How much will the Toyota Tundra cost in Australia?

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Full-size utes are one of the biggest trends we’ve seen in Australia, in more ways than one.

Breakthrough local right-hand-drive conversion programs for the Chevrolet Silverado and Ram 1500 led to almost immediate sales success in Australia, laying the groundwork for the Ford F-150 and now the Toyota Tundra to follow suit.

Toyota has tasked Walkinshaw Automotive Group with the unenviable process of developing the Tundra into a right-hand-drive vehicle, with prototype testing set to begin next month before some 300 units are shipped to Australia for final testing at the end of next year.

With this in mind, we expect to see the Tundra buyers towing boats a Hilux could only dream of in the early months of 2024.

The Tundra won’t be cheap

Prices for the LHD Tundra in the United States start from USD$35,950 for a base SR, directly translating to AUD$51,845 – but as we’ve seen with other American utes, these figures are not representative of what they ultimately cost in Australia.

Given its similar positioning in the American market, the Tundra is likely to compete with the new-generation ‘DT’ Ram 1500, which starts at $119,900 here in Australia, though some key cost savings could help bring down local prices.

Walkinshaw Automotive is an industry veteran when it comes to converting mass production vehicles from left- to right-hand drive but historically this process has added a heavy premium.

Back in 2018, the Walkinshaw-converted Chevrolet Camaro carried a circa $20,000 premium over the natively-built RHD Ford Mustang, despite both being sold at a similar price in their home market.

And it’s hardly surprising; additional shipping costs from America, the high price of paying a mechanic a decent wage in Australia and the sourcing of new interior and mechanical parts add up to a big lump sum.

Land Cruiser 300 Series parts could keep costs down

With the Tundra and 300 Series Land Cruiser sitting on the same TNGA-F platform, Toyota Australia has said it will thankfully be able to share some of the parts. 

Specifically, Toyota said it will use the steering column and rack, accelerator, brake pedals and shift lever from the 300 Series Land Cruiser and noted it also has the option of sourcing other parts from its massive global catalogue of vehicles, allowing the Japanese conglomerate to reduce the amount of expensive bespoke parts.

It’s also worth noting that the growing competition in this space could help drive costs down further as this once niche segment records record sales each year. 

Ford Australia recently hinted that it could undercut existing full-size ute rivals with its new F-150 pick-up, a decision that could have a major impact on the cost of the Tundra.

Standard hybrid engine hints at higher grades 

Toyota Australia has disclosed few details about the chosen specification of the upcoming Tundra but given the number of resources it has dedicated to the project and the runaway success of the smaller Hilux – Australia’s best-selling vehicle six years in a row – it’s likely we’ll see multiple grades made available to cater to different buyers.

One fact it has confirmed is the inclusion of the 3.5-litre twin-turbo hybrid-petrol V6 known as the ‘i-Force Max’. Notably, Toyota American doesn’t offer this engine on the entry-level SR or SR5 grades, reserving the powerplant for the Limited, Platinium, 1794 Edition and TRD Pro.

It’s likely we’ll see Toyota Australia opt for the Limited and Platinum grades to provide a relatively entry-level spec and something a bit more premium – similar to what Ford Australia has done by confirming the F-150 XLT and Lariat grades for our market.

So how much will the Tundra cost?

With the above factors taken into consideration, Chasing Cars expects the Tundra to be priced from between $100,000 to $110,000 (before on-road costs) based on the Limited grade with a CrewMax body style and 1.68-metre bed length.

The more expensive Tundra Platinum with the same body style and hybrid engine could command above $120,000, making it a fair bit more expensive than a top-spec Hilux ($70,200) but still a lot cheaper than the flagship Silverado LTZ Premium ($144,990). 

Toyota isn’t expected to place the Tundra on sale in Australia until early 2024 so it will be some time before we find out if the official pricing is higher or lower than we expect. Either way, it might be good to start saving your pennies now.