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The 2014 Toyota Tundra full-size pickup takes some unexpected turns and finishes the journey across the Trans-Labrador Highway
- The redesigned 2014 Tundra CrewMax Platinum 1794 Edition and 2007 Tundra DoubleCab + 24’ trailer, 2 seasoned truck journalists with a crew of 2 complete an epic journey across the Trans-Labrador Highway
- An unexpected twist turns 3,000 km and 9 days into 6,000 km and 10 days
- Hundreds of friends and Tundra fans gained in communities along the way
(Toronto, ON – April 22, 2014) 2 Journalists and 2 crew took a redesigned 2014 Toyota Tundra CrewMax Platinum 1794 Edition and a 2007 Toyota Tundra DoubleCab 5.7L with over 100,000 km, plus a loaded 24’ trailer and left Toronto with a plan to travel to Corner Brook, NL via the Trans-Labrador Highway. The one way journey was to encompass 9 days and 3,000 km. When a ferry was cancelled, the journey turned into 10 days and just over 6,000 km; yet, the trucks, trailer and a road weary crew made it home to tell the tale.
The two journalists, Howard Elmer and Éric Descarries are seasoned truck experts and their crew included Autoguide news editor Stephen Elmer as well as renowned videographer Dan Bailey. The story was intended to be about the 2 Tundras taking on a challenging road, but it became much more than that. The team met with Toyota dealers, associates, Home Hardware staff and customers, and a lot of friendly, hospitable people in every community along the way; they all became the highlight of the story. Make no mistake the trucks and team were ready for anything, in fact when the team learned that their ferry to Newfoundland was cancelled, they decided to turn around and head home. However, when they shared this plan through the various Tundra Labrador social media channels, local followers were not impressed, and they let the team know about it.
“Labrador may be isolated on a map of Canada; but, when it comes to social media, they are quick and savvy...,” said Howard Elmer, auto journalist. “Within minutes of our announcement that our ferry was cancelled and we were turning around, followers blasted us for quitting. That really got our attention.”
“We had not planned on driving back home. So it meant we would have to tackle the same rough and muddy roads once again, “said Éric Descarries, auto journalist. “But it began to snow heavily. That made the adventure even more difficult and challenging!”
So the people spoke, and the Tundra Labrador team listened and took up the challenge to continue the journey to Port Hope Simpson, where they experienced the most severe section of the Trans-Labrador Highway. And instead of flying back home, the team decided to make the return drive all the way to Montreal and Toronto.
Toyota asked the crew what the best example of the Tundra’s durability was throughout the journey, and they replied:
“Suspension – nothing failed despite the continuous pounding over hundreds of kilometers of gravel road.”
When Toyota asked what customers said about the trucks throughout the journey, and here is what they recall:
“The interior of the 1794 got a lot of compliments. Labrador is a place where great distances require many hours behind the wheel; admirers were no doubt thinking about that when checking out the cab appointments. “
So, the journalists challenged Toyota with the epic #TundraLabrador journey, and the completed trip demonstrated that the Tundra (both the 2014 and the 2007) is indeed designed and engineered to handle the toughest of roads in North America.
“We knew that the Tundra was ready for any road, but the real proof is in the driving experience that our customers undergo every day,” said Larry Hutchinson, Vice President, Toyota Canada Inc. “We want to thank Howard Elmer, Éric Descarries, the crew and all the people that they met along the way for giving us this opportunity to put the 2014 Toyota Tundra through a Canadian real-world test: the Trans-Labrador Highway. “
To learn more about the Toyota Tundra, please visit Toyota.ca/Tundra.
To view video, tweets, and posts from this epic journey, go to Tundra Labrador on Twitter, Facebook or YouTube, or follow #TundraLabrador.
About Toyota Canada Inc.
Toyota Canada Inc. (TCI) is the exclusive Canadian distributor of Toyota, Lexus and Scion vehicles. Incorporated in 1964, Toyota has sold more than 4 million vehicles in Canada through a national network of 285 Toyota, Lexus and Scion dealerships. Toyota is dedicated to bringing safety, quality, dependability and reliability in the vehicles Canadians drive and the service they receive. TCI’s head office is located in Toronto, with regional offices in Vancouver, Calgary, Montreal and Halifax and parts distribution centres in Toronto and Vancouver. Toyota operates two manufacturing facilities in Canada which build popular Canadian vehicles Toyota RAV4, Toyota Corolla, Toyota Matrix, Lexus RX 350 and RX 450h hybrid. Toyota Motor Manufacturing Cambridge (TMMC) also manufactures the Toyota RAV4 EV for the North American market. TMMC is the only manufacturer in Canada to assemble both hybrid and electric vehicles.
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