2019 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro Benefits From 40 Years of Off-Road Racing

In a world where the pickup truck is becoming more of a domesticated suburban grocery getter and less of a weekend adventure seeker, the Toyota Tundra TRD Pro allows an owner the flexibility of chasing weekend adventures without giving up the comfort and convenience of a daily driver. For those not familiar with the brand's long and storied off-road heritage racing history, TRD stands for Toyota Racing Development. The TRD program, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, was started in 1979 to provide racing teams with specially-designed chassis, engines, and parts so they would become more competitive at the highest levels of racing around the world. Some of the most notable racers to win championships were off-road racer Ivan Ironman Stewart and most recently NASCAR driver Martin Truex Jr.

In 2014, with the first signs of a change in the truck market coming, Toyota Motor Corporation saw an opportunity to take all their off-road knowledge and experience and apply it to an already reliable truck and SUV line. The TRD Pro line was introduced for the owner who would use his truck for not only daily driver duties, but could drive their Tundra right off the dealer lot and head directly to their weekend adventure without any after market changes needed. Anyone who has been doing high-speed desert running, slow-speed rock climbing, or pulling a tow-behind camper knows the importance of great suspension. One of the advantages of buying from a truck line that has won multiple off-road championships is that you know that the impressive off-road equipment has been tuned and designed by engineers who have won multiple championships.

The backbone of the Tundra's suspension is the TripleTech frame on which everything sits or is attached. Triple refers to the wide, full-boxed rails for the front portion, a reinforced C-channel under the cab and an open C-channel beneath the bed. This design gives maximum strength and durability without compromising ride quality. The Tundra TRD Pro has a heightened stance with a 1/4-inch skid plate and 2.5-inch TRD Pro-exclusive Fox Internal Bypass shocks that are tuned specifically for each vehicle by the engineers at TRD. New 18-inch BBS forged-aluminum, five-spoke satin black wheels come standard, which reduce un-sprung mass 3.35 lbs. per wheel (13.4 lbs. total). Finally, the Tundra sits on Michelin P275/65R18 all-terrain tires.

All this attention to the small details by the engineers allows for impressive performance and supreme damping for any type of driving from grocery getter duties in the rain to off-the-grid adventures in rock, mud, or sand.

Power for Fun

The TRD Pro Tundra comes with a 5.7L i-FORCE V8 engine that produces 381 horsepower at 5,600 rpm. It will also develop 401 lb.-ft. of peak torque at 3,600 rpm. Because the Pro comes standard with a one-piece towing receiver that bolts directly to the TripleTech frame with 12 high-strength bolts, you can tow up to 10,200 pounds with a maximum payload of 1,730 lbs.

Those types of towing and hauling numbers will allow you to create great memories with your family or hunting/fishing buddies because you will be able to pull a loaded 32' travel trailer with a large four wheeler in the bed of the truck. To give you the gas mileage you will want as a daily driver and the torque you need to pull your toys, all of the Tundra models are equipped with a 6-speed electronically-controlled automatic transmission. If you are a family that takes extended summer trips, you will want to look at the Tundra TRD Crewmax. It has a longer cab and larger rear doors for a limo-like 42.3 inches of rear-seat legroom. Now you will lose some bed space, but that won't matter if you are only pulling a camper.

Reliable and Safe

There have been two recorded instances within the last couple years of individuals who have owned a full-size Tundra that was driven over 1 million miles with little or no repairs needed. Also, every trim level of the 2019 Tundra, like all 2019 Toyota vehicles, now comes standard with Toyota's Safety Sense package (TSS-P). This suite of safety features includes a Pre-Collision System with Pedestrian Detection function, Lane Departure Alert, Dynamic Radar Cruise Control, and Automatic High Beams. The Tundra also features eight standard airbags that include driver and front passenger seat-mounted side airbags, front and rear roll-sensing side curtain airbags, driver and front outboard passenger airbags with an Advanced Airbag System, and driver and front outboard passenger knee airbags. Additionally, the Toyota Star Safety System is also included on the Tundra. This list includes Vehicle Stability Control (VSC), Traction Control (TRAC), Anti-lock Braking System (ABS), Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD), Brake Assist (BA), and Smart Stop Technology (SST) brake override technology.

So, if you are someone who is looking for a reliable full-size pickup truck for daily driver duties and also a truck that is reliable and safe for those long travel trips and you are also seeking great family adventures that create great memories, then give the Toyota Tundra a test drive. You are likely to be pleasantly surprised at its versatility.

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