Full-size Toyota trucks for 2003 wear a new grille and restyled bumper supporting new round fog lamps, with the bumper changing color with different models. The material switches from steel to resin and shows an ardent tint on the base grade Tundra, but it's color-keyed with chrome accents for the SR5 edition and matches the body color on deluxe Limited with no chrome. Tundra mutates into a variety of formats, with two-door regular-cab and four-door extended-cab designs, short and long box lengths, rear-wheel and four-wheel traction, engines with six or eight cylinders, five-speed manual and four-speed automatic transmissions, plus trim choices in the three series of Tundra, SR5 and Limited. The vast majority of all Tundras sold carry the V8 engine and conform to the four-door extended-cab design, which Toyota labels as the Access Cab. Toyota's V8 engine -- called iForce, with the "i" denoting intelligence -- becomes the heart of Tundra. Displacing 4.7 liters and equipped with double overhead cams off an iron block with aluminum heads, the V8 achieves 245 hp. It produces exceptional low-end torque that's handy when towing a trailer, and can handle up to 7200 pounds in a trailer plus a one-ton payload. A base 3.4-liter V6 also has a two-cam design on top and makes 190 hp. Either a manual five-speed or an electronic automatic four-speed works with the V6, while the V8 uses the automatic exclusively. The new V8 Access Cab Stepside model trims out as either SR5 or Limited. On SR5, new gray fabric covers seats and a redesigned center console contains four cup holders, twin map pockets and a covered storage bin. Also, exterior flanks of SR5 are clad with new color-keyed overfenders. Base Tundra receives new vinyl flooring, and Limited packs new buttons on the steering wheel to control the audio system plus a rear window that slides open and shut under new power controls. Several new packages appear, including a TRD Sport pack and the Towing Package for a V8 Tundra. The latest Tundra colors are Phantom Gray Pearl, Stratosphere Mica and Salsa Red Pearl.
