more about this model
Pros Strong and fuel-efficient midlevel engine, impressive towing ability, big extended-cab body style, good driving position.
Cons Choppy unladen ride, long-reach controls, overstyled gauges.
Bigger is always better, right? Who wants to visit the world's second-grandest canyon or the second-tallest building in Paris? Picking your pickup's engine has always been a similar exercise. The biggest, most powerful V8 engine gets all the headlines, is capable of towing and hauling the most and earns the most respect from your friends. All those other engines are just footnotes in truck reviews. That was especially true of last year's Toyota Tundra and its 4.7-liter V8 engine, a weak-sauce alternative for the big-boy 5.7-liter that actually matched the lesser V8's fuel economy. The 4.7 was uncompetitive and choosing it was a budget buy only.
The 2010 Toyota Tundra is a different story, with a new midgrade engine choice that makes opting for something other than the biggest engine a reasonable choice (even if those friends disagree). Although displacing 4.6 liters, the Tundra's new entry-level V8 produces 310 horsepower and 327 pound-feet of torque, compared to 271 and 313 (respectively) for the 4.7, while improving fuel economy by 2 mpg. There's still a substantial power drop-off from the 5.7, but as we discovered in our time with this Tundra Double Cab 4.6, most people won't really need all that extra muscle and will appreciate the gas mileage advantage.
Even though the full-size truck market is taking a hammering these days, the trucks themselves are better than ever. Picking among the Tundra, Chevrolet Silverado, Dodge Ram and Ford F-150 isn't an easy decision, as each excels in its own specific ways. Among midgrade V8 engines, though, the 2010 Toyota Tundra 4.6 has a slight power-to-fuel-economy advantage. But the biggest news is that it can put up a fight rather than being nothing more than the underachieving second fiddle of the Tundra band.
Performance While the Tundra's new 4.6-liter V8 is the main story here, its six-speed automatic certainly deserves a few words, replacing a five-speed unit that did the old engine few fuel economy favors. However, there's more to this transmission than its mileage gain. The six-speed exhibits outstanding grade logic; you're never in the wrong gear and it downshifts readily. It also means Toyota doesn't have to offer the three or four different axle ratios that other truckmakers do, which is done to improve towing capacity at the expense of fuel economy (despite what the window sticker may say). The Tundra gets an altered ratio when equipped with the tow package, but its fuel economy doesn't suffer to the same extent.
When equipped with that tow package, the 2010 Toyota Tundra Double Cab 4.6 has a maximum tow rating of 8,300 pounds. That was well above our needs for this test, which consisted of lugging a 5,000-pound car trailer 1,200 miles. The 4.6 took it all in stride, with plenty of surplus power for passing and pulling grades thanks to ample torque, spread across a broad engine speed range. Indeed, it's very reminiscent of the colossally strong 5.7's power delivery, only dialed back a couple of notches. If your routine towing is in this five-grand range, we'd strongly consider saving some money and going with the 4.6.
The same argument applies when the trailer hitch is unemployed. The 4.6 provides ample passing power and plenty of pull off the line. Our 5,469-pound SR5 Double Cab test truck went from zero to 60 mph in 7.9 seconds, which is precisely 1 second slower than the last SR5 Double Cab we tested with the 5.7-liter (but actually 0.5 second quicker than a top-of-the-line Ford F-150). On the other end of the dynamic spectrum, the Tundra came to a stop from 60 mph in 134 feet. This is slightly below average for this segment, but with no fade after four consecutive runs, at least you won't find yourself searching for runaway truck ramps on steep downgrades.
In terms of handling and maneuverability, the 2010 Toyota Tundra is a mixed bag. Its low-effort steering is nice in parking lots and when negotiating tight city turns, but its numb on-center effort doesn't instill much confidence on narrow country roads.
Comfort Much of the Tundra's impressive tow rating comes from its heavy-duty suspension engineered to accommodate the crushing loads of a trailer. Unfortunately, that means the Tundra suffers from the sort of choppy ride usually experienced in 3/4-ton pickups. When it's driven on rough roads, the truck's bobbing and jiggling gets to be quite extensive. You certainly won't encounter this all the time, but the Tundra's rivals — the Dodge Ram in particular — are still more compliant in terms of suspension tuning.
Inside, the Tundra offers one of the more comfortable cabins in this admittedly small class. The front seats are supportive and comfy, while the Tundra's optional telescoping steering wheel allows tall drivers to avoid the long reach typical of pickups, while shorter folks can avoid sitting with the wheel in their chests. The Double Cab's backseat delivers more space than you'd expect from an extended cab, while its front-hinged doors offer easier access to the rear compartment compared to the rear-hinged doors in the F-150 and Silverado. Given the Double Cab's spacious cabin, we'd question why anyone would require the even larger Crew Max cab's limolike accommodations (and put up with its smaller bed).
Function The reach to the telescoping steering wheel may be a short one, but everything else requires Go-Go Gadget arms. To press the buttons for radio presets 4 through 6, you'll need to lean far forward, use a pen or ask your passenger for help. The reach to the jumbo volume knob is only slightly easier, but was still irritating given our test truck's lack of steering-wheel audio controls. On the upside, the humongous climate control knobs can be operated with bomb squad gloves. The door handles and tailgate latch are similarly jumbo.
As in other full-size trucks, the 2010 Toyota Tundra's backseat bottom folds up to provide plenty of cargo room, safe from the elements and thieving hands. It was here where our normal golf bag and suitcase tests were conducted — the Tundra passed both easily. When lowered, the backseat proved to be well-suited for child seat use thanks to ample space, wide-opening doors and easily accessible upper LATCH points.
Despite the big cab, the 6.5-foot bed is equal to others in the class (an 8-footer is optional). There was no bedliner or nifty features like Dodge's RamBox cargo cubbies, but the sliding tie-down rails along the sides and forward portion of the bed were certainly useful. Another nice touch is the damped tailgate that gently glides down rather than crudely slamming open.
Design/Fit and Finish When it comes to pickups, we think simple and practical is better. But the Tundra's interior suffers from overstyling. It looks nice, but it comes at the expense of functionality. In particular, the hooded dials look odd and are difficult to read — the fuel gauge looks like it's at the end of a periscope.
Interior quality is quite good, but no better than the other trucks in its class. The cloth upholstery is very soft, but it feels a bit like a hotel towel. It seems like it might wear out prematurely, but we never had any problems with the same fabric in our long-term Tundra.
Who should consider this vehicle The 2010 Toyota Tundra 4.6 is a good choice for someone in need of a truck for medium-duty towing for such things as motorcycles, cars or personal watercraft. Those in constant need of the backseat in their extended cab will also be well served by the Tundra Double Cab. However, its rivals from the good ol' U.S. of A. are quite appealing, so trying them all is certainly advised.
Others to Consider
Chevrolet Silverado, Dodge Ram, Ford F-150.
The manufacturer provided Edmunds this vehicle for the purposes of evaluation.
Used 2010 Toyota Tundra listings and inventory:
Shop Edmunds' used car, SUV, and truck listings of over 6 million pre-owned vehicles to find a cheap used and certified pre-owned (CPO) 2010 Toyota Tundras for sale near Ashburn VA. There are currently 560 used and CPO 2010 Tundras listed for sale in your area, with list prices as low as 9,995 and mileage as low as 27,325. Simply research the type of used car, SUV, or truck you're interested in and then select a vehicle from our massive database to find cheap pre-owned vehicles for sale near you. Once you have identified a used vehicle you're interested in, check the Carfax and Autocheck vehicle history reports, read dealer reviews, and find out what other owners paid for the used 2010 Toyota Tundra. Then select Edmunds' special offers, perks, deals, and incentives to contact the dealer of your choice and save up to 301 on a used or CPO 2010 Tundra available from one of 2,633 dealerships in your area.
What's a good price on a used 2010 Toyota Tundra ?
Save up to $301 on one of 36 used 2010 Toyota Tundras for sale at dealerships within 25 miles of Ashburn, Virginia with prices as low as $9995 as of Apr 19, 2018, based on data from 18 dealers and 181 consumer-driven dealer ratings ranging from 1.7 to 5 out of 5 stars.
Price comparisons for used 2010 Toyota Tundra trim styles:
The used 2010 Toyota Tundra Tundra Grade is priced around $18192 with average odometer reading of 125203 miles.
The used 2010 Toyota Tundra Limited is priced around $24243 with average odometer reading of 56936 miles.
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What options are available on the 2010 Toyota Tundra?
Available Toyota Tundra 2010 Submodel Types: Double Cab, Access Cab, CrewMax Cab, Extended Cab, Regular Cab
Available Toyota Tundra 2010 Trims: SR5, 1794, Tundra, SR, Platinum, Tundra Grade, SR5 FFV, Limited FFV, TRD PRO, Tundra FFV, Platinum FFV, Base, Limited, 1794 FFV, Darrell Waltrip Edition
Exterior Colors: Magnetic Gray Metallic, Midnight Black Metallic, Blazing Blue Pearl, Barcelona Red Metallic, Smoked Mesquite, Cement, Inferno, Attitude Black Metallic, Sunset Bronze Mica, Blue Ribbon Metallic, Black, Cavalry Blue, Phantom Gray Pearl, Timberland Mica, Silver Sky Metallic, Super White, Thunder Gray Metallic, Imperial Jade Mica, Quicksand, Spectra Blue Mica, Desert Sand Mica, Natural White, Radiant Red, Salsa Red Pearl, Blue Streak Metallic, Desert Sand, Pyrite Mica, Sandy Beach Metallic, Slate Metallic, Spruce Mica, Nautical Blue Metallic, Sunfire Red Pearl
Interior Colors: Black leather, Brown premium leather, Graphite leather, Black premium leather, Graphite vinyl, Graphite, Black premium cloth, Black, Sand Beige leather, Graphite cloth, Sand Beige premium cloth, Beige cloth, Gray, Black cloth, Oak, Sand Beige cloth, Graphite premium cloth, Brown, Sand Beige, Black/Red leather, Dark Gray, Dark Gray cloth, Graphite premium leather, Light Charcoal, Light Charcoal cloth, Red Rock leather, Red Rock cloth, Taupe
Popular Features: Adaptive Cruise Control, Lane Departure Warning, Pre-collision safety system, Blind Spot Monitoring, Upgraded Headlights, Extended Cab, 6000lb Towing Capacity, Upgraded Stereo, Aux Audio Inputs, Multi-Zone Climate Control, Stability Control, Tire Pressure Warning, 6ft Bed, Crew Cab, Fold Flat Rear Seats, Rear Bench Seats, AWD/4WD, 10,000lb+ Towing Capacity, Audio and cruise controls on steering wheel, Bluetooth, USB Inputs, Power Driver Seat, Remote Start, Towing Hitch, 8000lb Towing Capacity, Alarm, Auto Climate Control, Electronic Folding Mirrors, Heated seats, Leather Seats, Parking sensors, Trip Computer, Back-up camera, Navigation, Rear Entertainment System, 3500lb Towing Capacity, Sunroof/Moonroof, 5000lb Towing Capacity, 8ft Bed, Cooled Seats, Standard Cab
Engine/Mechanics: 8, 6 cylinders
Transmission: AUTOMATIC, MANUAL
Fuel Types: regular unleaded, flex-fuel (unleaded/E85)
Drivetrains: four wheel drive, rear wheel drive
Used 2010 Toyota Tundra Overview
The used 2010 Toyota Tundra is offered in the following submodels: Double Cab, Regular Cab, CrewMax Cab. Available styles include Tundra Grade 4dr Double Cab 4WD SB (5.7L 8cyl 6A), Limited 4dr Double Cab 4WD SB (5.7L 8cyl 6A), and Limited 4dr Double Cab 4WD SB (4.6L 8cyl 6A). Pre-owned Tundra models are available with a 0-liter gas engine, with output up to 0 hp, depending on engine type. The used 2010 Tundra comes with four wheel drive. Available transmissions include: 6-speed shiftable automatic.
