A 2007 Tundra That Went 1 Million Miles Helped In Designing The All-new Toyota Tundra

A 2007 Tundra that went 1 million miles in 9 years helped in the redesign of the all-new 2022 Toyota Tundra pickup truck.

Almost every component of record-breaking Tundra was still fully functioning except for the sun visor detent and the odometer.

Another part showing serious stress was the bed, which had been battered by the heavy equipment transported over 9 years.

The Tundra engineering team built a new truck by innovating upon the durability of materials used on the previous-generation Tundra.

Toyota debuted the much-anticipated 2022 Tundra last year as it finally responded to the very competitive and lucrative pickup truck market that also includes the likes of Ford F-150, Ram 1500 and Chevrolet Silverado 1500.

Sharing the same Toyota New Global Architecture platform as the new Land Cruiser 300, Lexus LX 600 and Toyota compact vehicles, the all-new 2022 Toyota Tundra is the brand’s toughest, most capable and most advanced Tundra to date.

To make sure the new Tundra was as tough as the old one, the Japanese automaker studied the features of a record-breaking 2007 Toyota Tundra, owned by Victor Sheppard.

Victor Sheppard’s Tundra famously clocked one millionth miles in under 10 years, a feat that led Toyota Chief Engineer Mike Sweers to popped open the hood to see what made his Tundra so resilient.

Almost every component of Sheppard’s Tundra truck was still fully functioning except for the sun visor detent on the driver’s side and the odometer, which had reached its six-digit 999,999-mile mark.

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Another part of the truck showing serious stress was the bed, which had been battered by the heavy equipment that Sheppard, a driver for the oil and gas industry, had transported over the nine years he owned it.

Mike Sweers oversaw the Tundra, Tacoma, Sequoia and 4Runner vehicle programs and what he found in Sheppard’s Tundra helped in the redesign of the all-new 2022 Toyota Tundra.

With his sights set on building the new-generation Tundra with a more durable bed, Sweers swapped mild steel for composite — a lighter, sturdier and less corrodible material.

“Why don’t we do what we see in the commercials?” he asked his team.

“Drop some bricks in it; maybe drop an empty toolbox.”

Sweers and his team went one step further, throwing rocks, cinder blocks and even a V8 engine into the truck. With a payload capacity of up to 1,940 pounds, the composite bed survived without a dent.

Innovating upon the durability of materials used, the quality of design and the reliability of the mechanics on the previous-generation Tundra, the Tundra engineering team built a truck destined to reach new heights.

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