A lot has changed recently — and not just because of the coronavirus. The market for half-ton trucks is changing, too.

For the first time in decades, the no. 1 bestseller, Ford's F-150, is threatened by the truck that, for decades, had been the third-bestseller, the Ram 1500. Which has already supplanted the decades-long hegemony of the Chevy Silverado as the country's second-bestselling truck.

Which brings us to the half-ton truck that may become the next second-bestselling truck — if the hard-charging Ram displaces the F-150 as the new no. 1 — the Toyota Tundra.

Probably because it's still very much a truck.

What It Is

The Tundra is Toyota's half-ton truck.

It competes with other full-size pickups like the Ford F-150, the Chevy Silverado, the Ram 1500 and the Nissan Titan. Like them, it's available in various cab/bed combinations and offers a heavy-duty four-wheel-drive system with a two-speed transfer case and low-range gearing.

It differs from its Big Three rivals in that it comes standard with a V-8 engine — 5.7 liters — and that V-8 isn't direct-injected or saddled with automated stop-start system, which has become common in most new vehicles as a fuel-saving measure but which many people dislike because of the constant stop-start cycling.

If you don't want that, the Tundra hasn't got it.

Prices start at $33,575 for the base SR Double Cab with a 5.5-foot bed and two-wheel drive.

Two additional bed lengths — 6.5 feet and 8.1 feet — are available, as is four-wheel drive. You can also get a CrewMax cab — four full-size doors and more room for the backseat passengers.

A top-of-the line Tundra CrewMax with four full-sized doors and the TRD Pro off-road equipment — including more ground clearance, off-road shocks, BBS wheels with mud-and-snow-rated tires, a performance exhaust system and other upgrades — stickers for $48,655.

What's Good

It's the most affordable V-8-equipped half-ton truck on the market.

It has 10,000-plus pounds of towing capacity available with the standard SR trim.

It's rugged steel (not easy-to-crinkle and expensive-to-repair aluminum) body.

What's Not So Good

You can't get a regular cab/8-foot-bed combo — which the F-150 and Silverado still offer.

You can't get a Tundra for less than $33k. (The F-150 starts at $28,745; the Silverado's base price is $28,300.)

Like all current 1500s, the Tundra's bed walls are so high it can be difficult to reach into the bed to get things out of the bed ... without standing on a stepladder.

Under the Hood

All Tundras comes standard with the same 5.7-liter V-8 engine, which produces 381 horsepower and 401 foot-pounds of torque.

A six-speed automatic is standard — and unique in the class. All the others come with automatics that have at least eight speeds, and some, like the F-150 and the Silverado, have 10. The difference is simpler versus more complex — and potentially more expensive if something breaks after the warranty ends.

On the Road

Drive the Tundra and you'll understand why trucks sell better than cars: the background throb of that hunky V-8. The effortless pull, even when six people are on board and the bed is stacked high with a pallet of bricks.

And the throbbing isn't interrupted by the automatic stop-start system, perhaps the most annoying "feature" being foisted on the car- and truck-buying public since automated seat belts.

The reason given for auto-stop — fuel savings — doesn't even amount to much.

The two-wheel-drive Tundra V-8's 13 mpg city, 18 mpg highway is only about 5 mpg less than the mileage advertised by the Ram 1500's much-less-powerful standard 3.6-liter V-6 engine (19 mpg city, 24 mpg highway), and only negligibly less than the Silverado's smaller 5.3-liter (355 horsepower) V-8, which rates 16 mpg city, 21 mpg highway.

At the Curb

You can still get an 8-foot bed, but you can't get it with just two doors, which means that a long-bed Tundra is a long truck.

Regardless of length, the bed is tall.

The high-box thing is now a universal thing, and whatever you think about the look, it makes it hard to get at the things in the bed.

There are, however, some compensatory features, including configurable cleat tie-downs and lockable bins, one of which is insulated and can be filled with ice to keep things cool.

The Rest

The Tundra may not be as "sophisticated" as newer-design trucks like the current F-150 and the Silverado, but that is precisely the source of its appeal. A leaf-spring/solid-axle suspension may not be quite as smooth over very rough roads, but it's likely to give you less trouble down the road — as there's very little that can go wrong with a leaf-spring/solid-axle suspension.

The same goes for the port-fuel-injected (not direct-injected) V-8 engine. It will never worry you with carbon fouling issues because they are not an issue with port-fuel-injection engines.

The Bottom Line

Keeping it simple isn't stupid.

It's exactly what truck-buyers want.

View the Toyota Tundra this week.

Eric's new book, "Don't Get Taken for a Ride!" is available now. To find out more about Eric and read his past columns, please visit the Creators Syndicate webpage at www.creators.com.