Toyota takes Truck of the Year

The Toyota Tundra is a 'half-ton' pickup of the type that is often used for personal transportation as well as for work.

CNNMoney's Abigail Heffernan and Peter Valdes-Dapena discuss Toyota's first foray into the large truck market and review the new Toyota Tundra. Play video

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Motor Trend Magazine named the full-size Toyota Tundra its Truck of the Year for 2008 on Tuesday.

Other competitors for the award were the Chevrolet Silverado HD, the GMC Sierra HD and the Ford F-250, -350 and -450 Super Duty trucks.

Since the trucks have different capabilities, they were rated against a set of specific criteria rather than in a straight competition against one another, the magazine said.

The trucks were scored for "superiority," a measure of general excellence in materials, engineering and workmanship, "value," a measure of what the truck offers compared to others available for the price, and "significance," a measure of how the vehicle changes the market in which it competes.

The magazine tested two versions of each contender, each with different engine, transmission and suspension options.

The General Motors and Ford trucks in the competition are all heavy-duty pickups designed to carry and tow large loads. The Toyota Tundra is a "half-ton" pickup of the type that is often used for personal transportation as well as for work.

The trucks were tested at a former Ford proving ground in Arizona and on area roads. Tests included trailer towing and driving performance on rough and unpaved roads.

The Tundra stood out, the magazine said, for its ride and handling, excellent interior quality and quietness combined with impressive truck capability.

"This new Toyota Tundra is big, it's tough, it delivers class-leading performance, it has excellent towing capability," said Angus MacKenzie, editor in chief of Motor Trend, in a video posted at MotorTrend.com. "It's smooth and refined inside and out and it's priced to take on its Detroit rivals."

Toyota (TM) introduced the new, larger Tundra this year as a direct competitor to market-leading trucks from GM (GM, Fortune 500) and Ford (F, Fortune 500).

The GM trucks were close contenders, the magazine said, but they couldn't mass the Tundra in the area of "significance." The Fords were strong performers but were more ungainly to drive than their GM competitors, according to Motor Trend.

"The recent launch of the new Tundra has not been without a few hiccups," the magazine noted. The truck has faced several recalls.

Motor Trend gives three awards for vehicles that are all-new or significantly redesigned for the model year. This year the magazine's Car of the Year award went to the redesigned Cadillac CTS while the SUV of the Year award went to the Mazda CX-9.