Toyota Tundra vs Volvo EX30

What's the difference?

The Tundra hasn't been approved for sale in Australia, but at this point it feels like a foregone conclusion. And honestly, I think Toyota and Walkinshaw's biggest problem will be making them fast enough.

Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with travel and meals provided.

Volvo has taken a bit of a risk because I'm not convinced that the EX30 knows who its audience is. However, our Twin Motor Performance Ultra test model is well-specified and the overall owner experience (from driving, usability and ongoing ownership costs) is great. This is a fun car and it looks super cute.

It looks like a big, American truck, doesn’t it? With a huge bed, powerful front end and big 20-inch alloys.

The electric rear windscreen is a cool touch, and I love the big bold nose and the 'i-Force' badging, referencing a very cool engine. But more on that shortly.

The big changes are inside, of course, which begins with the driver sitting on the right-hand side of the Tundra. Which is not an easy task.

The entire dash, save the switch gear is all new, but the materials were sourced from Toyota’s suppliers before being moulded and fitted by Walkinshaw.

The accelerator is from the Tundra, but the brake pedal, and the pedal box positioning is from the 300 Series. The steering rack is from the LX, and there’s plenty more of that Frankenstein stuff going on.

But critically, it doesn’t feel like it has been converted. Everything feels natural, normal and unsurprising, from the position of the pedals to the steering feel when you're on the road.

The EX30 is gorgeous. It has an interesting shape that makes it look larger than it is and it's unique enough to attract users who might not love the Volvo aesthetic.

You can still see that it's part of the Volvo family with its crisp pleating in the panelling and 'Hammer of Thor' LED headlights, but its look is new and fun.

Large Volvo badging is framed by rectangular LED lighting at the rear and our test model's Cloud Blue paintwork is offset by a sporty black roof and frameless side mirrors.

The interior aesthetic is very pared back - think simple and classic lines, no buttons or dials and large air-vents.

The dashboard is headlined by a 12.3-inch touchscreen multimedia system, which also houses all of the info you'd expect to see on a digital instrument cluster because there's no head-up display or cluster in this model and it does take a while to get used to.

At first the simplicity is a bit too much to wrap the head around but once you do, the interior is incredibly intuitive to use and as a driver, it felt a little Zen-like.

There are four interior design choices Breeze, Mist, Pine and our test model's Indigo which couples 50 per cent recycled denim jeans for its accents, a grey and blue Nordico (synthetic fabric) upholstery and lots of recycled soft/hard plastics in various tones of blue and greys.

To be honest, the materials didn't always work for me but the cabin is still pleasant to look at.

It doesn't get much better than this in Toyota's towing world. In fact, scratch that. It doesn't get better, period.

Toyota has taken to referring to the Tundra as its ultimate towing vehicle, and it's hard to argue, what with the big truck's massive 4.5-tonne braked towing capacity (less than it gets in the USA, but able to be driven in Australia without the need for a special licence), complete with a trailer brake controller next to the steering wheel, and a reversing guide.

Elsewhere, the Tundra measures a sizeable 5955mm in length, 1985mm in height and 2040mm in width, and rides on a 3700mm wheelbase, making it very much a full-size truck, and one that dwarfs even the biggest examples of the HiLux.

And that means space, and lots of it, in the back seat. Honestly, we had three less-than-small motoring journalists riding in the back, and we agreed a long-distance road trip would be a breeze.

For connectivity and power there are five USB ports, a single 12V accessory socket and a wireless phone charger. Not to mention wireless Apple CarPlay and wired Android Auto.

Add to that ample storage, including door pockets with bottle holders), a huge bed with adjustable tie-down points and practicality is one box the Tundra definitely ticks.

The cabin up front features plenty of leg- and headroom as well as cleverly designed storage options.

The rear row is surprisingly comfortable for space behind my driving position but I'm only 168cm tall and it might get squishy if you're behind taller front occupants. It's best to think of this car as a four-seater for adults though, the middle seat is an emergency seat.

The seats themselves are very comfortable for long trips, and both are powered and feature heat functions. My favourite feature inside are the door handles - easy to use and they look great too.

Like I mentioned earlier, the design is rather intuitive to use for every day. The only controls in the cabin are the window buttons and they're discreetly placed on either end of the middle console. The front only feature two buttons but you can switch them over for the rear window use via a little touchpad.

Individual storage is great for the class, with a large open centre console that features a dual opening lid with a shallow cubby, which is perfect to hide away any charging cables for the two USB-C ports.

There is a dedicated phone storage space in the form of a 'lean-to' scenario which also features the wireless charging pad and it's large enough to accommodate bigger devices like an iPad.

There is a sneaky glove box which is located underneath the multimedia screen but it irks me that you can only open it via the screen. It's large enough to hold a manual.

The other sneaky but super handy element is the retractable cupholder shelf that slides away into the middle console. You can also position it so only one cupholder is available or slide the cupholder insert backwards for a large cubby.

The rear gets large storage bins in each door, a drawer from the centre console but it's disappointing that the rear row misses out on cupholders or an armrest for added comfort. It does get two USB-C ports.

There is a 7L frunk storage plus the boot is adequate for overnight luggage or a grocery run with its 318L of capacity but that can jump up to 904L if you fold the rear row.

The multimedia system is fairly easy to use but you have to get used to it as it's a bit different from other Volvo systems I've sampled in the past. You also have to get used to accessing everything for the car, even for turning the car off, via the screen. I do like having buttons/dials but not having them in the EX30 mostly works.

There are three grades for the EX30 and our model on test is the Twin Motor Performance Ultra, which is the top-spec version. It is priced from $71,290 before on-road costs and that positions it as the most expensive compared to its nearest rivals.

The popular Tesla Model Y Long Range all-wheel drive is $69,900 MSRP, the Cupra Born (5 Seat) is one of the most affordable at $59,990 MSRP, and the Hyundai Kona Electric Premium N Line at $71,000 MSRP is the closest rival for price.

The EX30's price point and cute size means it's carved out a little niche for itself - little being the operative word as the rivals above are not apples for apples comparisons. The EX30 could be at risk of not knowing what its audience is - the design is fun, which signals a younger crowd, but the price point might rule them out.

Having said that, the EX30 wants for nothing really and manages to be very well-specified.

Standard items include, a 12.3-inch touchscreen multimedia system, wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, Google Services (Assistant/ Maps/ Play), Spotify/YouTube apps, 5G Module, over-the-air updates, satellite navigation, dual-zone climate control, four USB-C ports, wireless charging pad, Bluetooth, and DAB+ Digital Radio and a Digital Key.

Luxury and practical items include heated and powered front seats, powered tailgate, heated steering wheel, a premium nine-speaker Harman Kardon sound system which features a long soundbar and a huge panoramic sunroof.

Annoyingly though the keyless entry is truly keyless ... there are no buttons on the key and it sometimes glitches when you try to open the door despite the key being in your hand!

The Tundra marks the Aussie debut of Toyota’s i-Force Max engine, which pairs a 3.4-litre twin-turbo petrol V6 with an electric motor and a 6.5Ah nickel metal hydride battery to produce a total of 326kW and 790Nm.

That power is fed through a 10-speed automatic transmission (with 'Eco', 'Normal' and 'Sport' modes) and sent to the rear or all four tyres thanks to the Tundra’s part-time 4WD system with a two-speed transfer case and automatic limited slip differential.

The Twin Motor Performance Ultra grade is an AWD with twin electric motors which combine to produce 315kW of power and 543Nm of torque (115kW front/200kW rear) + (200Nm front/323Nm rear).

The EX30 has a single-speed auto transmission and can go from 0 -100km/h in just 3.6-seconds - making it the fastest Volvo.

Toyota is yet to confirm fuel use for Australia, but the same powertrain in the USA claims around 11.8L/100km on the combined cycle.

But, and this is a big but, tow heavy loads or get too adventurous with the accelerator and the number will be much higher than that.

We saw, wait for it, 25L/100km, pop up on our admittedly fairly vigorous test.

Using the official fuel efficiency number, a 122-litre tank translates to a theoretical range of more than 1000km.

The EX30 Twin Motor Performance Ultra has up to 445km (WLTP) driving range, which felt pretty accurate this week despite throwing some heavy open-road trips into the mix.

This variant has a 69kWh nickel manganese cobalt battery and an official energy consumption figure of 18.0kWh/100km (WLTP). After doing some urban and longer trips I saw my trip computer flitting between 19.0kWh and 22.0kWh/100km.

The EX30 has a Type 2 CCS charging port, which means you can hook it up to a DC charger and it will accept up to 175kW on a DC charging system.

On an AC 2.4kW standard domestic plug port, expect a long charging time of around 38 hours to get up to 80 per cent.

On an AC 11kW system, you can go from 0-100 per cent in eight hours (again, a little slow but reasonable enough for overnight charging).

On a DC 175kW system, you can go from 10-80 per cent in around 28 minutes.

There's no denying the Tundra is a big beast, but it doesn't feel unmanageable. I don't want to say it shrinks around you, because it doesn't, but it doesn't feel intimidating when you first climb in. It all becomes natural, pretty quickly.

There is plenty of weight on board, and it does make itself known on tighter corners, especially going downhill, where you can feel the vehicle start to run to the side a little bit.

It still feels manageable, though, and you find yourself naturally washing off speed as you approach that kind of corner.

The other big-ticket item is towing. It's a big number, and it's not just an on-paper spec. We towed 4.5 tonnes (a new PB for me), and the Tundra did it without breaking any kind of sweat.

And that, I think, is the magic of the Tundra formula. Toyota doesn't want it to go after the LandCruiser's off-road title. Instead, it wants it to be an easy, breezy towing vehicle. And I'm no master-tower, but I found the process natural-feeling and easy.

The other really cool thing on offer here is the i-Force Max engine, which does sound a little bit like a gang of crime-fighting superheroes. But it also delivers a huge amount of power, and delivers it such a way that there are no torque holes to fill.

It's just smooth, linear acceleration from the moment you plant your foot. It will also accelerate to around 30km/h on electric power alone.

Downsides? It's big and heavy, and so, unsurprisingly, thirsty.

I know we've just covered fuel use above, but some of the numbers we saw flash up on the screen would strike fear into even the fattest of wallets.

Driving the EX30 Ultra is a mostly fun and lighthearted experience but it's not cutesy, no matter how adorable the external design is.

The twin motors deliver serious power and you can fully expect 'tummy-sucking' moments of pure enjoyment whenever you put your foot down.

Coupled with a graceful on-road presence which assures you that the car will stick to the road like glue, and you have the fun-factor.

The lightheartedness comes from how nimble and easy the EX30 is to manoeuvre. The steering firmness can be customised and its compact dimensions makes it your best friend in tight city lanes.

You can't customise the regenerative braking, or at least, I couldn't figure out an easy way to do so outside of selecting the one-pedal drive option.

The cabin is mostly quiet and there's a refinement to longer journeys because of it. You get occasional wind noise at higher speeds and a little bit of road feedback too but longer journeys are lovely.

My only real nag is that there is no head-up display or instrument panel for your speedometre and I found my eyes directed away from the road because of it. You can find your speed info on the central multimedia system but I prefer something in front of me.

Parking my little blue cloud this week has been easy as pie because the 360-degree camera system is clear and the large windows provide excellent visibility.

At the time of this review, the EX30 has not been tested by ANCAP and is unrated but it has all of the safety equipment you'd expect of a Volvo.

Standard equipment includes, blind spot monitoring, driver attention alert, safe exit warning, rear occupant alert, tyre pressure monitoring, tyre mobility kit, rear collision warning, forward collision warning, rear cross-traffic alert, lane departure alert, lane keeping aid, hill start assist, traffic sign recognition, intelligent seatbelt warning, adaptive cruise control, parking assist, a 360-degree view camera system as well as front and rear parking sensors.

The EX30 is also fitted with seven airbags and the Volvo-designed whiplash injury protection system (WHIPS) which helps to reduce the risk of whiplash injury if your car is hit from behind. On impact, the entire front backrest and head restraint moves with the occupant to support the neck.

Like other Volvos, the EX30 also has side impact protection (SIPS), which helps protect you and your passengers in a side collision. The body's steel framework displaces the impact of a side-collision away from the occupants to other parts of the car body.

The EX30 has ISOFIX child seat mounts on the rear outboard seats plus three top tethers but only two child seats will fit. If you have an extra-large booster seat, like me, then expect some of the back window visibility to be compromised when it is installed.

For now, the only way you can get behind the wheel of a Tundra is to win Toyota's lottery, with 280 customers joining the Tundra Insider Program, who essentially get the vehicle for 12 months, and are asked to report back regularly on how their truck is performing.

It's the final approval stage for the Tundra, with that feedback then rolled into the final offering when the truck goes on sale next year.

At a glance, it seems a solid deal for those customers, all of whom will sign a “subsidised lease” (in that Toyota shares the costs), and will then likely be given the option to purchase the vehicle at the end of the term.

The Tundra is being offered in a single Limited trim, and customers are charged $2500 per month, covering all scheduled servicing and maintenance, mechanical repairs, replacement tyres, roadside assist and comprehensive insurance.

The EX30 is covered by Volvos five-year/unlimited km warranty and the electric battery is covered by an eight-year term - both are normal terms for the class.

What endears the EX30 to me is that servicing is included, which is very rare for a luxury brand to offer. Servicing intervals are reasonable at every two years or 30,000km, which ever occurs first.