Has Australia shrunk its car parks – or are our cars just too big?

Someone is going systematically and stealthily around Australia and shrinking our car spaces. I’m sure of it.

I notice it most at the airport, where every billable square millimetre of space is sacred, and even my teeny Hyundai Venue is a tight fit. And smaller spots are not helped by bigger cars which are all suffering from the automotive equivalent of ‘bracket creep’ in tax land.

The only safe space seems to be at Bunnings, where the stopping spots are focussed on the size and shape of the old-school Aussie ‘ute’, including the rampaging trailer rigs used by tradies.

But even Bunnings can get squeezy on a Saturday morning when you’re driving a Toyota Tundra.

For newcomers to the pick-up world, the Tundra is a ‘full-sized’ workhorse from the USA. It’s a full class bigger than a Ford Ranger or Toyota HiLux, and sits squarely in the cage-fight world of the imported RAM, Ford F-150 and Chevrolet Silverado from the ‘states.

Lots of people are asking why we need these trucks in Australia, because they are trucks, but sales are solid and Walkinshaw Automotive in Melbourne – which was once the happy home of Holden Special Vehicles – is banking big bucks by doing classy left-to-right conversion work. It’s not just about moving the steering wheel, as you would not pick the Aussie models from their US originals on quality or design work.

The Toyota Tundra is last to the party and that means it needs to be special to better the Ford F-150, which is my current favourite. That’s no surprise, since the F-truck has been the top seller in the USA for more than a decade and the only real advantage for the rival Silverado is its V8 engine.

To put the Tundra in perspective, literally, it is 5955 millimetres long and 2040 wide. It also sits 1985 tall and, according to Toyota Australia it “cuts an imposing figure on the road”.

It’s the same in showrooms, where the pricetag starts at $155,990.

If you think that’s plenty, the Tundra Platinum that (over) filled my driveway is priced at $172,990.

For similar money you can get a lovely car, or a prestige family SUV, but there are people in Australia who want a truck. Some even need one, to haul a giant caravan or three horses, using its 4.5-tonne towing ability. But …

From the wheel, it’s like guiding an aircraft carrier. The Tundra is big and it feels big. Even normal two-lane roads seem narrow in the big Toyota.

It steers nicely and the brakes are good, and the hybrid V6 package – running mostly in rear-wheel drive but with four-wheel drive available – makes 326 kiloWatts with a towering 790 Newton-metres of torque. So, despite its size and heft, it can get along briskly and Toyota has even found a way to inject some tasty engine noises into the cabin.

And what a cabin. The space is vast, but somehow not as impressive as its rivals. Even compared with the latest Camry, which Toyota has polished into a lovely luxury package, the Tundra feels old. It’s big and blocky, with far too much cheap plastic, and is a disappointment for the price.

Also on the un-Toyota downside, the Tundra has twice been called back to workshops. The first time was ‘remedial work’ on something minor, but then came a full-scale safety recall for the tail lamps.

That’s not good and a surprise for Australia’s favourite brand, even if Ford Australia has also had a couple of niggles with the F-150.

If this is starting to read like an underwhelming review, you’d be right. I expected big things from the Tundra – pun intended – because it’s a Toyota, because it was put through an extensive Australian development program with real-world users, and because Walkinshaw does great work.

But it was just a truck. Big, for sure, with a vast cabin, a big tray and heavyweight towing ability. It can easily lope along the highway and the economy can be good, and it’s pretty quiet.

Even so, the people shopping for a full-sized American truck expect to impress their mates, and themselves, by stepping up from a HiLux into the flagship of Toyota’s pick-up family.

The Tundra is missing the special feeling of its rivals, from the cabin of the Ford to the V8 engine thunder of the Silverado and the popularity of the RAM.

Yes, it will do the job, but I could not get past the bottom line on the showroom sticker. For $172,990 I expected better.

TOYOTA TUNDRA
Price:          From $155,990
Powertrain: 3.5-litre turbo V8 hybrid, 326kW/790Nm
Gearbox:    10-speed auto, all-wheel drive
Safety:        not rated by ANCAP
The tick:     Too much but not enough.