The Toyota Tundra is a pickup truck that has always been quite synonymous with its capable powertrain, rugged design, and bulletproof reliability, making it quite a successful proposition ever since its initial launch about two decades back. They were also one of the best value-for-money offerings of the full-size pickup truck segment. However, luxury was never the part of the package, and that is where the all-new 2022 Toyota Tundra Capstone comes into the picture.
The 2022 Toyota Tundra Capstone is the flagship of the Tundra lineup and comes at a base MSRP of $73,530. This luxury pickup truck comes with a hybrid powertrain, an interior that could easily rival some of the SUVs from the Lexus marque, and an exterior design that manages to compete with the other luxurious pickup trucks, such as the Ford F-150 Limited, Chevrolet Silverado 1500 High Country, and Ram 1500 Limited. Here are 10 things you need to know before buying the 2022 Toyota Tundra Capstone.
10 Hybrid Powertrain Is Great For The Highway
The all-new, third generation of the Toyota Tundra arrived a few months back, however, the Capstone trim came later. Unlike most of the lower trims, the Tundra Capstone comes with the 3.5-liter twin-turbo V6 mated to a 36 kW electric motor, producing a combined output of 437 hp and 583 lb-ft of torque. The transmission duties are done by a 10-speed automatic transmission and the power is put down through the 4WD drivetrain with locking rear differentials.
This truck offers effortless acceleration all the way to its rev limiter at 6,000 RPM. The 2022 Toyota Tundra Capstone could do 0-60 mph in around 6.5 seconds, and the automatic transmission offers smooth gearshifts. Even when towing a trailer, the truck feels very energetic. It holds the highway speed limit very well, and the engine doesn't feel stressed at highway RPMs.
9 Towing Capacity Is Lower Than The Rivals
Being a full-size pickup truck, it has a maximum towing capacity of 10,340 lbs and a payload capacity of 1,485 lbs. However, the Ford F-150 Limited turned out to be slightly superior in terms of towing capacity, as it could tow a maximum of 14,000 lbs.
Even the Chevrolet Silverado 1500 High Country and the Ram 1500 Limited also offer a superior towing capacity, even though it is not a huge difference. The payload capacity is superior to the rivals too. Nevertheless, the performance offered by the 2022 Toyota Tundra Capstone is excellent, and the truck doesn't feel strained while towing.
8 Decent Fuel Efficiency For A Full-Size Pickup Truck
Coming with a hybrid powertrain mated to a 10-speed automatic transmission, the fuel efficiency is not as disappointing as you would imagine from a truck that weighs more than 6,000 lbs. It managed 19 MPG in the city and 22 MPG on the highway, which equates to combined gas mileage of 21 MPG.
With a fuel tank capacity of 32.2-gallon, the 2022 Toyota Tundra Capstone could do 611 miles in the city and 708 miles on the highway on a full tank of gas. Even though the fuel efficiency has seen a marginal improvement of 2 MPG from the non-hybrid variant of the Tundra, it still makes a major difference when it comes to the tank range.
7 Stunning Design
The first thing that you notice when you look at the 2022 Toyota Tundra Capstone is the beautifully crafted LED headlights with LED DRLs and sequential LED indicators. It looks very premium and adds to the elegant overall design language. The massive chrome draped grille, functional air vents, and macho bumpers offer more road presence to this truck.
This is also the first Tundra to come with 22" wheels, which get dark chrome and regular chrome accents. The colored side cladding, heated side mirrors, and added ground clearance with impressive length and wheelbase stand out when viewed from the sides. There are power-deployed running boards and side steps as well. The rear end gets full LED taillights, massive Tundra embossing on the tailgate, and silver and black bumpers.
6 Decent Driving Dynamics
Coming with adaptive dampers and air suspension for the rear, the driving dynamics offered by the 2022 Toyota Tundra Capstone is sure-footed for a large pickup truck. Put the truck in sport plus mode via the knob attached to the center console and the suspension does stiffen up significantly, making it feel very planted.
Corners could be taken with no effort, and it feels very similar to the Toyota 4Runner in terms of driving dynamics. The body roll is under control as well. Even though the steering was reasonably sharp and direct, it didn't provide the same feedback as the Ford F-150 and the Ram 1500. As expected, the ride quality is bumpy in sport plus mode, but this is easily rectified by putting it in comfort mode, which softens the suspension.
5 Modern Infotainment System
The 14" touchscreen infotainment system gives the cabin a futuristic look, and it is also easily the best in the segment in terms of intuitiveness and standard features. When it comes to the interface, no one is going to complain about lags or stutters, as it is almost similar to the premium smartphones. The display quality is excellent, and the icons are quite large, making it easy to use.
The standard features include in-dash navigation, Bluetooth, wireless Apple CarPlay & Android Auto, SiriusXM radio, voice recognition, connected services, steering mounted audio control, and USB ports. The navigation feels smooth and is quite refined, similar to Google Maps. The 12-speaker JBL audio system offers a punchy audio experience.
4 All The Driver-Assistance Features Are Standard
Toyotas are known to provide all the driver-assistance features as standard, and the 2022 Toyota Tundra Capstone is no different. This full-size hybrid pickup truck comes loaded with all the driver-assistance tech like forward-collision warning, automated emergency braking, lane-departure warning, lane-keeping assist, and adaptive cruise control.
All the regular safety features like ABS, driveline traction control, stability control, side-impact beams, 360-degree camera, cargo bed camera, airbags, and tire pressure monitoring system are standard. The build quality is tough and that is an added benefit. However, this truck hasn't been crash-tested by both the NHTSA and IIHS yet.
3 Beefy Brakes
The 2022 Toyota Tundra Capstone comes with the same 13.9" front rotors and 13.6" rear rotors as the lower trims of the Tundra. Other braking features like ABS with EBD, brake assist, hill hold control, ventilated rotors, and electric parking brakes are also offered. All of these help the truck to do the 70-0 mph braking test in 185 feet.
There is regenerative braking and the truck does slow down reasonably well when taking your foot off the gas pedal. However, the system was not the smoothest, unlike the regenerative braking offered in the SUVs with hybrid powertrains from the Toyota stable. Nevertheless, the truck doesn't feel twitchy under hard braking and the initial bite and braking progression were excellent, considering the heavy curb weight.
2 Refined Interior Design And Quality
The semi-aniline leather upholstery that comes in multiple shades looks and feels a class apart. The dual shade interior looks very much similar to that of the monikers from Lexus. The door panels get full stitched leather inserts, there are aluminum trims and matte finish wooden inserts too, and the same materials are present on the macho-looking dashboard as well.
The subtle piano black elements, leather-wrapped steering wheel with clicky buttons, and silver accents on the AC vents add to the elegance. However, we did find a few hard-touch plastics on the dashboard and the rear seat door cards, which could have been eliminated, especially when considering the steep price tag. There are no squeaks or rattles from the cabin.
1 Spacious Cabin
Coming in a Crew Max version only, which seats five passengers, the 2022 Toyota Tundra Capstone offers an identical interior space when compared to the regular Tundra variants. The front seats are supremely comfortable and offer heating, cooling, and ventilation support. The headroom and legroom are similar to the rivals, and there are multiple cabin storage spaces for the front seat passengers. However, we wish it came with massaging seats as standard.
Unlike the gasoline Tundra, this hybrid Capstone model losses out on the under-seat storage to place the battery pack. However, the rear seat doesn't lose any headroom and legroom, and it is one of the most spacious in the segment. Three-passenger seating is possible due to the good shoulder room. The composite bed can carry a maximum payload of close to 1,500 lbs. The bed is very usable and there are multiple features like LED lights, a 400-watt inverter, and a one-touch tailgate opening. It is about 5'5" long, allowing it to accommodate quite a lot of cargo.