[gmcsierra2002]

I am seriously considering getting rid of my 02 Sierra and purchasing a new 07 Tundra Crewmax w/ the 5.7. I test drove it yesterday and while it seemed to have quite a bit of power, was not overly impressed in comparison to my 02 ( 100 hp less ). In particular the doors do not close with the signature Japanese thud like my brother's 2004 Tundra, more like a hollow clank & the transmission / drivetrain seemed to have a strange feel to it. Please let me know what you gentlemen think of your new Tundras & any problems you may have encountered so far. I have always put very little faith in the Consumer Reports / Motortrend / Car and Driver writeups. I would much rather have first hand real world advice. Thanks in advance.

 

[bbfirebird]

I'd read through the threads here about knocking and piston slap and see if you want to wait on buying an 07 Tundra until we find out more about this potential problem.

 

[gmcsierra2002]

That particular item does not really bother me. I've had it with my Sierra since day one without problems and have had many other friends with all sorts of Chevys / Gmcs with the same thing with no ill effects. Most of the trucks have 100k on the clock now and have had no major engine related failures.

 

[Jack Bauer]

The only thing I would buy from Chevy/GMC would be diesel. My Tundra does feel a bit touchy with the off-the-line acceleration but in all fairness it usually takes a few days to get used to the sensitivity of the accelerator and brakes in a new vehicle.

If you read the actual consumer reviews at Edmunds or CR you can see any truck you look at has it's area of complaints. F-150 had a lot of complaints about interior build quality and rattles, Dodge has people complaining about "shuttering" at certain speeds... a problem related to the MDS. I have not read up on the Chevy/GMC because I don't care for the new body style.

I'm sure the Tundra will have it's issues for the first year with the new design but the other have theirs as well. In the end it's just trading off and personal preference. Spend plenty of time test driving both and buy the one YOU like best.

 

[07 firecrew]

I think when you get use to old tech, you become lathargic, your senses are not sharp. i had an 05 tundra, the 07 is like the F22 raptor fighter plane, its in a different class, a class of its own. if you can't feel all that extra power, or should i say, if you are not impressed with all that extra power, your senses are numb, very. i looked at GM, if they have an edge, it's the interior,(fake wood). take my, the crewmax is going to put some holy hurt on the domestics. I bet my right leg, that your opinion on the power diff, is not shared with anyone on this forum, who has Mr. Monster under the hood.

 

[DiscoShorts]

Well I guess I sort of was in a similar situation as you are in now. I left my Chevy 02 5.3 (147K_ish) miles on it for the Tundra Crew Max. Now the 5.3 had some get to it. I have around 1300 miles on my Crew Max and yes when I test drove a CM for the first time it felt different to me as well but I am use to it. I was nervous about opening it up with the salesman sitting next to me also. However I decided to crack it open and immediately got 'my hand slapped' oh well I took everyone's word for what the 5.7 would do. However, when I took ownership I put the 5.7 through the paces and to me it is NIGHT vs DAY to the old 5.3 - 4 speed even when my Chevy was new.

Yes the second set of doors on the CM are light to me too, but I have been able to get by with the shallow thud.

I had what I thought was an issue with the transmission coming out of second gear, I thought it hung too long in second and lifted in the gas pedal to 'attempt' to get it to upshift...

Well I chaulked that up to me being so use to driving the old 4 speed and anticipating the shift and lifting in it. Now I stay in the gas in my Crew Max and it shifts smoothly. Old habits and old ways die hard I guess.

I love my Tundra and enjoying driving it. It did take some getting use to at first.

Feel free to PM me if you wish. Best of Luck!

 

[potroast]

I could see it going either way. In a straight line, I was very impressed with the 5.7L. However, under certain driving conditions, I could really feel the ecu holding the motor back. I felt so disconnected from the vehicle, at times. It was like Toyota decided to drive, and I'm just loosely connected. I tell it what I would *like* to do, and the computer tells me yes or no. I don't like that. That's really my second biggest complaint with the new Tundra. Overall it seems like a good truck. However, GMC seems to have really stepped it up with their current offerings. If they got rid of the 4L60E and went strictly with the 6L90 then I think they'd have a slam-dunk.

 

[chuff]

Well I really don't think you can go wrong buying any new truck these days especially the GM twins or the Tundra. I don't really know what to tell ya, if you don't really like how it drive or feels then I wouldn't buy it, but maybe it just feels different.

Have you driven the new GM's yet? I'm sure they will feel more home to you, but you could see if you can get a new Tundra for the day, if the dealer has a demo they may let you take it home overnight to see if you can get comfortable with it if you really are serious.

 

[FiveOh]

Hmmm...


GMC:

6.0L V8
300 HP
360 FTLB

Toyota:

5.7L V8
381 HP
402 FTLB

 

[07Sport]

Hmmm...


GMC:

6.0L V8
300 HP
360 FTLB

Toyota:

5.7L V8
381 HP
402 FTLB

Uhh..

GMC
5.3L V8
315hp
338tq or

6.0L V8
367hp
375tq

I used to be a die hard GMC guy, and the new trucks are beautiful IMO. I test drove one and was really disappointed. The interiors I personally didnt like near as much as the Tundras. The motor was noticeably sluggish compared to the Tundras (remember, Im a reg. cab, and test drove a reg. cab w/ 5.3 as 6.0 isnt offered). It was just lacking ALOT of features that the Tundra offered. It wouldve been a tough call based on looks alone, but the substance behind the Tundra is what made the sale for me.

 

[radicalwillie]

I could see it going either way. In a straight line, I was very impressed with the 5.7L. However, under certain driving conditions, I could really feel the ecu holding the motor back.

Yes, I agree about not liking the Traction Controll and the Vehicle Stability Controll. Fortunately, you can turn them off which is how I drive my Tundra 100% of the time. You will also notice a big difference in the way it drives when you engage the Tow/Haul mode. Totally changes the shift points and gives you access to those upper RPM's where the peak power lies. As far as the question at hand about peoples experiences with the truck, I absolutely love mine and have no regrets what so ever in my decision to purchase it.

 

[pagemaster]

I am seriously considering getting rid of my 02 Sierra and purchasing a new 07 Tundra Crewmax w/ the 5.7. I test drove it yesterday and while it seemed to have quite a bit of power, was not overly impressed in comparison to my 02 ( 100 hp less ). In particular the doors do not close with the signature Japanese thud like my brother's 2004 Tundra, more like a hollow clank & the transmission / drivetrain seemed to have a strange feel to it. Please let me know what you gentlemen think of your new Tundras & any problems you may have encountered so far. I have always put very little faith in the Consumer Reports / Motortrend / Car and Driver writeups. I would much rather have first hand real world advice. Thanks in advance.

I test drove both trucks. The 5.7 and the 5.3 pretty much back to back. In my opinion the GMC has a much nicer interior and much better payload while the the 5.7 is pretty nice. However, the 5.3 is a very good motor....

What I came away with is that if the Tundra did not have a 5.7 available, the truck would be cleary and the bottom of the class.

 

[FiveOh]

Uhh..

GMC
5.3L V8
315hp
338tq or

6.0L V8
367hp
375tq

Whoops!

 

[paulphilly]

Bottom line....its your money and do whatever makes you happy! Personally, the new GM trucks is the only other truck that I looked at when buying my 07' Tundra. Maybe its the 4 speed tranny in the GM, but it felt sluggish and not very fun to drive. My Tundra is sport-car like as far as responsiveness and felt a little more comfortable to me...again, my own opinion. Both trucks have warranties and are fine vehicles....it boils down to what YOU want and what makes YOU happy. And, at the end of the day, who cares what we think

 

[Tundraequipped]

I too had a 2000 silverado xtra cab with the 5.3. I loved that truck. I sold it to a friend of mine at 131K on it and now has over 150K and still runs great with no issues. I now own a 05 Titan CC with a much better power train then the chevy, but still like the chevy better. I'm now in the process of researching and buying another truck and it's down to the Tundra 5.7, Chevy 6.0 or possibly another Titan if they come out with the 08 in the next 30 days. The Titan is going to be available with a 7' bed on the crewcab along with a 37 gal tank, bigger brakes and new interior. I plan on going to the dealers next week to start the test drives.... I'll let you know what my opinion is on each.

 

[Camper1333]

I am seriously considering getting rid of my 02 Sierra and purchasing a new 07 Tundra Crewmax w/ the 5.7. I test drove it yesterday and while it seemed to have quite a bit of power, was not overly impressed in comparison to my 02 ( 100 hp less ). In particular the doors do not close with the signature Japanese thud like my brother's 2004 Tundra, more like a hollow clank & the transmission / drivetrain seemed to have a strange feel to it. Please let me know what you gentlemen think of your new Tundras & any problems you may have encountered so far. I have always put very little faith in the Consumer Reports / Motortrend / Car and Driver writeups. I would much rather have first hand real world advice. Thanks in advance.

My husband is a Chevy guy, so we looked at the new Chevy. Then we looked at the Tundra. He never spoke about the Chevy til weeks later and a Ford truck interested him. He just hated the interior and he never thought about the Chevy again. We drove and loved the Tundra, but the dealers were really awful around here. We finally found a great dealer and deal so we now have the Tundra. But much to my surprise, if we hadn't found a dealer our new truck would have been a Ford.
camper1333

 

[Smilodon]

I have carefully looked at both the Sierra (prefer the styling over the Silverado) and the Tundra. Found similarly optioned trucks and drove them both.

It was a close thing, but the drivetrain on the Tundra, and the driving experience in general, was superior. I felt it would be a better platform for my towing needs as well.

Yes, the Sierra had superior looks/styling (although I found the Tundra interior more comfortable), but hey, it's a truck, not a sports car! And actually, I do prefer the short front end on the Tundra from a functional standpoint.

Rear visibility on the DC Tundra is awful, though. I would have preferred the tundra be a little bit "uglier", and have a lower rear side window so I could look "down" at my blind spot.

I was still on the bubble, due to price, but finally got some movement on the Tundra price, so I ordered one.

Anybody who stands next to either of these trucks and shouts "piece of junk" to the guy with the other one is just kidding themselves or trying to justify their own financial outlay. If the Sierra had a 6-speed, and a bit more smoothness in the drivetrain, I'd probably have gotten one.

 

[R T]

I looked at GM and Nissan before I bought my Crew Max 5.7. The GM didn't have enough head room for me (my 2001 did though) and the rear seats didn't compare in legroom. The Nissan had plenty of room but the Gas mileage on the Titan forums along with the motor noise turned me off. I could have bought the top of the line Titan for less than I paid for the Crew Max SR5 and I had 2,600 on my GM card so I could have gotten by much cheaper on the GM. I am happy with my Tundra 4x2 getting ~17 mpg with the towing package rear end 4.30. I would have liked to have something like a 3.90 rear end the way I use the truck.

 

[rs-mn]

I too had a 2000 silverado xtra cab with the 5.3. I loved that truck. I sold it to a friend of mine at 131K on it and now has over 150K and still runs great with no issues. I now own a 05 Titan CC with a much better power train then the chevy, but still like the chevy better. I'm now in the process of researching and buying another truck and it's down to the Tundra 5.7, Chevy 6.0 or possibly another Titan if they come out with the 08 in the next 30 days. The Titan is going to be available with a 7' bed on the crewcab along with a 37 gal tank, bigger brakes and new interior. I plan on going to the dealers next week to start the test drives.... I'll let you know what my opinion is on each.

The 2008 remark is interesting. Nissan has already announced and will be delivering their 2008's soon. GM's 2008 truck plans will be announced in early May. I'm not sure when Ford and Dodge announce their 2008's. I don't think Dodge will announce any big changes. Ford may announce a 6-speed and perhaps a diesel option for the F-150. I also don't expect any big changes from Toyota. Since you are on the fence it may pay to hold off, if you can, until you know what the 2008's offer. Those announcements may also drive more incentives on the 2007's.

 

[lmychajluk]

Hi, all! This will be my first post, as I found this forum in researching a new truck. I first saw the Tundra last week at the NYC Auto Show and really liked it at first glance, and it's the truck that got me thinking of going with a pickup in the first place. My next truck will replace a '92 Ford Bronco w/ 100k miles I've had since new, and I haven't decided between an extended cab or a crew just yet.

I've been comparing the Tundra and the Chevy Silverado for most of the week on paper (haven't driven either, yet). Now, to be fair, I'm using the Chevy 6.0L engine as my comparison to the Tundra (close enough power wise), and I'm even comparing the Chevy 2500 in some cases (more on that later). I'm looking for a fairly loaded truck, with an off-road package, which will be a daily driver and occasional tow vehicle for a track car and maybe a boat down the line (~6000lbs of towing either way). The truck will also be a people hauler for the occasions where I need to carry more than 2 comfortably for a significant distance (otherwise I have my car, which is a little cramped in the back), or where there may be rough weather like a ski trip or a jaunt to Canada. Since I'm shopping new trucks, I want something that has some real cargo capacity (ie, plywood/drywall), though I don't really need to carry tons of stuff weight-wise, so I won't get into details on that since I never felt the need to do a direct comparison - either truck seems to fit my needs. Towing-wise, though, I'd choose the Chevy Max Towing option, bringing both trucks to within a hundred pounds of each other's tow rating. Both trucks, I believe, have an engine-braking mode when towing, which is nice. In the bed, I think that the cargo rail system / tie-downs on the Chevy are also rated for 500lbs, while I think the Tundra's are 250, though personally, I don't think that would be a problem for me, personally.

The Tundra is the hands-down winner in styling, outside as well as in. I love the beefy styling and rear fender flares. Chevy seems to have done away with the step (flare) side styles in recent years, and though the current look is 'classic', it also is somewhat plain. I'm comparing the Tundra Limited to the Chevy LT2 model, btw, which does away with the woodgrain dash on the top-of the line LTZs (as well as eliminting the heated seats as an option, unfortunately). The one styling cue I don't like on the Tundra is the radio in the dash. Since it's not a standard DIN size(?), it limits you to the factory options (or expensive custom installation work).

Ergonomically, the Tundra also has the advantage (so far, I'm still evaluating...). Chevy's lack of rear grab handles (at least on the Ext. Cab)in the rear is somewhat annoying, making it difficult to climb into the truck. I also like the big, beefy controls on the dash of the Tundra, but the Chevy isn't bad in that regard, and also has steering-wheel mounted controls.

As for conveniance items, both trucks seem to have enough in-cab storage (bins, console, glove boxes, etc...), but the Tundra does seem to have more. I can't see myself using it all in either truck. The full slide-down window (CrewMax only?) is a nice option, too (Chevy only has a small square that slides sideways, though it can be powered). I'm also partial to the JBL name on the stereo of the Tundra, vs. the Bose in the Chevy. The floor shifter is also cool on the Tundra.

I do have some concerns with the drivetrains in both trucks. The Tundra's Traction Control seems like it may be a nuisance, while the fully locking rear diff on the Chevy works well. The Chevy, though, has a programmed annoying 4-second limit before giving you full-power from the engine (something about increasing fuel economy...). Also, the current 1500s are not available with the 6-speed tranny.

You'll notice that I haven't mentioned pricing, yet. I'm looking at bottom line prices for a fully loaded truck, so I haven't pointed out that any one item or another was optional. As long at it could be on the truck, I didn't really care. Now, based on truck that is as fully-loaded as possible (w/o rear entertainment), here are the numbers I came up with (MSRP):
- Tundra CrewMax Limited w/ Option Pkg. G - $46,600
- Silverado CrewCab 1500 LT2 - $43,900 (w 5 1/2' bed & 4spd Auto)
- Silverado CrewCab 2500 LT2 - $43,245 (w/ 6 1/2' bed & 6spd Auto)
* the 2500 also incl. daul batteries, 160amp alternator, and 12,500 lb towing cpacity.
I added $2,500 to the price of both Chevys since I didn't configure them with any optional audio, but the Tundra incl. the JBL w/ Nav. in the package I selected.
MSRPs are from the respective manufacturer's website configuration tools.

Now, I'm not familiar with Toyota's current incentives, but I'm fairly certain I can get the Chevy's for the following using a GM Supplier certificate (www.gmfamilyfirst.com) and current incentives, no haggle:
1500 - $33,000 + $2500 Audio / Nav system = $35,500
2500 - $31,400 + $2500 Audio / Nav system = $33,900
(Yes, the 2500 works out cheaper since there's an extra $1,000 in current incentives on it).

Assuming ~7% off MSRP for the Tundra that I read in another thread here would be considered a good deal, the Tundra would be about $43,300 if my math is right?

In my opinion, which is what the title of this thread called for, either of the Chevy's is a much better deal. That being said, I still really like the Tundra, and will have a tough choice to make in the coming weeks.