Review of my 2020 SR5 TRD Offroad

Hi Everyone,

This is long, so the short verison is - "The 2020 seems just OK. I think an older model year, with less concern about preserving remaining factory warranty would have been a better buy."

I bought a 2020 Tundra SR5 with the TRD offroad package in December - my first brand new vehicle, hooray! I've had an older vehicle for towing the a boat or sled trailer for years and my family made a passionate case for a newer, roomier truck for family trips. Not being a daily driver, it will accrue mileage pretty slowly. My goal in buying the new truck is "maximum reliability with passenger comfort." I expect to own it for 20+ years. I was pretty excited to treat myself to a brand new vehicle.

So this is my 4-5 month, 1775 mile review - I expect 6000-8000 miles per year. I'm skipping writing about the dealership, because they were terrible. I emailed Toyota Canada to tell them about it, and they said (paraphrased) "But that dealership is excellent, so it must be your fault." The upside is that I came to the conclusion that the Tundra must be so good, it sells itself, so that's something!

The Tundra has a quality interior with only as many buttons as necessary - excellent! Even with the (admittedly unwanted) sunroof from the TRD Offroad package, the cabin feels more spacious than competing vehicles.

I spent a couple grand extra for the 2020 model year instead of a 2019 for the Android Auto feature and the cellular remote start. In hindsight, I'd call them both a waste of money. I really liked the idea of my phone getting software updates and the in-vehicle display just being a display, but google maps can't be zoomed out enough for me to find it useful. I could just as happily use bluetooth for dictated directions and audio books - lesson learned. I didn't find the stereo intuitive, although that may be my own shortcomings. It annoys me that the stereo allows multiple phones to be paired and active at the same time - if my phone is navigating via Android Auto, I don't want phone calls received to my daughter's phone suddenly becoming a conference call for the entire vehicle purely because her phone was previously paired to the stereo, if that makes sense?

The cellular remote start, when compared to the aftermarket Viper Smartstart system in our '09 Toyota Sienna, is terrible. It generally doesn't work, or only works the first time after the app is reinstalled. When it does work it is very slow. The fact that the the app requires you to press and hold a button for a couple seconds as confirmation to remotely start the truck, then fails to start the truck due to a door being unlocked rather than just locking the doors and starting, makes me wonder what the mindset behind it was. I would have preferred another Viper Smartstart system over the factory system.

The remote start operating for 10 minute stretches was an unpleasant surprise, given that the Sienna runs for 15 minutes and seems to take less time to warm up, but not major. But the truck shutting off when the door is opened is terrible. I can't wrap my head around why it operates that way, unless the smart key fob is especially vulnerable to being cloned? A friend with a newer Tacoma also dislikes that behavior in his truck.

There are specific bits I'm not crazy about:

• The center console layout doesn't seem very practical. I'd be curious what Toyota intended that forward cupholder under the dash to be used for.
• The front cup holders are worse than in the Sienna. I bought some 1/16" rubber sheet to follow a guide here to improve them.
• The lack of center console rear cup holders was an issue on our winter trip. I will try to figure out something for that.
• The controls for the front seat heater are difficult to operate from the driver's seat. I wish they were either easier to access, or the seat heaters defaulted to off (as with a previous vehicle I owned). Maybe they can be replaced someday.
• If the start-up increased revs is just for the noise, then the Dodge Ram salesmen would approve. I hope there's a functional reason for that, but I guess everyone's doing that.
• The factory rubber floor mats don't cover enough area in the front foot wells to be useful in winter. They do work for my wife. It's a shame, because I think they are nicer mats than aftermaket and I've already paid for them. I wouldn't have cared if they were cheap junk, but they were so close to excellent. I like them better than the Weathertechs I had to replace them with, except that they don't work in winter.
• I wish the passenger side footwell had the same floormat retention latches as on the drivers side.
• There's a noise and vibration at times when turning - sounds like a spring is turning on its isolator. It's so intermittent, I'll wait a bit and warranty it.
• The grab bar behind the driver's seat impacts line of sight when shoulder checking.
• A lack of a power folding tow mirror. This one hurts the most. I really undervalued how much I would have like that feature. Maybe that can be added someday.

I didn't care at all about its "dated design" because if something works well, why change it? But I would gladly trade the rear camera, lane departure warning, the larger screen and android auto for those minor improvements.

It's much newer than my old truck, but has also has more little irritating issues. I think a slightly older year of Tundra would be ideal - some modifications could be done without fear of invalidating warranty coverage and you could have the best of both worlds. It was a bit of a let-down overall: I think I was taken in by hype from word of mouth a bit, but that's on me. Maybe this will change over years to come, but I think of it as a whitegood, despite it being gray.

 

So...other than the interior quality, did you like *anything* about it? Not to nitpick...but it kinda seems like that's what you were doing - listing all the things you did NOT like, and none of the things you did.

 

No offense taken! You make a fair point, it's easy to get bogged down on that stuff.

Things I like:

• Turning radius is good
• Road noise is minimal
• The 38 gal fuel tank is a very nice feature
• Single front defrost button is nice, although how great would it be if that could be part of the remote start procedure.
• The soft opening tailgate is a nice feature
• I was a little skeptical about the lack of a mechanical LSD, but figured they must work if multiple manufacturers are using brake-activated controllers instead - and it works well!
• The auto dimming mirror is a nice feature
• LED headlights are much nicer than I expected!
• Adaptive cruise control is quite a luxury

 

Yeah, the adaptive cruise control is the bomb, if you ask me, as is the 38 gal fuel tank. I'm sure if I think about it, I'll come across stuff that ticks me off, but I upgraded from a '13 F150 5.0L 4x4, and there's literally nothing (aside from the fact that it was paid off, LOL) the F150 did that the Tundra doesn't do better.

Although there is *ONE* thing I've noticed; it's not even a nitpick, it's just a thing. When sitting in the Tundra, I've noticed that the cushions extend out to maybe 2-3" short of the knee joint, whereas the cushions on the F150 extended out to the end of the knee joint. It's not causing issues nor is it uncomfortable; I'm just curious as to why they're a bit shorter.

 

That's good to hear about the F150 - I test drove a half ton from every brand and the 5.0's valvetrain noise in the vehicle I tested made me wonder "how would I tell if it was broken...?" The salesman was effusive about its technology - "Just look at all the buttons and dials! More like a rocketship than a truck, right?!" Erm, yeah, that is not a good sign for my own use, haha.

I might be prejudiced, but I can't help but wonder if the Tundra was built with a physically smaller driver in mind but can accomodate a larger driver. My wife enjoys driving it, but at 5' 9" the rear grab bar is also in her field of vision when shoulder checking.

Oh, there's another nice feature - seperate heat zones, haha. If the model level up had memory seats and mirrors, I'd have bought that, but no luck.

 

What is a "whitegood"..?

I think over time you will grow to love it, as a lot of other Tundry owners do. I'd like to have power folding mirrors as well, i can see that being useful. I've had 2 tundras so i've never had 'em

 

It's the opposite of a whitebad.

(Obv, I have no clue.)

 

I was new to the tundra in August of 2018. Came from a ram and many GM’s before that. There were a lot of little things that drove me nuts about the tundra for the first year! I slowly got use to them and now after 40k miles and almost two years, they don’t bother me as much. Some of your complaints made me laugh, my biggest complaint was the lack of auto up-down windows and now I don’t even think about it. Sometimes I still wish I had the locking rear end but have learned to just put it in 4wd instead of trying to make it in 2wd. Gas mileage never bothered me because in reality, I drive like an idiot and even the gm and ram get crappy mileage when you drive them hard. I bought the tundra for the long haul and can honestly say, I like it better now than I did when it was new.

 

That is actually one of the biggest reasons we bought the Tundra. I feel like the vast majority of automakers are doing what the salesman you mentioned did - "See? Look at these features! Look at this and that! Isn't it shiny?" My wife actually told me "I've never ridden in a Tundra before you bought this, but now that we own one, I wonder why the hell we didn't buy one a long time ago. This truck is absolutely perfect and I LIKE not having a ton of buttons." (She also loves the dual climate zone thing. LOL)

I've often had people criticize the lack of wonderful MPG 'like the other automakers' (never mind the fact that my F150 got *worse* MPG than my Tundra is getting). My response was "Go buy a Kia SUV and a Toyota SUV; make sure the Kia has all the features you can stand, and keep the Toyota fairly plain. NOW....drive them both for 400K and tell me which one holds up better, and which one you'd rather be stuck in the middle of nowhere with. The answer is why I'm not concerned about features."

Honestly, aside from the fact that the 5.0L liked to rev (made its power higher up in the band), I can't really complain about it. All joking aside, I traded it in with 124K, and I had absolutely no issues with it at all. The vehicle had 2 recalls, but neither of them were anything serious at all. (Seat squeak and valve body cavitation due to faulty design of valve body separator plate....both fixed easily.)

(The rest of it, on the other hand, was another matter.)

 

I think op is trying to say:

• Tundra good
• Other trucks bad

 

I got into a Platinum out of a Lexus RX and I can tell u my wife was not thrilled about the interior...honestly this truck was a much bigger financial decision with it being so thirsty on gas and even the insurance premium is higher. But i had been wanting a Tundra for a few years and finally pulled the trigger. the only regret i have is not going for the TRD Pro.

 

Haha yes, aside of the very tempting Nissan Titan...if they had the 2020 model there, I couldn't say which way I'd have gone... it's what the Tundra lacked which put it ahead of the pack, for me. The fuel mileage is actually an improvement on my old half ton!

The window auto-up down is a good point, too, even if you're kidding a bit about it. I discovered mine has auto down and not auto-up. When I noticed the asymmetry I thought "But why?" Maybe another vehicle's controller can be swapped in someday for that someday...after the warranty is up.

A whitegood is a term for household appliances, AC compressors, that sort of stuff which so often ships in a very uniform white color. It comes off a line without any personality, just off the line, in a box, away it goes. Maybe that is a harsh term, but going over my friend's Tacoma with him, it's clear which line gets more investment. I don't mind not having a 120v bed outlet or whatever add-on features, but I have to wonder "what DID they invest in, when they cut engine and body options?"

Having used the truck for a while, I'd say "It's OK." I'll just keep taking it for calendar maintenance and keep it clean. The kid will be driving in a couple short years and eventually I'll get to do this again for another minivan, with some recent experience in mind.

 

I bought the same exact vehicle back in April but mine is metallic gray. I added a factory grab handle for the driver side, installed a TRD shifter because it looks cool. I also added rails for the bed, and a Toyota wireless charging tray which fits on the center console cover. I too cannot figure out the logic of the console layout. That forward "cup holder" I also find odd, and I use it for change, or straw wrappers. The cup holders themselves are too big for 16oz. water bottles but too small for larger water bottles. My 2005 Tundra had two cup holders on the console with a felt like material which kept cups, and bottle from wobbling, plus a double cup holder in the dash board which deployed by pushing in on it, and two cup holders for the rear passengers at the back of the console. Aside from the console being a bit odd but nothing I can't adapt too, i love this truck. I had my last Tundra for almost 15 years, and I plan to keep this one for the long run too.

 

So I have a month old Tundra TRD Sport so service isn’t due for a bit. I have auto down on my driver window but was going to complain about no auto up. Wifeys 2019 Rav 4 auto up and down is on both front windows.

 

After my annual big family fishing trip, my Tundra's mileage is at just over 4k miles now. The fake chrome plastic in the interior is certainly something when the sun hits it the right way. It's very flat here, so a person has a lot of time to think about it while it's reflecting the sunlight at them. Maybe that will be my first use of plastidip someday.

The Tundra's seatbelt chime is irritating compared to the quiet, brief chime of my older truck, but I recently read that may be adjusted by dealership, so I'll ask them about it. The tailgate (with optional power lock actuator) automatically locks after a couple minutes when the fob is used to unlock the vehicle, which made for a couple frustrating experiences early on - I'm hoping the dealership can disable the auto locking feature entirely. The passenger floor mat setup is so terrible with mats sliding forward - using a very helpful post on the forum, I ordered some Tacoma floor mat parts to address that later this fall.

My 28 year old old half ton with its 8' box is seeing a lot of use in a big renovation at home, picking up materials and taking numerous loads to the landfill. For now the Tundra is mainly used by my wife on weekends to ensure it doesn't stagnate while I'm renovating, since the old truck has more cargo space and a lower bed height. It's also easier to load our kayaks in the old truck to usr the nearby launch since I don't need to manuever them around a bed extender. Those issues aren't unique to the Tundra, but it makes a difference working by myself.

It definitely annoys my wife to have the Tundra sitting on the driveway collecting bird poop while I run the old truck, but like I told her "You wanted a truck to move people, so we got a crewmax to move people instead of cargo. The old truck moves cargo better than people." With some significant interior renos planned for next year, I don't see the old truck being sold for a long while.

My family's wanting to get an in-ground pool next summer to travel less - I'm privately considering selling the Tundra and just eating the loss, as I'd strongly prefer to have any loose ends sorted out before making another large purchase. I'm not happy at the thought of such an expensive lesson in priorities; maybe it could buy me more clout when it comes to replacing the Sienna, but I doubt it, haha.

 

As a new Tundra owner I want to share what I don't like about it as well.
1st is the no auto up on the window. (2005 Nissan Murano I traded in had it)
2nd is why is there no factory lights on the door when its open.
3rd is under the seat storage should be factory installed.

Last is after joining this site, I should've bit the bullet and spend the extra $$$ on the pro.

I've only owned the truck for a week so those are what boggles me right now. Still love the truck though.

 

I’ve grown very fond of all 5 windows in my 4Runner being auto up AND down. If I were to jump ship for a Tundra, I would look at modding that right away.

 

i love mine, just annoyed no trans cooler. that kinda sticks in my craw since i traded a tacoma i had that i loved for towing my sxs on long trips.

 

I’m 2 months and 2000 miles into my Limited. It’s my first truck and first vehicle that isn’t a Honda. I haven’t regretted my decision at all to opt for the Limited trim vs the Platinum or Pro. I wanted BSM and parking sensors since this is the largest vehicle I’ve ever driven. The fuel economy is a non-issue so far. I drove a 2009 MDX and ran premium fuel so there hasn’t been an increase in fuel costs, yet. The Limited has auto up / down on the front windows and sunroof. The rear windows you have to hold the button. Not a big deal.

I do agree the app is hot garbage and is nearly pointless. I see no point in being able to start the truck from anywhere. I can start it by hitting the lock button 3 times and holding it. It would be nice if it stayed running once you opened the doors. I wish it had the tailgate lock standard but I fixed that for $150 and added a console try for another $30. I may look into the under seat storage if that becomes a problem. I want to live with the truck for a while before throwing parts at it. I’ll add the things I feel like I miss when I miss them.

I have enjoyed the first 2000 miles more than anything I have ever driven.

 

A little over a month in a platinum after several Honda’s as well...

 

Maybe meant to say "whitegold"