[tundraphenia]

The Tundra was ranked the best pickup in Consumer Report's 2002 Auto issue. The performance of the Tundra (about $29,000) has been our benchmark for full-sized pickups. It rides well, handles capably, and offers a smooth, powerful V8. The cabin is quiet and well built. But we already new that. The Chevy/GMC clones were second, followed by Ford. They hadn't yet tested the new Dodge. It also had the best safety rating of all pickups. The IIHS offset frontal test (the one where the Tundra performed best, and was hyped in their ads) was considered a more meaningful test than the NHTSA test, which the Tundra did not score as well in. On the reliability front, the 4wd GM trucks and the old Dodge were considered "reliability risks". The predicted reliability of the 2wd and 4wd drive GM trucks were "poor" and "poorer". The F150'S predicted reliability was a little better than average, while the Tundra's was much better than average. Surprise. Not.