The Tundra has always been a second or third choice for most Americans, but man! is Toyota stepping it up this year. Ford is used to reeling in between 600,000 and 1,000,000 F-series trucks. The Tundra hasn't ever reached more than 200,000 at its peak in 2007. With new car sales hurting bad these past two years, Toyota needed a win, and darn it they were going to get one.
So they totally revamped the Tundra! Besides looking a little more like an F-150, the new design is bold and aggressive. The capabilities and features have been cranked up three levels, and the TRD Pro is mouth-watering from fender to fender. But enough lavishing. What actual evidence can we present? What makes us want the new Japanese truck over the domestic classic? These are the 10 points where the Tundra matches or exceeds the F-150.
9 Hybrid Now An Option
A mild-form hybrid has been an option in all American brand trucks for a few years now. True to form, Toyota waited until it was clearly not just a fad to jump on board with the new iForce Max, discernable by its blue-tinged logo on the non-TRD Pro trucks. Now the Tundra and even the Tundra TRD Pro can use hybrid tech to boost the MPG and low-end torque. Being the maker of the Prius, Toyota already has the upper hand in experience and quality hybrid tech.
The hybrid they use, like domestics, features an electric motor that connects to the driveshaft before the transmission, allowing for the same tranny and most of the same parts to be used. The addition makes the original twin-turbo V6 push out another 48 horsepower (389 to 437) and 109 more lb-ft of torque, both numbers which beat out the current Ford PowerBoost.
8 Handsfree Tailgate Opening
Can Ford do this? The Tundra has a little button near the taillight that you can hit with your elbow, foot, or the corner of your bookshelf to drop the tailgate automatically. It then lowers via power, without slamming, and can also do the same via a remote and a button in the cab. To answer the question, no Ford doesn't do that.
Toyota also likes to take implied jabs at the GM MultiPro tailgate in their releases by making it clear that real men want a simple truck bed, something that won't break or rattle around, and doesn't scream "old man with knee problems." Frankly, we agree. For now, one solid piece of metal will do it for us.
7 Beefed Up Frame
The new 2022 Tundra gets an upgrade to a boxed ladder frame with twice the cross members and a wider back section. Translation: The Tundra is now more rigid and structurally capable than it's ever been. It can now tow more, but we'll mention that later, and the TRD Pro will now be an even more capable foundation for off-roading.
Besides just the frame, the front skid plate is standard and upgraded, and the independent suspension can be adjusted for loads. Without getting too complicated, the tires will now be nearly impossible to break away from the vehicle itself, and sway will be greatly reduced with a new beefed-up TRD sway bar.
6 The TRD Pro Beats The Raptor
We cannot speak to this ourselves, since the 2022 Tundra hasn't made its rounds yet to the media, but an elite unbiased few have driven the 2022 Tundra TRD Pro and they say it will outperform the latest Raptor easily. It's not hard to believe, seeing how the Tundra TRD Pro will be offered with the iForce Max hybrid system, not available in the Raptor. That means way more torque, an off-roader's best friend.
The new Fox Shocks have an internal bypass and are paired with a new front and rear independent five-link suspension fresh out of the Toyota Racing Development center. The tires included are 32.5-Inch Falken Wildpeak all-terrains, and the TRD Pro gets a 1" lift above the other Tundras. If all that isn't enough, this is a Toyota. Reliability is a given.
5 Modern Features
Nestled subtly in the much, much wider grille is a thin light bar that comes with the 2022 Tundra. The grill itself is totally functional, with no fake openings. The lightbar is just one of those nice touches that say that Toyota knows what the customer really cares about.
The Tundra also comes with downhill acceleration control and off-road cruise control. New tech is thrown in like 360-degree view cameras and a trailer back assist, all viewed from an optional 14" infotainment screen that seems too modern for a Toyota. All said, the tech and capabilities, though late to the domestic truck game, are catching up in a big way.
4 Classic Toyota Reliability
A lot of working-class folks will read this article and sigh with relief. Finally! A reliable truck that has what I want! While there's much debate about Ford v Chevy v Ram, most can agree that Toyota takes the cake for the most reliable pickup truck. If you want more proof, though... here!
The NHTSA is a government agency that records data on mass-market vehicles. They put the Tundra at the top for the most reliable truck in the past five years, have 0 complaints and 0 recalls in 2021! JD Power also gives it the highest points for reliability, for what that's worth. One man we do trust, Scotty Kilmer, gave us his own assessment on YouTube (and he even bought one for himself).
3 No Chip Shortage Concerns
Toyota watched from the Dugout as Ford spent truckloads of cash advertising the new Bronco and the Ford Lightning just to watch that momentum run afoul and die while they sat and waited for the cheaper 200mm silicon wafers to come from a new manufacturer. Just in time, Toyota changed course. There will be no chip shortage issues affecting the 2022 Tundra's release.
The deal with the chips, in the simplest terms, is that politics have blundered the economy and now the certain specs that Ford planned their whole systems around can't be changed without great cost, so they wait. Alternative computer materials aren't hard to implement if they're already planned from the ground up like Toyota got the chance to do with the Tundra, which will roll out on time and according to plan.
2 Tows More Than The Highest Towing F-150
These next two points need one thing to be clarified: the F-series trucks have so many stinking models and trims and packages that comparison is often complicated and includes lists of exceptions... but not in this case! The most towing-est tow-er in the F-150 lineup can pull 11,300 lbs.
The Tundra can to 12,000, a respectable 700 more! It does this with the assistance of a beefed-up and wider rear frame and adjustable air suspension that won't leave you with an accidental Carolina Squat. The Tundra is more uniform and less customizable means that yes... all Tundras can tow this amount, thanks to the same powertrain and basic components being used in every truck. To emphasize: F-150's best towing truck gets 11,300. Many F-150's can't break 7,000 lbs.
1 It's Cheaper!
Okay, back to that disclaimer: you can get a workman's fleet-ready F-150 new, off the line, for $29,000 or less. The base Tundra is expected to start around $35,000; about $3,000 less than an F-150 with the cabin, bed, and specs to match that Tundra. More simply; the 2021 F-150 Raptor starts at $64,145, while the 2022 Tundra TRD Pro will be around $55,000.
Though still speculative, the actual MSRP of the Tundra has historically been $5,000 to $10,000 less than that of its respective Ford version. After all that, it's hard to see any reason to get an old Ford when a reliable, capable, and all-new Tundra is waiting for you with open doors.