2024 Toyota Tundra Platinum Review: Full-Size Hybrid Truck Is Practical But Thirsty
- Hybrid turbo V6 will get you moving fast
- Big touchscreen fits all the infotainment you need, and then some
- Plenty of room for everyone in the family
- Plenty of storage space, too
- It's a hybrid, but not the kind that'll save you money at the pump
- Massive size not for everyone
- Looks also not for everyone
- Some vehicle functions locked behind a subscription
Not all that long ago, we reviewed the 2024 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro, the beefy, spicy burrito of a full-size truck built to brutalize the rugged trails while hauling all of your overlanding gear into the great wide open. That truck had it all, from a Toyota Racing Development (TRD) Pro off-road suspension with FOX shocks and 1.1-inch lift, a full set of BBS 18-inch forged aluminum wheels wrapped Falken Wildpeak all-terrains, to a multi-terrain all-wheel drive system and powerful hybrid twin-turbo V6 capable of charging through every obstacle in it the way like a freight train through a stalled semi-truck.
What if off-roading isn't what you seek in your Tundra, though? Could Toyota have another trim better suited for your lifestyle? The 2024 Tundra has seven "unique grades" to choose from aside from the TRD Pro, from the bare-bones, non-hybridized SR, to the rhinestone cowboy that is the Capstone. Recently, Toyota sent over the midrange 2024 Tundra Platinum to my Old Dominion home in the New River Valley of Southwest Virginia, where rather than Baja blasting it would instead be doing more mundane (but arguably more typical) truck tasks including cleaning out my grandmother's old house.
Far and away from the trail the TRD Pro calls home, where does the Platinum fit in the scheme of things? The only way to find out was to spend a week with this Goliath of a full-size truck.
The orange is for hybrid
Ever since the third-gen Toyota Tundra arrived in showrooms in 2022 for the 2022 model year, the full-size truck has had no V8s to help haul the goods and dominate the pavement. Instead, two twin-turbo V6s have been called up to the pitcher's mound; or, really, one twin-turbo V6 with two configurations. No matter which Tundra you choose, it comes with the V35A-FTS 3.4-liter twin-turbo V6 under its beefy hood. Also found in the current Lexus LS 500 and LX 600 SUV, it delivers between 348 to 389 horsepower and 405 to 479 lb-ft of torque — to the back wheels or all four corners — through a 10-speed automatic.
Step up to at least the Limited trim level (one tier below our Platinum tester) and another version of this V6 appears, one with hybrid power. Also found in the latest Sequoia SUV, between the twin-turbo V6 and its 10-speed is a 36 kW AC permanent magnet synchronous electric motor, which makes 48 horsepower. Combined with the V6, total output comes to 437 horses and a massive 583 lb-ft of torque charging through the four-wheel drive system, to make towing and running down the open road fun.
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That power reaches the pavement through a set of 20-inch alloys wrapped in Bridgestone Dueler H/T all-seasons made more for cruising than the rough-and-tumble trails the TRD Pro and its Falken Wildpeaks tackle on the weekends. Still, you and yours will be feeling that power when merging onto the highway, with a 0-60 mph time of around 6 seconds.
A touchscreen as big as Texas
To go with the Texas-scale footprint of this Texas-built full-size pickup, the 2024 Toyota Tundra from the Limited up receives a Texas-sized 14-inch touchscreen mounted between the two air vents on the center dash; the SR and SR5 make do with a mere Kansas-sized 8-inch version. Connecting your iPhone or Pixel to this multi-acre estate is as easy as accepting the prompt to enable wireless Apple CarPlay or Android Auto; there's also a wireless charging pad to keep everything tidy in the Tundra. And, just like with the TRD Pro we reviewed, the Platinum's cabin leaves the base and mid-tier stereo systems behind for a 12-speaker setup from JBL, ensuring your favorite albums, SiriusXM and HD Radio stations, and your local news radio all sound their very best.
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Alas, if you want to use the OEM navigation, all of that is locked up behind Toyota's Drive Connect subscription service ($15/month as of this writing), as you can see above. Thus, much as with the review of the 2023 Toyota Corolla Hatchback from last year, I couldn't review that part of this Toyota's infotainment system. It is disheartening to see more and more vehicle functions go behind a paywall, especially on a vehicle designed for the long-haul, towing and carrying goods here, there, and everywhere. One wonders what will happen one day when, after an owner or three, the subscription can't be renewed due to the OTA servers evaporating into the cloud. Will a third-party vendor fill the void?
Texas-sized room for five and everything, too
Every trim level brings its own personality into the cab. The Tundra TRD Pro, for example, bedazzles its five seats with orange contrast stitching, plus a pair of buckets with the "TRD Pro" stitching. No such jazz for the Platinum, though: it keeps the five seats, but in gray with blue contrast stitching, including on the doors, the dashboard, and the steering wheel. Stepping into the cab is a breeze with the optional power running boards with power bed step ($1,350), which pop out when any one of the four doors are open, then tuck back under with all doors closed.
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It's quite a spacious cab, too, especially for the legs of the three occupants on the rear bench. Compared to the 41.2 inches of legroom up front, the rear occupants get 41.6 inches to really stretch out. Headroom takes a bit of a ding (39.3 inches up front, 36.9 inches out back) due to the panoramic power tilt/slide roof, but what a view everyone will have the skies above.
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The Tundra TRD Pro, 1794 Limited Edition, and Capstone can only be had with a 5.5-foot aluminum-reinforced composite bed, while the SR and SR5 can have an 8.1-foot bed, depending on the cab configuration. For the rest of the 2024 Tundra lineup, including the Platinum we tested, a 5.5-foot bed (such as the one ours came with) or a 6.5-foot bed with the CrewMax cab are the only options available. The 5.5-foot bed has a 1,565 pound maximum capacity with four-wheel drive and the hybrid twin-turbo V6, rising to 1,655 pounds with the 6.5-foot bed/rear-wheel drive/hybrid twin-turbo combination. It'll tow up to 11,020 pounds.
Tackling all of life's adventures
My last experience with a Tundra was with the second-gen TRD Pro model, where I drove to Kentucky to help my friends move into their very first house. If I'd had this new Tundra's array of cameras and helpers, including the Trailer Backup Guide with Straight Path guidance system, maneuvering the old truck with a six-foot trailer full of precious belongings would've been a breeze. A 360-degree camera system helped me park this behemoth into tight spots like the big-box hardware store parking lot, or backing into the Habitat for Humanity ReStore donation zone.
The width of this truck, though, made me nervous while driving through a few narrower streets around town. The power bed step (which drops down seconds after the tailgate does) definitely made loading and unloading the bed (and drying off the power rear window after the car wash) a breeze.
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As for my usual in-town and Draper Overlook driving loop, though this truck can be had as a hybrid, it's not going to be a Prius. The Tundra Platinum's combined MPG rating is 20 (19 city/22 highway), but the best I could manage was 16 mpg, 1.5 mpg better than the TRD Pro we reviewed. If you need to get down the road, though, the twin-turbo V6 hybrid can get you there fast, and sound great doing so. Driver aides like adaptive cruise control, lane-keeping assist, and blind-spot monitoring are definitely helpful on the highway, too.
2024 Toyota Tundra Platinum Verdict
You'll not miss this big block of a full-size pickup coming down the road, that's for sure. Compared to the as-tested price of $75,807 for the 2024 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro, the 2024 Toyota Tundra Platinum's starting MSRP of $61,775 and as-tested of $71,905 with destination and optional power running boards/bed step is a bit of a bargain. You'll certainly need all of the savings to feed this truck's 32.2-gallon tank, especially with gas prices above $3.67/gallon for regular as of this writing.
The starting MSRP for this trim level puts it on the same level as the similar 2024 Ford F-150 Lariat ($65,195), the 2024 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 LTZ ($62,495), 2024 GMC Sierra 1500 SLT ($59,895), and the 2024 Ram 1500 Laramie ($58,485).
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There are handsomer trucks out there, to be sure. There are some that can do more than the 2024 Toyota Tundra, too. There are even a couple of full-size trucks that eschew petroleum entirely for electric power. With the Nissan Titan leaving production at the end of the 2024 model year, though, the Tundra is the last of its kind: a full-size truck built by a Japanese manufacturer to take on the heavyweights of the U.S. truck market. It's definitely not going away any time soon, either. From dominating the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series field in sheer numbers alone, to visiting the local hardware store to pick up some Craftsman tools, the Tundra is right there with the rest of the competition, working hard and playing hard all the live long day.