Toyota’s Big Truck Takes A Big Step Forward

Breaking the strangle hold on the full-size truck category isn’t easy. Toyota has been trying for more than 20 years to pierce the domestic brands’ dominance, though the automaker kicked things up a notch when it launched its largest Tundra yet, built in a new U.S. (Texas) plant, and offered in dozens of configurations. That was thirteen years ago, just ahead of a major economic downturn and fuel-price spike that saw large trucks and SUVs lose much of their favor with U.S. buyers. The money spent on the plant (which went way over budget…) and the resources expended to launch that all-new, larger Tundra suddenly looked like a rare Toyota mis-step, or at least terribly unfortunate timing. The fact that annual Tundra sales have never crossed the 200K barrier, and have averaged about half that, certainly didn’t help the Tundra’s business case.

But Toyota has a history of not giving up, and the all-new 2022 Tundra reflects both the company’s desire to succeed and its recognition of the financial rewards that come with full-size truck sales. This new Tundra was designed and developed in the U.S., and it will be built at that same San Antonio plant. It’s list of upgrades includes a high-strength boxed, steel-ladder frame, aluminum reinforced composite bed and an all-new multi-link, coil-spring rear suspension. The rear frame has been widened to improve towing capacity, while an aluminum hood and door panels reduce weight. The result is a towing capacity of up to 12,000 pounds and a payload capacity topping out at 1,940 pounds. Toyota says the stronger chassis, new double wishbone front and independent rear suspension, and upgraded hydraulic cab mounts (on Limited and above models) will substantially improve ride quality on the 2022 Tundra.

Toyota told us the exterior uses “an interlocking design language” to reflect strength and capability. The front end is supposed to look like a fist punching through the air, with slim, high-mount headlights for a high-tech accent. The interlocking body panel lines and chiseled shapes above the wheels continue the “interlock” theme, as do the integrated rear bumper corners. This marks a first for full-size trucks, putting more emphasis on the taillights and the two-piece tailgate with its rear spoiler. Full-size truck design is a dicey endeavor, involving enough aggression to look tough and strong but not so much aggression it looks contrived and belabored. To our eyes, Toyota hit the sweet spot with the 2022 Tundra’s exterior look.

The interior design is meant to be more horizontal than a typical truck cabin, with a clearly-defined beam across the dash and the interlock theme continuing in how the door panels, air registers and center screen come together. An optional 14-inch display was a big priority to express the technological aspect of the new truck, but it had to emphasize durability versus looking too thin or tacked on. Graphics in the optional 12.3 inch digital gauge cluster are similarly meant to impart a rugged theme, with a startup graphic that shows trademark scenes from five national parks.

Unique interface features in the new Tundra include dual microphones and speakers to detect whether the driver or passenger is using the upgraded voice command system, with responses based on who is making the request. Similarly, the Tundra’s latest Bluetooth system can connect two phones simultaneously and accept calls for either based on a priority setting. Toyota’s trademark dual information screen layout, which could simultaneously show, for example, audio and navigation in separate boxes, has been ditched in favor of a fully dedicated screen for each function combined with persistent icons on the left side to quickly toggle between functions. Tech fan will appreciate standard wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, along with a Toyota app that stores and resets user profiles via a phone or tablet.

Functionality was the other critical goal for the new Tundra’s interior design, with an all-new center console offering dedicated side rails for the driver or passenger to use as armrests, even when the storage lid is opened to access the interior compartment. Premium options include a panoramic roof, heated and ventilated seats, a rear sunshade, and multiple cameras, including a top-down view of the bed to check on cargo or assist with trailer hook ups. TRD models feature a blacked out cabin theme, and the 1794 luxury trim offers premium materials. Every Tundra also comes standard with Toyota Safety Sense 2.5, providing forward collision warning with pedestrian detection, emergency steering assist, radar cruise control, lane departure assist and automatic high beams.

Probably the biggest news for the 2022 Toyota Tundra is what it doesn’t offer — a V8 engine. Toyota has fully committed to smaller, more powerful drivetrains, offering just two versions of its 3.5-liter V6 in the new truck. The base engine is a twin-turbo version of the V6, providing 389 horsepower and 479 pound-feet of torque, both figures are higher than the outgoing V8. If that’s not enough power and torque, a hybrid version of the 3.5-liter V6 adds a motor generator and a 288V sealed Nickel-metal Hydride (Ni-MH) battery pack under the rear seat, bumping peak horsepower to 437 and peak torque to 583. Both engines are mated to a new 10-speed automatic transmission with programming for uphill and downhill shift logic and tow/haul driving modes.

Toyota expects 75 percent of new Tundra sales to be the standard V6, 25 percent to be hybrid. The company was quick to note the new Tundra’s chassis is engineered to accept multiple drivetrains, including whatever the future might bring. Given the rapid deployment of fully electric full-sized trucks the market will experience over the next 2 years it’s hard to imagine Toyota doesn’t have a Tundra EV provision in development and ready to deploy, but the automaker wouldn’t confirm or deny anything.

While engine choices are down to two, the new 2022 Toyota Tundra comes in a variety of body styles and trim levels. Two four-door models, the smaller Double Cab and larger CrewMax, can be fitted with a variety of bed lengths. A 6.5- and 8.1-foot bed are offered on Double Cab, while the Crew Max comes with a 5.5- or, for the first time, a longer 6.5-foot bed. Trim levels include SR, SR5, Limited, Platinum and 1794, along with the TRD Pro and TRD Sport off-road packages. The new TRD Pro package will be built off the Limited trim, meaning heated and ventilated seats and the larger 14-inch display, along with Fox shocks, a 1-inch lift, 18-inch wheels, aluminum skid plates, crawl control and a locking differential. The TRD Sport package includes 20-inch wheels and a lowered suspension.

Toyota hasn’t announced pricing or fuel economy figures on the 2022 Tundra yet, but the new truck goes on sale before the end of the year, and those figures, along with full driving impressions, will be available before the truck hits dealer lots. Will this latest version of Toyota’s Tundra take a bigger slice of the full-size truck market away from those dominant domestics? We’ll see soon enough, but it’s clear Toyota isn’t walking away from this incredibly important segment.