Toyota Tundra arrives Down Under

Owners of big caravans and fifth-wheelers now have another tow vehicle to consider with the arrival of Toyota’s American-built Tundra pick-up in Australia.

Right-hand drive versions of the Tundra are now available from Performax International, a Queensland-based importer and converter of American-built vehicles.

A rival to Ford F-Series, Chevrolet Silverado and Dodge Ram in the 'States, the Tundra is powered by a 5.7-litre DOHC, V8 petrol engine producing 280kW at 5600rpm and 543Nm at 3600rpm, matched to a six-speed auto.

Depending on spec it has a towing capacity of 4-4.5 tonnes and a payload up to 734kg. In comparison, Toyota's LandCruiser can tow up to 3.5 tonnes, while the smaller HiLux ute has a 2.5 tonne maximum tow capacity.

Performax International sales manager Kevin Thoroughgood said response so far had been strong, with the Queensland company receiving 25 orders within a few weeks of announcing the Tundra’s availability in early-2012.

“I think the big thing is it’s a Toyota branded item,” he explained. “Australians have a very strong affiliation and loyalty to the Toyota product and I think the chance to get a full-size dual cab utility is something Australia has been looking for.”

Thoroughgood said the fact that the factory left-hand drive Tundra shares many parts with the 200 Series LandCruiser, made it an easier proposition when it came to conversion and compliance for the Australian market.  

“(Toyota) actually used LandCruiser parts (for the Tundra) so we can use genuine right-hand drive LandCruiser parts to convert the vehicle, and you can see the Japanese build quality in them,” he says.

The Tundra is larger than the HiLux and LandCruiser, but slightly smaller than the Chevrolet Silverado, which trumps it with almost 10 tonne towing capacity and is also available from Performax.

“We compared one recently to a Landcruiser Sahara, and it appears to be roughly the same dimensions but about a half a metre longer,” he says.

Australian pricing of the top-spec Tundra Limited Platinum Crew Max, which Thoroughgood says has similar spec to the Lexus LX 570, is $115,990 plus on-road costs.

For that expect a swag of goodies including leather electric seats, Bluetooth connectivity, dual zone climate control, cruise control, trip computer, 12 speaker sound system and 20 inch alloy wheels.

The Limited Platinum 4x4 model also gets eight airbags, traction and stability control, tyre pressure monitors, front and rear parking sensors and trailer sway control.

Underpinnings extend to independent coil spring front/ live axle leaf rear suspension, and part-time 4WD with dual range transfer.

The right-hand drive converted Tundra was officially launched at last week’s Build and Design Queensland Expo in Brisbane.

For further details visit the Performax International website.

Note: images and video are of left-hand drive vehicles.