Such a good question and I'm not even sure I have an answer. For whatever reason, I just loved everything about that truck. Never should have parted with it.

I found the seats to be supportive and comfortable. We even took long road trips in it when my wife was pregnant with our first child. It was the full 4 door cab, so it had a very usable back seat. It didn't have things like leather, nav, or a sunroof. Just simple and easy to use. And it certainly didn't hurt that it was a manual transmission.

 

Definitely agreed.

 

This is a thread about favorite/interesting interiors, not Tacoma trucks.

 

^^^ agreed. Posts removed. Thank you.

 

That is one of the things I liked about that era of Tacoma. The interior was very functional and very easy to use. Easy to use dials. Everything was in a good logical place and easy to find.

 

Of the cars I have owned over the years my favorites, while not luxurious, were the MKIV Supra and the 1992 and up 300ZX (the pre-1992 Z32 used some weird carpet on the doors and dash vs. the post 1992 which was more of a suede type of material). It was more the ergonomics that I really liked and they seem timeless to me.

 

I might be accidentally feeding a few anti-Toyota trolls but anyways...

Looking back, despite the interior shortcomings I can respect the functionality of the 2007 Tundra redesign interior. This interior worked better in Limited trim IMO...Looking back, this interior worked compared to what we sometimes see today, especially with design.

 

Functionality was one thing, but the massive amounts of poor plastics was a huge let down for the second gen. Especially compared to the high quality of the 2006.

 

If the people who bought them liked it, that is that matters. New Tundra sold better than old anyways.

 

Read the forums. There was lots of backlash until the refresh fixed the interior. Besides mostly Toyota fans bought the Tundra anyway, it's hard to sway people who prefer Ford, Chevy, Dodge. First Tundra was very reliable with the 4.7, despite some rust issues.

 

The problem with the 1Gen Tundra was the same as with the T-100 and T-150 that preceded it in the 90s.....it was simply too small, even though it finally, with the Lexus-derived 4.7, got a V8. It was, at the time, a 3/4-scale truck that was tryng to be marketed as a true full-size. It took the 2Gen Tundra to finally achieve true full-size status, when it also got the 5.7L I-Force V8. But the 2Gen had problems with thin sheetmetal, a lot of weak plastic parts, and a tailgate that buckled under heavy loads.

Yes, definitely, if you simply look at the attempts by the Japanese (Toyota and Nissan) to do it. But American full-size Truck-Hounds don't necessarily have their decisions always cast in stone, either. Look, for example, at the recent success of the Dodge Ram in shoving the Chevy Silverado out of second-place, though some of that may have also been negative reaction by owners to the noted "Chevy-Shake" on the GM trucks.

 

Which is why I said shortcomings.....The 2007 interior lasted till 2012, so it was not really "fixed"

 

I call it laziness and stretching the dollar. That is pretty much the 5-6 year window where interior quality on Toyota and Lexus vehicles took a huge hit. Glad to see both stepping up their game the last few years

 

You are only looking at things from one perspective. Give credit where the Tundra did well (too much negativity on this forum) First and foremost, the 2007 Tundra was a work truck...designed for work....I am sure the plastics are holding up fine for those that are still on the road, job site, or marinas...etc etc.

A few things added to the 2007 design that was absent from prior design:
-dual zone climate control
-AUTO climate control
-power telescoping steering column
-optitron gauges
-power passenger seats
-seat extension for the drivers seat
-memory seating
-auto door opening when locked
-cooling seats (I think)

other stuff,
-far more functional center storgage
-double glove comparment

 

Because those are features you listed. I'm talking about quality, fit and finish.