2020 Toyota Tundra

For 2020 Toyota dropped the 4.6L V8 and made the 5.7L i-FORCE V8 the Tundra's sole engine, so the volume SR5 CrewMax gets the full 381 hp. It is strong for a naturally aspirated V8 but sits mid-pack against turbocharged and larger-V8 rivals.

401 lb-ft is unchanged since 2007 and now trails turbo-V6 and diesel half-tons, though it arrives with linear, predictable delivery.

The big V8 makes the heavy CrewMax quicker than its age suggests, but test results vary with trim and tires, and newer turbo rivals are faster.

The 5.7L V8 is smooth, sounds good and pulls well once it gets going, and reviewers praise its character. It is less impressive off idle and in light-throttle punch than turbocharged rivals, and its high revs come with a lot of noise.

The 6-speed automatic shifts smoothly and is proven under tow, but it has too few ratios against rivals' 8- and 10-speeds. Its wide gaps make it hunt and downshift a lot on grades, which hurts economy.

A max of 10,200 lbs is solid for a half-ton but well below the 12,000-13,000-lb ratings that the F-150, Silverado and Ram offered in 2020.

A max payload of 1,730 lbs is near the bottom of the full-size half-ton class. Rivals offered more than 2,000 lbs in their best configurations.

The towing basics are there: a factory tow package with a hitch receiver, 7- and 4-pin connectors, an integrated trailer brake controller, a Tow/Haul mode, and a backup camera. It has none of the trailer backup assist, trailer-view cameras, onboard scales or trailer blind-spot coverage that the 2020 F-150 and Ram offered.

Part-time 4WD with an electronically controlled two-speed transfer case and low range is available on most grades and standard on TRD Pro. It is a basic shift-on-the-fly system with no full-time or automatic 4WD mode and no terrain-select modes beyond the TRD Pro's hardware.

The TRD Pro (carried into 2020) adds Fox 2.5-in internal-bypass shocks, a TRD front skid plate and an all-terrain package. The TRD Off-Road package (Bilsteins, skid plates) is available on SR5 and up. It has no locking rear differential and no crawl/terrain-select system, so it falls short of a Raptor or ZR2.

For 2020 there is one engine and one transmission: the 5.7L V8 with the 6-speed automatic. The 4.6L V8 was dropped and there is no turbo, diesel or hybrid. Only 2WD versus 4WD varies.

A large V8 with no cylinder deactivation, a 6-speed automatic and no stop-start gives the Tundra the lowest combined rating among 2020 gas half-tons. It sits at the floor of the truck band.

13 MPG in the city is close to the bottom of the truck band. Rivals using turbo V6s, cylinder deactivation or mild hybrids beat it by 4-7 MPG.

The 6-speed's short top gear keeps the highway figure at 17 MPG on the 4WD. That is the floor of the truck band, and several rivals beat it by 5 MPG or more.

The segment's largest 38-gallon tank, fitted to the volume SR5 CrewMax 4x4, more than makes up for poor economy and gives a better range than most rivals on their standard tanks. Configurations with the smaller tank get only about 370 miles.

With the lowest MPG in the class, the 4WD Tundra's EPA annual fuel cost lands past the expensive end of the truck band, even though it runs on regular.

The 5.7L V8 runs on 87-octane regular, with no premium requirement or recommendation. In select markets the 5.7L is also E85 flex-fuel capable, which adds fuel flexibility.

NHTSA rated the 2020 Tundra 4 stars overall; the carry-over XK50 structure is held back by a 4-star frontal result and a 3-star (4x2) rollover rating.

No IIHS award; the 2007-era platform scores Marginal on driver-side and Poor on passenger-side small overlap and only Acceptable on roof strength, though moderate overlap, side and head restraints are Good.

Toyota Safety Sense-P (standard since 2018) gives every trim pre-collision braking with pedestrian detection, Lane Departure Alert with sway warning, Dynamic Radar Cruise Control and auto high beams, but blind-spot monitoring stays off the SR/SR5 and there is no steering-assist lane keeping.

IIHS rated the standard Pre-Collision System Superior, avoiding collisions at both 12 and 25 mph; pedestrian detection is included but the truck predates IIHS's night pedestrian testing.

Blind Spot Monitor with Rear Cross-Traffic Alert is alert-only and not standard on the volume SR5 (optional/package there, standard on Limited and up); no trailer-aware coverage or rear cross-traffic braking.

Lane Departure Alert with Sway Warning only warns (audible/visual) — the Tundra's TSS-P has no steering assist and no lane centering.

Dynamic Radar Cruise Control is standard but operates at high speed only (no full-speed stop-and-go) and has no combined lane-centering highway assist.

No hands-free driving system was offered, nor any steering-assist feature.

IIHS rated both the halogen (SR/SR5) and LED (upper trims) headlights Marginal, with inadequate visibility in all curve tests; automatic high beams are standard via TSS-P.

A tall seating position and large mirrors give a commanding forward view, but the high hood and long bed leave blind zones; a backup camera is standard while parking sonar is limited to upper trims and no surround-view camera is offered.

IIHS rates LATCH Acceptable with two full LATCH positions and a tether-only center seat; the CrewMax's very roomy rear bench and large doors make car-seat installation easy.

The volume SR5 CrewMax uses a front split bench, giving six-passenger capacity; upper grades with front buckets and a console seat five.

Adequate front headroom, a little below the newer domestic full-size crews.

Front legroom is mid-pack for full-size pickups.

Rear headroom is fine for adults but at the lower end of the truck band.

The CrewMax rear bench is limo-like, with sliding and reclining rear seats — one of the truck's genuine strengths.

CrewMax is offered only with the short 5.5-ft bed, whereas rivals' crew cabs offer a 6.5-ft option.

Toyota did not widely publish a bed volume; estimated from the 66.7 in length, ~58 in average width and 22.2 in depth of the deep second-generation bed.

Large center console and door pockets, rear seats fold up for in-cab cargo, and a power sliding rear window, but no underseat lockers, in-bed trunk or onboard generator, and outlets are limited to upper grades.

Rear CrewMax seat is roomy and reclines, but reviewers found the SR5 front bench flat with limited adjustment; power-adjustable buckets are upper-grade only.

Unladen, the leaf-sprung Tundra is jiggly and busy over broken pavement, well behind the coil-sprung Ram 1500 and the newer F-150/Silverado.

Noticeable wind and road noise at highway speed and a prominent V8, louder than the class leaders.

Heated front seats only from Limited up, ventilated seats only on Platinum/1794; no heated wheel or heated rear seats, and the volume SR5 lacks most comfort extras.

For 2020 the 5.7L V8 became the only engine, so the cheapest Tundra is an SR Double Cab with a V8. The regular cab had already been dropped, so the entry price sits above the cheapest F-150 and Silverado, but it buys more truck.

Most Tundras sold are SR5 CrewMax 4x4s. With destination and a common option package, a typically equipped truck comes to the mid-$40,000s, which is roughly even with a comparable F-150 XLT SuperCrew 4x4.

The proven 5.7L V8 and 6-speed automatic make the 2020 Tundra one of the cheapest full-size trucks to keep running. Its main costs are normal full-size items like tires, brakes and fluids rather than repairs.

The 2020 Tundra won KBB's Best Resale Value award for full-size pickups. It then held value better than even that forecast, partly because used-truck prices rose in 2021–22, and it still outperforms the domestic half-tons.

This is the industry-standard minimum and matches Ford, GM, Ram and Nissan. The Titan's 5 yr / 100,000 mi warranty beats it.

This is the class-standard powertrain term, at the bottom of the scoring band. The 2020 Tundra had no hybrid, so no extended hybrid coverage applies.

ToyotaCare pays for two years of scheduled maintenance and includes roadside assistance. Ford, GM and Ram half-tons of that era came with roadside assistance only, but the plan is shorter than the 3-year plans some other brands offered.

$44,500 volume-trim price minus its estimated resale value after 5 years (74% retained, or about $32,930) leaves about $11,570 in depreciation. Add the projected $4,800 in 5-year maintenance and repairs, and owning this vehicle for 5 years costs about $16,370 in total.

The 2020 Tundra is the fourteenth model year of the second generation (XK50), which began in MY2007. It is a mature truck whose faults were long since worked out. In J.D. Power's 2023 VDS, which surveyed owners of 2020 models after three years, it ranked second among large light-duty pickups, behind only the GMC Sierra. J.D. Power rates its quality and reliability 'Great'. That puts it in the top band, though it was not the segment winner this year.

Through 2020–2023 Toyota consistently sat near the top of Consumer Reports' brand reliability rankings and above the industry average in J.D. Power's VDS. In 2023 the Tacoma also took the midsize-pickup award, which reinforces how strong Toyota's trucks are. That is the strongest brand standing among full-size truck makers.

Five NHTSA campaigns cover MY2020, one of which covers service parts only. That is typical activity for a full-size truck. The substantive ones are the supplier-wide Denso fuel-pump recall (stall risk), a headlight-circuit overheating recall, an LED turn-signal brightness compliance fix, and a power-steering gear oil-leak recall. None of them involves the engine or transmission, which keeps the score mid-band.

For 2020 the 4.6L V8 was dropped, so every Tundra uses the 5.7L 3UR-FE i-FORCE V8 with the Aisin 6-speed automatic. That pairing has been in production since 2007 and has one of the best high-mileage records of any US truck drivetrain. Its known weak points, such as the secondary air-injection pump and occasional cam-tower seepage, are costly but not catastrophic.

The cabin is still the 2014-refresh design, and on the volume SR5 it is dominated by hard plastics. For 2020 a standard 8-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto modernizes the dash slightly, but reviewers still put the materials behind the Ram 1500 and the F-150. The 1794 and Platinum trims are much nicer but are not the volume truck.

This is a long-running, mature assembly process at TMMTX in San Antonio, building a generation in its 14th year, and it delivers consistent build quality with few rattle or panel complaints. A strong VDS showing supports that. The dated, hard-trimmed cabin feels robust rather than refined, which keeps it below the top band.

Toyota has about 1,200 US franchised dealers, one of the densest networks of any brand, including rural truck country. Service satisfaction runs at or above the mass-market average.

The generation ran 15 years and the naturally aspirated V8 drivetrain is simple and shared with the Sequoia, so OEM, aftermarket and salvage parts are abundant and independent shops know the truck well. The aftermarket (TRD, lifts, armor) is large but smaller than the F-150's or Silverado's.

The 8-inch Entune 3.0 screen was small next to the 12-inch units in Ram and the larger available screens in rivals.

Entune 3.0 retains physical knobs but is laggy with dated graphics; phone projection is the redeeming feature.

Apple CarPlay and Android Auto became standard on every grade for 2020, but wired only; wireless was not offered.

Basic command-style voice recognition; native navigation via Entune 3.0 Premium on upper grades only, with app-based Scout GPS Link on others; Alexa via the Entune app.

Base six-speaker system is ordinary; a 12-speaker JBL system is available on upper grades and is decent but not class-leading.

Analog gauges with a small 4.2-inch multi-information display on every grade; no full-digital cluster.

No over-the-air vehicle software updates; map updates on navigation-equipped grades are the only connected update path.

Toyota app with Remote Connect (remote start, lock/unlock, vehicle locate) via a trial then subscription on Entune 3.0 Audio Plus grades; no digital key.

USB-A media/charge ports and 12V outlets; no USB-C or wireless charging on the volume trim, with a 120V outlet limited to upper grades.

The volume SR5 uses a conventional key; Smart Key proximity entry and push-button start are Limited-and-up; app-based remote start only by subscription.

Backup camera standard; front and rear parking sensors on upper grades; no 360-degree camera on any 2020 Tundra.

No head-up display offered on any 2020 Tundra grade.

The CrewMax's huge rear seat and wide rear doors make car seats easy to fit, but the tall step-in and only two full LATCH positions add friction for daily family logistics.

TSS-P is standard, but 4-star NHTSA overall, Marginal/Poor IIHS small-overlap results and blind-spot monitoring not standard on the volume trim leave gaps.

Rear passengers get abundant room and reclining seats, but the bouncy ride, cabin noise and an open bed for luggage limit long-trip appeal.

The V8 is responsive and smooth in traffic, but the ride, size and heavy fuel thirst make it a tiring daily driver compared with newer rivals.

At ~14 MPG combined from the 5.7L V8, the Tundra was the thirstiest light-duty full-size pickup of its year.

229-inch length and 44-ft turning circle with no surround-view camera make tight parking a chore.

Up to 10,200 lbs towing is competitive, but payload tops out at 1,730 lbs and the CrewMax is short-bed only, behind the domestic rivals' ratings.

The long-running 5.7L V8 and six-speed combination in its final years of production had a strong reputation for durability and longevity.

Deck rail system with adjustable tie-downs, integrated trailer brake controller and a big aftermarket, but no onboard generator, bed steps or multifunction tailgate.

A 38-gal tank offsets poor MPG for decent range, and TSS-P adaptive cruise helps, but ride busyness and cabin noise wear on long stints.

Part-time 4WD with low range, TRD Off-Road package widely available and a TRD Pro with Fox shocks make it a capable trail and overlanding platform.

Deep bed, fold-up rear seats for in-cab cargo and standard-fit hitch give good gear capacity, though the short CrewMax bed limits long items.

Secure but heavy and ponderous, with more body motion than the newer domestic full-size trucks.

Hydraulic-assist steering is reasonably weighted but slow and vague on center.

Large four-wheel discs give adequate, fade-resistant stops for the class; pedal is somewhat soft.

The 381-hp V8 is smooth and eager with no stop/start; the six-speed shifts smoothly but has fewer ratios than rivals' 8–10-speeds.

The V8 is loud under load but has a pleasing, muscular note; little vibration through the controls.

Turning diameter is reasonable for a full-size crew-cab pickup.

Commanding view and big, glove-friendly knobs, but some controls are a long reach, no telescoping wheel on lower grades, and the SR5 bench limits adjustment.

The V8's character and the TRD Pro's off-road ability carry a charm the dated chassis otherwise lacks.

Every 2020 Tundra came with a 381-hp 5.7L V8, Toyota Safety Sense-P (pre-collision braking, adaptive cruise, lane-departure alert) and, new for 2020, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and Alexa. Rivals charged extra for a V8 and for active safety features. Against that, the base SR has only a 7-inch screen and a plain cabin.

A standard V8 at a mid-$40,000s volume price and class-leading resale value make the Tundra reasonable value. But you pay that money for a 13-year-old design with a dated cabin, a 6-speed automatic and 13–15 MPG combined, and newer rivals give more refinement, efficiency and technology for similar money.

There are seven grades (SR, SR5, Limited, Platinum, 1794 Edition, TRD Pro, plus the TRD Sport package), two cabs, three bed lengths and 4x2 or 4x4. The range has no regular cab, one engine and no diesel or heavy-duty versions, so it is much narrower than the F-150 or Silverado.

About 109,000 sales is a solid total for one nameplate but far behind the Detroit trucks, so the Tundra was a distant fifth among full-size pickups, ahead of only the Titan. Volume had been flat for years.

Toyota's name for durability gives the Tundra a loyal following and drives its resale strength. Among full-size truck buyers, though, loyalty runs strongly to the Ford, Chevy and Ram brands, which limits how far that reputation helps.

As an aging, slower-selling truck, the 2020 Tundra commonly came with regional cash rebates and discounted APR deals before the 2021 inventory squeeze. The discounts were smaller than the big rebates Ram and GM ran on their half-tons.

In 2020 the second-generation (XK50) Tundra was in its 14th model year. Its last major refresh came for 2014, and an all-new third generation was due for 2022. CarPlay and the single-engine lineup did not change its old platform.

Reviewers praised the V8 and the TRD Pro but put the 2020 Tundra at or near the bottom of full-size truck rankings because of its fuel economy, ride and dated interior. Its notable award was for resale value, not a comparison-test win.