Time’s up! That sentiment has to be running rampant about the halls of the domestic manufacturers as Toyota unleashes the new Tundra ½-tonn truck. The single remaining profit sector for GM, Ford, and Dodge is now under the biggest (literally) threat yet.

Biggest cabs. Most powerful motor. Most gears in the transmission. Beefiest undercarriage. There is almost no area in which the Tundra is not—on paper at least—dominant. Add to that the company’s peerless reputation for truck toughness, and a built-in group of Toyota owners who have been waiting for a true, full-size option from the company, and their forecast of 250,000 (compared to the Ford F-150’s 700,000) sales per year begins to look very, very conservative.

Engineered in America, and built in an all-new Texas plant, the Tundra doesn’t disappoint in the metal. Butch, modern looks fronted by a Dodge Ram-sized grill, pronounced fender forms, and available 20” rims means it can stand tall—literally. The interior is best-in-class in terms of material quality, design, and fit/finish. The dash design is contemporary and clean, and there is no fake timber trim in site. Almost any option one can think of is available, such as smart-key, powered steering column, surround sound, and the like. A couple of surprising omissions are express-type up/down window switches and power pedals.

Three cabs are available, all the largest of their respective type. Even the regular cab has loads of space for gear behind the seat. And the monster, four-door CrewMax is spectacular, with room for a reclining second row and so much legroom an ottoman wouldn’t be out of place. There are three bed sizes as well, and all the various rail and rack type systems to improve their utility. Toyota made the effort to bring aftermarket companies into the mix early so that there is a huge resource of accessories from a myriad of supplies with which to customize the Tundra.

Power is sourced from the carry-over 4.0-liter V6 and 4.7-liter i-Force V8 and a new 5.7 eight with best-in-class 381hp and 401lbs-ft of torque. This is mated to an intuitive six-speed auto with a wider spread of ratios for both fuel-efficient highway flying and low-speed grunt than anyone else offers. Obviously, both two and four wheel drive are available, though Toyota may have missed an opportunity by not offering any type of all-wheel drive system for mixed conditions. So as not to undermine their reputation for indomitably, Toyota forged the Tundra with some of the most hard-core underwear in the market, including the largest brakes and biggest axles, many of which are in line with the domestics’ ¾-tonn offerings, and the Tundra can tow up to 10,000 pounds.

The Tundra makes for a fascinating drive. Despite the aggressive no-apologies exhaust note, this isn’t a sporty truck like the Nissan Titan. It’s much too refined for that. Quiet and cushy, it is more Lexus-like than any ½-tonn yet. The interior is on par with the vast majority of cars for resistance to NVH (noise, vibration, and harshness).

The majority of our test time was spent behind the wheel of a loaded 4wd CrewMax Limited. The big motor had no trouble throwing it at the horizon, and the slick-shifting tranny was a terrific dance partner. The ride/handling balance definitely leans towards softness, though, the result being fairly lary amounts of body roll and understeer, even for such a behemoth. The upside being perhaps the most refined ride of any truck extant. A quick run in a regular cab shortbox showed a more athletic balance, as would be expected.

Appearing to be better built than the competition, and offering the vast array of builds necessary in this market, it is hard to see the new Tundra not being a grand slam for Toyota. The truck has no major weaknesses, and the list of strengths, from size and power, to expected durability and resale value, mean that it’s time the domestics looked to their knitting.

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