2008 4x4 Of The Year Contestants

Ever been the runt of the playground? Well that's how Toyota's Tundra felt until the redesign of 2007-'08, and now this truck will be stealing balls and making the bullies cry. The new Tundra is a motivational machine with gobs of power and rocketlike acceleration, and when it comes to payload, Toyota definitely did its homework. Not only does the Tundra come in three bed and cab configurations, but within the cab are more places to stash stuff like pens, phones, iPods, maps, books, CDs, and sunglasses. What with all the cubbies, pockets, storage bins, and gloveboxes, you would think the interior designer also developed women's purses.

Once the big Tundra got off road we were happy it was the smallest model available and not the premiere Crewmax variant with miles of wheelbase and more interior space than a cheap apartment. The 126-inch wheelbase was tight for the rock trails but still capable, and the power under the hood made it great in the loose dirt and high-speed desert runs. It has been said that lack of off-road performance can often be made up with horsepower to get a vehicle moving and let momentum do the rest, and the Tundra proves this. Not that the truck isn't capable off road, but its automatic limited slip is just Toyota's sneaky way of saying it has brake-activated traction control-not a true differential-based traction device. (Even we fell for it, as seen in last month's Tundra axle story-whoops).

One major shortcoming is a low-hanging front bumper that exited the rockcrawling test with a new dimple, while another is the excessive frame flex during high-speed rutted off-road testing and rippled sand runs. This unwanted elasticity even resulted in a miniscule paint chip where cab and bed touched. On road this frame flex revealed itself on certain highways with regular asphalt fissures. Although the rear suspension could have used a little more control in some places, it shined in others. When carving canyons the rear leaf springs that are angled in at the front seemed to be fulfilling Toyota's claims that they assist in high-speed cornering.

The Tundra is a big burly bully of a truck that may lack some refinement, but its low price as tested and musclebound powertrain have a way of helping it claw ahead in the list of contenders.

Likes
* Power, power, power
* On-road cornering
* Cavernous interior

Dislikes
* Rough ride
* Massive doors with huge mirrors
* Odd throttle response

Verdict
* A big brute of a truck