2024 Tundra SR5 Review at almost 7k miles

This is an off the cuff review of my 2024 SR5 Tundra.

To give some context some trucks I've had in the past:
- Green Chevy, regular cab, long bed with a 305 v8. Good reliable truck in 2wd but lacking in power.
- Red Chevy, Z71, with the new 5.3 v8. 4.1 rear axle. Great truck. Plenty of power.
- Ford F150, 3.8 v6, stick shift, regular cab, long bed. Truck fell apart on me at about 50k miles.
- 2014 Tundra SR with the 4.6, 4wd, double cab, 6.5 ft bed. 165k trouble free miles. I loved this truck. It had everything I needed.

I live in Central NY. My house is at the end of a 1/2 mile dirt road that is not maintained by the state of NY. My driveway is 200 feet of dirt off of that half mile. My drive to work is about 80% back country roads and 20% small city. Takes me about 30 minutes to get to work with speed limites of 55, 45 and 30 mph. I park my truck outside both at home and at work.

I have almost 7,000 miles on the truck now.

Gas mileage: When I first got the truck it was 16.2. Now it has steadily climbed to 18.2. I baby the truck most of the time.

Sensors: Don't like them and don't care for them. I live in a forest and little leaves and/or twigs set them off along with emergency brakes. Also, winter (snow and ice) makes my dash light up like a Christmas tree which I also don't like.

Butt warmers: Wife likes them. I don't care for them.

Seats: Comfortable. I've been on 3 hours drives and they feel good. The material is perforated and I wonder if they will hold up or tear over time. I feel the electric adjustable seat is not needed and just adds weight to the truck.

Rear View Mirrors: My old 2014 sr had heated mirrors and this new 2024 sr5 does not. I miss those old mirrors because they were great at defrosting the glass on the mirrors. Also these new mirrors have the sensors which I don't care for which tell you if you have something in your blind spot. To me, it's just another light (a hard to see light) to look for and that will distract you from driving. On my old sr I stuck small circular mirrors on the rear view mirrors and they worked just fine.

Engine: Plenty of power. The most power of any of my previous trucks. Upon start up, it does clatter a bit. Reminds me of a hamster on a wheel. I have changed the oil twice already. First oil change was around 500 miles. Second one was 5,000 miles. Both times I got all the oil and filter from a toyota dealership and have kept documentation. I highly disagree with these new suggested 10k oil changes. The engine starts and does what it's supposed to do. I use to sell Toyotas and I believe in the product and the company. The problems with the 2022 and 2023 engines seem to have been tracked down and taken care of. I am hoping my engine lasts a long time because I have myself to relie on.

Transmission: Shifts seem seamless and some on at the right time.

Remote: I like having one because my old sr didn't. I like that I can walk up to this truck and my hand on the handle automatically unlocks the truck. I do worry about someone coming up behind me, waiting for the truck to unlock and stealing either it or something inside of it. I look around before getting near my truck. I don't get a subscription for the remote start. First, I don't believe in subscriptions for a vehicle. Second, the truck shuts off when you open the door?!?!?! Third, who was the idiot who put a limited life span on the starter???? I don't want to start my truck twice just to go somewhere.

Ergonomics: Everything is fine except for one thing. My arms have very comfortable resting areas. All the lights on the dash are easy to read. That Z71 I had, had the high beam indicator light behind the steering wheel which was irritating. Shifter is in a great spot. Love the cup holders. The dash TV screen can be somewhat difficult. I find myself pushing buttons on the screen more than once or my hand wavers due to bad road conditions ie ny pot holes. The one thing is the windshield being small and I have to lean forward to see the traffic light. It's either adjust the seat or lean forward to see the light.

Auto Headlights: On this truck they seem to work fine. Other vehicles they make me highly irritated. They are slow to dim or don't dim at all. A guy in a Ford lit me up one night so much so that I pulled over to let him pass. I'm not sure if he knew how to use his high and low beams. Overall, I wish they never had invented them.

The rear step assist near the rear bumper on the driver's side: Get rid of it. It's angled, near the body and collects dirt between it and the body of the truck. When it's deployed it's too low to the ground to be of any use.

Outside Apperance: Love the look of the truck. My 2014 sr and this 2024 sr5 look great!!!! Especially the front end.
Hate the big boxy look of the new chevies. Dodge looks dated and old. I'll never buy another F150 due to the truck falling apart.

Ground Clearance. My old sr had better ground clearance which is important if I'm working 16 hours and it snows 2 or more feet. Ground clearance is adequate. Get rid of that air dam near the bottom front of the truck. It is irritating in the winter knowing the stupid air dam is down.

Ride: It's smoother. I don't know exactly how smooth a truck is suppose to be. I'd be happy with the tried and true leaf springs of old. All these reviewers from fancy magazines or TV shows probably have never swung a hammer or know what a 2x4 is. To think my Grandfather rode for hours on a board attached to a wagon (via leaf springs) being pulled by a horse. Think "Little House on the Prairie".

One or two of the struts has oil leaking from them. It's covered under warranty. The dealership had their machine that helps them to replace the strut break on them. I was not notified of this ahead of time and so I will have to drop off the truck a second day for them to perform the work.

Brakes: Had a herd of deer jump out infront of me. Brakes do their job rather well. Deer and truck are safe.

Bed of the truck. I like the black bed of the truck. Much better than the painted version on my previous Tundra. Glad they kept the tie down loops. I use them often.

Radio: I now have to burn rip or whatever you call it my CDs to a USB drive. Don't like that I have to do that as it takes time to do. The free Radio stations are enough for me.

Windows: I like them. They provide enough view for me. The sliding rear window is nice.

Front tow hooks: There aren't any. I have used them albeit rarely, on my old Tundra. Get rid of the sensors and use that money for tow hooks. Even with 4wd and agreesive tires I got my old sr stuck. It was nice to hook a winch to them to pull myself out.

Steering wheel: I'm still getting use to the controls on it.

That's about it for now.


The reason why I purchased a Toyota is that I believe in them. I use to sell Toyotas in SC and we'd regularly get them on trade with 500k miles on them. Back when they had problems with frames, they took care of business to protect their reputation. This truck has more fluff on it than what I need....all of it in the name of safety or the perception of it. I believe heated rear mirrors, a dash cam (for insurance against idiot drivers), front tow hooks would be better spent money.

 

Good review, thanks. I'm in total agreement about the sensors--never use them and it's irritating to have to pay for them. Although I don't own a Tundra, I'm thinking about buying one. I had a Tacoma that came under the frame rust recall and Toyota treated me very well. As such, if there's a problem with the V6 I've faith that they'll do the right thing again.

 

Rain X specifically for plastic works good keeping the snow off the front bumper.
Heat tape would be ideal and appropriate for colder regions, that would be a nice option.
I too can't stand all of these sensors,but just have to roll with it,a sensor hack would be nice though.

Nice review!

 

Another truck flashed me on a small windy road the other day so I flashed back. Got closer and saw that it was another 3rd gen. Guess they didn’t have auto leveling or realized how bright our lights are

 

That happens all the time,especially with cars & trucks are few and far between.