My experiences so far have lead me to a few conclusions with the first gen Tundra. First off, I love the truck. From a styling standpoint I actually dig the subdued looks compared to alot of other trucks that seem over styled in an effort to look tougher. Kind of a pet peeve. Anyway, on the highway the truck is great. Effortless power, decent economy (around 18mpg cruising on the higway so far), great visibility out, and a suprisingly quiet, car-like ride. I've towed my 80 on my trailer in lousy conditions and it did great. The tranny seems to adapt well to holding gears when needed versus hunting.
Offroad, I'm not quite so impressed. The biggest hindrance seems to be traction, as my Tundra is an SR5 and has an open rear diff. Even in 4wd in low traction situations, the truck doesn't seem to get its power down well. Not sure if it is due to the lack of weight over the rear wheels or just the lack of articulation the truck possesses.
Compared to an 80 series, the Tundra, though tight driving, lacks the heavier duty feeling that the Cruiser has. I have no doubts as to the durability of the Tundra as a daily driver and work vehicle as engineered, however as a vehicle that sees heavy offroad use I'd be a bit concerned. As something used for hauling a camper and exploring unimproved dirt roads I think it is in its element. I can't see it as much as a dedicated trail rig thought without alot of mods.
But it's pretty comfy for camping, way more important!