2022 Toyota Tundra Review
Toyota Tundra Limited
Price as tested: $59,009
3.5 Liter Twin Turbo V6
389 HP / 479 TQ
MPG: 13.8
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Guy who did stuff: Yousef Alvi
Let me tell you a story of a truck. That truck was the 2nd generation Toyota Tundra. It was a good truck. Humble, honest and dependable. It was introduced at a time when everyone walked around wearing a fancy hat and a 3 piece suit. That first model used it’s unending strength to dig a canal in a place called Panama. It was then used by a New Yorker who used it’s resilience for digging up oil wells, all in the hopes of uhhhh ‘‘standardizing’’ that oil for the masses (see what I did there? #historynerd)
Obviously I kid…but the last generation Tundra was with us for 15 years! That is a heck of a long time. To put it into perspective, since 2007, there has been:
4 different generations of the F-150
3 different generations of the GM Twins (Silverado and Sierra)
2 different generations of the Ram
To top that off, Dodge themselves went through 3 different owners!
Now in 2022, it is time to put the 2nd generation in retirement and open the door to the new generation. And wow! Instead of an incremental creep forward, this new generation is a giant leap forward for the nameplate.
Let’s go ahead and break it down:
The Great
Toooorrrrqqqquuuueee
Interior
Buttons!
Torque
The old 5.7 Liter V8 will be sorely missed by me. Yes, it was woefully inefficient but it had such personality to it! It sounded amazing, it idled like a musclecar and was smooth as butter.
This 3.5 Liter Twin Turbo V6 has a lot to live up to but it does the job. It even sounds pretty decent! Unlike the Ford EcoBoost, which sounds like it was designed by Briggs and Stratton, this i-Force has a lovely induction and exhaust note.
Oh and it will yank a stuck M1-A2 Abrams from the mud! 479 ft/lbs of that creamy torque, gives the new Tundra a wave of power to ride on from the moment you step on the throttle.
Interior
The old Tundra was errr old on the inside. I liked it because it was so old it was almost retro-chic. But alas things must change and in this new Tundra the interior has functionality, practicality and tech all melded together.
The 14 inch (!) infotainment screen is bigger than my iPad and looks gorgeous! Along with finally a user interface that actually works, the 2022 Tundra has an infotainment that is one of the top ones on the road today! Great job Toyota!
The seats are supportive, comfortable and feel like they are made for the long haul.
The visibility is excellent overall and there was nary a squeek, rattle or peep from the interior.
Buttons
Toyota, thankfully, ignored the ‘touchpanel errryythang’ phase automakers are going through and delivered an interior that has buttons.
BUTTONS!
Oh how have I missed you.
The Good
Styling
Ride/Handling
Styling
The new 2022 Tundra nails it when it comes to the styling front. The first press images didn’t do it justice at all and this Tundra is better seen in real life. Looking at it’s lines in the fading sunlight, the Tundra portrays strength without looking ridiculous (IE: Silverado).
Ride/Handling
I’m one of the few people who thought the last generation rode and handled fine. It was quiet, ride could be a bit busy it was stable and comfortable. Just approach the last generation as an actual truck instead of a sedan…then it all made sense.
This new generation tosses that ‘old-school truck feeling’ aside. Now sporting an independent rear suspension and thoroughly reworked front suspension, the 2022 Tundra tackles corners with confidence and ease. Flat and confidence inspiring through the tightest of bends and delivering a frankly good amount of feedback through the wheel…the 2022 Tundra is not quite a sport-sedan but it gives the reassurance of one.
Ride wise, it was blissful. Silently gobbling up bumps, potholes, gravel, dirt, water, mud and every other type of terrain…with barely a bobble of my head.
The Bad
Transmission
Ergonomics
Transmission
I have never been a fan of the 10 speed ToMoCo transmission and while this is possibly the best iteration of it…it still could be better.
There is prevalent hesitation to driver inputs. The 10-speed will do what it wants to do and you really don’t have a say in it.
Ergonomics
The infotainment screen sits flat on the dash. So if you need to reach the upper right corner, it requires a maximum stretch of your arm to do so, which while driving is a bit disconcerting.
Now if it was angled 20+ plus degrees closer to the driver (IE the Corvette) it would be ideal.
The Ugly
MPG
MPG
Okay, there is no sugar coating this. The lack of efficiency is so bad that is borderline hilarious. The reason the Tundra sports a turbo V6 was for the sake of efficiency but efficiency was nowhere to be found!
I averaged 13.8 MPG in combined driving. 13.8! Which is on par with the last generation Tundra Limited I reviewed, which wound up with 14 MPG.
Overall:
The 2022 Toyota Tundra finally has the platform and technology to take on the likes of the F150, Ram and Silverado. It doesn’t pull any punches and in the hierarchy of truckdom, I would take the Tundra over the Silverado and honestly even the F150 in a heartbeat. Which is a tremendous sentiment it and of itself.
Phenomenal job Toyota, just phenomenal!
