The Toyota T100 is a mid-size pickup truck manufactured and marketed by Toyota for model years 1993–1998 for the United States and Canada over a single generation — and intended and designed specifically for the North American market.
Other than in the United States and Canada, the T100 truck was also sold in the Middle East as the Toyota Grandlux between 1993 and 1996.
History
As Toyota established itself in the North American compact pickup truck market in the 1980s through 1990s, the company offered a truck that was larger than the compact as an alternative to the traditional North American full-size pickup truck market. North American Toyota dealers had long been requesting a full-sized Toyota truck, especially in light of the high percentage of Truck owners who moved on to domestic full-sized trucks. The T100 reflected a philosophy of designing products specifically for localized international markets, where traditional products sold and made in Japan would not sell well. This approach is also demonstrated with the introduction of the mid-size Camry (XV10) which was larger than the compact Camry (V30) in 1991, and again in 1997 when the Sienna replaced the slow selling Previa.
Rumored for many years before, the 1993 Toyota T100 featured a full-size (8 ft) pickup bed, retaining the engine and suspension setup of its smaller and older sibling, the compact Truck. Although the T100 was a bit larger than the competitive mid-size Dodge Dakota, it was still markedly smaller than full-size American pickup trucks of the time, thus occupying a niche in the mid-size truck market.
Design
When it was introduced, the T100 had one cab configuration, a regular cab, and one available engine, a 3.0 L V6 engine with and of torque. In 1993, a 2.7 L inline-four engine with - same as for the 3.0 L V6 - and of torque was added in the hopes new buyers would be drawn in with promises of greater fuel economy and a lower price than on the initial offerings. The T100 was the first imported pickup truck that could carry a 4 by 8 feet plywood sheet between the wheelwells. The T100 received only minor changes throughout its run, aside from the engine changes and the Xtracab 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 4WD models starting in 1996. It was evident by late 1996 or early 1997 that Toyota was already investing in its next truck (what ultimately became the 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 Tundra.
Toyota Racing Development (TRD) introduced a supercharger for the 3.4 L V6 engine in 1996 and it became available for the T100, the Tacoma and the 4Runner with the 3.4 L V6 (and later the Tundra). Horsepower jumped to the range (depending on the generation of the supercharger) and to of torque. This power add on was available for 1997–1998 T100s only. Earlier 3.4 L V6 powered T100s have different computer and electrical layouts which do not support the TRD device.
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 . Although most trucks fell within the 1/2 ton category, a 1-ton model was offered (in 2WD 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 in the United States. The T100 was the last Japanese-built Toyota pickup made for North America when production ceased in July 1998, sales being phased out in August and ending with the 1998 model year. The T100 was replaced by the larger V8-powered Tundra which debuted in 1999. Toyota had originally planned to continue the T100 naming system by calling the new truck the "Toyota T-150"; Ford made a successful claim that this was a trademark infringement of their F-150 and the name had to be changed. Toyota said these factor were considered in the design, saying the smaller size offered 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 its market rivals. Both the V6 engine and the somewhat smaller dimensions were influenced by relevant environmental concerns.