Initial review < 100 miles

[Nodak]

going to do some initial impressions vs my 2014 4R Limited and our 23 Tundra Platinum (yes i know but this platinum 4R is optioned exactly as our 23 platinum tundra, so the systems comparison is an apples to apples comparison)

1. feels a little more cramped in the drivers seat vs my 2014
2. gets out of its way, way better than the 2014 (dont alway have to mash the pedal more than 1/2 way to get it going like the 2014)
3. 8 spd transmission doesnt lead to doing easy shift matching for conditions like the 2014 with only 5 gears (had this same issue in the 23 tundra with 10 spd vs our 2018 tundra)
4. big improvement for creature comforts vs the 2014
   1. hud has a weird placement vs the tundra's, if you set the seat cushion front/back all the way down, your cut off the hud display, had to raise it (which thankfully the let you adjust up/down and rotate but no side/side, on the tundra its side/side and rotate only)
   2. seats are way more bolstered vs the 2014, butt comfort is like nite and day and is firmly planted vs the 2014
   3. hvac controls, kinda hard to get around the shifter to adjust fan speed in a quick manner unlike the 2014, still have to look before adusting hvac settings but that could be due to not having muscle memory from 12 yrs ont he 2014
   4. window controls & door controls, huge improvement (hated the 2014 button on the top door frame instead of down below like they should have, especially when its raining)
   5. mirror controls & L/R is too close to the window/door controls, the mirror d-pad is vs the how the mirrors move, easier in the 2014
   6. center console is a joke for depth, its like 1/2 the depth of the 2014
      1. no standard outlet to connect a fast charger to or other usb outlets vs the 2014 (i like to have a standard 120v charger in the center console in case i need a emergency charger using a standard outlet outside the 4R
      2. 2014 had a small ledge to store small things (like a pen or keys) the new one is just a square box with nothing (will have to go out a buy a tray)
   7. the full length hidden storage trays are kinda nice, havent decided on what to put in them yet, but the first aid kit and netting slid around and made annoying sounds while sliding around turns (promptly removed them), will need to find a liner to remove the ability of stuff to slide
   8. wireless charging pad, the coils are sitting to high now so even my 24 ultra galaxy wont charge in the default position (read in places where you have to place a bump stop to raise your phone to reach the charging coils, doesnt matter i have yet to see a oem toyota wireless charging work very well, the bouncing around unsettles a phone enough that the pad wont charge a phone anyway and toyota skimps on the coils, they usually only use 2 coils instead of aftermarket ones using 3)
   9. the cig lighter adapter port is oddly placed, interferes with the access to the 2 usb ports just below it
   10. drivers door cubby ledge, way better in the 2014, the molle panel kinda gets in the way for easy access
   11. wish the 25 4R had the leg extension like our 23 tundra, i expected my 2014 not to have it but was hoping with this platinum would at least match the tundra platinum (and our 23 tundra was the same price msrp as this 25 4R, this is a god send on long trips in the tundra)
   12. luckily all the nannies can be turned off (LDA was the biggest pita)
   13. the cruise control operation is way to complicated even compared to our 23 tundra
       1. there is single button to set the speed vs the tundra where all the operations are contained in a toggle/push button
       2. the increase the speed i have to use a toggle up/down away from the set button wtf
       3. have to look into how the dynamically change the set speed (i drive town to base and it goes from 55 to 75 to 55 then 30 on base) and some the distances are convenient for cruise control use
       4. the only way i can find righ now and reading the manual is to hit the set button again, but the way it works is it turns off the cruise control if i do that, so i must be doing something wrong
       5. at least on the tundra, i can easily change the set speed using the all in one toggle control, increase/decrease the speed
   14. love the ability to change all the gauges on left/right of the center display (just make sure you have all the options turned on on the side displays, just have to press left again or right again once you move over the the side display)
   15. love the ability to have 3 set of pre configure display for left/middle/right gauges (have one for looking at the electric motor, turbo engagement, etc)
5. the automatic running boards, while i love them on the 23 tundra, the 25 runner doesnt sit high enough to not make it feel awkward, big improvement vs the oem static running boards on the 2014, which didnt even give me 1/3 of a foot for traction to use
6. like the powered rear hatch, but its hard to resist to manually open/close it since i have to wait for it, on the 2014 i just open/close it in 1 second
7. love the ability to set defaults for remote start vs the 23 tundra (see attached pic #1)
   1. right now i have the heater set to 90, driver seat warmer on and front defrost on (this will be set every time i remote start via the app)
   2. on the 23 tundra (with TSS 2.5) we do not have the ability to set this, you have to manually set it before you leave the vehicle so when you remote start it, those functions are active.
   3. having this ability means the wife doesnt have to remember to set the control the night before parking, it will alway set per the default settings in remote start
8. digital key
   1. not sure how i feel about this, from a tech perspective i love it, from a common sense perspective i wonder when i will get locked out with no recourse
   2. i tried it out last night in the garage and it put a big smile on my face
   3. the wife would love this feature, not having to carry a fob, but she always has her phone
   4. going to do some testing this weekend when i dont have to worry about work
9. miss the 2014 garage door buttons (big and off the mirror)
   1. didnt think i would miss those big buttons on the 2014 homelink
   2. the small button on the mirror for homelink are kinda a pita
   3. eventually the mirror will be out of place due to the constant pushing of the button on the bottom left of the mirror so i will have to readjust the mirror eventually
10. have the 2nd row folded flat with the lasfit seat back liners installed, not at bad as i thought it would be vs the 2014. think the dogs will be ok with it.
    1. just dont think i will ever need to tumble the seats forward, not conducive for the dogs
       1. never had more than the wife in the vehicle so leave the 2nd row folded flat is not an issue full time (think they have been folded flat for the last 4 yrs, kinda weird when i put them back into upright position when i traded it in
11. the 360 pvm
    1. the 23 tundra implements this way better and with less distortion/fisheye effect
    2. the digital mirror is weird being set at the belt line of the 4R vs the 23 tundra at the top of the cab
       1. they should have put the digital mirror camera in the spoiler in the 4R
    3. the front camera on the 4R is weird to look at, the width of the camera opening seems way smaller, its starts to distort so close to the center view vs our 23 tundra
    4. the side camera have the same effect vs the 23 tundra
    5. the tundra rear digital camera only bad part is sitting that far from the rear bumper that it has to clear the bed to see the vehicle behind you
       1. on the 4R, it sits so low that when a car gets up close enough its fish-eyed zoomed in
       2. when a vehicle is more than 2 car lengths behind you, it looks ok
       3. i had to adjust the camera angle up to see vehicles since it sits so low, i rather have the camera look down than up
12. they at least let you customize more settings than our 23 tundra
    1. will have to wait until my carista adaper comes it to change some settings that only you can do via GTS (global techstream)
       1. seat buzzer
       2. door lock beeps
       3. ESE (engine sound enhancement, aka : fake engine noise)
          1. and trust me its really annoying when you set the drive mode to sport +, its a completely different sound vs normal or sport
    2. there are other settings i want to change but i have to go thru the manual for those only GTS can change
13. gloss black wheels
    1. hated them
    2. now after 2-3 days of standing outside the office looking at it from across the street, i kinda like them now
       1. i may forgo aftermarket wheels and just go straight to replacing the god awful grandtreks a20's
14. the heritage blue is more muted blue than what i remember, but meh, i got the color in case the wife decided to jump from the tundra to the 4R
    1. she changed her mind and stayed with her tundra
    2. but she has flip flopped several times during the week so far on taking it for a drive
    3. she has suggest take it to fargo for the weekend helping the daughter move into a new house, 4-5 hrs drive from our place to her's
    4. if she decides to jump ship from the tundra, i will take it and wait for a new 4R platinum, exact same spec but in silver (maybe red, i prefer silver)
15. last minute add after post, side mirror reverse/tilt, i love this on the tundra, hated when i got in the 2014 backing into parking spaces without is harder in the 2014 vs the tundra. lets me get right next to the curb without hitting the tires.

well thats all i have to say in the 3 days i have had it. overall i wouldnt go back to the 2014, i loved it for what it was, but as i have gotten older, the creature comforts are winning out. its very evident when driving the 23 tundra vs getting back into the 2014 4R

i have to say after 12 yrs in my 2014 Limited, nothing has failed on it, except a oil pressure sensor abou 2 yrs ago.

oh and funny fact, the power steering pump failed after i traded in the 2014, go me

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[EL616]

I genuinely hate the way the seats tumble in this thing, especially given that the rear headrests can't fold down (at least in my ORP). I'm tall so I have my front seats somewhat far back, and the rear headrests don't have nearly enough clearance to tumble. So to put them down, I have to hold the buttons to move the electric front seats forwards, then tumble both back seats, then re-adjust my front seats. Have to open all four doors and do two full walkarounds just to fold them down and get the front seats back where I want them.

Then there's the fact that they don't lay flat to begin with. The 5th gen wasn't too much better in this respect but at least the headrests folded down so you didn't have to adjust the front seats as well. Coming from a Grand Cherokee where I could easily sleep flat in the back with no platform required, it's a huge bummer.

Other than that though and a few similar gripes with the wireless charger and other small interior things, pretty thrilled overall with the 6th Gen and do not regret my purchase.

 

[brumey]

going to do some initial impressions vs my 2014 4R Limited and our 23 Tundra Platinum (yes i know but this platinum 4R is optioned exactly as our 23 platinum tundra, so the systems comparison is an apples to apples comparison)

1. feels a little more cramped in the drivers seat vs my 2014
2. gets out of its way, way better than the 2014 (dont alway have to mash the pedal more than 1/2 way to get it going like the 2014)
3. 8 spd transmission doesnt lead to doing easy shift matching for conditions like the 2014 with only 5 gears (had this same issue in the 23 tundra with 10 spd vs our 2018 tundra)
4. big improvement for creature comforts vs the 2014
   1. hud has a weird placement vs the tundra's, if you set the seat cushion front/back all the way down, your cut off the hud display, had to raise it (which thankfully the let you adjust up/down and rotate but no side/side, on the tundra its side/side and rotate only)
   2. seats are way more bolstered vs the 2014, butt comfort is like nite and day and is firmly planted vs the 2014
   3. hvac controls, kinda hard to get around the shifter to adjust fan speed in a quick manner unlike the 2014, still have to look before adusting hvac settings but that could be due to not having muscle memory from 12 yrs ont he 2014
   4. window controls & door controls, huge improvement (hated the 2014 button on the top door frame instead of down below like they should have, especially when its raining)
   5. mirror controls & L/R is too close to the window/door controls, the mirror d-pad is vs the how the mirrors move, easier in the 2014
   6. center console is a joke for depth, its like 1/2 the depth of the 2014
      1. no standard outlet to connect a fast charger to or other usb outlets vs the 2014 (i like to have a standard 120v charger in the center console in case i need a emergency charger using a standard outlet outside the 4R
      2. 2014 had a small ledge to store small things (like a pen or keys) the new one is just a square box with nothing (will have to go out a buy a tray)
   7. the full length hidden storage trays are kinda nice, havent decided on what to put in them yet, but the first aid kit and netting slid around and made annoying sounds while sliding around turns (promptly removed them), will need to find a liner to remove the ability of stuff to slide
   8. wireless charging pad, the coils are sitting to high now so even my 24 ultra galaxy wont charge in the default position (read in places where you have to place a bump stop to raise your phone to reach the charging coils, doesnt matter i have yet to see a oem toyota wireless charging work very well, the bouncing around unsettles a phone enough that the pad wont charge a phone anyway and toyota skimps on the coils, they usually only use 2 coils instead of aftermarket ones using 3)
   9. the cig lighter adapter port is oddly placed, interferes with the access to the 2 usb ports just below it
   10. drivers door cubby ledge, way better in the 2014, the molle panel kinda gets in the way for easy access
   11. wish the 25 4R had the leg extension like our 23 tundra, i expected my 2014 not to have it but was hoping with this platinum would at least match the tundra platinum (and our 23 tundra was the same price msrp as this 25 4R, this is a god send on long trips in the tundra)
   12. luckily all the nannies can be turned off (LDA was the biggest pita)
   13. the cruise control operation is way to complicated even compared to our 23 tundra
       1. there is single button to set the speed vs the tundra where all the operations are contained in a toggle/push button
       2. the increase the speed i have to use a toggle up/down away from the set button wtf
       3. have to look into how the dynamically change the set speed (i drive town to base and it goes from 55 to 75 to 55 then 30 on base) and some the distances are convenient for cruise control use
       4. the only way i can find righ now and reading the manual is to hit the set button again, but the way it works is it turns off the cruise control if i do that, so i must be doing something wrong
       5. at least on the tundra, i can easily change the set speed using the all in one toggle control, increase/decrease the speed
   14. love the ability to change all the gauges on left/right of the center display (just make sure you have all the options turned on on the side displays, just have to press left again or right again once you move over the the side display)
   15. love the ability to have 3 set of pre configure display for left/middle/right gauges (have one for looking at the electric motor, turbo engagement, etc)
5. the automatic running boards, while i love them on the 23 tundra, the 25 runner doesnt sit high enough to not make it feel awkward, big improvement vs the oem static running boards on the 2014, which didnt even give me 1/3 of a foot for traction to use
6. like the powered rear hatch, but its hard to resist to manually open/close it since i have to wait for it, on the 2014 i just open/close it in 1 second
7. love the ability to set defaults for remote start vs the 23 tundra (see attached pic #1)
   1. right now i have the heater set to 90, driver seat warmer on and front defrost on (this will be set every time i remote start via the app)
   2. on the 23 tundra (with TSS 2.5) we do not have the ability to set this, you have to manually set it before you leave the vehicle so when you remote start it, those functions are active.
   3. having this ability means the wife doesnt have to remember to set the control the night before parking, it will alway set per the default settings in remote start
8. digital key
   1. not sure how i feel about this, from a tech perspective i love it, from a common sense perspective i wonder when i will get locked out with no recourse
   2. i tried it out last night in the garage and it put a big smile on my face
   3. the wife would love this feature, not having to carry a fob, but she always has her phone
   4. going to do some testing this weekend when i dont have to worry about work
9. miss the 2014 garage door buttons (big and off the mirror)
   1. didnt think i would miss those big buttons on the 2014 homelink
   2. the small button on the mirror for homelink are kinda a pita
   3. eventually the mirror will be out of place due to the constant pushing of the button on the bottom left of the mirror so i will have to readjust the mirror eventually
10. have the 2nd row folded flat with the lasfit seat back liners installed, not at bad as i thought it would be vs the 2014. think the dogs will be ok with it.
    1. just dont think i will ever need to tumble the seats forward, not conducive for the dogs
       1. never had more than the wife in the vehicle so leave the 2nd row folded flat is not an issue full time (think they have been folded flat for the last 4 yrs, kinda weird when i put them back into upright position when i traded it in
11. the 360 pvm
    1. the 23 tundra implements this way better and with less distortion/fisheye effect
    2. the digital mirror is weird being set at the belt line of the 4R vs the 23 tundra at the top of the cab
       1. they should have put the digital mirror camera in the spoiler in the 4R
    3. the front camera on the 4R is weird to look at, the width of the camera opening seems way smaller, its starts to distort so close to the center view vs our 23 tundra
    4. the side camera have the same effect vs the 23 tundra
    5. the tundra rear digital camera only bad part is sitting that far from the rear bumper that it has to clear the bed to see the vehicle behind you
       1. on the 4R, it sits so low that when a car gets up close enough its fish-eyed zoomed in
       2. when a vehicle is more than 2 car lengths behind you, it looks ok
       3. i had to adjust the camera angle up to see vehicles since it sits so low, i rather have the camera look down than up
12. they at least let you customize more settings than our 23 tundra
    1. will have to wait until my carista adaper comes it to change some settings that only you can do via GTS (global techstream)
       1. seat buzzer
       2. door lock beeps
       3. ESE (engine sound enhancement, aka : fake engine noise)
          1. and trust me its really annoying when you set the drive mode to sport +, its a completely different sound vs normal or sport
    2. there are other settings i want to change but i have to go thru the manual for those only GTS can change
13. gloss black wheels
    1. hated them
    2. now after 2-3 days of standing outside the office looking at it from across the street, i kinda like them now
       1. i may forgo aftermarket wheels and just go straight to replacing the god awful grandtreks a20's
14. the heritage blue is more muted blue than what i remember, but meh, i got the color in case the wife decided to jump from the tundra to the 4R
    1. she changed her mind and stayed with her tundra
    2. but she has flip flopped several times during the week so far on taking it for a drive
    3. she has suggest take it to fargo for the weekend helping the daughter move into a new house, 4-5 hrs drive from our place to her's
    4. if she decides to jump ship from the tundra, i will take it and wait for a new 4R platinum, exact same spec but in silver (maybe red, i prefer silver)
15. last minute add after post, side mirror reverse/tilt, i love this on the tundra, hated when i got in the 2014 backing into parking spaces without is harder in the 2014 vs the tundra. lets me get right next to the curb without hitting the tires.

well thats all i have to say in the 3 days i have had it. overall i wouldnt go back to the 2014, i loved it for what it was, but as i have gotten older, the creature comforts are winning out. its very evident when driving the 23 tundra vs getting back into the 2014 4R

i have to say after 12 yrs in my 2014 Limited, nothing has failed on it, except a oil pressure sensor abou 2 yrs ago.

oh and funny fact, the power steering pump failed after i traded in the 2014, go me

Great write up. This is the level of detail that helps other folk. I tend to agree with most of your comments. I also think the backseat design is poor but I can live with it.

 

[Nodak]

update 2025-11-13 @ roughly 800 miles :

1. the door unlock delay is still annoying. i set it via carista to be off and to .8 seconds. cannot get it to be instant like our 23 tundra via carista
2. figured out the CC controls.
   1. to set the initial speed you use the CC button in the top left
   2. to set a lower speed than the registered set speed, you use the CC button in the top left
   3. to set a higher speed than the registered set speed, you use the toggle +/- and press up to set a higher speed
   4. to resume a set speed, you press up on the toggle switch for CC
   5. this is completely stupid way to set a CC speed, it means you have to look at your set speed and then figure what button to press
   6. on our 23 tundra its all contained in a single button/toggle
      1. press up to resume on the toggle
      2. press down on the toggle to set a lower speed
      3. press down on the toggle to set a speed
3. tried 89 and 87 gas, not much difference in mpg, getting around 19 mpg on both gas
   1. tried as an experiment, no point in running 89 from my use case, didnt notice any improvement using 89 over 87, power or response wise
   2. this may improve after i get a few thousand miles on the engine and it breaks in more
4. the hybrid electric motor engagement from 1st to 2nd is still wonky, at times it clunks but not always
5. seat heaters are a big improvement from my 2014 heaters, heats up in 1/2 the time and get way warmer than the 2014
6. steering wheel heater is good but the 23 tundra gets way hotter and covers more of the steering wheel
7. i mostly run in normal mode, have tried comfort but like our 23 tundra, its a slight improvment over expansion joints and small bumps
8. tried sport but kinda pointless to run in that mode all the time, normal all you need to do is to push past 1/2 throttle and it will act just like sport mode
9. if eco mode is like our 23 tundra, our 23 tundra actually did worse in mpg than normal mode
10. havent tried H4L yet, but it will be coming eventually, cause you know its ND winters
11. auto running boards have a weird clunk extending and retracting at the end of the cycle, have to look into that
12. oem mudflaps are ok, could use a better set that sits about 1 in lower to negate the wash back onto the lower quarter panels of the front and rear doors
13. no drivers oh shit handle sucks, which forces you to use the auto running boards, but that is another issue since the 4R doesnt sit as high as our 23 tundra so it feels really odd geting in/out from ground level to the board to interior and reverse.
    1. i usually just forgo the auto boards and hop in and hop out
    2. wife loves them vs our 2014 4R static oem boards which completely sucked
14. front passenger entry handle should be an open handle not a formed pocket, makes ingress harder for the wife since she likes to grab the handle with her right hand vs the proper left hand
15. wife loves the oh shit handle in the center console as a passenger
16. seat comfort is better than the new taco, taco seat spacing side/side is cramped vs the new 4R, still doesnt beat the 23 tundra seat space

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