LOOKS

The exterior redesign on the 2022 Tundra turned out very well, with a bold new front grille look and overall muscular design.

The 2022 Tundra offers extended-cab and crew-cab options — with short bed and long bed options for each. Bed sizes range from 5.5 feet to 8.1 feet.

My test vehicle featured 20-inch dark-painted alloy wheels, LED headlights, plus an aluminum-reinforced composite bed (to limit damage) including a 120V/400W AC power outlet and LED lights.

The footstep on the side corner allows easy access into the bed, and running boards allow easy access to the vehicle for driver and passengers.

The interior is also quite impressive in the redesigned Tundra, extremely roomy and more classy, comfortable and upscale than you would expect from a non-luxury vehicle.

Quality materials are used throughout the vehicle, and the interior is highlighted by a massive 14 inch infotainment screen with intuitive controls (more on that later). It features leather-trimmed, power-adjustable seats, heated and ventilated front and rear seats, and a power panoramic sunroof.

There’s a ton of storage space, both in the rear underseat area as well as up front for small items. And overall legroom and headroom is among the most expansive you’ll find in any new truck.

Between the sharp exterior and welcoming interior, the redesign of the 2022 Tundra is a home run.

HOW’S THE RIDE? 

The 2022 Tundra that I tested featured a 3.5-liter twin-turbo V6 engine, paired with a 10-speed automatic transmission, that produced 389 horsepower and 479 pound-feet of torque. This engine is standard on all but the base trim, which only offers 348 horsepower and 405 pound-feet.

Also available is a twin-turbo hybrid power plant that outputs 437 horsepower and a whopping 583 pound-feet of torque. 

There is no longer a V8 engine option available on the Tundra, but you won’t miss it with the solid new V6 offerings available.

Towing capacity in the 2022 Tundra has grown to 12,000 pounds (not best in class but still very respectable), and drive mode select lets you transition to a TOW/HAUL mode. Payload in the Tundra maxes out at 1,940 pounds.

The 2022 Tundra — which features a multi-link rear suspension — offers a powerful ride and gets you moving faster than most larger vehicles. Its 0 to 60 times are just over 6 seconds, and braking was impressive for such a large ride.

The Tundra can offer a bit of a choppy ride at times, but that is standard on these big trucks and no brand is exempt. It's a workhorse, not a fluffy and smooth SUV, so there should be some rough edges to it.

Speaking of rough edges, for off-roading fans, Toyota does offer the TRD Off-Road package — which will provide a lifted off-road friendly suspension, exclusive dampers and skid plates and all-terrain tires.

On the plus side, overall handling and responsiveness to driver input is high in the Tundra; it always did what I needed it to do..


TECHNOLOGY, SAFETY

The updates in the 2022 Toyota Tundra extend to its technical offerings, including the impressive infotainment system.

The center screen is humongous, coming in as large as 14 inches, and features extra-sharp imagery and  touch controls that are intuitive and easy to use. It offers what I can easily call the largest rear camera view I’ve ever seen — captured with a wide, fish-eye view.

Voice commands were quite effective for radio, navigation and phone calls, and overall it’s safe to say the tech setup in the Tundra is one of the best systems you’ll find on any truck (or car) available today.

Sounds are also impressive with the 12-speaker JBL premium audio option — which includes a subwoofer and amplifier. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto capability allows for streaming phone calls from your phone to the vehicle, and you get a three-month trial of satellite radio.

Moving on to safety, you get a ton of great safety features in the 2022 Tundra, and it performed very highly on government safety ratings.

The Toyota Safety Sense 2.5 systems includes features such as

• Pre-collision system with pedestrian detection
• Full-speed range dynamic radar cruise control
• Lane departure alert with steering assist
• Lane tracing assist
• Road Sign Assist
• Blind Spot Monitor with Rear Cross Traffic Alert

Other key safety features include: Forward-Collision Warning, Automated Emergency Braking and Adaptive Cruise Control

These systems all worked well, and did not overreact to road conditions like some vehicles are known to do.

MPG

The 2022 Tundra’s official fuel mileage numbers are 17 city/22 highway/19 combined.
In real-world testing, I averaged 15 mpg in my test vehicle.

There is also a Tundra hybrid available, which lists its mileage as 20 city/24 highway and 22 combined.

While not spectacular numbers overall, these are not far from the norm for most of the truck competition if you’re sticking with the gas-only options.. 

One thing to think about is whether you’d like to explore a purely electric truck, such as the F-150 Lightning or a Rivian offering. These types of trucks are sure to be the norm in the future, but it may take some years for them to be the go-to for buyers due to current high prices and often limited availability.
 

PRICE

The 2022 Tundra that I tested was priced just over $65,000; base price starts about $37K.

Toyota offers seven trim levels — SR, SR5, Limited, Platinum, 1794, TRD Pro and Capstone.

These prices are about mid-range considering all the truck options out there from rivals such as Ford, GMC, Chevy, RAM and Nissan.

Warranties are decent on the Tundra: Three years/36,000 miles of bumper-to-bumper coverage, plus five years/60,000 miles for powertrain warranty, and two years of free maintenance.

BOTTOM LINE

Toyota has pulled off a bold and well-executed redesign of the Tundra for 2022, and it was time to make this move as Toyota battles for growth in the truck segment.

The new Tundra looks great, drives powerfully, has high-tech features and is capable for towing and payload. Plus you get Toyota reliability on top of all that, so there is plenty to draw potential buyers away from the top-selling Detroit truck offerings.

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