ArcaMax

No one thought much of the first Lexus LS sedan. Remember? "Japanese" and "luxury car" could not even be uttered in the same sentence -- at least, not without a smirk. Today, BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Audi have learned the hard way to think otherwise. Tomorrow, Ford, GM and Chrysler might have to, also -- when it comes to full-size trucks.

Up until now, Detroit has not been challenged much on this front -- even though they've lost ground in just about every other market segment. The Ford-F-series is (and has long been) the best-selling large pick-up; behind it is the Chevy Silverado 1500. The only other import truck that could even qualify as "full-size" is Nissan's Titan -- and it has been handicapped by limited body/bed/trim configurations -- rendering it no real threat to Detroit's absolute dominance of the full-size truck market.

Now Toyota has made it clear it's going for the jugular -- with a brand-new Tundra that one-ups everything Detroit has on the field -- size-wise, power-wise and features-wise.

For starters, the new Tundra's standard engine -- a 236 horsepower 4 liter V-6 -- is almost as muscular as the F-trucks's optional 4.6 liter V-8 (248 hp), while its step-up 4.7 liter V-8 (the previous Tundra's biggest engine), at 271-hp, easily outmuscles the F-truck's optional 4.6 liter V-8 -- and isn't too far off the pace of the F-150's biggest available engine, a 5.4 liter V-8 offering a so-so 300 hp. But the Tundra's got one more round in the clip -- a brand-new 5.7 liter V-8 packing a thunderous 381 horses. Do the math: That's 81 more hp than the F-150's strongest available gas V-8.

The Tundra simply kicks the F-truck in the head when it comes to power -- and acceleration, too. It rushes forward like a muscle truck, while the F-150 feels like it's got a load of cement blocks in the bed, even when it's ordered with the 5.4 engine (and even when the bed is, in fact, empty). The Toyota also beats it on towing and payload -- with a 10,800 lb. rating vs. the F-truck's formerly class-leading 10,500 lb. rating. You'll also get a six-speed transmission with the mighty Toyota V-8 -- vs. a frankly outdated four-speed automatic in the Ford. Those extra gears allow for tighter spacing between gears, for smoother acceleration -- and not-bad fuel economy (given what we're talking about here). EPA gives the Tundra (with the 5.7 V-8 and 2WD) a city/highway rating of 16-20 mpg. That's actually better than the 5.4-equipped 2WD F-150 (EPA rated at 15 mpg city, 19 on the highway) despite the Tundra's having 81 horsepower more under its hood.

Chevy's just-redesigned Silverado 1500 is much improved -- especially its beautifully finished interior. But in standard form, the Silverado's even weaker than the base F-truck, with just a 195-hp, 4.3 liter V-6 to bring to the table. That's 40-something horses less than the Tundra's standard engine -- a deficit that's hard to ignore.

The Silverado's step-up 4.8 liter Vortec V-8, at 295-hp, is stronger than the Tundra's 4.7 liter V-8 -- but the Chevy's next two optional V-8s (a 315-hp 5.3 liter V-8 and, at the very top of the list, a 6 liter, 367-hp Vortec V-8) still don't outgun the Toyota's 5.7 liter mill. Nor does the Chevy out-tow the Toyota; like the Ford, its max rated capacity is 10,500 lbs. And like the Ford, the Chevy doesn't offer a six-speed transmission -- or even a five-speed, for that matter. Result? The Silverado's fuel economy -- even with the smaller 5.3 V-8 -- is only 16 city/22 highway.

Over at the Dodge store. you'll find a base Ram 1500 comes equipped with a 3.7 liter, 215-hp V-6, with the step-up 4.7 liter V-8 offering 235-hp. Even the once-mighty 5.7 liter Hemi -- with a mere 345 hp on tap -- seems a little swishy compared with the pushing four-hundred-horses Tundra. And the Hemi's a pig at the pump -- slurping fuel like a '70 Hemi 'Cuda at the rate of 15 mpg in town, 19 mpg on the highway. Oinkl!

But at least you can get a five-speed automatic with the Dodge. On the other hand, the Ram's max tow rating -- 8,500 lbs. -- isn't even in the same ballpark as the Tundra's near-11,000 pound rating. See where this is headed?

The Tundra is also the first Japanese pick-up that matches the Big Three trucks when it comes to available bodystyles and bed length options -- offering regular cab, double cab and CrewMax four door cab styles, with five-foot, 6.5 foot and 8-foot bed lengths. Trim lines runs from the base DX (a "work truck") all the way tthrough sporty SR5 and top-of-the-line Limiteds. Prices start at $22,290 and run to $41,850 and up for a 4WD CrewMax Limited with all the bells and whistles.

And there are lots of both. Available equipment includes a rear-view back-up camera built into the overhead console, electroluminescent gauges, power-retractable mirrors, GPS, 10-speaker JBL stereo rig, 20-inch rims, Bluetooth wireless hook-up -- and a TRD Off-Road group that adds BIlstein shocks, BF Goodrich M/S-rated knobby tires, HD suspension, skid plates -- the works.

But even the base DX comes with climate control AC, 18-inch wheels, traction and stability control, side-impact and curtain airbags and a CD-playing stereo -- along with that impressively strong standard engine (which also comes with a five-speed automatic and stout 3.90 rear axle ratio).

The truck's outsize personality makes it seem bigger than its competitors, too. Only the Ram comes off as similarly aggressive -- but as the stats reveal, it's unfortunately more show than go.

But its sheer overkill massiveness may turn out to be the Tundra's only vulnerability. Even a big guy can feel kind of small driving this monster. I took our garbage cans up to the dumpster and felt 12-years-old trying to get them out of the Tundra's bed. And I'm six-feet-three. The walls are so high, you almost need a step stool to see what's in there; my normally adventurous Black Lab wouldn't even try to leap up onto the tailgate. The interior's so huge that the shifter console is off-center -- so the driver can reach it without arm extenders. A pot roast would fit in the center console. You could rent out the door pockets to migrant laborers. And on a purely practical level, maneuvering it into parking spaces can be difficult -- even for skilled drivers. It will take up every inch of your garage -- and make your McMansion seem small.

Even by today's out-sized standards, the Tundra is an absolutely huge vehicle that may overwhelm some folks. Especially the faux cowboys and suburban types who have glommed onto large pick-ups as a totem of their affluence -- and expression of their egos.

But then again, the absolutely dominating power it offers -- from the standard engine all the way to its top dog 5.7 liter thumper -- along with the fact that it's the first ever Japanese truck to offer the same panoply of bed and boy configurations, features, etc. as the Detroit-brand stuff -- makes it a safe bet that history's about to repeat itself. People who really need trucks -- and big power -- are about to fall in love.

Five years hence, no one's going to be snickering about "Japanese trucks" anymore, either.

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