Canucks & Trucks: 2018 Toyota Tundra Reviewed with a 8,300 Lbs Trailer 

People dont look for best in class with the tundra for features. They want a truck that's going to be reliable from mile 0 to 1,000,000. I love features dont get me wrong, but if I'm spending 50k on something I need for work or to depend on, thats priority one.

Good stuff my man, I have a 2010 tundra 5.7 that just broke 210,000 miles I've only had to do general maintenance. No corrective maintenance thus far. I love it!

When Houston, TX flooded I towed a 1977 4wd suburban with a 454 & alot of extra junk in it 300 miles back to north louisiana, over 10,000 pounds. got 11.5 mpg, my CrewMax did the job without a problem.

90% of your negatives are on the tundra not having a bunch of techie gimmicks that nobody should have to rely on. I wish you’d brought the longevity, reliability, and low maintenance costs into the review more than cameras and how well the truck can drive itself

Tundra is strong enough to tow space shuttle. Tundra went 1 million miles on one single engine without being rebuild. Tundra seat fabric didn't even worn-out after 1 million miles. Tundra frame lasted 1 million miles. Tundra cab corners lasted one million miles. Tundra exhaust manifold bolts lasted 1 million miles. Tundra engine lasted 1 million miles without blowing spark plugs. Tundra is the only million miles gas truck without problems. Many people focus on looks and forget that looks are deceiving. Many people call reliability is outdated, and favor issues as advanced technology. I know truth hurts, but it's reality.

My 2011 tundra 250k miles has been the most reliable workhorse I could ever own. Doesn't have all the fancy tech and never lets me down 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

Smart features only really = more Problems .... we need to stop setting the bar off of unreliable Tech. A truck should be built strong , reliable, safe and tow its weight class .... Tundra really is A+ in all those qualities!

I will stay with my tried and true Toyota Tundra.

Wish Toyota would make a heavy duty pickup

Good video. I feel like people buy this truck because it does lack tech. It’s bullet proof.

Love my new 18 platinum tundra

Stephen is an awesome addition to the channel and love his approach to reviews...then he starts talking Canadian and my brain converter slips lol

This was a great review. Glad to hear someone who will tell you why the truck is lagging behind the competition and not just give you the positives. Also it's cool to hear the differences between the US and Canada markets

Service guys at my work have tried to kill our 08 Tundra on purpose so they will get a new truck. They cannot kill it. Poor truck has not had any work done other then oil changes. Just straight abuse. I will say, it speaks to the Tundra's reliability. I do not care what any 1 says. 300k miles.Jesus....

I really liked the honest review. Seemed even more authentic than your usual videos - which also always feel authentic and not ad-like. thanks! great work.

This guy sure does love tech gadgets and gimmicks. Didn’t know those were the most important thing about a work truck

I had a 08 tundra with 370,000 miles on it (I used to load pallets of tile every single day) and no problems at all, I just bought a 2020, I rather to have a good quality engine than all those fancy 360 cameras and infotainments

Best truck reviewer guy ever! He disappeared for a while and now here he is. Great review.

Great review! I love the tundra because it's more reliable, more solid, more long lasting, more simple, and more old school than the competition.

People buy a Tundra for looks (subjective), quality, reliability, and resale value. Nothing the competitors can touch. All those direct injection engines from ford and Gm will cost way more to maintain once there intake valves are clogged and the turbos are leaking. The tundra is old school reliability and a few extra dollars spent on gas is nothing compared to maintenance costs of any other brand. Dodge 5.7 exhaust mainfolds all leak after 20k and trans filters fall off rendering the vehicle useless. I could go on. You need to be a little more educated on manufacturing processes and actual cost of ownership amongst other things vehicle related.

Flat deck trailers really help with fuel economy.

Great job Stephen - one of the best truck reviews I’ve seen on TFL. Keep it up!!

I love my TUNDRA! The Gas Mileage isnt the greatest but I know that I have a good truck and I try to take care it. My coworker has an old tundra that has over 200,000 miles and it runs as smooth as the day it was new.

Love Tundras. Its strong frame, big rear end, super low gearing, its a true workhorse. People who buy them are buying a truck that will give 100% for hundreds of thousands of miles. Obviously Toyota has felt no need to change it. People who consider a Tundra know what they're getting. Im a Jeep owner myself. If I wanted a half t on pickup, Id go with a Tundra.

Excellent review welcome to the TFL Family...!

Stephen did a great job reviewing this truck. Hit a lot of the features on it and told us the good and the not so good. Plus I like how he presents himself to us. Just a guy like a lot of us who are looking for an honest review of the vehicle he is driving.

Love the addition of Stephen to the crew. He does great videos and seems to fit in really well with the TFL gang.

Wow tfl he does a great job great addition to the team, I drive a flat bed big rig and taking the truck and trailer to a shipper and doing a real haul with great safety commentary when pulling a trailer is what a lot of people need. Great towing review!

This guy makes the Channel interesting again and worth to watch.....!! Great job. Greetings from Germany

My first new truck purchase is a 2020 tundra and I could not be more happy I want to keep the truck for a long time and I have no doubt it will be reliable for years and years to come

Nice job. Thanks for conversions for us in the U.S.

Great work on this review! 12.5 mpg is actually excellent for towing that much weight. Seems like the low gears and available torque kills empty MPG, but works good when towing.

As someone who works in automotive manufacturing and makes the transmission parts for for the big three and several other brands you'd be surprised at how much more quality is in a foreign Transmission Compared to an American made one. Another thing is that the Toyota Tundra ,Honda Ridgeline and the Ford F-150 have all been tied in first place for almost 60% of American made trucks. It's not a trade secret ,it's public knowledge that Ford in General Motors work together to make rear end and transmission for both trucks. Plus the Toyota Tundra and the Toyota Tacoma are both built and made in Texas, it may be a Japanese brand but the trucks are designed for and built in the American Market. Overseas it's a different story Hilux is there overseas model.

To your point that most truck buyers want all that tech... you're wrong. The #1 selling Ford model is the XLT and it doesn't have the "fancy" 360 camera. The XLT model still offers more yes. But less it more sometimes. I offroad my truck a lot going hunting and I don't need something going wrong electronically or mechanically. Ford just recalled 350k trucks back in April not to mention all the defects.

I’ve owned Silverado with 5.3, Ram with 5.7 and F150 (V6 model though) before getting a Tundra. The Tundra is up to 270k miles with routine maintenance only. Never once, has it ever not started or failed in any way. It’s a 2003. Not only can I not say that about any other truck, but I can’t say that about any vehicle myself, family, or friends has had either. And if you think I’m full of it ask Consumer Reports. A none profit that tracks vehicle reliability by surveying members. The other trucks get 3 stars out of 5 for reliablity. Tundra got 5, as did every other TOYOTA.

Every time I see a review its for the TRD and this is one of the few from a respectable group that did one on a normal truck. I like it.

It may not have all the gizmos of other brands, I just wanted rock solid reliability. I got rid of my f350 after 4 crappie yrs, no more trips to the dealer!!!!!!

Great review, honestly liked it more than tfl review. It felt less like show time and he was more involved in telling us everything he noticed and felt while driving the truck.

Awesome to have a Canadian segment of TFL. Keep it up!

The Fast Lane Truck. Thank you for a Canadian review! Loved it! I also really appreciate the attention put on the fact Canadians pay more per new vehicle on average MSRP when compared to the States even with the exchange rate accounted for.

I own a 2010 tundra and I love it. I call her Helga, because Helga may not be the prettiest, but you know Helga's tough. Lol. Awesome workhorse machine. My cousin bought a 2017 Silverado and I'll admit it's a beautiful truck and he spends hours keeping it pretty. But he says he's very disappointed with the way it tows, even with the tow package. Transmission is mapped too much towards fuel economy. His Chevy sure gets a lot of looks downtown, but when you hook it up, it doesn't perform. I'll stick with my old tundra. I'll put it up against that new Chevy any day.

Love my 2019 tundra mine keeps a huge gap when on cruise. It doesn’t need more. It has reliability that beats all other trucks. To me that’s important.

I love jumping in my 17 tundra every morning and don’t have to worry about carbon build up, oil blowing thru the turbo piping, burning 1 quart of oil in 3k miles, moisture in my inter cooler and that when I get rid of it I’ll get a great resale.

It's a truck not a car like all of these others want to make the truck of today into. I know how to drive a truck with a trailer without having to have some little light tell me its safe to move over now. People are getting worse at driving because they are relying on this so called great technology. Can't wait for your other trucks to crap out on the technology so the drivers will freak out and not be able to make it home.

awesome job Stephen looking forward to more reviews

Just bought an 08 Tundra Limited crewmax from the first owner with 165k on the clock. Only reason he sold it was because he bought a 22 Tundra. Thing runs smooth and strong and doesnt creak or rattle like you would think a 14 year old truck would do. So far the only work i had to do on it was replace the fuse for the reverse lights, replace a missing bolt in the tailgate handle, new wiper blades and swapped the stock radio for a unit with bluetooth and wireless apple carplay. Backup camera is in the mail and thats about all the tech i need. once we get some dryer weather up here in Michigan I’ll be changing the oil.

What a great honest informative review.

I rather to have an old school reliable solid truck than a truck with all the bells and whistles that is gonna spend the most part of the time in the shop

Tundra is the best Truck. I had been old 2008 , 5.7 L Tundra 2 months i put in 13000 miles . i drove around US very power on good gas . i love they will make heavy duty TUNDRA thank you

Nice review. The Tundra may be a bit old school, but this test showed how well it still does hauling a load. Decent fuel economy as well; probably better than an Ecoboost F150 would have gotten towing 8300#.

I love my Tundra Platinum.

Best truck reviewer on the web.

Squat means nothing without measuring the actual tongue weight.

Love the Canadian content!

I just came here to see the highlights about why this truck is so far behind the competition. Didn´t disappoint!

You're basically telling me to buy a Tundra. Good feedback, old school feel, standard 4.30 axle rear axle ratio, large gas tank, good towing characteristics, sounds good. thanks bro!

Your review was bang on! I have the 2018 Crew Max and say all the same things about it. Really disappointed in the lack of a bench seat in the front - that really doesn't maximize the Crew max. I'd also like to add the use of plastics in the wheel wells is not very stylish , the wipers control & cruise control are in interesting positions, the seat-warmer buttons are out of reach, out of sight, the gas door is flimsy, centre console is a mess without aftermarket organisers and there is a HUGE lack of storage in the Tundras. Love the engine, love the body, love the spacious interior and will love the lowest depreciation in it's class when I go to trade it in.

Very nice review. Thanks!

Great review!

just bought a 2020----love it

We love the reliable simplicity of the tundra. We own and operate a construction company, and our family has now gone to strictly tundras. The only thing that is missing is a 3/4 ton version. We sometimes pull a 7’x14’ dump trailer. The trailer is 4400 lbs empty. When I partially load the trailer with material, we can quickly hit 10k lbs. At that point I feel the truck struggles a bit. We do have excellent condition equipment, including trailer brakes etc, but the weight itself just pushes the truck more than I would like. Anything in the 6k-7500 lb range is fine.

Its an interesting video(almost) I have my tundra since baby(she was),towing 30-40k a year, sr5 + and almost all trd toys and tuned. I live in Thornhill. No complaints to video because you are not truck guy.no exp. You just want to be youtuber.its ok. I usially start smiling when guys start complain on cameras,blind spot,start push button,not 20 inch monitor...etc I might even make my own video some day,just waiting for truck to get atleast 400k on odometer.just to prove myself that this truck is really One Love. I drive it every day,Any day,Everywhere. I wake up to work I KNOW it will start and i get back into garage same manner every single day.6 years non stop....... Its 210k now,2013 model. The dealler tried to buy it 3 years in a row,last time they said i would get 25% discount!!! on 2018 model. **I said will keep it untill wheels fall off** And if/when it dies I will put in in front of the house as land mark to moneymaking and never fail thing. This thing is like Rock,Fast[tuned it to 440 hp,450 torque,And indestructible. Good luck all.

This was an excellent professional review. Great to have such a detailed reviewer on the TFL team.

The tow package is standard with the 5.7 - not an option, which is why the tow mirrors are optional

Excellent review! Tx

In Australia 4.5lt V8 TD In Landcruiser but been an old design i wish would get Tundra. Great vid👍

In 1990 I bought a Toyota X-cab 4X4 pickup with the infamous 3.0 L V6. 6 years later and 3 years out of warranty I was having problems with the truck. I took it into the dealer and they rebuilt the bottom half of the engine completely - NO CHARGE. I still have that truck with 220K on it and running strong. That's why I always buy Toyota. Currently we own a 2008 Tundra, a 2012 Lexus LS460AWD, a 2000 Lexus GS300 and the 1990 pickup.

I sure love my 2018 Toyota Tundra Crewmax Platinum.

Shoulder checks save you when changing lanes...dont rely on tech! I know its out of date but I still love the Tundra and It would still out last any of the big three's newest trucks. Great quality trucks.. Great video! Thanks...keep them coming.

Love the very detailed video.. been waiting for a video like this on a tundra before i buy a truck.. now i know how tundra is lacking on the technology side and ride comfort of this truck... thanks . Love the video...very nice .details matter

Stephen, a word of advice from an experienced trucker: Drive the old-fashion way and don’t rely too much on technology; you’ll be a safer driver that way. As to why Toyota doesn’t use Diesel engines in North America, I have no idea; in most other markets around the world their legendary Hilux is available with a diesel only.

Great review.

good video. this guy is good.Cable TV quality.

Over 12 mpg towing 8000 pounds doesn't sound too bad.

The good thing about the Tundra engine is no cylinder deactivation to program out. Ii agree Toyota doesn't change much but I read that the plant is running full speed and they sell everyone they make. There are a lot of them here in Colorado. This looks like a truck that I would feel comfortable NOT buying an extended warranty for when the original expires. That is a big selling point for me. Great review.

This truck wasn't built for snow flakes. The F150 is more suited for that.

Great review! 38 gallon gas tank is huge, that's a big plus. The Toyota simply has less features than the competition, less towing payload capacity, but cost the same as the competition.

Very good review ..

I switched to a Tundra 2 years ago and never looked back. The reason people don't make fun of Tundras breaking down, is because Tundras, don't. break. down. Every Ford, GM and Dodge I owned broke down in one fashion or another. The Tundra is a beast, and no, I don't care about fuel economy, I bought the truck to tow my 4200 lbs boat, not for fuel economy. If you want comfort, go get yourself a GM with the 5.3L, riddled with oil consumption issues. The F150 gives you a V6... in a half ton... yeah. Oh, but it has turbos. Sure, at $4000.00 / per to replace when (yes when) they blow out. The Ram is a wedding cake, great to look at but horrible under the skin. Transmission issues, electrical... you name it. The Tundra tows, that's what it does and nobody does it better. Period.

a truck does not need bells,whistles, and fancy options to get the work done which is their purpose. Just all solid reliability and resale value for the money well spent. i like to be traveling than repairing daily with domestic trucks.

Great review. Stephen is a good addition to the channel.

3:00 you do know there’s a spot to put the gas cap right on the lid so your not scratching the paint or getting gas on it....

Really like this truck, but a want a crew max with a 6’5” bed.

I love my 5.7L tundra , it’s not the fastest or strongest truck but definitely gets the job done and you have reliability and plenty of power when needed , it’s had no problems at all just regular maintenance and you can get aftermarket Toyota tundra tow mirrors.

Good review sir

You nailed it with the Tundra being a bargain in the USA but not priced competitively in Canada. Just traded in my Tacoma on an F150 for that exact reason.

Love my double glove compartment on my 2012.

I am up there in age cough, choke senior. I like that that the safety features that Toyota equips into their entry level trucks. There Big 3 (Ram, Ford and Chevy) don't offer that until you're at top end package trucks.

I love my 2017 Tundra 4x4. If I wanted all the fancy bells and whistles, I would have purchased a Dodge with the fancy interior or a ford. I wanted a Toyota!

Class 5 hitch, 4.30 rear end, triple tech frame, 10.5” ring gear, largest tie rods. This truck was built for work everyday. No other half-ton is over built for work like the tundra. Other half tons are built to ride like cars. Not the tundra.

Great Review Steven! I remember rumors of the Tundra getting a diesel years ago. Is that still in the pipeline?

Great review. On my second Tundra, 1794 now. Live my truck but your criticisms are fair and accurate. I think the Tundra offers the best value for Full-size trucks. Big 3 cost way more now. I thought about upgrading and $52k 1794's actually sell for mid to high 40's. While top level Dodge, Ford and GMC Denali's sell for $60k plus. My point, Toyota is much less expensive, but you get less in regards to features and modern tech. For some people this is ok. I fit in this category because I can't justify spending 60-$70k on a pickup truck.

Good review. I like the 5.7 engine better than any other V8 I’ve had. It’s hilly where I live though, so I don’t use the cruise control much on my Tundra. The truck is just too jack rabbit jerky while it tries to get back up to speed. It would be helpful to see the same testing while pulling a tall trailer or camper.

I like the review. I agree with the lack of some tech features. Wireless charging pads and USB ports would be nice. Android auto and car play are not really a big deal for truck users. The cameras would be in normal mode within the infotainment anyways. I like the cameras in the Nissan products and I think the Toyota Landcruiser has the cameras all around as well. Honestly the feature I miss is the transmission temperature gauge which was in the earlier models.

That's a nice doublecab. Recently got a 5.7 DC with 30K miles. I'll be using it for my landscaping maintenence business. Can't wait to put it to work soon hopefully!

Idk why every truck reviewing company in the industry hasn’t hired this guy to review for them. Nobody does it better. He should be doing every truck review TFLT does!

The 2018 is the sharpest looking Tundra of the bunch.

Great commentary and topic comparisons. As far as MPG/L/100KM not bad considering it was weight only and no wind resistance of an actual trailer.

so much more comfortable than my dodge ram. my 2019 platinum crewmax 4x4 is insanely comfortable! and if you add the sway bars and trd performance suspension it feels like a Cadillac. i am actually taking the trd suspension off and going with the bilstein 6112s and 5160s with the shackles and shims. bump stops and dif drop....a nice thing about it is you can modify the tundra to your liking. hell you can add a tesla radio if you want. and if you have kids, the crew max cant be beat

I just traded in my 2010 F150 for a Tundra. The F150 had so many issues, 4x4 locking hubs, spark plugs, cam phasers (very expensive repair), cracking noise coming from gas pedal, annoying clicking thump noise coming from steering wheel, new lower steering shaft, super aggressive downshift from 2nd to 1st gear, transmission was rebuilt at 54k miles (under warranty), gas door was replaced at 57k miles, etc. It was just too much for a tuck that has only 96k miles and was never abused, almost no towing, no off-roading, all fluids replaced on time. Anyways, Toyota, even without all the newest technology, in my opinion, is a far superior truck than Ford.