Enjoy your Tundra! You have to buy what suits your needs best. Toyota makes a nice truck, and you should get lots of trouble-free miles.
06 RTL vs 09 TUNDRA
Okay guys I just traded in my 06 Black RTL with 140K mile for an 09 Tundra. I am not going to compare these vehicle like they are in the same class but I wanted to inform people in case they were in a situation like me with a lot miles and the need for a little more power and caught in the decision to stick with the truck until it dies or invest in a newer one.
First of all, I had the ridgeline since 06 and only had to do regular maintenance. It ran like new until the day I traded it. The ridgeline is by far a superior driving machine. It handles like a car and a good driving car at that. The tundra is obviously stiffer and is not anywhere near the league that ridgelines are in when it comes to wet driving conditions. The ridgeline really spoiled me when it came to driving in wet conditions. I could make fast turns from a stop with out any danger or handling issues. With the Tundra I have to really baby it so it does not spin. Other great features that I am currently missing form the ridge is the trunk. Man that thing is irreplaceable and is definitely one of the best things about the ridge. I find myself not wanting to put thing in the back of my truck because I know I will have to jump up in the bed and retrieve it when it slides. Of course an ugly toolbox is and option bud that would reduce my bed length which is one of the reasons I wanted a full size truck is to have more bed length. The Tundra (5.7) is super powerful and not too bad on gas in my opinion. I am only getting just slightly less than my ridgeline and that will probably improve as I get used to the truck and quit gassing it to feel the power. Other thing I miss is the set up of the interior of the ridgeline.. I had the rtl with every bell and whistle so I miss things like heated seats, leather and steering audio controls. Overall I enjoy both vehicle. If the ridgeline had more power and/or more torque I would have never gotten rid of it. I only tow a couple times a month but that is just enough for me to justify needing more power for my truck, especially if the gas price is equal. Overall I really like both trucks and in my opinion, if I was only picking up house supplies every now and then i would stick with the ridge. The ridgeline is the best for what it is designed to be and I think that is more of an everyday driver and not a full size truck......i just wish it had better towing capabilities. Thanks for all the help I got from this site!
First of all, I had the ridgeline since 06 and only had to do regular maintenance. It ran like new until the day I traded it. The ridgeline is by far a superior driving machine. It handles like a car and a good driving car at that. The tundra is obviously stiffer and is not anywhere near the league that ridgelines are in when it comes to wet driving conditions. The ridgeline really spoiled me when it came to driving in wet conditions. I could make fast turns from a stop with out any danger or handling issues. With the Tundra I have to really baby it so it does not spin. Other great features that I am currently missing form the ridge is the trunk. Man that thing is irreplaceable and is definitely one of the best things about the ridge. I find myself not wanting to put thing in the back of my truck because I know I will have to jump up in the bed and retrieve it when it slides. Of course an ugly toolbox is and option bud that would reduce my bed length which is one of the reasons I wanted a full size truck is to have more bed length. The Tundra (5.7) is super powerful and not too bad on gas in my opinion. I am only getting just slightly less than my ridgeline and that will probably improve as I get used to the truck and quit gassing it to feel the power. Other thing I miss is the set up of the interior of the ridgeline.. I had the rtl with every bell and whistle so I miss things like heated seats, leather and steering audio controls. Overall I enjoy both vehicle. If the ridgeline had more power and/or more torque I would have never gotten rid of it. I only tow a couple times a month but that is just enough for me to justify needing more power for my truck, especially if the gas price is equal. Overall I really like both trucks and in my opinion, if I was only picking up house supplies every now and then i would stick with the ridge. The ridgeline is the best for what it is designed to be and I think that is more of an everyday driver and not a full size truck......i just wish it had better towing capabilities. Thanks for all the help I got from this site!
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I've contemplated this for a few years. I live on acreage and needed a bigger bed or more towing quite a few times. I lived in the burbs when I bought the Ridgeline so things have changed. How many miles on you new rig? Have you looked at the major maintenance points e.g. timing belt interval, etc.? I found a 2007 with 133k, double cab, 5.7 engine, 4x4, with a long bed AND it's a stick! God that is a rare combo. The owners are still a bit high and I always hesitate wondering if I'd be going from really reliable to ???
Check Consumer Reports. Up to 2006, the Tundra had overall great reliability. It took a while to work out the kinks with the 2007 redesign. At 133K, there should be a long history of maintenance records to indicate whether or not this individual truck is worth your while.I've contemplated this for a few years. I live on acreage and needed a bigger bed or more towing quite a few times. I lived in the burbs when I bought the Ridgeline so things have changed. How many miles on you new rig? Have you looked at the major maintenance points e.g. timing belt interval, etc.? I found a 2007 with 133k, double cab, 5.7 engine, 4x4, with a long bed AND it's a stick! God that is a rare combo. The owners are still a bit high and I always hesitate wondering if I'd be going from really reliable to ???
Enjoy your Tundra. I had a 06 double cab and really loved it. It was not 4wd and like you have found does have a way of sliding around. I really did not need the full size truck and do miss it. That being said my 08 RL is the perfect truck for me. I love the way it handles and it is great getting around parking lots and into spaces. :act024:
I had an 07 Tundra doublecab. 5.7. engine/trans. were fantastic. makes the ridgeline seem lethargic/outdated. everything else was just too big/rough though.
Toyota Tundras were not made with manual trans in 2007 or any other year as far as I know..I've contemplated this for a few years. I live on acreage and needed a bigger bed or more towing quite a few times. I lived in the burbs when I bought the Ridgeline so things have changed. How many miles on you new rig? Have you looked at the major maintenance points e.g. timing belt interval, etc.? I found a 2007 with 133k, double cab, 5.7 engine, 4x4, with a long bed AND it's a stick! God that is a rare combo. The owners are still a bit high and I always hesitate wondering if I'd be going from really reliable to ???
I like the Tundra, but I don't understand why the payload is so low. It seems that if you tow you're much more likely to exceed the GVWR than the GCWR. For instance, if you had a 9,000 pound trailer (let's assume 900 lbs tongue weight), you only have 600 pounds left for people and cargo, which could easily be exceeded by three guys and some tools. Seems like Toyota should bump the payload to 2000 lbs so you can have 1,000 pounds of cargo while towing at the 10k limit (would be especially nice for RV owners).
Overall they are nice trucks though, if I had to own a full size it would probably be a Tundra (2013 Ram is looking good too, although resale value might be awful).
Overall they are nice trucks though, if I had to own a full size it would probably be a Tundra (2013 Ram is looking good too, although resale value might be awful).
With body-on-frame designs, it's all about the frame. If you have a frame difference like this:I like the Tundra, but I don't understand why the payload is so low.
you get a difference in performance under duress like this:
Correct.It seems that if you tow you're much more likely to exceed the GVWR than the GCWR. For instance, if you had a 9,000 pound trailer (let's assume 900 lbs tongue weight), you only have 600 pounds left for people and cargo, which could easily be exceeded by three guys and some tools.
I'm not sure that it is practical to "bump" up the payload. It would be a costly generational change to make such a dramatic improvement to frame strength.Seems like Toyota should bump the payload to 2000 lbs so you can have 1,000 pounds of cargo while towing at the 10k limit (would be especially nice for RV owners).
The difference in resale value is probably an accurate enough reflection in overall product quality. People buy trucks for all kinds of reasons, few of which involve specifically the limits of hauling capacity (whether those limits are on paper or via experimental comparison).Overall they are nice trucks though, if I had to own a full size it would probably be a Tundra (2013 Ram is looking good too, although resale value might be awful).
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