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eharri3

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I came to my Powerboost from my 09 Crewmax Tundra because the 3rd Gen Tundra overall looked like Toyota decided to give up on taking market share from Big 3. This was validated by at least one review in either CR or Motortrend that says the same thing. The whole effort gives off the feeling that Toyota looked at their failure to make a serious dent in Big3 dominance so far and just didn't see a worthwhile return coming for aggressively upping the ante this time around like they did in 2007.

In 2007 they were aggressive. In 2022 they made their truck smaller front and rear and could not be bothered to create a flat rear load floor with no transmission hump or any Inverter option. Everything indicated they were settling in comfortably near the bottom of the sales charts and were content just to get Gen 2 and Gen2.5 Tundra owners to trade. Many of us were disappointed to see what felt like a step back after holding previous Gen Tundras through all the delays waiting for that reveal.

OTOH the Tacoma is a sales leader. Toyota doesn't want to lose that with everybody else coming out with compacts again, so it's evident the Tacoma redesign is where the serious innovation and envelope pushing happened. That truck is the sort of step forward that many Tundra fans wish the 2022 full sized redesign had been.

As I think @Snakebitten touched on, this lays waste to the BS excuse from Toyota that the Tundra that focus group polling indicated an inverter wasn't necessary on the half ton. HAlf ton Customers would love one but Toyota just didn't feel like they'd get the sort of return in sales growth by adding it that they would on the Tacoma.

Maintaining the Tacoma's sales lead is where the real engineering muscle was flexed.
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Oxford_Powerboost

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all jokes aside i’m genuinely f*cking excited for the next gen 4Runner. i’m on the boat of getting a new one but at the same time am willing to wait for the unveil.
Agreed - the new 4runner might be the only thing to pull my from my f150. Yes, admittedly I don’t ~need~ a truck. I just like it
 

HammaMan

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The whole inverter thing is really dumb particularly because it's not an expensive add when you've already got that much DC voltage on hand. To bump from lower voltages to higher voltages reliably, especially split phase, there's going to be a large transformer involved for quality power. When you've already got the higher DC voltage, converting it to AC is pretty straight forward. The components and knowledge are plentiful these days. EVs already use 3 phase inverters in them to control the traction motors. Adopting that over to 2 phase AC system isn't a big undertaking. That's one thing where the HV DC to AC differs from conventional single phase 2 poles. There's 2 inverters creating 2 distinct 120v phases that are 180 degrees out of phase.

My guess is they cooked the focus group with slanted questions. Ask powerboost owners about their AC generation capabilities and I'd bet you'd be hard pressed to find that a single one would have given up their 2.4kW inverter to save ~$300 on the price. While I do suggest folks to option the larger inverter due to versatility, even the base option gives you an inverter that will provide a solid 120v 20a feed to do with as they please. Not to be confused w/ the 2kW non-hybrid inverter that's not able to hold voltage at even 70% of its rated capacity. Furthermore those who end up using it out of necessity due to unforeseen circumstances are an instant convert to the versatility vs being unsure about it.
 

Pedaldude

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...Everything indicated they were settling in comfortably near the bottom of the sales charts and were content just to get Gen 2 and Gen2.5 Tundra owners to trade...
Exactly how I feel about the new Ranger; they’re underselling the Nissan Frontier and obviously they aren’t terribly concerned or motivated by anything because it shows in the lackluster new model.

Also, internal company machinations can’t be overlooked; with Ranger and Tundra being hamstrung out of fear that they will cannibalize the sales of their more successful siblings.

Ranger and Tundra’s design teams just writing it in proves the axiom that in close competition if you aren’t trying for first place; you’re coming in last.

My guess is they cooked the focus group with slanted questions....
My guess is that it was just shit they made up to save face. Either they didn’t care at all, or the bean counters decided that there’s not enough sales for Tundra but there are enough for Tacoma. Even though realistically, they could have either shared the exact same part or minor variations of the same part.
 

HammaMan

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My guess is that it was just shit they made up to save face. Either they didn’t care at all, or the bean counters decided that there’s not enough sales for Tundra but there are enough for Tacoma. Even though realistically, they could have either shared the exact same part or minor variations of the same part.
Damn, I didn't even realize they charge $400 for the 400w inverter even on a limited trim!?
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Pedaldude

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400 watts is almost an insult nowadays and charging that is a kick in the nuts.

400 watts won’t even light up the average American’s Christmas tree!
 

Pelican

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Everytime I see a Toyota pickup and check it out, I notice one more thing they copied and pasted from a Ranger or F-150 (i.e.: rear tailgate metal bend at top and stamping "Tundra" or Tacoma", roof line, cab shape, etc.). The Tundra does look sharp; I especially like the more squared look of the top of the cab.

Toyota definately has built a following around quality. I view their resistance to change/update as them saying "if aint broke, don't fix it". Admittedly, I have never owned a Toyota, but have a numbed of family and friends who do.

Side story, I hired a cement contractor last year. He was driving a Tundra then and shared it was the only half ton that could tow 12k lbs.. Mind you, this gentleman has been in the business ~40 years and opened his company 30+ years ago. Anyhow, when I hired him again this year, he was driving an F-350 Lariat Screw, 4x4 with an 8ft bed with the H.O. Diesel. I asked what happened to the Toyota? He said he's worked hard all his life and deserved to drive something comfortable. He smiled from ear to ear and proceeded to tell me all about his new truck, then we chatted about mine for a few minutes.

Anyhow, different strokes for different folks. I'm not sure if any one brand is better than the other. It seems to me it all comes down to use, preferences and deciding which brand meets those criteria best.
 
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WhiteLightningnshitshadow

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I really don't like Toyotas design language, even more than prior years. There's a lot to like about the new tundra and Tacoma, but the more recent years were much better looking even if they were pretty underwhelming. With the ranger actually making leaps along with the Frontier and Colorado, you really can't go wrong. I would have a tough decision between the frontier/ranger/Colorado. If the silly airdam was electrically actuated like the F150, that'd be an improvement for sure.

Payload really matters as I'm finding out, and in a world where even the full size pickups are kinda pathetic, I can't see why anyone would pay nearly the same for one of these smaller pickups. The gas mileage really isn't even that much better.

Then again, maybe payload is all bullshit. The Mexican ranger seems to be listed as able to load up something ridiculous like 3k lbs or something.
 

Pedaldude

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Payload really matters as I'm finding out, and in a world where even the full size pickups are kinda pathetic, I can't see why anyone would pay nearly the same for one of these smaller pickups. The gas mileage really isn't even that much better.

Then again, maybe payload is all bullshit. The Mexican ranger seems to be listed as able to load up something ridiculous like 3k lbs or something.
Diminished returns when it comes to efficiency and increased safety standards have hit the wall of physics and it turns out that making a slightly smaller package with similar performance won’t have different results.

The rest of the world Toyota Hilux is also available with a heavy payload option. It’s really too bad that the USA and Canada only get the hamstrung midsize trucks.

They’re equipped with different axles and higher capacity wheels/spring packs. Maybe even thicker frames. They make sense for cities and tradespeople that work with heavy stuff that doesn’t take up much space, like masonry, pressure washing and even small welding rigs, streetsweepers, tow trucks and fire trucks.
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