The Tundra commercial voice-over guy sounds like a cross between these two...

So, in honor of the somewhat annoying voice in the Tundra commercials, here are a couple of gag videos found on Funny or Die.

First, here’s a “behind the scenes” video that makes fun of the fact Toyota is trying so hard to co-opt the real “trucker” image.

Next, a video that makes fun of the use of the word “tranny” in Toyota’s Killer Heat Tundra Superbowl commercial. Juvenile, but only 30 seconds of your life will be wasted.

Also, just for fun, you might want to check out the new Swagger Wagon rap video that Toyota produced. Even if rap isn’t your taste, this video is pretty hilarious. Toyota has done a great job promoting the new Sienna (at least according to me).

Click here to view the embedded video.

What do you think?

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Check it out:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Here’s the critique:

• Why oh why would they lead with ground clearance…and why would they try and brag about only one inch more ground clearance from the front bumper? Never mind the fact that you can clearly see the skid plate (about 6 inches behind the front bumper) sits lower than the front bumper. Never mind the fact that we all know ground clearance is usually limited by the pumpkin (a.k.a. rear differential).
• Who is this spokesperson? Could we get someone that consumers are more likely to respect? How about someone who isn’t quite so smug?
• Why is this video so long? What if Toyota cut up this one video into four or five like “F150 vs Tundra – Tailgates,” “F150 vs Tundra – Storage,” “F150 vs Tundra – Doublecab or Supercab,” etc.
• What if, instead of saying that Ford’s tailgate step might break after heavy use, they say “We think Ford’s tailgate step is a great idea, but we don’t like where it’s located. A lot of times people like to use the tailgate to help them load a large item (cut to clip of someone trying to push a mattress across Ford’s tailgate), and this thing might get in the way.”
• Where’s the demonstrable advantage in power? A 5.7 Tundra is going to wipe the floor with a 5.4 F150.

OK OK OK – it’s true that this video (and the other two – Tundra vs. Ram and Tundra vs. Silverado) are just re-purposed sales training videos. Perhaps if we’d seen the entire training video, these comparisons wouldn’t look so…weak. If a consumer watches this video, are they going to think “Gee, the Tundra is a smart choice.“, or are they going to wonder “Why are these advantages so weak?”

The Tundra vs. Ram video:

Click here to view the embedded video.

The Tundra vs. Silverado video:

Click here to view the embedded video.

LOVE the demonstration of the rear leg room in both videos – great work on that. For the rest? See the comments above. At least the ground clearance advantage is a little more obvious in these videos (and a little more significant too).

Thoughts – are these videos weak?

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The amazing advances that have been made in terms of computer graphics and special effects have led to the creation of a lot of “faked” commercials shot in front of a greenscreen in order to add in all of the perceived dangers once everyone is safely back in the studio. While this might be true of a large portion of television trickery, Toyota has remained committed to investing serious sums in producing some of the most incredible, and realistic, advertisements ever filmed.

The Toyota Tundra “Killer Heat” ad is a perfect example. In the TV spot (see below), a Tundra pickup is seen towing 10,000 lbs of cargo up a twisting road that spirals around an 80 foot tower. Here’s some information about the making of the Killer Heat commercial:

Click here to view the embedded video.

The original Killer Heat Toyota Tundra commercial.

The most interesting aspect of this advertisement, other than the Tundra being able to pull such a heavy load undeterred up a fiery incline, is the fact that the entire thing was real. That is correct – Saatchi LA, the ad agency behind the commercial – took 2 months to design and actually build a corkscrew road snaking around a steel tower and then encased 170 feet of that road in a specially constructed flame oven in order to prove a point about just how durable the Tundra is.

Stunt driver Matt McBride, used to pulling duty in Hollywood films as one of the business’ go-to guys for dangerous work, was employed as the pilot of this inferno-bound pickup. He made 11 successful ascents of the steel road, each time hauling an extremely heavy trailer load.

Not only was the advertisement visually impressive, but it also proved a point about the Tundra’s inner workings. Outfitted with a 6-speed automatic transmission, the Tundra pickup in the ad was asked to take on a lot. First of all, towing 10,000 lbs up a steep, winding incline is a lot to ask of any pickup. It’s also enough to heat transmission fluid to a very high level – which makes this stunt even more dangerous. Once a vehicle’s transmission fluid passes the 175 degree Fahrenheit mark, it begins to lose much of its viscosity. Every 20 degree rise above this level can cut the life of the fluid by 50 percent, and if temperatures get high enough the fluid will actually “boil over” and instantly ruin the transmission…and place the driver in this sort of test in a very precarious position as well.

Click here to view the embedded video.

The making of video for “Killer Heat.”

So why is all of this important? First of all, the tower seen in the commercial was built in the Mojave Desert where temperatures are already much higher than what the average Tundra driver will ever have to face. When you throw in 170 feet of oven-baked driving and the potential for disastrous overheating (read flames and a truck falling 60 feet to the ground) is increased exponentially.

Of course, the Tundra performed admirably during each take, providing indisputable proof that the truck is one of the toughest and best-designed pickups on the market today. If there’s anything wrong with the “Killer Heat” commercial, it’s that it takes a real truck person to understand just how amazing this stunt was. People have known how towing effects transmission temperatures in order to recognize how much engineering prowess has gone into the Tundra’s drivetrain.

The “Killer Heat” ad was a huge undertaking to setup and safely pull off, but the value of such a stunning demonstration is indisputable.

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Click here to view the embedded video.

This Tundra does a double-front-flip and lands on all 4 wheels. Just like in the movies. Crazy.

The good news is that the driver is A-OK, so we can have a little fun with this one.

Here’s a list of funny things that could have been said by the driver and/or the crowd afterwords:

• “Did you see what *God* just did man?” (shout out to Fear & Loathing)
• “OOWWWWWWWWW.”
• “Didn’t spill a drop!” (while holding up a cup of coffee).
• “The scores are coming in now – the British and the French gave him a perfect 10, but the East German judge gave him a 6?”
• “YES!” (Remember the scene with Will Farrel and the tranquilizer gun in the movie Old School?)
• “Wow – I think that cured my asthma!”
• “That guy’s gonna need a new truck…and a new fire suit.”
• “Wrecked him? Damn near killed him!”
• “What happened? Damn it! This happens every time I go to the concession stand!”
• “I can do that.  I just don’t want to.”

Leave your own funny comment below – Jeremy we’re looking for something really funny out of you sir.

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Click here to view the embedded video.

Here’s what we like about it:

• The demonstration is completely ridiculous – the situation shown could never happen – but it still made us say “Whoa – cool” when we saw it. The immediate impact is excellent.

• It’s true that truckers know about heat killing transmissions - heat is the #1 enemy of transmissions on all heavy haulers. Advertising to this basic truth speaks to the reverence that Toyota has for truck experienced truck owners (you know, the people they’re trying to convince to abandon Ford and Chevy).

• Ford stresses capability, and Dodge stresses refinement. That’s all fine and good. Toyota stresses power and performance – attributes that actually sell. This commerical continues to emphasize these key Tundra advantages.

Overall, a very nice ad. If Toyota managed to work superior quality and resale value into those 30 seconds, it would have been perfect.

By the way, have you seen the rejected Version of this Toyota Tundra super bowl commerical?

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Click here to view the embedded video.

Spoiler – it’s a fake! What do you think – funny or just plain stupid?

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Stevinson Toyota East in Aurora, CO has created this Tundra to showcase their customization skills.

The supercharger mounted on Stevinson East’s All-American Tundra.

When we got their, Ryan Prue and Tanner Tilton were finishing up the install. After dropping the fuel tank and putting in a new high flow fuel pump (and adding some 91 octane gas), they double checked everything and flashed the ECU. Then, it was time for a test drive.

Click here to view the embedded video.

No traffic laws were broken – we swear.

We’re going to visit Bandimere speedway next week with the guys from Stevinson East and participate in a few 1/4 mile runs. We’ll keep you posted. By the way, Stevinson Toyota East isn’t selling the truck they’ve made (at least not yet). If you want one, however, they can build you one for about $30k. Pretty cheap for such a fast truck…

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I like the smell of burning rubber in the morning. Smells like…victory.

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Our first impressions of the Volant intake were positive. Opening the package, we were amazed at just how simple this kit is. There’s the air box, duct, filter, some clamps, a hose connector, and some nuts and bolts. The air box’s chrome surface (see photo) is covered with plastic film to protect the finish as you install the kit — a nice touch. There’s also a brochure and some very rudimentary instructions.

Speaking of instructions, installation is brutally simple. This has definitely got to be one of the highlights of this kit. Simply remove the stock air filter, engine cover, loosen a couple of clamps, unplug a couple of hoses, remove a couple of bolts, and the factory box is out of the truck. Next, you assemble the air box, bolt it into place, and reconnect all the hoses. One complaint we have – and it’s minor – is that the instructions themselves are pretty poor. They tell you how to get the job done, but we think someone should go through them and fill-in a couple of the blanks. The quality of the instructions themselves is also lacking — they look like they were made on an old zerox machine. Finally, the pages of instructions were actually stapled in the wrong order. Like we said, it’s a minor complaint — install is really easy — but the value of the kit might be a little higher if the instructions were higher quality (both in material and clarity).

Click here to view the embedded video.

One of the other problems we have with this kit has to do with Toyota’s engine cover. First of all, in Volant’s defense, the piece of plastic that is supposed to “look like” an engine is stupid. It’s just there so that when a salesman opens the hood of the truck, he doesn’t forget the engine size and the customer can nod appreciatively and say “yes, that’s the 5.7L alright”. Basically, the engine cover is completely useless. Anyways, the problem here (and it’s minor) is that Volant’s air intake takes up some of the space that the engine cover needs to rest in. Volant provides a higher stud for the engine cover to attach to, but it’s not as solid as the factory setup. It’s not a big deal — the engine cover doesn’t do anything, doesn’t support anything, and really doesn’t need to be attached very tightly — but it would be nice if they had a solution that was a little more clever.

Fit and finish on the rest of the kit is excellent – the air box is flush against the fender and completely sealed so that only cool outside air can make it into the engine. [We've since been informed that the kit doesn't completely seal against the fender. There is a small gap. Our tests indicate the gap doesn't effect performance, but it should be noted.] This is a major selling point for Volant – they have studies that show most air boxes (both OEM and after market) let hot engine gases seep into the air the engine breathes, raising the air’s temperature and thus decreasing performance.

We have to say that the Volant kit looks awesome — it’s much more impressive than the factory air box and it looks a lot nicer than other air intakes we’ve seen. Sure, looks aren’t everything, but who doesn’t like to show off a cool accessory under the hood?

The air filter inside this kit is also a selling point for Volant. Unlike many competing companies, Volant’s PowerCore air filter is not made from cotton gauze. Instead, hundreds of staggered flutes catch 99.95% of the particulates that can damage your motor, and it does so without needing to be oiled periodically. Volant warranties their PowerCore air filters for 4 years or 100k miles, and they offer their filters in sizes that are compatible with air intakes from K&N, AEM, etc. We like the idea of a dry filter (cleaning and re-oiling filters is never fun or interesting), and we are intrigued by Volant’s claim that their filter allows better flow while catching more particulate matter.

So let’s get down to brass tax — how did the intake perform? When we first started the truck, we were amazed at how quite the Volant intake is. Whether sitting at idle or cruising down the highway, we didn’t notice any additional noise from under the hood. However, when you floor the throttle, you can hear the engine sing. Without exaggeration, you just can’t help but smile under full throttle. The sound is so pleasing to the ear, it’s like driving a race car. Very cool. We’d have to say the price of the kit might just be worth the sound alone.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Additionally, we noticed faster throttle response. Before, our test vehicle hesitated slightly on changes in throttle. With the Volant intake installed, response was almost instantaneous. The truck also felt quicker, both from a dead stop and as we accelerated on the highway. Overall, the kit seemed to make a big difference and it felt very good to drive.As far as horses are concerned, Volant claims the kit will add as much as 21hp to your Tundra’s 5.7L engine. They’ve even got the dyno graph to prove it. Looking closely at Volant’s graph, it looks like the air intake added about 14 hp at 5000 rpm, and nearly 18 hp at 5300 rpm. Our own results basically mirrored that result, but with lower magnitude. We recorded an 8 hp gain at 5000 rpm, and about 10 hp at 5350 rpm. Considering our base truck was making about 287 hp that day, and that the base truck in the Volant test was making nearly 300, we’re thinking that better conditions might have yielded better results (at least for our tests). But, like any cold air intake kit, the manufacturer’s estimates are always a little optimistic. Nonetheless, the difference we felt in power before and after was substantial. We think you can plan on seeing a gain of at least 5-10 hp, with some owners experiencing the full 21 hp Volant reports.
Click for larger view.

All in all, we like the Volant kit. It looks good, sounds good, drives good, and improves performance. We’re extremely confident in telling current Tundra owners that the Volant kit will add power. Like we said in our Tundra air intake guide, the factory air intake is pretty decent. But if you’re looking for a little more power, a more aggressive sounding truck (at least on WOT), or if you want to maximize horsepower gains from other accessories, installing a cold air intake makes sense.

Bottom Line: We really like the look and sound of the Volant kit. Installation is a breeze, and engine performance and throttle response were noticeably improved. We like Volant’s dry air filter, and we’ve read a lot of positive user reviews of the product. We do think the instructions could be a little nicer, and we wish they would have come up with a better way to accommodate the factory engine cover, but overall we will recommend this kit. Be sure to shop around before buying, as we found prices ranging from $360 to more than $500. NOTE: After completing this review, we learned that the kit does not seal against the fender completely. Our tests indicate the kit does add power, and we still like the look and sound, but it must be noted that the kit’s “fit and finish” is not as nice as we first reported. We’re not going to revoke our endorsement because of this issue because the kit does add power — we’ve proven that thru testing — but make sure you get this kit for discount.

Here’s a link to the least expensive Volant Cold Air Intake System we found for the new Tundra.

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1) 5.7L Camshaft Failures

This is EASILY the most publicized problem with the new Tundra, but we think it was completely been blown out of proportion. Toyota said that this had only happened 20 times. We think it might have been slightly higher than that, but not by much. Since the original news story broke, very little has been heard about any more failures. Many doom sayers predicted the Tundra’s sales would collapse because of this “HUGE” issue, but the Tundra has never sold better. Confidence in Toyota quality remains high, as it should be, and the 5.7 camshaft issue is actually a non-issue.

2) Highway Bed Bounce

This problem is very odd. Because of the specific characteristics of the Tundra’s bed and frame, it is possible to induce a self-amplifying oscillation of the back-end of the truck. Amazingly enough, this can occur at highway speeds as the bed bounces over expansion joints in the roadway. Here’s a video:

Here’s a different video shot on a California highway. At this time, Toyota has not announced a fix. While all trucks exhibit some type of bed bounce on concrete highways with lots of expansion joints, Tundras seem to be worse than normal. Adding weight to the bed and/or a trailer helps, and some other fixes include air suspension and custom leaf springs. The best solution might be to wait and see if Toyota comes up with something official. Finally, if you can drive faster or slower than the harmonic frequency (observed at 55-65 mph) the vibration is vastly reduced. Try using that as an excuse when a cop is writing you a speeding ticket…

3) The stereo shutting off by itself

Of all the problems to have in the world, this one is pretty small. Occasionally, for no apparent reason, a small number of stereos in brand new Tundras have shut off all by themselves. Evidently, this is due to a short in the stereo itself. Toyota is aware of the problem and will replace your stereo as part of the warranty. We’re not 100% sure, but we can’t imagine this problem won’t be fixed in the 2008.

4) One of the air vent’s louvers won’t stay pointed downwards

This problem is actually kind of humorous, so we decided it might be fun to mention. The vent to the right of the driver, due to the effects of air-flow and gravity, has a tendency to creep upwards. In other words, you turn on the A/C, point the vent towards your mid-section, and within a few minutes the louvers have worked themselves upwards so that now the air stream is pointed towards your face. The smartest fix we heard of was to attach a book clip (you know, the black plastic and wire clip) to one of the louvers in such a way to keep it from moving. You could always ask your dealer to fix it, but they would have to remove part of your dash to do so. The book clip seems so much easier.

5) The seatbelt warning chime

A lot of people have complained about the seat belt warning chime. If you take your seat belt off for just a few seconds (say to get out of the truck to get the mail) your warning chime will go off. Also, if you are hauling something in the front passenger seat that weighs more than about 40 lbs, the weight sensor in the passenger seat will think there is a passenger sitting in the seat. If this cargo isn’t buckled in, you’ll get to hear the warning chime. There are lots of solutions to both — check out our article on the Tundra’s annoying seat belt buzzer.

6) Not getting the mileage on the sticker

In our opinion, this issue doesn’t really belong on this list. As long as people buy new vehicles, there will always be some that don’t get the mileage printed on the sticker. First of all, the mileage indicated is an average, meaning half will get more and half will get less. Second, the testing process used to determine those mileage numbers is, well, ridiculous. This isn’t a reflection on Toyota either — the EPA came up with this test nearly 30 years ago. It involves driving VERY slowly with the A/C off and not exceeding 54mph on days ending in “y” with your head cocked at a 17 degree angle…you get the idea. It’s not very applicable to today’s driving. If you’re looking for ways to improve your Tundra’s gas mileage, we wrote about gas mileage earlier this month. But don’t let stories you hear about Tundras getting poor gas mileage scare you off — just know that the mileage printed on the sticker is an estimate.

7) The Tundra is “too nice”

We’ve also heard of new Tundra owners being accused by their relatives (typically domestic truck owning in-laws) of having stuff that was “too nice” and “showing off.” We’re not sure what it is about, but it seems the Tundra gives people the impression that you’re better than them.

Any problems you’ve had that aren’t mentioned here? Tell us about them! We kind of made that last one up btw.

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