Toyota Has Made a Desert Racer to Rival Ford

The Toyota Tundra is already a sturdy truck, but now Toyota is upping their game, rumors claiming that the Tundra is getting an off-roading makeover. Keeping reading for all the details.
Written by Hannah DeWitt
Reviewed by Kathleen Flear
The demand for trucks is quickly growing, and
Toyota
is eager to meet it. The Japanese automaker may be developing a new
Tundra
TRD, which has the potential to be an off-roader's dream come true. Toyota isn't the only one trying to up their truck game, however, and it appears there is some stiff competition from Ford and Dodge.

Toyota is going big with the new Tundra TRD

The Toyota Tundra TRD has always been popular with the off-roading community, but with new developments in tech and growing competition in the auto world, it was inevitable that Toyota would have to up the stakes.
Motor1
reports that there may be some major changes coming down the pipes to the beloved Tundra in an effort to keep up with the competition.
Rumor has it that the soon-to-be-released Toyota Tundra TRD is based on the Desert Chase Tundra concept. This was shown at last year's SEMA Show in Las Vegas. Toyota isn't giving away any info, however, so it remains to be seen how accurate that information is.
One area that off-roaders are eager to conquer is the desert, which is why the new Tundra TRD is designed with this specifically in mind. Changes that could be made include a long-travel suspension, 37-inch wheels, 18-inch forged aluminum wheels, and a widebody kit. 
To further enforce the fact that this truck is designed for people who want to leave the modern world behind, there is not one, but two spare tires in the back, just in case the driver should find themselves with multiple flats. 
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Just how powerful is the new Toyota Tundra TRD?

Toyota isn't messing around with the new Tundra TRD, if it truly is based on the Desert Chaser Tundra. The Desert Chaser came equipped with a powerful i-Force Max twin-turbocharged hybrid V6 engine which generates 437 hp and 583 lb-ft of torque. This was paired with a 10-speed automatic transmission.
It also had the rear shocks mounted outside the frame rolls, which helped increase towing confidence, as well as improve on the roll stiffness. It also came with drive modes such as Sand, Mud, and Rocks, which makes going off-road a bit less stressful.
Something else Toyota did was increase the towing capacity up to 11,300 pounds. The payload has also been increased, but no specifics have been released at this time.

Toyota has entered the Ford/Dodge feud

The feud between Ford and Chevy is legendary, while Dodge often enters into the fray. Now it appears that Toyota has come out to play, and its main competition is the Ford F-150 Raptor.
The Ford F-150 has been one of the top-selling trucks for years now, and the Ram 1500 TRX is quickly gaining ground. Toyota has recognized that drivers want something that can head into the desert as well and has created the Tundra TRD for just that purpose.
When compared to the Ford Raptor, the Tundra's engine excels in one area, while falling slightly behind in another. The Raptor's 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 generates 450 hp and 510 lb-ft of torque. The Raptor has more horsepower, while the Tundra TRD has more torque.

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