Test-Driving The 2024 Toyota Tundra Platinum CrewMax

There was never a time during the week’s test of the 2024 Tundra Platinum CrewMax in Seattle where I wasn’t aware of my tonnage, and I didn’t mind a bit. Despite my bulk - all 5325 pounds of it - it was a rollicking week’s test full of tight squeezes, creativity with parking, and gently cruising through the romantic, signature Emerald City spring rains.

I climbed hills so steep they appeared as vertical in front of my hood. I did ballet with the cars, the walkers, the bikers and the oblivious. I flashed many “peace” and “ok” signs. I ate meals and did work within my cockpit. There’s a reason this beastly, brawny truck is still doing quite well despite being the oldest truck of its type on the market.

What’s New For 2024

The 2024 Tundra enters with new options for exterior looks and off-road enthusiasts. A Nightshade package has been added and the ever-popular TRD Off-Road Package is now available on Platinum grade 4×4’s as is a TRD 3” suspension lift kit, now available as a factory installed accessory. My ride started at $72,467 and topped out with options and delivery charge at $74,317.

Looks

You’d think you’d be either ignored or glared at in a town with full of Subarus, Priuses, Teslas and such, but I got catcalled by everyone from bros with kids in carriages, construction workers and plain old passerby, and with good reason – I was gorgeous, darlings. There’s something about a great big truck that makes a boy’s heart soar, even if he hasn’t been a boy since the Reagan administration, and every time I came out of a store and saw the Tundra, life Did Not Suck. The truck’s rugged, handsome appearance is one of its best features.

Three bed lengths are on deck - 5.5 feet, 6.5 feet and 8.1 feet. All Tundra beds are 20.9 inches deep and 58.7 inches wide.

Engine

I had the i-FORCE MAX Twin-Turbo V6 Hybrid with its DOHC 24V engine making 437 hp and 583 lb-ft of torque. The only time I was super-aware of the hybrid aspect was upon startup – there’s no roar that says “We’re live.” You just turn it on, put it in gear and drive soundlessly away. The vehicle can tow up to 12,000 pounds.

Oddly, you can’t put this trim in permanent 4-wheel drive for extended off-roading. Its 10-speed transmission is smooth, though, and shifting from D-R-D-R during U-turns with your big fat stalk-shift – as opposed to a wheel or similar - went as quickly as these things can go. Mileage is a predictably low 19 MPG around town, 24 on the highway with an empty bed the entire test, but it’s a little better than what you might get with a V-8.

Interior And Tech

The quality of interior materials has improved over previous test models, making it a pleasure to just sit in the vehicle as well as to drive it. My tester had the American Walnut interior trim and Capstone semi-aniline leather upholstery that smelled great, felt great and looked great. The seating comfort level is on-point, and you’ll do well if you’re big and/or tall, too.

It was chilly most mornings and the cabin heater warmed me almost instantly, as opposed to some vehicles where you drive 10 miles and your teeth are still chattering. There are many pockets, holders and cubbies to put your stuff.

You get analogue gauges and my trim featured a 12.3-inch digital instrument panel gauge which was easy to get to know. The sound system kicked, and well it should – a 12 Speaker JBL Premium Audio system came standard. My only complaint was with the volume knob, whose feel was vague.

The Ride

You’re a big, heavy creature with lots of power, and it’s a pleasure to know you’re navigating a can-do big boy. You may not know where any of your four corners are for the first few days you have the vehicle, but slow and steady and careful and conscious is your guide. The steering is sharp enough that a pinkie’s flick will aim you where you want to go, and when you step on it, bang-zoom, you’re off like a shot. You step on the brakes, you halt, quickly.

Safety

As you can imagine, safety is a key issue when driving such a big guy, and the list of features are many and varied. Every Tundra arrives with the Toyota Safety Sense 2.5 suite of driver-assistance technology delivering automatic high beams, lane departure alert with steering assist, blind spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic Alert and trailer detection also come standard on Limited trims, and up.

See the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) websites for more safety info. Click here for warranty info.

In sum, the Tundra was the proverbial rhinoceros in the Louvre, yet it made no mess, knocked over no paintings and delivered everything you love about a pickup.

Ride safe! JM