The race to redefine ugly.

[MinisterofDOOM]

Is currently being led by the 2014 Toyota Tundra. The 2nd-gen Tundra has always been an eye hazard. With its directionless trying-too-hard styling, it's pretty much the pickup truck equivalent of a skinny kid wearing the fake padded six-pack from a Superman halloween costume. It's bulgy and "muscular," but in an utterly unconvincing and distracting kind of way. No matter how much you do to clean up the truck, those molded foam "muscles" are always there reminding you that something just isn't quite right. I know guys with nice wheel/tire packages, good paint schemes, and the truck FEELS like it could ALMOST look half-decent...but the overdone styling is just determined to steal the spotlight from any subtlety that might have improved things.

So...it can't get much worse, right? WRONG. Toyota has done it again. The ugliest pickup truck in the history of the Universe (Yes, that includes the 1st-gen Tundra stepside and even those hideous "Styling...what's styling?" slab-sided early-'60s Dodges.) is here to risk visual impairment and optical-insurance premium increases for everyone.
Take a look. But you might want to grab a welding helmet first. Don't say I didn't warn you.



There are no words. There is no expletive or superlative capable of expressing my feelings of horror. So I'll just let you look at that picture again, and imagine that you feel the same way I do. If you don't, you probably SHOULD go have your eyes examined.

[krash]

I actually didn't think the second gen look bad at all. In fact, I kind of liked it. The first gen step side however....

[nissangirl74]

Not a fan. It looks like it is trying to copycat Dodge, in a bad way.

[MinisterofDOOM]

I actually didn't think the second gen look bad at all. In fact, I kind of liked it.

2014 is still 2nd-gen. It's just 2nd-gen with Michael Bay's Transformers meets Braun styling tweaks.

The rear is actually a huge improvement, though:


FINALLY we're going back to TAIL lights rather than idiotic triangular more-light-on-the-side-of-the-bed-than-behind-it nonsense like seen on 2nd gen Tundras and current-model F-150s.

Also:
When there's so little room on your fenders that you have to move your powertrain badging to the doors, it's probably a sign that your wheel arches are TOO BIG.

[Dattebayo]

The only thing I see wrong is bad wheels and a dyslexic grill...

[float_6969]

Blech. I hate everything from the doors forward. I like the bed and the wheels are meh. I think the ancient Titan looks better.

[RCA]

Devil's advocate.

How does the truck perform?

Why is buying a pretty truck matter? If I'm moving tons of dirt and crap, the car is going to look like s*** no matter what it looks like when it leaves the dealers lot.

[JTR32gtst]

I have never liked the exterior of the Tundras. The nose is too...bulky. The only full size trucks I like the look of is the 07-13 Chevy, though I would never, in a million years, own anything GM made. EVER.

With that said, I have a Titan. They are not the best looking full size, let us be honest. But, the truck performs very well, above expectations really, so I can get around the front end. The Tundra also has a great cabin inside, great power, great reliability, so you can "look past" the hidiouesness that ensues out front. I prefer Nissan, but I would not chew my arm off if I was forced to drive a Tundra.

I am, however, very nervous to see the new Titan. I hope it does not become the evil box style every truck seems to be going towards...


EDIT*- The only, ONLY time you would see my in a GM or Ford, is if they brought back the 50's style in a new truck with updates. Otherwise, I would rather have a monkey stick a hot p0ker in my pen15 hole while I was tied to a lava bed naked watching reruns of The Brady Bunch, then own a GM vehicle.

[frapjap]

EDIT*- The only, ONLY time you would see my in a GM or Ford, is if they brought back the 50's style in a new truck with updates. Otherwise, I would rather have a monkey stick a hot p0ker in my pen15 hole while I was tied to a lava bed naked watching reruns of The Brady Bunch, then own a GM vehicle.

Jesus, did GM rape your mom and force her to have you and now she resents you because of it?









(only poking fun- did you have an awful experience with some vehicle of theirs?)

[MinisterofDOOM]

Devil's advocate.

How does the truck perform?

Why is buying a pretty truck matter? If I'm moving tons of dirt and crap, the car is going to look like s*** no matter what it looks like when it leaves the dealers lot.

Buying a pretty truck doesn't matter. But there's a point of no return in ugliness. I'm fond of quite a few ugly cars because of how they drive. But they're world-class, top-level, unbeatable performers. Their performance more than compensates for their looks.

The Tundra is mediocre. As with all things Toyota, they took the recipe for a half-ton pickup, plugged it into a computer, and built the result. Other trucks do some things better, and some things worse. Functionally, I put the Tundra at the bottom of the list. Its capabilities as a TRUCK are generally middle- or bottom-of-the-list. But it is a maintenance nightmare compared to the others (It has a TIMING BELT. ON A V8. IN 2013. WTF?!?!?!) and they're not as dependable as workhorses as the others (especially before the frame-rust issue was resolved). The SBC and Modular Ford are simply cheaper, better built, and easier to maintain than the 3UR. But I'd probably take a 3UR over a Hemi...Hemis fuel consumption is disproportionate to their power output, and that exhaust note is not sufficient justification. VK vs 3UR would be a fairly dead heat if not for the whole TIMING BELT ON A V8 IN 2013 thing.

Chevy, Dodge, and Ford have all redesigned their trucks at least once since the 2nd gen Tundra launched in 2007. So they're not even fair comparisons. They're in a whole different league.

So, basically: if the Tundra was amazing and outstanding and earthshattering in what it DOES, I could follow the "you buy a truck for work, not looks" argument. But the reality is that the Toyot is ugly AND sub-par. So you're losing on both fronts of the war.

And, anyway, who says you have to choose ugly OR capable? GM, Nissan, and Dodge all make GREAT looking trucks right now. I'd just get a Sierra 1500 and call it good. Lots of final-drive ratio options. Solid powertrains. Beefy frames. And looks that don't scream "I LOVE FLAT BRIMMED HATS AND BASS AND WHITE FRAMED SUNGLASSES AND NICKELBACK YEAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH."

[Mr1der]

I hear in Japan, they think severely inbred bulldogs look tough

[Jesda]

James with the one-liners

[float_6969]

LOL!!!

[Looneybomber]

Ugh, so much chrome... I dislike chrome, especially chrome covered plastic!

This is the right amount of chrome.

[IBCoupe]

If I put my thumb over the grille, it looks a million times better. I have too much love for Toyota to see what happens when I put my hand over the whole truck.

[AZhitman]

If you took Jamie Foxx (as "Wanda" from In Living Color) and chrome-plated her lips, it'd look like the new Tundra.

Seriously.

[admin]

I take it none of you guys have seen a Titan...which is likely the ugliest truck in the history of trucks.

[Rev_D21]

Toyota went for vanity when they designed that grille and it backfired. Horrible. And the Titan is not that bad looking of a truck admin. Go back in your hole.

[float_6969]

Why is the Titan ugly? I've always liked it.

[admin]

The titan looks like a disfigured ski jump from the front. They took aerodynamic waaaaay too far. The squared off back of the cab looks like they said "Screw it, we're out of ideas for making this look clean and smooth so let's just square it up." Tailgate looks like something from the 80s, interior feels ghetto (looked at an "upgraded" 2013 a couple months ago to see if it was worth considering but it sucked), it's too narrow for a "full size" truck, rear legroom is weak, and the 5.7 in it is gutless. It's just an oversized Frontier...nothing cool or original from that. Other than that, it's great

[MinisterofDOOM]

I think the Titan is a great-looking truck. Especially post-facelift with the new headlights (which I actually didn't like at first, but have come to prefer over the old ones). The Titan is a little pug-nosed and has a serious windshield rake going on, but it still manages to look nicely proportioned.
The interior is fine. Trucks are getting so carried away with leather and luxury. I want a truck, not an S-class. I want an interior I don't have to worry about dirtying up, and one that will stand up to abuse. I don't need fancy stitching and four colors of leather and stupid embossed badging on my seatbacks. My last truck had hard gray plastic everywhere, gray cloth seats, and no carpet. It was exactly what it needed to be.

I do think Chevy and GMC's latest revisions are a little nicer than the Titan to look at. And the new Ram was actually my favorite truck bodystyle in a long time--until they doubled the size of the grille.

[WDRacing]

I take it none of you guys have seen a Titan...which is likely the ugliest truck in the history of trucks.

I wouldn't say it's the ugliest truck in history, but I agree that it's pretty fugly. Not as fugly as the Tundra though. Definitely 2nd in line though if considering the current truck line up.

[float_6969]

I think the Titan is a great-looking truck. Especially post-facelift with the new headlights (which I actually didn't like at first, but have come to prefer over the old ones). The Titan is a little pug-nosed and has a serious windshield rake going on, but it still manages to look nicely proportioned.
The interior is fine. Trucks are getting so carried away with leather and luxury. I want a truck, not an S-class. I want an interior I don't have to worry about dirtying up, and one that will stand up to abuse. I don't need fancy stitching and four colors of leather and stupid embossed badging on my seatbacks. My last truck had hard gray plastic everywhere, gray cloth seats, and no carpet. It was exactly what it needed to be.

I do think Chevy and GMC's latest revisions are a little nicer than the Titan to look at. And the new Ram was actually my favorite truck bodystyle in a long time--until they doubled the size of the grille.

This... exactly.

[Jesda]

I miss my Dodge Ram. I sold it because it was due for some repairs but I should have kept it. It had quick steering, a responsive V6, outstanding ride quality, and superbly comfortable seats.

I'd like another with a manual but apparently truck prices have gone way up.

[Bubba1]

I agree the Tundra nose is ugly, but overstyled grills seems to be the current trend with all the full sized pickups. I kinda miss the simplicity of the old ones (mid 80's and before).

[Mr1der]

They're trying put a 50's grill on a refrigerator box. All of the makers are doing it. The trucks look so much better with either a black or color matched grille.

Chrome needs curves to work.