The last time I reviewed a Toyota Tundra, it was a loaded and luxurious Capstone. I came away feeling that maybe going full-fancy isn’t the Tundra’s strong suit — unlike, say, the Ram 1500, which masters the art of a making a luxury car out of a pickup truck. A few years and many trucks later, I’m back in a Tundra — specifically the 2025 Toyota Tundra TRD Rally package — and this makes a lot more sense to me.
What’s new for 2025?
New for 2025, the TRD Rally package adds a dose of off-road potency and retro charm without going all-in like a TRD Pro, and breaking the bank in the process. It’s only available on the base model Tundra with the Crew Cab and short box configuration, adding all the features you’d reasonably want to see on a new truck and some fun stuff, too. It all comes in at under seventy grand — $66,931 as-tested, to be exact.
What stands out first is the visual treatment. We tend to love anything that rocks or references Toyota’s classic yellow-orange-red colorway that used to adorn their Baja race trucks back in the day. They’ve been judicious about the visual tweaks here, with just small tri-color stripes on the front, back, and sides of the big Tundra — it’s enough to deliver a dose of rad without trying too hard. Deleted badging cleans up some of the visual business of the striping, and two-tone 18-inch wheels with Michelin Defender all-terrain tires set the whole package off.
Interior impressions
The theme continues inside. The power-adjustable seats have the same tri-colour treatment hidden behind the perforations in the Softex leather, as well as contrasting yellow and orange stitching. The leather-wrapped steering wheel and shifter get flourishes of red to round things out, capped off with a small stripe on the passenger side of the dash. They’re not huge changes, but they don’t need to be. There’s plenty of personality on display already.
On features and tech, there’s a large 14-inch touchscreen running Toyota’s now well-established and effective infotainment system. It has standard wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and is flanked by a lovely array of proper gauges with a small display for fuel economy, trip data, media, and whatever other essentials. I love it. It’s perfectly legible and easier to use than Toyota’s fancy digital gauge cluster.
Toyota’s Safety Sense suite of assists is standard, meaning this Tundra is not only capable of sensing traffic and pedestrians around you, but also handily able to mostly drive itself via the well-calibrated adaptive cruise control and lane-tracing. This array of cameras also provides a 360-degree view to help with parking, monitoring what’s in the 5.5-foot bed, and placing the truck on a trail. The comfy seats are heated, as is the steering wheel; it’s not fancy, but it’s functional, fun enough, and you’re not really left wanting for anything. I’d take this over a loaded Tundra Capstone and its obviously fake wood accents every time.
What’s under the hood?
Under the hood, this Tundra sticks with the standard 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6. It delivers 389 horsepower and 479 pound-feet of torque across a broad rev range, paired to a 10-speed automatic. The powertrain feels well-sorted, with none of the lag or hesitation you might expect from a downsized turbo engine. It’s responsive in day-to-day driving, and more than capable when pressed.
Yes, the hybrid version of the same powertrain on the flagship Tundras can hustle harder, but it’s honestly kinda superfluous. This Tundra feels plenty quick and brawny enough. It doesn’t really take a hit on fuel efficiency, either. I observed 14.9 L/100 kilometres over my time with it. It’s not a huge hit next to the hybrid, and this truck did a lot more city driving.
Driving impressions
About the only thing I liked better on the Tundra Capstone is the ride comfort. I’ve noticed all of these full-size TNGA-platform trucks suffer quite a bit from flinty ride quality and body shudders. The top-tier air suspension dials that out fairly well, but this much-more-modestly priced Tundra TRD Rally doesn’t have that benefit. I was hoping the generous sidewalls and Bilstein shocks would tune out some of that unpleasantness, but the off-road suspension setup is geared much more towards being sporty than soft.
This isn’t at all to say the Tundra isn’t nice to drive. It’s about the farthest thing from uncomfortable, but just maybe a touch unrefined in its ride compared to its counterparts. Along with the excellent powertrain, it handles well with effortless steering and excellent body control. It’s fun to throw down a gravel road and feels ready to party; the rougher the road is, the more sense it makes. Along with the Bilsteins and all-terrain tires, it’s also fitted with a locking rear differential, terrain control drive modes, and downhill assist.
Around town, the TRD Sport is easy to pilot, comfortable enough, fairly quiet, and the aforementioned driver assists make trundling around town a breeze. Towing capacity is rated at 11,155 pounds, and payload capacity comes in at 2,000 pounds. Granted the Tundra isn’t and has never been a class leader in either metric, but those ratings are more than tough to handle just about anything you’re liable to throw at it. Let’s face it, if you’re regularly towing over ten grand, you’re getting an HD truck anyway.
Is the Tundra Rally worth it?
If you hop on Toyota’s website right now and build a Tundra, you’ll have no less than fourteen variants to choose from. Each has has up to four different packages to pick from, ranging from a two-wheel drive work truck to the hundred-grand Capstone luxury liner. I’m convinced this relatively base SR trim with the crew cab — or CrewMax, in Toyota lingo— with the TRD Rally add-ons is the one you want. It has a cool retro presence without being in-your-face, it has enough off-road gear to lend some credibility to its heritage, and it has all the key frills, like leather, power seats, heated steering wheel, 360-degree cameras, adaptive cruise control, and one-touch windows. The last relatively base half-ton pickup I reviewed, the F-150 STX, had none of that and for more money!
The 2025 Toyota Tundra TRD Rally package doesn’t try too hard at the wrong things. It adds the right kind of hardware and style, enhances the Tundra’s capability without breaking the bank, and manages to feel cool without being self-important. It hits all the right marks for drivability, livability, and capability, and it’s a screaming value in the increasingly posh and preposterous world of full-size trucks. It’s honest, charming, fun, and makes a ton of sense. This is what I wanted out of a Tundra.
