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2015 Tundra upgrades....what I have gathered.....

46K views 154 replies 56 participants last post by  Gator65 
#1 ·
It sounds like it will have a 38 gallon fuel tank.
It will have an eight speed transmission.
I have read about new, redesigned fuel injectors that are supposed to improve power and efficiency.
Supposed to have a new selection of factory wheels all the way from steel wheels through the platinum and 1794 line.
INtegrated brake controller.

I don't know of any others.

Comments, additions?

Thanks!

( cuz I'm likely to buy a new 2015 model, so I'm curious. Some of the information is scant at this point).
 
#3 ·
I surfed the web. Sounds like the 38 gallon tank is a sure thing. I read about the redesigned fuel injectors, but it did not say weather they would be in the 2015 or not.
The 8 speed tranny is coming. I think, to compete, they have to put it in the 2015 because Dodge already has it and the (new) Nissan Titan will have a 7 speed tranny.
The new wheels were from an article in a foreign news outlet. No other details on those.
 
#4 ·
By any chance, did you find any info on Toyota adding a sport model in your research? I had a 2006 Limited TRD step side before my current Tundra and wish they would make a sport model again. That was a great road truck and I think there would be a market for a similar truck in the newer models.
 
#8 ·
I would be surprised if any of those internet rumors are true. It would be nice to get those things but wouldn't bet on it. I will say a lot of reviews do like the TRD Pro which I didn't think that much of at first , 2015 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro First Drive ? Review ? Car and Driver and 2015 Toyota Tundra, 4Runner, Tacoma TRD Pro First Drive - Motor Trend. Seems like it is Not a Raptor or Power Wagon fighter but still a respectable special edition off road truck. I would be surprised if anything is new other than TRD Pro because Toyota would probably want to advertise the changes at an auto show or something.
 
#9 ·
The 2015 isn't going to have any of these things other than the gas tank and possibly the trailer brake. Toyota has already introduced the TRD Pro to the media with specifications such as HP and TQ. Manufactures do not release figures and add new models to the media motor pools until the vehicle is almost 100% production.
 
#10 ·
I would be upset if I just bought a 14 (which was promoted as "all new") and they drop a 15 with an 8 speed and more power with better mileage. I knew I was essentially buying an 8 year old package, and I knew Toyota considers a new interior and body panels as a MAJOR update. Basically, I wasn't worried about Toyota making changes in the 15.

By doing those things, Toyota would be showing that they intend to compete and improve their product as quickly as possible. Toyota has never really done that. They sell trucks based on reliability and resale. Truck buyers who want the latest technology and most efficient and powerful trucks don't buy Toyota, and Toyota seems to be content to settle for that. The 14 should have had at least a 7 speed trans. and direct injection (not to mention killing off the ancient key fob). Like the 4runner and Tacoma, Toyota will run the Tundra platform into the ground before making any significant changes. The Tundra is a nice vehicle, and it does things very well, but it is not really competitive against the big 3 at this point.
 
#11 ·
Well I for one have had the big three still have a Chevrolet van one thing for sure with the GMC I just traded in I knew every person in the local service dept by name and they all knew me it was constantly in for so called minor repairs I have had the Tundra for six months so far so good.
 
#22 ·
Sure, they're competitive, but they are not playing to win. In this day and age of increasing fuel economy mandates, more efficient engines, and transmissions with 8 speeds, you can't come to the game with the same package you've had since late 06 and expect to be in the hunt. It doesn't mean that the Tundra isn't a great truck, it's just that they don't want to be at the top, they want to languish in that #4 spot and pick off buyers who are disenchanted with the big 3.

Toyota needs to throw everything they have into a new Tundra (and Tacoma), and they need to do it soon. The sales figures prove that. It just would appear to me that they're more satisfied to sell and handful of trucks as opposed to being innovative. Just look at what the big 3 are bringing to the table (some of which works, and some doesn't). On the other hand, I just bought a 50K truck with a key fob.

I love Toyota, and I think they make the highest quality vehicles, but I want to see them play to win rather than play not to lose.
 
#13 ·
38 gallon fuel tank is way overdue. A 8 speed tranny would help eek out a mpg or 2. Bring it YOTA!!
 
#18 ·
I was at the dealer today and the service rep said he had been hearing that there will be basically an entirely new truck in 2016. Not sure how reliable but I've been using the same service rep since 2003 and my dad has been going to him since the 90s.

He claimed that they should be rolling out the Cummings Diesel in the 2016 model. Said that Toyota Corporate didn't roll out the diesel previously due to the high fuel costs, which they claim would have caused a lack of interest in them.

Here's to hoping that the price of diesel doesn't go up again and nix the '16. However, with tightening regulations on oil and gas companies we may never see a diesel.
 
#23 ·
And what exactly is their incentive to be innovative and dump billions into new designs and marketing campaigns?
So they can be sued for more defects that don't exist?
So they can be extorted by our gov for a billion a pop, for defects that never existed?
So ford can make more bullshit videos about boxed frames and bed bounce?
No matter what, in this US culture, they will never hold more than 5-10% of the market in the full-size truck arena. Even if they rightfully should, it will never be allowed.
"Conspiracy theory"? Call it whatever. It is what it is.
 
#24 ·
I agree totally. When the Tundra came out in 07, it was far and away more advanced than the big 3, and what was their % of sales? Chevy has had runs of 20+ years with the same basic engine and powertrain options and always made sales. It is what it is. I'm just glad they haven't given up on the full size market and appear to be in it for the long haul with the new Texas factory. I for one have been burned way to many times by the big 3 growing up, and that taste is never leaving my mouth. I don't give a flying fuk how many gears they have, or what the EPA says they can squeeze out of a gallon.
 
#25 ·
The fact of the matter is that just because someone owns something other than a Toyota, it doesn't mean that they own a bad vehicle. There's PLENTY of domestic trucks out there that have been through hell and still keep going. The gap is more narrow than it's ever been.

Sure, there are people that could lemon law 5 Ford's in 2 years and will never buy anything other than a Ford. With Toyota, IMO, it's a combination of things. It's looks, undeserved stigmas, and failure of Toyota to try anything bold. Some things Toyota CAN control, others they can't. If they make a decision to take away all the reasons in their control of why people buy other brands, then they gain ground in a big way. That's why they don't compete, because they released a truck that was stale at the launch, and they seem determined to ride it out for a decade.

All i can tell you is that when I was researching trucks, the number 1 reason people pass on the Tundra is because of it's poor gas mileage. Toyota could have done something with the 14 refresh, but in typical Toyota fashion, they decided that the status quo was good enough. Then they wonder why people won't buy a truck that gets 13 mpg when they can get one that gets 20.
 
#34 · (Edited)
With Toyota, IMO, it's a combination of things. It's looks, undeserved stigmas, and failure of Toyota to try anything bold. Some things Toyota CAN control, others they can't. If they make a decision to take away all the reasons in their control of why people buy other brands, then they gain ground in a big way. That's why they don't compete, because they released a truck that was stale at the launch, and they seem determined to ride it out for a decade.
.
Bold is an interesting thing with Toyota . They have Hybrids and now have a Hydrogen fueled vehicle.

So Toyota does bold things all the time, they just don't do it with the Tundra. An 8 Speed and a selection of different rears (which I agree is all the tundra needs right now) wouldn't even be a bold move. Toyota is simply putting as little money into the tundra as it can. The 14' was a Makeover, the 15 Pro is a Makeover. Its all a shell game.

Back to the 15' now the Specs for the TRD PRO are pretty much known. It will have the 6 speed No DI. What hasn't been released is any information at all about the 15' non pro . I can see the Non-Pro having different more fuel-efficient options but Highly doubt it will happen.
 
#27 ·
I'm not taking up for the big 3, because I own a Tundra, but let's be real here.

As I said, there are PLENTY of domestics out there that have had a rough life and still run just fine. We've all seen them. It's factually incorrect to claim that just because you own a Toyota, you won't have any problems, and if you own something else, your truck won't give you years of trouble-free service.

Chevy, Ford, and Dodge all have engines that have as much, or more power and get better fuel economy. Toyota could be right there with them, but they have just chosen not to. I don't care how "technically advanced" the Tundra motor is on paper compared to others, the fact is that it is behind in the game in the real world right now.
 
#30 ·
I guess a simpler, less angry-sounding way for me to put that is:
If Toyota did what all the other guys did, it wouldn't be an improvement over the 5.7. A couple mpg here and there is not worth any major changes to the current 5.7 or dumping it altogether. They would be dumping a ton of money into designing new engines that only get slightly better fuel economy and have the same or less power. Ford and GM can afford to play that game with their half tons because they sell a fuk ton of them. Even if their "improved" designs are a bunch of horseshit, they still sell a fuk ton and recoup all the money they invested in their new designs. And if they fall on their face, Uncle Sam will bail them out. They have nothing to lose.
A turbo'd V6 would not be an improvement. A 5.3 with cyl deactivation would not be an improvement.
I think dodge went in the right direction, by keeping their 5.7 and simply using a good 8spd tranny and different rear end gearing to achieve better fuel efficiency.
And they also introduced a diesel option for their half ton.
I hope Toyota doesn't do what the other assclowns did to their engine lineups and do exactly what dodge did. So far, it sounds like that's the road they're on.
They only sell a hundred frikkin thousand tundras p/yr. is it really worth it for them to be redesigning the styling and entire drivetrain every 3 yrs, just for the sake of appearing to be keeping up? I know I wouldn't, if I were in their shoes. Something like the Camry, they sell 14 quintillion of those P/yr. They can afford to redesign that thing from the ground up, every 18 mo, if they felt like it.
All I know is, if 2016 rolls around and the tundra is some cookie cutter POS with a boxed frame, iPhone stereo system and a 2.0 TT V6, mated to a POS tranny and it costs $40k+,...... I'm gonna burn some shit down.
 
#36 · (Edited)
Something like the Camry, they sell 14 quintillion of those P/yr. They can afford to redesign that thing from the ground up, every 18 mo, if they felt like it.
Sure, they can afford to if they felt like it - but even in this case, they don't. I like that. I don't need the latest gadgets. I prefer reliability over state of the art.

Look at the basic Tacoma - it's still essentially the same truck as it's always been .. and it's the best in it's class. There's a reason for that - and it's not because the Tacoma is state of the art.
 
#31 ·
Ford has dropped their 6.2L from the F150 for 2015 and for 2014 GM has the new EcoTec 6.2L which is rated 420hp/460lb ft and 15city/21hwy. Now for the 2015 EcoTec 6.2L it will be paired to the new 8L90 which is an 8-speed auto. That could possibly take it to 15cty/22hwy which would match the 395hp/407lb ft Ram 1500 with 8-speed auto and active air suspension.
 
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#32 ·
None of that really sounds like leaps and bounds above what the 5.7 has been doing for the last 8 years. A lot of people talk like GM, Ford and RAM are revolutionizing the space program and the tundra is a model T.
These people have spent billions and they have just barely squeaked by the tundra after 8 yrs. and if RAM wouldn't have changed hands, it wouldn't even be in this conversation.
All Toyota has to do is mate an 8spd to the 5.7 and offer 1-2 more rear end gear ratios and they're right there with the ram for mpg. Maybe even better. No need to build a whole new engine, or stick turbos on a V6, or start that cyl deactivation crap.
I'm sure Toyota could build a 6.2 with 420/460 that gets the same fuel economy as the 5.7. It wouldn't seem like much of an accomplishment if Toyota did that. So, I don't consider it that impressive that someone else did it. Compared to GM's own 5.3 and their older 5.7, sure, their new 6.2 is leaps and bounds ahead. Leaps and bounds ahead of the crap THEY have been building for years. Not what Toyota has been building. But after being 3 laps behind for the last 8 yrs, they are just now catching up and about nose-n-nose with the tundra and everyone is on Toyota's ass for being left in the dust? Nah. Maybe if the gov. stopped extorting them and threw them a few billion to build new tundras, we'd see some really impressive and innovative stuff from Toyota. They gave GM billions to stay afloat and come up with new designs and this is all we have so far? Well, that was worth it.
I'm sure Toyota could build a whole new truck and put everyone 8 yrs behind again. But I wouldn't hold it against them if they don't. That costs a lot of money (of their own) and they don't sell enough tundras to justify that big of an investment.
I know I sound like a tundra fanboy, but it's more that I'm simply not as impressed with what everyone else is building, to be knocking the tundra, or Toyota.
If GM's 6.2 ends up being the most powerful and reliable gas engine in a half ton for the next 8 yrs, I will give them the same praise. But, as it stands, the only real game changer that I've seen since the 07 tundra was released, is RAM putting an 8spd in a half ton pickup. Everything else that's being done just seems like a buncha cannon fodder to me. Maybe I'm just a grumpy prick that's never impressed.
Now, if the tundra is exactly the same in 20 yrs and still getting 15 mpg and ford and GM are building flying trucks that run on water and magnetism,......then I will admit that Toyota is out of the game and left behind.
 
#33 ·
Great, but I'm thinking that GM is still using their garbage electrical mess that has sent them into a ridiculous 10+ year recall scenario. After my dealings with Gm with a 2006 Chevy Cobalt, that was bought brand new, and had issues not only with the transmission from day 1 on the test drive, for them to continually say nothing was wrong. Clear up to random failures to start, dying randomly, hard to get into 1st/reverse unless you shut the car off, fill it up with gas, and the gas gauge staying on empty after startup. Gauges randomly dropping to zero while driving down the highway. Headlights shutting off while on the highway at 3am. Every time I took the car in for its regular maintenance there was always something wrong, same exact problems over and over again that the dealer kept saying nothing was wrong. They did that for the first 15,000 miles, thinking they were free and clear waiting for the warranty to expire. At the 15k mark and me tired of the gear grinding, and finally had them tow it into the shop because I couldn't get it into 3rd gear without a horrendous grinding problem, actually if I shifted without the clutch there was less grinding at that point, but they ended up having my car for a month....yeah a whole month to rebuild the transmission in it, not once but twice because their idiot mechanic didn't rebuild it correctly the first time and found out on the test drive that he didn't have reverse. So finally I get it back after a month, just in time for a trip to Utah for a military school. Drove it to the school and by the time I got back home it was back to the ridiculous shifting problems, having to shut it off to get it into 1st and reverse. I know 100% for a fact it had nothing to do with me, my other truck had 300k on its original transmission, and had 1 clutch replacement in its life. I should have kept my old Mazda b2600i, at least it was never in the shop other than for oil changes once in a great while when I didn't feel like messing with it myself which was very rare as maintenance on that truck was simple. I traded that POS cobalt in on my Tundra, and the only thing I miss about the cobalt is the 32mpg. Other than that I have never looked back. That car just plain sucked from day 1 until trade in. Oh, not to mention the cobalt had a great size trunk for the size of car it was, but you couldn't get anything in it because the trunk opening was so ridiculously small. I tried fitting an army duffel bag in the trunk. Nope, didn't work. Folded the back seats down and tossed it in that way, another pathetic fail for GM. Then to be bailed out by the taxpayers, and now their recall fiasco. Nope I don't support GM at all. Not after what they did with that bailout money going on cruises, vacations, bonuses, etc. They deserve to fail.
 
#35 ·
If the 2016 Tundra does indeed get an 8 speed transmission, a larger fuel tank and a diesel engine option that would be good. These changes will help Toyota get more current with technology in the Tundra. While these changes won't surpass the competition, at least they will help Toyota catch-up. I think that is the best we can hope for.

If Toyota goes to the expense of adding a diesel to the lineup why not bring out a Heavy Duty model as well? A survey some of us took a while back asked us about increased towing/cargo capacity and a diesel. Obviously, Toyota does not sell a high volume of Tundras. Sadly, I think that will be the reason why we will not see a HD Tundra model with or without a diesel engine in 2016.
 
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#38 ·
I bought a new Tundra (my first) not quite two weeks ago. I was really hoping to be able to wait until the '15s came out as I was very interested in the larger fuel tank. I did quite a bit of research about possible changes to the truck for '15. The only items that appeared solid were the larger fuel tank and the integrated trailer brake. Nothing else that I read appeared legit. I also asked my salesman about the '15 Tundras. He said that they haven't heard of them going into production yet. But the '15 Tacomas were supposed to start sometime in August.

I test drove one of the new Silverado's before buying the Tundra. I've always been a GM guy and it was nice. But like someone else said, I prefer the reliability over 8 USB plugs for my phone.
 
#40 ·
You can prop Toyota up all you want, and chop down the others, but it doesn't change the fact that Toyota has no desire to seriously compete with the others beyond making their truck look more like the others.
That's cool, but you can't really be perplexed as to why Toyota only sells a handful of Tundras.

People always want more power and better gas mileage, there's no way to deny that. If the 15 Tundra came with a 405 hp that got 20 mpg, every one of you that claim the current version is just as good as the others would be the first ones to buy the new one.

At the end of the day, whatever excuses and justifications you can make, the big 3 have listened to what their customers want and have tried to provide. Toyota has continued it's one size fits all, we know what's best for you approach. The Tundra although a really nice, reliable truck has not done enough to really draw in new buyers. As soon as GM releases their new Colorado pickup, the Tacoma is in BIG trouble. Only a select few will buy a truck that essentially 10 years old with a V6 that gets mileage on par with a GM 6.2 when they can get a small duramax in compact truck that addresses all the areas that Toyota hasn't.

I just want to see Toyota get aggressive and take a gamble. I want to see them knock the socks off the truck market, even if it means some failure and actually having to spend some money. It's not that they can't, it's just that they won't.
 
#49 · (Edited)
you and I have the EXACT same opinion on things.

not saying right or wrong, I just agree with your posts here.

I wanted to see toyota bring out the 2014 with

400hp, 410lbs torque
15 city 20 highway (14/19 4x4)
more storage
8 speed trans
LEDs everywhere
a few more creature comforts (push button start, remote start, heated steering wheel, rain sensing wipers).

this and more belong on a 50K high trim truck

I would have cut them my big check instead of Ram, easy...
 
#41 ·
So, you're saying that if Toyota made changes to the tundra and competed with the other manufacturers for new features, they would sell more trucks?

So, then, why is it that when the 2nd gen tundra came out, it had more new features, a better drivetrain and better overall design/quality than any other half ton on the market, even some of the 3/4 tons,....for years,.....yet, they never really sold more than 100,000 tundras per year.
What makes you think that if they totally revamp the tundra with all new features and a new engine, they will suddenly sell 300,000 trucks and attract more new customers?
I don't get it.
 
#42 ·
The 2nd Gen Tundra did but the Great Recession started in 07 and was in full force by 09 Great Recession - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Then the 2011 TĹŤhoku earthquake and tsunami hit 2011 T?hoku earthquake and tsunami - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Now look at the 2nd Gen Tundra sales at the bottom and see what years were the worst and you can tell they had some bad luck Toyota Tundra - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. I don't believe the Tundra would ever be the 175k-275K units the big 3 have but 120K-150K units the Tacoma sells are probably possible.

All I would want for the Tundra is for Toyota to not strip down the powertrains for the Tundra as the big 3 don't do that with their pickups. Lexus had the worlds first 8-speed auto and will have the worlds first 10-speed auto in the We Hear: Lexus SC to be Revived - Motor Trend WOT. The Lexus powertrains have D4S to work around direct injection carbon buildup. Lexus engines usually run a higher compression ratio due to direct injection which offer better fuel economy. Lexus engines run vvt-ie that has more lift on the intake cam timing. That is really important on the 5.7l iforce due to it being undersquared which doesn't breathe as well as oversquared engines of the same displacement see 5.7L Hemi which is only 16 valve. Toyota paired a shorty header design to the 5.7L to help with the exhaust but nothing was done to improve intake. Soon Lexus engines will have Otto-Atkinson cycle for better HWY FE. I would love to see those things but I fully understand why Toyota doesn't due to bean counter reasons like cost and sells volume. I love my Tundra but it is like Toyota's 5th or 6th best selling vehicle in North America and is a North American platform only.
 
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