Everything about the 2007 Toyota Tundra is new, and Toyota has pulled out all the stops. Taking a lesson from its successful Scion brand, it offers 31 different build options and so many personalization choices, it’s almost mind-boggling.

The 2007 Tundra comes in three body styles: two-door Regular cab; Double Cab with front-hinged, rear side doors; and the four-door CrewMax. There’s three trim levels, DX, SR5 and Limited; seating for two, three, five or six. There’s three different bed lengths, wheelbases, and powerplant choices — a V6 and two V8s; and a choice of five- and six-speed automatics. Rear-wheel drive is standard, four-wheel drive is optional.

Payloads range from 1410 pounds to 2060 pounds. An available in-bed deck rail system anchors moveable tie-down cleats rated at 220 pounds. Maximum towing capacity tops out at 10,800 pounds. See what I mean?

Our test vehicle was a CrewMax 4X4 Limited, and that’s primarily our focus here.

Walkaround: While styling could be more imaginative, it’s a huge leap forward. However, to earn buyer acceptance in today’s truck market, full-size pickups seemingly must sport that bulging hood and oversize grille look originally popularized by the Dodge Ram. To conform, the 2007 Toyota Tundra now boasts a dominant grille, boldly framed in black or chrome, depending on the trim level. It flows into the lines of the deeply sculpted hood, with headlights set into the fenders and separated from the bumper.

The side view is typical Toyota, with understated fender flares and a high, dropping beltline right below the windows making it almost resemble the Ford F-150 at a glance. Beefy door handles are easy to grab, and the CrewMax uses them on all four doors.

The rear is traditional pickup, with no noticeable styling cues except maybe the backup lights, which are almost equal to the taillights.

Interior: The Tundra has a roomy cab, with better interior ergonomics than most full-size pickups. Dash-mounted controls, and most of the frequently used knobs are large and simple to figure out. The steering wheel, the largest in any Toyota, is appropriately scaled, and the floor-mounted shift lever feels natural and precise, with the manual-shift J-gate on the driver’s side.

The seats are cushioned comfortably, yet firm. Our test vehicle featured the leather interior, which seemed more heavy-duty than luxury-grade.

The CrewMax comes in SR5 or Limited trim. Features and options basically mirror the Double Cab, but with a few additions. There’s a vertically sliding, power rear window; a slide-and-recline, three-passenger, rear bench seat; and an overhead console with map lights and swing-down cases for glasses and other items. But CrewMax buyers have to choose between two mutually exclusive options — a power, tilt/slide moonroof, eliminating the overhead console, or a rear seat entertainment system with nine-inch, roof-mounted LCD, rear seat audio controls and reading lights.

There’s lots of storage, including a two-level glove box. The upper compartment is big enough to hold a medium-size Thermos, while the lower one is more than twice as big and lighted. Front and rear door map pockets are molded to hold two, 22-ounce water bottles, and have flip-out compartments. There’s also assorted storage bins and compartments beneath and behind the rear seat.

The center console transforms the cab into a rolling office — better than any competitor. Beside the cupholders and a couple of small recesses suitable for a cell phone or other items, when you lift the console lid, on either side of the middle section there’s room for a laptop computer, with a power outlet on the driver’s side. The middle third of the compartment can hold either a removable bin to stow CDs or DVDs, or — check this out — standard letter-size, hanging file folders!

Additional options include a JBL AM/FM/CD stereo with six-disc, in-dash changer, 12 speakers, Bluetooth, and leather-trimmed steering wheel with audio controls. A DVD-based, GPS-linked navigation system with backup camera is also available, as is the aforementioned state-of-the-art, rear-seat entertainment system.

Visibility is excellent. Even with the entertainment system screen dropped down, it’s only barely noticeable in the rear view mirror.

Safety features include front airbags for driver and front passenger; roll-sensing, side curtain airbags, which can be de-sensitized to avoid inadvertent deployment while off-roading; and front seat-mounted side airbags. Four-wheel disc brakes with ABS, brake assist and electronic brake-force distribution are standard, as are electronic stability control with traction control and a limited slip differential.

Under The Hood: The base engine is a 236-hp 4.0-liter V6. There’s also a 271-hp 4.7-liter V8. The top of the line powerplant is the all-new, 381-hp 5.7-liter iForce V8, which was under the hood of our test Tundra. The 4.0-liter and 4.7-liter engines come with a five-speed automatic, the larger iForce V8 comes with a six-speed automatic. All have a manual J-gate shift feature. Electronic, part-time, four-wheel drive is offered on all V8-powered Tundras.

The 5.7-Liter V8 is currently the most powerful V8 in the class, and fuel economy is competitive, with the 4X4 rated at 14/city and 18/highway.

Behind The Wheel: The Tundra rides on a hybrid-type, unibody-on-frame arrangement that’s fully boxed in the front half, and rolled C-channel in back. Standard electronic stability control, plus traction control and limited slip differential, add a comforting level of safety, and coupled with contemporary suspension design, smoothes the ride and offers improved stability and steering response. There’s no doubt this is a truck but its ride is almost car-like. Handling is sure and certain, and over severely uneven pavement, the live rear axle proves its worth. The four-wheel discs — a first for a Toyota pickup — make braking solid with a firm pedal feel.

The Tundra’s maximum towing capacity is 10,800 pounds — topping both the F-150 and Silverado by 300 pounds, the Nissan Titan by 1,300, and the Ram by over a ton.

Whines: Just the usual Toyota whine — basically unimaginative styling. Nissan and Dodge win that battle hands down.

Bottom Line: The all-new 2007 Toyota Tundra is finally a true full-size pickup that in every way either equals or tops the Big 3. It delivers more power, can tow more, is more comfortable and offers all the right options. If the Big 3 imagine something’s gaining from behind, they’re right. I’m personally in the market for a new pickup as I write this. The new Toyota Tundra is on my short list.