As far as I’m concerned, a full-size truck is only as good as its ability to get stuff done—and I mean for both work and play. I know there are plenty of people who like a truck for just getting around town and using it like any other passenger vehicle, but that’s not my style; sure, you need to be able to run errands, get to work, and do all that other stuff, but the best part about owning a truck is that you can also load it up with a bunch of mulch and soil for a weekend project in the backyard or hook up a trailer and take a boat to the lake on the weekend.
Anyone looking at a Toyota Tundra for sale will see that Toyota understands this, too. The Tundra has a fantastic breadth of tech features that are great for daily driving as much as for tackling anything else you need to be able to do. Let’s take a closer look at what the Tundra has going on, and you’ll see what I mean…
The Available i-FORCE MAX Engine
When you think about tech for vehicles, the engine probably isn’t the first thing that comes to mind; I personally picture displays and other interior features first. However, maybe the engine should be first; after all, it’s the heart of your vehicle, and it’s one of the most essential parts of a truck. There’s also a tremendous amount of time, energy, and money that goes into developing engines, so naturally, you’d expect to see some impressive tech involved in them.
The engine is a big part of why the 2024 Tundra can haul up to 12,000 lbs behind it. It’s one of the first ways that Toyota comes through in making the Tundra a powerful beast ready to tackle just about anything you could need. The standard i-FORCE engine is good, but the star of the show is the available i-FORCE MAX engine with an innovative hybrid system that delivers 437 hp and 583 lb-ft of torque.
Toyota’s engineers have placed the electric motor between the engine and the transmission, which lets power transfer more efficiently as the hybrid system enhances the engine’s performance. The enhanced torque is instantly available, which is perfect for hauling some serious weight behind you or getting up to speed on the highway when you have a few hundred pounds of stuff in your truck’s bed.
The Adaptive Variable Suspension
The standard suspension on the Toyota Tundra is also great for both work and play since it uses built-in actuators in the shock absorbers on both the front and rear. This Adaptive Variable Suspension continuously adjusts the damping force of the shock absorbers to adapt to road conditions. So if you hit a pothole, a rough stretch of road, or an unexpected bump, you’ll stay comfortable, and whatever you’re towing will remain stable. The last thing you want when towing is to feel your trailer or camper shift and sway unexpectedly based on your truck being unstable.
An Available Rear Air Suspension
If you want to take things to another level, then there’s an available rear air suspension that creates an even smoother ride. If you have stuff loaded in the bed of the Tundra with this suspension, then it can automatically adjust to keep things level and stable, which is perfect if you’re helping a friend move and don’t want all of their stuff jostling about wildly.
Even more impressive, this suspension has three manual height modes that you can set. There’s a High mode that raises it for when you have a lot of weight loaded into your truck, a Normal mode for driving each day, and a Low mode that lowers the rear of your truck to make loading and unloading the bed easier. This is one of those things that can seem extra when you’re looking at a new truck, but the convenience it provides on a regular basis makes it more than worth it.
Innovative Towing Tech
Beyond some of the physical tech features we’ve looked at, the Toyota Tundra is also decked out with software and systems designed to enhance its functionality. As soon as you plug a trailer into its available 7-pin connector, the Tundra can calculate the length of your trailer automatically to account for it while you’re driving. There are even two different Tow/Haul modes available—TOW and TOW+—which you can choose between to account for different sizes and weights of whatever you’re towing. So whether you have a light trailer with a few large items in it or a massive camper hooked up to your truck, the Tundra is ready for it.
Two Large Displays
I mentioned that interior displays are the first kind of tech that I tend to think about, so of course, I’m going to mention them. There’s an available 14-inch multimedia touchscreen on the Tundra, along with a 12.3-inch Multi-Information Display. Sure, these both look great and give the Tundra an extra level of innovative tech, but they also work great for letting you take advantage of other systems.
The big driver display makes it easier to adjust the Tow modes and keep track of what you’re towing; at the same time, the large multimedia screen lets you see different camera views to maneuver a trailer while towing and utilize other systems. So, while they’re flashy, they also provide you with palpable functionality.
A Trailer Backup Guide
Speaking of these Tow mode views, the trailer backup guide is an available driver assistance tech tool for the Tundra; it utilizes sensors and cameras that are part of these safety systems to guide you when you’re backing up with a trailer hooked up. It provides you with a straight path guide and other information to make it easier to maneuver and navigate tight spots—perfect for getting a boat perfectly positioned into a launch or getting it back onto your trailer after a day on the water.
Enhanced Safety Tech for Towing
With that enhanced safety tech, numerous driver assistance features have been specially developed to work better with the Tundra. If you choose a model with the available Blind Spot Monitor, for example, when it detects you have a trailer hooked up, it automatically extends its range and area of detection to account for the added length of what you’re towing.
There are also available power-extending and -folding tow mirrors for the Tundra; these replace the standard side mirrors and can be extended out to give you a better view of what you’re towing and past it. They even utilize other tech features like Blind Spot Monitor and Trailer Merge Warning indicators to alert you to potential risks while you’re driving. This is a subtle thing that can easily be skipped, but it’s a great option that makes towing a lot easier and safer.
Proving Tech Features Are for More Than Entertainment
When we talk about tech features in the auto industry these days, it’s easy to get so focused on things like big displays and impressive sound systems that we overlook other stuff that can impact your drive each day. With the 2024 Tundra, Toyota shows that it understands how to integrate advanced tech throughout many different parts of its vehicles. No matter what you want from your truck, the Tundra is ready to deliver—and that’s exactly what I like to see when I look at a pickup (or any type of vehicle, really).
Its tech features enhance rather than distract from its capabilities, ensuring that this truck is as good for daily driving and getting to work as it is for enjoying the weekend. I know the Tundra isn’t among the top three full-size trucks for most drivers, but after looking at what it can do, maybe it should be.
