2017 Toyota Tundra Truck - Visits South Florida

Feel 'Old Florida' at River Palms fish camp

As a lifelong saltwater angler, an annual invitation to travel from my home in S.C. down to Florida to go fishing is a welcome one. My own Toyota Tacoma pick up truck has made this same trip for many years, but the opportunity to test drive a new Tundra pick up this year added flavor to this sporting adventure. The 2017 Toyota Tundra 4 x 4 Limited Crewmax model is a full-size truck, but it drives like a dream when plowing eight-hours straight down I-95. The Quicksand color on this truck is easily my favorite color in the auto market these days, and men wonder why it took so long for this 'muddy' look to come standard on a truck.

Crewmax cab can hold lots of birdseed

One thing I really like about this truck is extra capacity 30-gallon fuel tank. I filled the gas tank up in the Lowcountry, and the dashboard readout stated that I could go 460-miles on that one tank of fuel. This 2017 Tundra model is rated for 15-miles per gallon in town, and 17-miles per gallon on the road. My own records indicated that I averaged 16-miles per gallon on the highway, allowing me to drive my entire route to South Florida without once having to stop for gas. Less stops means more time relaxing in the Florida sunshine, and less time revving up, going down the highway.

Savannas Preserve recreation area is lush and green

Limited accents inside truck

The 5.7-Liter I-Force V8 engine on this model has 32-valves and can run on E85 Flex Fuel. It has a 6-speed automatic transfer with sequential shift, and electric-controlled 4-wheel drive on demand. A double-wishbone front suspension with stabilizer bar, towing package and power-assist 4-wheel disc brakes makes this a reliable truck, whether towing a dump trailer for work or a boat trailer for fishing.  The rear back-up camera is nice when parking at the grocery store because the size of this truck can demand every square foot in a traditional parking space. The leather trim inside the truck and the Entune navigation and audio control with touch-screen makes this truck seem a little more refined than most. In other words, once friends and family climb in, they will want to go for a ride!

While in South Florida I lodged at the River Palm Cottages and Fish Camp in Jensen Beach, where saltwater fishing awaits with private dockage right on site. The natural areas found in the Savannas Preserve, part of the Florida State Parks system, also caught my attention. This area preserves what these east coast savannas used to look like stretching from Fort Pierce to St. Lucie. This area of South Florida showed no ill effects after Hurricane Matthew in 2016 and Hurricane Irma in 2017, except for maybe some leaning trees scattered along the landscape. I found the fishing to be good in the Indian River Lagoon, the sights and hiking trails to be great in the Savannas Preserve, and the entire region to be open for business as they head into their peak winter season with snowbirds and tourists coming down in droves. I may have been a little tired when departing, but the 2017 Tundra made the return trip seem easy, and sitting upright in my captains chair with the cruise control on and my feet planted flat on the floor beneath me was especially comfortable.

To view past blog entries about Toyota USA click 2014 Tundra - 2015 4Runner - 2014 Highlander - 2015 Camry Hybrid - 2015 Camry XSE - 1998 Tacoma 

Yes, the fish were biting!!