I Drove A 2026 Toyota Tundra For Two Weeks. Here’s What Surprised Me.

On a dare, and mostly because I was curious, I was able to convince our friend, SouthWest Toyota of Lawton General Manager Justin Rogers, to loan me a new 2026 Toyota Tundra SR5 for the last couple of weeks.

Honestly, I didn't think he would toss me the keys, given my 23 moving violations and handful of wildly fun and irresponsible Oklahoma expeditions that have ended up with at least one truck at the bottom of a lake... (it was my own), but Justin is a guy who also loves a good time in a truck and plenty of time spent outdoors.

He's one of us.

The Toyota Tundra is comparable to Oklahoma's most favorite trucks.

Though it has been around for over a quarter of a century, the Toyota Tundra has really found a niche in Oklahoma.

You know it as well as me, the Sooner State loves our trucks. Always has. Between ranching, farming, and the oil industry, trucks have been one of the usual two vehicles in every driveway since the 1970s.

While generations have had different preferences for makes and models over the decades, the relative newcomer Toyota Tundra has really earned its spot among the personalities who favor them.

While the Tundra probably could haul seed and livestock to and from the farm, it's capable of it, but that's not the niche this lineup of trucks has found a home in. Instead, given the unbelievable ruggedness and off-road capability, the Tundra has become the truck of the outdoor and extreme sports enthusiasts.

That's not a surprising revelation. Toyota has long made the absolute toughest trucks in the world, looking at the mid-size Tacoma and world-market diesel Hilux, but the Tundra comes full circle, offering all of that toughness and capability in a full-size truck.

The 2026 Toyota Tundra's new engine has more horsepower and torque.

The engine is probably the #1 talking point of this newest Tundra model, and sort of the elephant in the room. Toyota retired a legendary V8 workhorse when they figured out how to make more power with smaller displacement and fewer cylinders.

Everyone asked why, but anyone who's hauled a boat across the country with the older V8 Tundra can tell you that, while powerful and reliable, the fuel economy of that V8 was nearly, or should I say probably, the lowest in the full-size truck class.

The new engine? A 3.4L V6 force-fed by dual turbochargers. And trust me, when you put your foot into it, you'll hear those turbos spool up.

The old 5.7L Tundra V8 produced 381 peak horsepower, a modest 401 lb-ft of torque, at a "manufacturer estimated" fuel economy range of 13-17MPG.

The new 3.4L iForce engine in this SR5 makes a shocking 389 horsepower and 479 lb-ft of torque.

Even better, the available iForce Max hybrid engine produces 437HP and a whopping 583 lb-ft of torque.

The bigger tradeoff has to be the fuel efficiency. More power across the board with nearly double the MPGs. My 500-mile road trip saw economy in the 20s, until I had to make my way home against a 60mph headwind. Even still, the economy was shockingly good for a full-size truck making that power.

Toyota hasn't gained this newfound power and full economy without growing pains. The first-year model with this new engine didn't have the best launch. Manufacturing issues caused some serious problems, but Toyota took its lumps in stride and has since ironed out the kinks.

And you have to give credit to Toyota for fixing the problems completely. They didn't rebuild engines in dealerships as cheaply as possible, as every other truck manufacturer would have... Instead, Toyota identified and totally owned the issue, then shipped out hundreds of thousands of completely brand new engines to right their wrongs.

Oklahoma's tallest cowboys have plenty of legroom in the 2026 Toyota Tundra.

If you've never met SouthWest Toyota of Lawton's GM Justin Rogers, he's a really tall guy. I'm the American average height of 5ft10, but Justin towers over me. We've never talked about it, because that would be weird, but I'm guessing he's 6ft5, 6ft6? Somewhere in that range.

I tell you this because I've always wondered how he could possibly be comfortable driving his own personal Toyota Tundra. It's not just his home/work commuter vehicle. I see him quite often hauling his bass boat around the mountain lakes in the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge. And when you look at the Tundra, it's designed in a sneaky way that might make you think it's on the smaller side of the full-size truck scale. That's how I've always seen it, but it's not.

While I'm average height, I'm short-torso, long-legged. A full 34in inseam, but only because nobody makes pants at 33 inches. I sit in my own personal Sierra, and every other vehicle I drive, with the seat pushed as far back as possible, still having a little bend in my knees comfortably.

The 2026 Tundra is the first truck I've ever been in with so much legroom. When I opened the door for the first time and scooted the seat to my regular "all the way back" position and climbed in, I couldn't reach the pedals. And that's not to say I could tippy-toe the pedals. My feet were inches from touching.

The realization was instantly understood. I don't think I've ever sat in another truck with that much foot room in the driver's seat.

The 2026 Toyota Tundra balances rugged capability with comfort.

The 2026 Toyota Tundra lineup features 10 different models. From the base SR to the signature and pinnacle TRD PRO and Capstone models. My SR5 is #2 on that list of ten. And given it's on the affordable side of "utilitarian," I was surprised how well-equipped it was.

It might be the perfect balance of rugged capability with comfort in the class.

The suspension is tough enough to handle your most extreme adventures, but it also has a ton of features you would expect in a much higher model. Things like automatic climate control, power-everything, heated leather seats, cruise control that automatically compensates for the traffic in front of you, and while my model didn't have Toyota's version of automatic pilot, the lane detection and correction function inspired me to do some science.

After a trip around the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge, I popped back onto pavement on the far side of Indiahoma and didn't touch the gas pedal, brakes, or steering wheel until I rolled up to the first stoplight back here in Lawton. I'm absolutely positive the vehicle isn't designed to do that, and I'm sure Toyota would take issue with that experiment, but it was 21 miles of flawless hands-free driving.

Who is the Toyota Tundra built for?

It's a very loaded question.

They say Chevrolet's are for farmers, GMC's are for ranchers, and Ford's are for oilfield wildcatters and foolish young drivers who don't know any better... but the generalizations aren't always accurate.

People of all walks of life, industries, backgrounds, and economic statuses drive the same vehicles their opposite life counterparts do. Not all GMC's are driven by ranchers. Not all Chevys are on the farm.

Oklahoma's outdoorsmen will find a match with the 2026 Toyota Tundra.

I can totally see the Tundra finding a purpose-built home in the driveway of your average Oklahoma outdoorsman. If your idea of a good time is loading up the boat, dirt bikes, quads, side-by-sides, or just a bed full of camping gear, this is the truck that was designed and built for you.

That's not to gatekeep the Tundra from anyone else. It's just who Toyota markets to when they design such capable vehicles. I'm sure it would find a good home in any driveway. I wouldn't be surprised to see the additional models up the Tundra line in the garages of professionals, soccer moms, and all walks of life.

I think it's that universal desire for a well-thought-out, intentionally designed, purpose-built vehicle. Ultra responsive on the pavement, completely at home in the mud and rocks, tons of power at the wheels, creature comforts at your fingertips, and plenty of space for everyone and everything you would ever take with you.

That can be the 22ft bass boat you hit the lake with, or just a weekend of clothes, a welder, PPE, and a box of dirt bike parts.

Whether you're actively looking for your next truck or curious about something new and out of your ordinary, today would be a great day to pop over to SouthWest Toyota of Lawton to be surprised by the Tundra.

This article is part of Kelso's endorsement from SouthWest Toyota of Lawton.