13, 1992 - North Shore News

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Photo submited

THE ALL-NEW Toyota T1G0 pickup fs a little bigger than a Dodge Dakota and a little smalter than a Ford F150 with an eight-foot bed. Both 2WD and 4WD models are
avaliable. inquire about the Toyota T100 at Jim Pattison Toyota, 1765 Marine Dr., North Van.

Toyota T1100

Automaker introduces ‘new age pickup’ as first Japanese mid-size truck

optional on base models. There is
some, but not much, storage room

THE NEW Toyota T100 pickup truck is the first big
pickup to come from a Japanese truck manufacturer, and
its introduction is likely to clear the way for more big
Japanese pickups in a class that has been traditionally
dominated by North American brands, Ford, Chevrolet/

GMC, and Dodge.

The market for big pickups in
North America is huge. The Ford
F-series pickup, in its many
varieties, has been the best-selling
vehicle in the United States for
years with Chevrolet's C/K series
pickups running a close second.

In Canada, and particularly in
British Columbia, big pickups are
also extremely popular. Each year,
millions of big pickup trucks are
sold in North America.

Would Toyota like to have a
slice of that pie? You bet they
would!

Toyota calls the T!100 a mid-
sized pickup, but with an overall
length of 5,310 mm (209.0 in.)
and width of 1,910 mm (75.2 in.)
the T100 is inches shy of a full-
sized pickup.

In actual fact, the T100 is
slightly bigger than a mid-sized
Dodge Dakota, and slightly
smaller than a full-sized Ford F-
150.

The T100’s bed, however, is
full-sized — eight feet long and
big enough to fit a 4’x 8 sheet of
plywood flat between the
wheelwelis, The T100 will carry a
standard half-ton payload and the
two-wheel-drive model will tow
up to 5,000 lbs.

Toyota claims that the T100’s
ratio of curb weight to carrying
capacity is the best in its class.

At the moment, the T100 is
available in two trim levels, base

Greg
Wilson

TEST DRIVE

and SRS, in either two-wheel-
drive or four-wheel-drive for-
mats. There’s no extended cab
yet, but one is inevitable, I’m
sure.

Under the hood is a 3.0-litre
overhead cam V6 engine with 156
horsepower. This engine doesn’t
offer quite as much low-end tor-
que as competitors’ base inline
six-cylinder engines, but the
T100’s overall power to weight
ratio is superior.

And the 3.0-litre V6 is quieter,
smoother, and offers comparative-
ly good fuel economy for a truck,
16.4 L/100 km highway, 12.7 L/

100 km city.

A V8 engine is not offered, a
surprising omission in a_ class
dominated by stump-pulling V8
gas and diesel engines.

The lack of a V8 limits the
payload and towing capacity of
the T100 when compared with
V8-powered domestic trucks. It
would be a simple matter for
Toyota to drop one of their Lexus
V8s into the T100’s big engine
bay, but for the moment, Toyota
is insisting that the V6 is it.

The reason for this is a matter
of marketing, according to Shigeo
Asai, chief engineer for the T100.
The T100 is intended to be more
of a sport truck than a utility
hauler.

“The T100 combines the utility
of a full-sized pickup with the
stylishness and economy of a
compact pickup,’’ he said at the
vehicle’s press introduction. ‘We
want to catch buyers moving be-
tween the compact and full-sized
segment.”’

T100s will be sold to retail cus-
tomers rather than fleet users,
Asai added.

I tested both 2WD and 4WD
models on and off the road and
found them to be, for trucks,
surprisingly quiet and comforta-
ble.

An independent torsion bar/
double wishbone-type front
suspension and leaf-spring rear
suspension provide an_ excellent
ride and stability while offering
reasonable hauling and towing
capacity. The 2WD model, in par-
ticular, with its lower ride height
and rack and pinion steering han-
dles and steers much like a passenger
car.

The interiors refiect this car-like
feeling. A sweeping instrument
hood shields large, round, clearly
visible instruments. Heater and
stereo controls are mounted in the
centre dash area, and the level of
fit and finish is very good.

A three-passenger fabric-
covered bench seat with armrest is
standard on all T100 4X4s but
when equipped with the standard
floor-mounted five-speed manual
transmission, there's very little
legroom for the centre passenger.

Equipped with a column-
mounted four-speed automatic
transmission (with on/off over-
drive switch) three abreast is
possible. A floor-mounted fever
operates the two-speed transfer
case which can be shifted on the
fly in high range mode.

At present, a driver’s side air-
bag is not available, and a radio is

ress

‘Technical data

Type two-door, three-
passenger pickup truck

Layout longitudinal front
engine/RWD/part-time 4WD
Engine 3.0-litre V6, (two)
SOHC, electronic fuel injection
Horsepower 150 @ 4,800 rpm
Torque 186 Ibs-ft @ 3,400 rpm
Traasmission five-speed man-
ual (four-speed automatic)
Transfer case two-speed

Curb weight 1,792 kg/3,950 Ibs
GVWR 2,495 kg/5,500 Ibs

behind the bench seat.
Rear-wheel anti-lock brakes are
standard equipment on all T100s;

however, on 4WD models, they
only work in 2WD mode.

Other important TI00 features
include CFC-free air conditioning,
power steering, a tailgate that can
be removed easily without using
tools, and six stake holes in the
side walls for attaching canopies
and the like.

Oh, and don’t forget the dual
“Big Gulp’ cupholders.

Toyota calls the T100 a ‘‘new
age pickup.’’ Its introduction is
certainly the dawning of a new
age in big pickups, and a further
boon for consumers who will
benefit from increased competi-
tion and more choices in the
pickup truck market.

Towing capacity 2,041 kg/
4,500 Ibs

Payload 735 kg/1,620 Ibs
Wheelbase 3,085 mm/121.4 in.
Length 5,310 mm/209.0 in.
Width 1,910 mm/75.2 in.
Height 1,780 mm/70.1 in.

Bed length 2,484 mm/97.8 in.
Min. bed width 1,250 mm/49.2

in.
Tires P235/75Ri5 mud and
snow radials

Fuel economy city 16.4 L/100
km, 17 mpg: hwy 12.6 L/100
km, 22 mpg
Warranty = threc
km, Powertrain
100,000 km

years/60,000
five years/