First Drive: 2022 Toyota Tundra Powers Back in a Big Way
A slick powertrain, upgraded cabin, and standard active safety features make Toyota’s full-sized pickup competitive again
Update: Since this first drive was originally published in November, 2021, we finished testing the Toyota Tundra. See the complete Toyota Tundra road test.
The 2022 Tundra marks the first thorough redesign of Toyota’s full-sized pickup in 15 years. During that time, the Tundra fell markedly behind the sales-leading domestic truck brands in terms of capability, technology, and innovations, as the “Big 3” (Ford, General Motors, and Ram) made ongoing improvements with several redesigns. Through it all, the Tundra’s chief competitive advantage was its outstanding Toyota-grade reliability.
After renting a pre-production 2022 Tundra from Toyota, we think the all-new truck has catapulted the Texas-built Tundra back into the full-sized arena with bravado. The new truck has bold styling, big power (with even more to come from a hybrid powertrain set for spring 2022), a large towing capacity, a contemporary multimedia system, and a rich roster of active safety and driver assistance features. But the best news of all: It’s a fantastic truck to drive, with a wonderfully smooth powertrain and a compliant ride.
Pricing begins at $35,950 for the base, rear-wheel-drive SR with a double cab and a 6.5-foot bed. The mainstream SR5 4WD crew cab with a 5.5-foot bed begins at $45,805. And for those who want a top-of-the-line truck, the 1794 Edition (“1794” signifies the year that the cattle ranch that became the grounds for the Toyota truck factory in Texas was originally founded) 4WD crew cab with a 5.5-foot bed starts at $60,690, not including the $1,695 destination fee Toyota charges for all Tundra models. We rented a 1794 Edition 4WD CrewMax (Toyota’s term for a four-door crew cab) with a 5.5-foot bed from Toyota for this First Drive evaluation.
