Toyota T100
 | This article relies largely or entirely on a single source. (April 2020) |
| Toyota T100 (XK10/XK20) | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | |
| Production | August 1992–July 1998 |
| Assembly | |
| Body and chassis | |
| Class | Full-size pickup truck |
| Body style | 2-door pickup truck |
| Layout | Front engine, rear-wheel drive / four-wheel drive |
| Related | |
| Powertrain | |
| Engine | |
| Transmission | |
| Dimensions | |
| Wheelbase | 121.8 in (3,094 mm) |
| Length | 209.1 in (5,311 mm) |
| Width | 75.2 in (1,910 mm) |
| Height |
|
| Chronology | |
| Successor | Toyota Tundra |
The Toyota T100 is a full-size pickup truck produced by Toyota between 1992 and 1998.
History
 | This section possibly contains original research. (May 2018) |
As Toyota firmly established itself in the North American compact pickup truck market in the 1980s through 1990s, it seemed only logical that Toyota needed to capture part of the lucrative full-size pickup truck market. Rumored for many years before, the 1993 Toyota T100 boasted a full-size (8 ft) pickup bed but retained the engine and suspension setup of its smaller and older sibling, the compact Toyota Truck. Although the T100 was a bit larger than the competitive mid-size Dodge Dakota and compact Ford Ranger pickup trucks of the time, it was still much smaller than full-size American pickup trucks of the time. This meant that the T100 occupied its own niche in the truck market.[citation needed] Though economical, reliable and practical, in the grand scheme of things the unsuccessful T100 had not captured as much of the market as Toyota had hoped. Many critics maintained[citation needed] the T100 was still too small, despite being larger than both the Toyota Truck and the Toyota Tacoma compact trucks, for the full-size segment.
Although sales were slow at the start, the T100 sales did reach into the mid 40,000 vehicles sold range (1996) in the United States. Sales of the Chevrolet C/K were roughly 700,000 per year, while sales of the Ford F-Series surged from 550,000 to nearly 850,000 and Dodge went from 100,000 to 400,000 with the introduction of the new Dodge Ram in 1993. Sales of the T100 fell approximately 30% when the new Ram went on the market in October 1993, 11 months after the T100's launch in November 1992.[1]
Criticisms
Upon introduction, the T100 was criticized for several things. The first was being too small to appeal to buyers of full-size work trucks, the second was the lack of an xtracab version and the third and perhaps most important criticism, was the lack of a V8 engine with the only available engine being that of a small 3.0 liter V6 powerplant which was already found in Toyota's compact trucks and in the Toyota 4Runner. Although considered criticisms by many, Toyota stated these were all factors that were taken into consideration when designing and producing the T100. They claimed the smaller size was planned to offer a larger truck with a compact "feel", an Xtracab was on the horizon and the 3.0 liter V6 would provide far better fuel economy than the vehicles it aspired to rival.
Beyond the issues of size and horsepower the T100 did receive some praises from the media, acquiring J.D. Power and Associates Initial Quality Survey "Best Full-Size Pickup" award and the "Best of What's New" award by Popular Science magazine in its first year on the market. The T100 was the first vehicle -car or truck - ever to receive an "Initial Quality Survey Award" in its first year of production. For 1994 (the truck's second model year) and 1995 (the third), the T100 was again awarded "Best Full-Size Pickup in Initial Quality" by J.D. Power and Associates. In 1997 the T100 was awarded "Top Three Vehicles in Initial Quality - Full-Size Segment" once again by J.D. Power and Associates.
Design
When it was introduced, the T100 had one cab configuration, a regular cab, and one available engine, a 3.0 L V6 with 150 hp (112 kW) and 180 lb⋅ft (244 N⋅m) of torque. In 1993, a 2.7 L I4 engine with 150 hp (112 kW) (like the 3.0 V6) and 177 lb⋅ft (240 N⋅m) of torque was added in the hopes new buyers would be drawn in with promises of greater fuel economy and a lower price (than previous models). Toyota ultimately realized there was no alternative but to add more power to the truck and in 1995 Toyota added the 190 hp (142 kW) and 220 lb⋅ft (298 N⋅m) of torque 3.4 L V6. An Xtra Cab model came along several months into the 1995 model year as well. The T100 received only minor changes throughout its run, aside from the engine changes and the Xtra Cab addition. A driver-side airbag was installed for MY 1994 (a passenger-side airbag never became available), and larger 16-inch wheels became the norm for most of the 4X4 models starting in 1996. It was evident by late 1996/ early 1997 that Toyota was already investing in its next truck (what ultimately became the Toyota Tundra). At the time (late 1990s) some believed a revamped T100 with a V8 engine was on the way, and there were some reports that altered V8 powered T100s were used as test-mules, but ultimately it never came to pass, and the T100 was superseded by the Toyota Tundra.
Toyota Racing Development (TRD) introduced a supercharger for the 3.4 liter engine in 1996 and it became available for the T100, the Tacoma and the 4Runner with the 3.4 liter V6 (and later the Tundra). Horsepower jumped to the 260 hp (194 kW) range (depending of the generation of the supercharger) and 250 lb⋅ft (339 N⋅m) to 265 lb⋅ft (359 N⋅m) of torque. This power add on was available for MY 1997–1998 T100s only. Earlier 3.4 V6 powered T100s have different computer and electrical layouts which do not support the TRD device.[citation needed]
The T100 was manufactured and partially engineered by Toyota-subsidiary Hino. Three trim lines were offered: the base model, the DX, and the top-of-the-line SR5. The maximum towing capacity was 5,200 lb (2,360 kg) and the truck had a payload limit of 2,450 pounds. Although most trucks fell within the 1/2 ton realm, a 1-ton model was offered (in 2 wheel drive form) for several of its earlier years until finally being dropped because of a lack of interest.
All T100s were assembled in Tokyo, Japan and as a result were subject to a 25% import tariff on all imported light trucks. The T100 was the last Japanese-built Toyota pickup made for North America when production ceased in July 1998, ending with the 1998 model year. The T100 was replaced by the larger V8-powered Tundra which debuted in 1999.
Year-by-year changes
MY 1993
- Standard cab, long bed only
- 3.0 liter V6 engine only (150 horsepower - 180 lb⋅ft (240 N⋅m) of torque)
MY 1994
- Driver's side airbag added
- 2.7 liter I4 engine added to lineup (150 horsepower - 177 lb⋅ft (240 N⋅m) of torque)
MY 1995
- 3.4 liter V6 engine added to lineup (190 horsepower - 220 lb⋅ft (300 N⋅m) of torque)
- 3.0 liter V6 discontinued
- Xtracab model added to lineup
- Last year for the regular cab 4X4 model
MY 1996
- Color changes
MY 1997
- Larger 16 inch wheel added to lineup
- Color changes
- TRD introduces 3.4 liter V6 supercharger (approx. 245 horsepower - 285 ftlbs of torque)
MY 1998
- Last year for the T100
- Color changes
Gallery
-
1993 Toyota T100 4X4 SR5 -
T100 3.0-liter V6 engine – available from 1992 to 1994 -
T100 2.7-liter I4-cylinder engine – available from 1993–1998 -
T100 3.4-liter V6 engine – available from 1994–1998 -
T100 supercharged 3.4-liter V6 engine – available in 1996–1998
References
