But Tundra's styling is still bland compared to the boldly retro Dodge Ram and the windswept Ford F-150. Instead, the Tundra shares a family resemblance with the compact Toyota Tacoma. Curving lines give both Toyota trucks a sporty appearance, while bulging fenders look ready to go off road.

Access Cab models have four doors. The short rear doors are hinged at the rear and open opposite the front doors. We called these suicide doors in the old days, a label manufacturers avoid (and rightly so, as modern locks and body structure have eliminated the danger of such a door flying open in the wind). The Access Cab's doors will bang into one another if you close the front door before closing the rear door. Fortunately, the inside of the rear door is padded, so this isn't a big problem. Handles for the rear doors are conveniently located on the outside, whereas most domestic pickups with extended cabs hide the handles inside the door jams. Still, the Tundra's handle design isn't the most comfortable to use.

The pickup bed measures 8 feet with the regular cab, but only 6-feet, 3-inches with the Access Cab. That's a few inches inches shorter than the short bed of a Ford F-150 or Chevrolet Silverado. Toyota's bed is also a little shallower than Ford's.