Tim Esterdahl | Jan 29, 2014 | Comments 19

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Putting together a comparison of curb weights for various trucks, one thing stood out. The Tundra is heavy, really heavy. Does the truck need to go on a serious diet? What kind of future does a “heavy” truck have with CAFE regulations and better fuel economy demands from consumers?

With all the hubbub on the new Ford F-150 and its 700 lb weight loss, it got us thinking about looking at curb weights and how they compare. After putting together the chart below, it is pretty obvious that the Toyota is quite a bit heavier than the other manufactures’ trucks.

While the weight and subsequent fuel economy numbers aren’t exactly a direct correlation of the data, it is worth noting them together. Why not a direct correlation? There are a lot of other factors involved in fuel economy and weight is just one part of it. Consider this: the 2013 GMC Sierra 1500 in a crew cab has a curb weight of 5,335 lbs and estimated 15/21 (city/hwy) MPGs. The 2014 GMC Sierra crew cab 1500 has a curb weight of 5,292 and estimated 16/22 (city/hwy) MPGs. Considering that most experts say 100 lbs of weight loss is only equal to 1-2% improvement, you can’t really make the case that a loss of 43 lbs equals the 1 MPG improvements. It is much more likely that the new engines and the host of other improvements that GM did to their trucks is the difference.

All of this brings us back to the original question, does the Tundra need to go on a diet? What would be the benefit of this? Improved MPGs? Maybe. There are estimates out there that by Ford dropping 700 lbs, it will improve their fuel economy by 10 percent. Looking at the chart, we can see the estimated (if you drive like an old lady) numbers. Yes, Toyota has long argued that their numbers aren’t the “EPA test cycle” variety and that they are really true life numbers. However, it is hard to convince customers of that when they see the big numbers in print on the sticker.

Will Toyota respond to the trend of dropping weight? Probably not. As we wrote about a few days ago, demand is exceeding supply. With such strong demand, why change a thing?

Is curb weight a big deal or just another statistic? Would you like to see the Tundra drop weight?

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