There was a time when, even as a sports car enthusiast, I genuinely liked pickup trucks. I admired their rugged simplicity of purpose, saw them as working machines, enjoyed their rapid 0-50 acceleration when unburdened by cargo. I was also experienced enough to know how quickly the rear end could get away when the bed was empty and the road was slick.

The pickups of memory were consigned to history when, a few years ago, Toyota invited me to the media launch of the current-model Tundra. Putting aside prejudices about mixing luxury with workhorse functions, I had fun driving it on-and-off road. But it seemed to me the Tundra was plenty big enough.

Now Toyota has chosen to reveal a 2008 Tundra that's bigger in all dimensions. It's a handsome machine, judging by the photos and a description in theCarConnection, but bigger? Is that what the North American pickup market really needs? The new Tundra was conceived 4.5 years ago, before the cost of fuel shot up. My guess is that, like GM's new trucks, it will play a much less-significant role than its makers intended.