.

If you are not yet locked in to a particular truck, testdrive an offroad model as well to figure out which suspension setup you like better.

 

I've been a "Ford guy" since the 1980s. I still own 2 Fords in addition to my Tundra (neither are trucks). When it was time to move up from my Tacoma to something bigger I didn't even consider the F150 after test driving the 2022 and 2023 Tundras.

Don't over think and don't let some online bitter trolls ruin your moment on Monday when you get your new rig. BTW, my last 2 Tacomas (2014 and 2017) were both MGM - great color and you made a good choice.

Now go get your new truck and post up pix here after you get the key!

 

it’s okay to say the 3rd Gen took a tumble in reliability. It has.

The 2nd gen was no question reliable and could be said with confidence when shopping. But when shopping the 3rd gen I don’t think it can count as checkbox. Resale value sure. But reliability isn’t anything above and beyond the segment. I feel like it’s as much as a roll of the dice as picking the big 3 with the 3rd gen.

 

There have been numerous complaints about these new trucks. Do lots of homework before you sign!! There are a great deal of horror stories right here on the forum, failed engine bearings, rear main seals, interior plastic cracking, melting, etc. Exterior trim falling off, defective glass, on and on. Just beware, read and comprehend before you sign!

 

So, why should your online review be trusted?

 

I bought a 22 CM SR5, its got about 12k miles. If I had to do again, I would buy the exact same truck. It’s a great truck.

 

For me my tundra has been a little problematic lol. I have a 23 Limited 2wd and I wish I got the 4x4 model but thats life lol you live and you learn. The main problems I’ve been having is my infotainment screen blacking out and none of my pvm cameras will kick on in reverse and recently starting to get abnormal voltage to steering rack error on some days but honestly all this started happening once I let my local dealer replace the screen and I’m guessing they didn't do something right. But other than that one small thing I noticed is my volume knob isn’t axially centered so it spins like a half ass da polisher lol. My fuel economy is great though I can average 23-25 mpgs on the highway but city driving ain’t it lol.

Gen 3 Tundras are great for working and I trust their engineers with the powertrain but they could’ve designed it better especially looking at the new tacomas. The 2.5 gen is also a great truck too and I’m sure both will serve you well.

 

I’m getting EPA on my 22 but the purpose of the fuel economy rating is for comparison purposes and it’s not a guarantee. If you run your AC and if you drive at 80 mph on the highway, you’re not going to get the EPA numbers because those conditions are not included in the test cycle.

 

I have 26k on a ‘22. The longer I drive it the more and more I enjoy it. I haven’t had any big issues, a cracked seat panel and a reflash of the transmission. Mileage is fine for a half ton, and if you can’t get over 20 on the highway then you’re really driving crappy. It tows great, has tons of power/torque, and lots of room (we have the CC). Super capable in all situations I have encountered so far except parking lots and drive thrus lol. The TRD OR package has some great 4x4 features also.

Cons-
Cracked seat panel, easily scratched paint (all manufacturers have this anymore with the EPA friendly finishes) poor choices of tires on stock new vehicles, no bed step (you can add one but I feel like it should have come standard) Lots of plastic (I have SR5 like your getting), no tow/recovery hooks, and wind noise.

I suspect the failures of engines are a very small amount compared to actual output, but nevertheless they are there. Chances are you will not get one of those.

I don’t have any regrets and would do it all over again. Others will have reasons for disliking and they are probably true from their perspective. I would say the vast majority of 22’+ owners are reasonably satisfied.

I think you will enjoy this vehicle quite a lot.

 

Most online reviews are short snapshots in time. Some vehicles can wow the most seasoned reviewer with features or styling. Some vehicles are more satisfying over the long haul. Like BBQ. Competitions are very strong flavors to win one bite judging; you would not want a plate of it for a meal or eat it all the time.

There is also herd buzz on the net. Everyone reads a few primary sites on a topic. You see a prominent subjective comment or review on a site and within 48 hours everyone is taking it as gospel everywhere on the net Vehicle A is perfect and Vehicle Bis a POS even though the differences are tiny. The original poster could have been a teen smoking weed in the basement that is good at making made up stuff sound legit

About only reviews I look at are long terms one for 40k. At least you get the opinion of many people instead of just one and some longer term viewpoints from more exposure. Still not perfect

 

wow factor gone when I realized how bad the doors fit on my past 2018 F150, but reviews were minimal on this. I about puked in my mouth!! Reviews are silly, especially the you tuber because there in such a hurry to review something they only operated for a day and I catch them saying some really stupid stuff because there guessing. The usb port on the lower pass side, and this reviewer was like "I don't know why toyota put that there, two under arm rest should be enough". Dumb ass, that's for a memory stick or directly to you phone for none wireless connections. But they got to get the clicks...........one time they finally broke out the operators manual.

Enjoy your new ride and you be the judge!!!

 

Online reviews can be hard to judge. Car Care Nut did a review on the 3rd Gen when it first came out and you could tell he was holding back from saying what he really wanted to say. TFL does all these useless test, IMO, because some of us dont drive the Gauntlet at WOT, so I could care less how fast and what MPG it did going up. Some are none bias and some are bought and paid for. I dont know of a single regular person that has the money and time to buy multiple vehicles and do a real long term test. Doing what a regular person does on a daily. I choose not to jump on the Jones bandwagon for the 3rd gen gen because Toyota is smoking some real shitty drugs when they priced it. For me it would be around $10-11k then what I paid for my 20 SR5. If they would have come down to reality on pricing then I would be driving it. Quite frankly, I lease so I am under warranty the whole time I own it but them again no one want to live at the dealer.

 

The seats panel cracking seems to be a nuisance to those who have reported it. The early turbo issues seem to be gone now. A handful of engine failures are out there but this seems to be a very small percentage. The throttle response issue will get addressed as software updates roll out unless it becomes a significant safety issue.

I haven't experienced any of the issues reported by others, with my truck in 10 months of ownership.

Like @topdec said, the grille is something! I am working of tweaking the look to tone down the bright silver on black contrast! The rear has the same sort of thing with the silver bumper inserts! Tweaking this truck has become a hobby of sorts

 

With stock wheels and tires I easily get 20 mpg, with 37’s I’m around 16.

 

I’ll throw one out as a very happy owner so far , much more comfortable to drive and I like all the features it has over my 2016, I also got higher payload so I can actually get in and not already be under 1K lbs left like my 2016

 

The people who like their 3rd gen enjoy the comfort, features, and low end torque. The people who like their 2nd gen enjoy the more rugged simplicity and that it will work perfectly every single time for a VERY long time.

Will the 3rd gen reach legendary dependability status? Only time will tell. It is a vastly more complicated truck. The detuned SR might be your best bet for longevity.

Is anyone else at peak market insanity saturation? The whole thing—the market, the truck wars between manufacturers, the endless YouTube hype—it’s all just fatiguing. I don’t foresee myself buying a new truck for a looooong time. I have completely checked out.

I still think the 2nd gen Tundra is the best truck for people who don’t want to deal with any hassles, who want to check out of the market entirely for as long as they see fit while the truck wars rage on.

Just do your research. The issues are pretty scary but seem to be fewer than the number of people who are really happy with their ‘23s.

 

One of the things I was real adamant about was looking for reviews from actual owners and not attention whores that have a truck for a day and spout off shit that’s in the brochure. Suggest you do the same.

 

You won't find many people who aren't happy with their Gen 3 tundras to reply to your thread - all the unhappy people left already.

Spend some time reading through the forums and decide for yourself

 

i mean the edmunds link is consumer reviews so…..


Honestly if I wanted a truck for light truck things and wanted one with nice features I’d buy a tundra. If I were shopping the platinum and 1794 trim line I would buy a tundra 100%.

but if you’re shopping the TRD pro or a true workhorse truck, I’d honestly look at the competition especially with how out of control the TRD pro pricing has reached.

 

you also know what he's referring to here, but ya your correct.

bottom line for me was, all the new trucks are much more complex, it is what it is if you ever want a new truck.

I trust Toyota to fix shit when or if it goes wrong a hell of a lot more than the others, my Toyota dealer is also very good, no bs, its very competitive in this market.

I tested them all and the tundra was the best.

I will say though, the test truck I drove first was an early one and my truck was just built, they are not even like the same truck, I think Toyota has been really busy fixing the launch of a ground up rig.

anywho, my vote is a platinum tundra, full color match, no chrome, HA, of wait, I have one of those.

 

Exactly. This is part of my general fatigue with the market. Seems like there are quite a few reviewers who

• buy it for views and clicks
• hype it
• sell it off once the YouTube engagement starts to wear off

Rinse and repeat.

Yeah, and probably not from YouTubers who use it to grow their channels.