The New 2022 Toyota Tundra Breaks Cover With A New Hybrid V-6 And A Whole Lot Of Major Upgrades

The Thirsty V-8 Goes Out; A V-6 In Two Avatars Come In

The current Toyota Tundra comes with a 5.7-liter V-8 engine under the hood. It makes 381 horses and 401 pound-feet of twist. While it never lacked in the power aspect, it was a fuel-guzzler, returning under 18 miles per gallon. For the 2022 model, the company has ditched the aging mill in favor of a V-6 engine with two different output configurations.

The V-6 engine displaces 3.5 liters and produces 389 horses and 479 pound-feet of torque. The same engine is also offered in the hybrid form where it's paired to an electric motor. Called the i-Force Max powertrain, it dishes out 437 ponies at 5,200 rpm and 583 pound-feet of twist at 2,400 rpm in this configuration.

This is an increase of 48 horses and 104 pound-feet of torque over the standard V-6, and 56 ponies and 182 pound-feet of twist more than the old V-8. Both these options will be mated to a 10-speed automatic transmission.

A New Suspension Setup Finds Its Way In The 2022 Tundra

The 2022 Tundra features a multi-link rear suspension setup that comes with coil springs instead of leaf springs. This is bound to make the ride handling and comfort for the occupants a whole lot better. Air suspension and an adaptive variable suspension system are also available on the Tundra.

How Much Can The 2022 Toyota Tundra Tow And Haul?

The new Tundra’s towing and payload capacities have also increased. The maximum towing capacity is increased to 12,000 pounds and the payload capacity is increased to 1,940 pounds.

This is quite impressive and should be enough for most folks, but on paper, it lags behind Ram 1500, the Chevy Silverado, and the F-150, which can tow up to 12,750-, 13,300-, and 14,000 pounds, respectively. The payload capacity is also the lowest as all the three haul over 2,250 pounds. If it’s any consolation, it beats the Nissan Titan in both departments.

What’s Different On The Outside?

The 2022 Toyota Tundra also comes with changes on the outside. It looks a lot sharper and muscular. There’s no way you can miss the huge grille on the face. In fact, Toyota has taken this trend up a notch by offering the bottom part of the grille in the same finish as the grille itself and the border finish going all the way down. If you look at it from a different light, it looks like the truck is devouring whatever comes in its path. Seems like a little too much creative thinking on our part?

The rear also looks quite different from the outgoing model, courtesy of the new taillight setup. It looks a lot bolder and sharper than before. personally, I like this taillight setup better. Toyota will offer the Tundra is various permutations and combinations.

There will be two four-door options – Double Cab and CrewMax. Double Cab will be offered with the choice of a 6.5-foot bed or an 8.1-foot bed, whereas CrewMax will be offered with either a 5.5-foot bed or a 6.5-foot bed. The truck will also be offered in a host of colors:

• Super White
• Wind Chill Pearl
• Magnetic Gray Metallic
• Celestial Silver Metallic
• Midnight Black Metallic
• Super Sonic Red
• Army Green
• Lunar Rock
• Blueprint
• Smoked Mesquite – only on Limited and 1794
• Solar Octane – only on TRD Pro

How Many Trims Are On Offer?

The 2022 Tundra will be available in six trims in total – SR, SR5, Limited, Platinum, 1794, and TRD Pro.

A TRD Off-road package will be available on the SR5, Limited, and 1794 models. The TRD Off-road package includes:

• 18-inch TRD wheels on SR5 and 20-inch wheels on Limited and 1794 trims
• TRD grille
• TRD off-road suspension
• Skid plates
• Mud guards
• TRD leather shift knob

The four-wheel-drive models will further include:

• Electronic rear differential lock
• Multi-Terrain Select
• Crawl Control

The Cabin Comes With A Plethora Of Upgrades, Too

The interior looks well laid-out and modern at the onset. Behind the chunky steering wheel is a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster. The base trims come with an analog-digital cluster comes with a 4.1-inch screen between the gauges. Toyota hasn’t revealed the dimensions yet, but the cabin looks to be as spacious as ever. The headroom, however, seems to be lower than before which could make the cabin feel cozy to some and claustrophobic to the others (especially in the darker shades). Plenty of upholstery options could be offered, too, although the specifics aren’t known yet.

In terms of technology, the base trims come with an eight-inch touchscreen infotainment system, whereas the higher trims feature a 14-inch touchscreen.

Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are available as standard on all the trims, with the larger one offering wireless compatibility.

What’s Special About The Tundra TRD Pro?

The TRD Pro is the most rugged Tundra that money can buy you. It comes with a lot of equipment that isn’t offered on the other Tundra trims, some of which include:

• 2.5-inch FOX internal bypass shocks
• 1.1-inch front lift
• Front stabilizer bar
• TRD aluminum front skid plate
• All-terrain Falken tires
• Additional underbody protection

Toyota Safety Sense 2.5 Standard On All Trims

Toyota’s Safety Sense 2.5 comes as standard on all the trims now. It includes driver-assistance features like:

• Pre-Collision System with Pedestrian Detection
• Dynamic Radar Cruise Control
• Lane Tracing Assist
• Lane Departure Alert
• Blind Spot Monitor
• Rear Cross-Traffic Alert

How Much Does The New 2022 Toyota Tundra Cost?

Toyota hasn’t revealed the prices of the 2022 Tundra, but it will definitely be much more expensive than the outgoing Tundra. The 2021 Toyota Tundra starts at $34,355 and goes all the way up to $52,295.

When Will The 2022 Toyota Tundra Arrive?

The third-gen 2022 Toyota Tundra will go on sale later this year. It will be built at the automaker’s manufacturing plant in San Antonio, Texas.