2015 Toyota Tundra TRD PRO CrewMax 5.7L review

2015 Toyota Tundra TRD PRO CrewMax 5.7L evaluation

Pros

Engine Power

Rear Seating

Comfortable Ride

Cons

Fuel Economy

One Bed Size

94

The 2015 Toyota Tundra TRD PRO was voted the official vehicle of the CR-15 gathering recently. It was the favorite among over 40 SUVs and all-wheel drive vehicles driven to Grand Lake, Colorado, high up in the Rocky Mountains, over Labor Day weekend.

Over 100 plus attendees thought the Inferno Red TRD PRO was the best vehicle to take to the mountain top retreat.

We easily saw what sets this truck apart and what makes it special. We have been driving it since Labor Day.

What’s New For 2015?

Unique TRD PRO Equipment

Interior Features

Engine & Fuel Mileage Specs

Driving Dynamics

Conclusion

2015 Toyota Tundra TRD PRO CrewMax 5.7L Photo Gallery

What’s New For 2015?

The Tundra TRD PRO option is brand-new for 2015, but the underlying Tundra 4×4 pickup itself is essentially unchanged from the 2014 TRD Off-Road package. The 2015 Toyota Tundra TRD PRO CrewMax 5.7L ($43,900) comes with a 5.5-foot bed.

Unique TRD PRO Equipment

What’s unique about this TRD PRO model? The TRD Pro comes with large front and rear Bilstein dampers, quarter-inch-thick aluminum skid plate, TRD cat-back dual exhaust, halogen headlamps, unique red and black colored seats with red stitching, black grille, 18-inch black alloy rims wrapped in P285/70R17 BF Goodrich All Terrain off-road tires, and TRD PRO badging.

TRD Pro logos have also been stamped into the bed sides.

This TRD PRO came with optional paint protection ($395), bedliner ($365), and remote engine start ($499).

Total MSRP: $46,259 including destination.

Interior Features

Climb inside and you’ll find a big, comfortable cabin designed for the tallest drivers and passengers in mind. The interior features unique TRD PRO red and black fabric seat inserts with contrasting red stitching. The door panels and dash are also trimmed specifically to the TRD PRO model.

More TRD PRO logos adorn the front seat backs, center console, and floor mats to set this model apart.

There’s some soft touch materials throughout and the silver accents on the dash, steering wheel, and door panels give it a contemporary look.

Climb in the back and we found a cavernous area for passengers and cargo. There’s room for the tallest passengers and plenty of room to stretch out. We noticed this while we headed for a hunting trip into the Rocky Mountains.

The back seat features a fold down center console with two cup holders and a rear climate control vent to keep rear passengers comfortable. We could see ourselves spending time on a long trip and being able to sit back and take a nap.

This cabin is a comfortable place to spend lots of time on a road trip.

Engine & Fuel Mileage Specs

Toyota’s standard 5.7-liter V8 produces 381 horsepower and 401 pound-feet of torque, and it’s coupled to a six-speed automatic transmission with sequential shift mode. With the TRD cat-back dual exhaust system, this TRD PRO is likely producing more, but Toyota hasn’t released official numbers.

Other goodies include a 4WDemand part-time 4WD w/elec controlled transfer case, 4,300 rear diff, engine and transmission cooler, tow hitch receiver, 4 and 7 pin connector, and heavy duty battery.

Fuel mileage estimates are 13/17 city/highway mpg and 15 combined mpg.

Driving Dynamics

The first thing we noticed after we pulled ourselves up into the tall cabin and cranked up the 5.7-liter TRD PRO, was the deep-throated dual cat-back exhaust system. We knew we were in for a treat as we headed to Grand Lake for CR-15, a weekend retreat for our office in the back country.

We headed up I-70 and we were impressed with the power and torque. We had no trouble powering past slower traffic for the holiday weekend. As we drove over Berthoud Pass, which tops out at 11,307 ft in elevation, it proved to be a good test of the 5.7-liter’s power.

On the road, power delivery from the V8 is linear and especially strong at low engine speeds. Toyota says 90 percent of the truck’s torque is available from 2400 rpm to 5500 rpm and we could tell as we pulled through the switchbacks heading up the steep mountain pass.

The powerplant is responsive when quick acceleration is needed.

We easily passed a line of slower cars on a stretch of mountain highway, who were doing more sight-seeing than driving.

As we approached the back-woods camp on a rutted-out dirt road, we felt the extra travel Toyota engineers built into the TRD PRO’s suspension.

With a 2.0 lift and decreased spring rate, it smoothed out the ride quality over the extra harsh terrain.

We didn’t take the truck too far off the path, but the road we were on gave us a good idea of what this off-road vehicle will do. It’s a highly capable machine for getting its owner and passengers to the back country for hunting, fishing, and other trips away from civilization.

Conclusion

The new TRD PRO is built for the serious recreation enthusiast with the rugged looks to go with it.

We got plenty of stares from Ford, Ram, and GM truck owners who were impressed with the aggressive stance and look of the off-road machine.

The CR-15 attendees thought it was the best vehicle on the mountain.

Those looking for a recreational truck that will haul people, gear, and equipment, plus tackle the toughest terrain, the 2015 Toyota Tundra TRD PRO CrewMax 5.7L is a good bet to get it done.

2015 Toyota Tundra TRD PRO CrewMax 5.7L Photo Gallery

The rating scale of Automoblog is based 1-5 with 5 being the best.

To compare and contrast this member of the Toyota TRD PRO family with another, click here.

*The dual-cab model is also displayed