First Drive: 2022 Toyota Tundra

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The clouds in Texas seem to float just a little higher in the sky than they do anywhere else. Maybe it’s because the vast Texas landscape lacks mountains to encroach on their space. It’s the kind of sky that can make a person feel very small. And maybe that’s why trucks in Texas are so big.

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Toyota revealed the next-generation Tundra online earlier this September and chose San Antonio, Texas as the place for us to first experience it. Though the engines are assembled in Alabama, the Tundra is a Texas product. Toyota’s North American HQ is in Plano, Texas, and the new Tundra assembly plant is in San Antonio. Combine this with Toyota’s extensive NASCAR effort and you can see how serious it is about capturing the minds of staunchly loyal pickup truck buyers.

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The new third-generation Tundra represents a large step forward over the previous generation, which debuted way back in 2006. Let’s start with the mechanicals. The rear suspension of the Tundra is still a live rear axle, but now it is suspended by coil springs rather than leafs. This makes it and the Ram 1500 the only half-ton trucks you can buy with a coil-spring rear suspension. The improvement in ride quality versus the previous generation can be easily felt on the road.

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Also noticeable on the road is the fully-boxed frame standard on all Tundras. The previous model only had boxed sections in high-stress areas. The result is noticeably less shimmy action over expansion joints and railway tracks. The Tundra also moves to an aluminum-reinforced composite (read: plastic) bed for weight savings over the previous steel box. Those of you worried how this will hold up can just take a peek inside any Tacoma box, as they’ve used similar tech for some years now.

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But the largest mechanical changes are found under the hood, where there are a number of firsts for the Tundra. Gone is the long-lived V8, replaced by a 3.5L V6 and a pair of turbochargers. There is no V8 option. The new iForce V6 makes 389 hp at 5,200 rpm; and 479 lb-ft of torque at 2,400 rpm. That’s eight more horsepower and 78 more lb-ft than the outgoing V8.

If you want more power (and better fuel mileage) you can step up to the iForce Max (great superhero name, by the way) which couples the same V6 twin-turbo to a hybrid system to produce 437 hp and a monolithic 583 lb-ft of torque. (RPMs for peak power and torque are the same on the hybrid version.) It’s also worth noting that on the base SR trim only, Toyota artificially restricts the horsepower and torque to 348 and 405, respectively, via software changes. No matter which powertrain you choose, Toyota has wisely designed all of them to work with regular 87-octane fuel, and all are paired to a 10-speed automatic transmission.

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That new V6 feels very strong out on the road. I drove it unladen and also with a 5,000-pound trailer, and it didn’t seem phased at all by the extra weight hanging off the back. The V6 provides effortless torque down low in the rev range, and pulls very hard to red-line. Hills were hardly an issue when towing, and acceleration was downright quick when unloaded. The difference in power versus the previous V8 is drastic.

Less complimentary is the sound it makes while working. While the previous V8 made Toyota’s NASCAR involvement known with its song, the new V6 merely sounds like a machine at work. it doesn’t sound bad, but it certainly doesn’t offer the aural delight that accompanied the old V8. But time comes for us all, even lovable NA V8s.

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The driving experience in general is far better than the previous-gen Tundra. That coil-sprung rear pays massive dividends on rough roads, and the new 10-speed transmission is a smooth actuator. It has the smoothest ride quality of any other truck I have driven in the segment. But the largest improvement in the driving experience isn’t a hardware change, but software.

The Tundra is the first Toyota model to use the company’s all new infotainment system, which will eventually be rolled out to other models. The SR and SR5 models come standard with an 8-inch screen, and a 14-inch screen is standard on Limited, Platinum, 1794, and TRD Pro trims; it’s optional on SR5. Both screens use the same infotainment system, just on differently sized screens.

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The new Toyota system is hands-down the best I have used in a half-ton truck, and among the very best I’ve used in any vehicle. The refresh rate is fast, the graphics are sharp, modern, and intuitive, and frequently used functions aren’t buried in deep sub-menus. The system uses permanent buttons for nav, music, car settings, and other frequently used functions (like the icons on the bottom of your iPhone) and also has a physical volume knob. They listened! No tapping up and down for volume, just a simple twist to raise or lower your music.

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The maps (which can run without your phone) are based on a Google system and include all the landmarks, streets, restaurants, and other place-markers that you would find in Google maps. One neat trick is that you can save as many favorites as you want into the vehicle’s system, more than just “home” and “work” like most allow you to save. Another is that you can pair two phones to the vehicle at the same time, and choose which one you’d like to mirror on the display when you start the vehicle. This allows two-driver households to pair both phones and not have to de-select the “other” phone each time.

Also new for a Toyota system is increased voice functionality. By using the prompt “Hey, Toyota” you can use voice commands to navigate to your house, find a well-rated sushi restaurant nearby, or do the usual stuff like calling a friend. If none of this appeals to you, then you can use wireless CarPlay or Android Auto, standard on every Tundra model.

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The headline is not that it's the best Tundra yet, but that it catapults far into the realm of the very best half-ton trucks on sale today

And speaking of Tundra models, there are a lot of them! In order from lowest to highest, you can choose from SR, SR5, Limited, Platinum, 1794, and TRD Pro. In Canada, only the base SR model will offer 2WD, and all other Tundra models will be 4×4 only. There are two cab styles offered, the smaller Double Cab; and the larger Crew Max. The double cab is only available on the SR, SR5, and Limited trims. All higher models are Crew Max only. The Double Cab models can be had with either a 6.5- or an 8.1-foot bed. No 8-foot beds are available in Limited trim or higher. The Crew Max models can come with a 5.5-foot bed or a 6.5-foot one. Each trim of Tundra comes with its own unique grill design to distinguish it in the lineup.

The flagship of the Tundra lineup is the TRD Pro, which comes only in 4×4 Crew Max with the iForce Max hybrid powertrain. We have a review that goes more in-depth with the 2022 Tundra TRD Pro, but the cliff’s notes are as follows: it has forged BBS wheels that are smaller than others in the lineup to fit off-road tires with a taller sidewall, and it has a front suspension that is lifted 1.1 inches compared to others. It also has the usual battery of TRD accoutrements, like a burly front skid plate, electronic locking rear differential, and crawl control. The front suspension has Fox coilover internal-bypass shocks, and the rear shocks use remote reservoirs. It also comes with “undercovers” for the transfer case and skid plate.

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But it’s not all play — these trucks were also built to work. Depending on the spec of the vehicle, the Tundra boasts a payload capacity of up to 1,940 pounds (2×4 SR Double Cab) and a towing capacity of up to 12,000 pounds (in the 2×4 SR Double Cab). Interestingly, although the hybrid system adds a lot of power and torque, the highest towing numbers are achieved with the standard non-hybrid drivetrain due to the added weight of the system. A more common spec like the 4×4 Crew Max Platinum with the iForce Max hybrid can haul up to 1,820 pounds; and tow 11,170 pounds.

And way down here at the bottom of the review, you’ll notice I haven’t said anything about the styling. And that’s because for once, as someone with nothing nice to say, I will say nothing at all. But the Toyota press agent described the new grill as “bold” and “in your face.” I certainly agree with him.

The Tundra is a quantum leap ahead of the second-gen model it replaces. But with a full 15 years of time to improve, that’s really no surprise. The headline here is not that it’s the best Tundra yet (it is) but that it catapults the Tundra far into the realm of the very best half-ton trucks on sale today. There is no psycho 700-hp variant, and there is no Baja racer trim with flared fenders and trailer lights. But the Tundra never intended to chase those markets; it’s clear from top to bottom that this truck was designed with the end user in mind — the real truck buyers.