After more than 20 years of selling hybrids in the United States, it’s hard to believe that Toyota hadn’t produced a single hybrid truck until now. The wait is finally over. However, the hybrid truck that Toyota delivers won’t come close to the 40 mpg hybrid Ford Maverick revealed earlier this year. Toyota is entering the hybrid truck field with the arrival of a completely redesigned Toyota Tundra 2022, its full-size truck that has been one of the thirstiest models in its peer group (14 mpg combined for 2021 4WD models).
With the launch of the 2022 Tundra, Toyota is likely to eliminate the gas-guzzling V-8 from the lineup and instead offer a twin-turbo V-6 engine or that engine as part of a hybrid system.
The Tundra won’t leverage some version of Toyota’s tried-and-true hybrid gear setup, which started with the Prius and is now widely used throughout its lineup. Instead, the V-6 is paired with what Toyota calls “a brilliantly designed bell housing motor system.” This powertrain bears the i-Force Max badge and will have a power output of 437 horsepower and 583 lb-ft of torque.
Specifically, Toyota says a clutch is located inside the bell housing between the engine and the 10-speed automatic transmission, so the motor/generator can seamlessly multitask with assistance, regeneration, engine starting, and some measure of all-electric driving.
The 288-volt nickel-metal hydride battery pack for the hybrid system is mounted under the rear passenger seats in the i-Force Max version.
Toyota did not comment on fuel efficiency in an initial release detailing the truck. Meanwhile, the Tundra’s maximum towing capacity has been increased to 12,000 pounds, with a maximum payload of up to 1,940 pounds, all figures likely to be impacted by the hybrid.
This closely resembles the strategy Ford pursued with the F-150 Hybrid, bearing the PowerBoost badge and delivering up to 25 mpg and a range of 750 miles on a tank. The Ford also makes use of power systems with an onboard generator system called Pro Power Onboard. If Toyota offers a similar utility with the Tundra, it hasn’t mentioned it yet.
The Tundra is completely new underneath and all around. It migrates from a ladder-style frame to a fully boxed one, with the frame itself wider at the rear for trailer stability. The truck rides on coil springs at the rear, with a new multilink suspension said to provide significant benefits for handling and ride, and a rear air suspension and adaptive shock absorbers are offered. A new molded sheet-molded compound (SMC), with reinforced aluminum crossmembers, helps add strength and save weight.
The truck also offers a vastly improved cabin, with a new horizontal theme that, according to Toyota, breaks from the vertical design of most other full-size rival trucks. There’s a new generation of infotainment, multimedia, and audio features, including a voice assistant and what Toyota describes as a “cloud-native navigation system.” All Tundra models, from the base SR version upwards, get a full suite of active safety features.
There will be Double Cab and CrewMax (larger cabin) versions, with 6.5- or 8.1-foot cargo beds on offer in the former and 5.5- or 6.5-foot beds available in the latter. As of now, it’s unclear if all of them will be offered as hybrids, but generally, once Toyota offers a hybrid option, it tends to get significant sales.
Now the question, for Toyota, is whether it’s offering enough to carve a niche for the hybrid Tundra: while Ford readies its electric F-150 Lightning, GM sees its Chevy Silverado EV as a “high-volume entry,” and Stellantis is planning a fully electric Ram 1500 for 2024.
To put it bluntly as commentary: Will Toyota convince enough truck traditionalists to go hybrid, or will everyone who might have gone hybrid want fully electric at this point?
That remains to be seen. The new Toyota Tundra hybrid will be manufactured in San Antonio, Texas, and is set to arrive later this fall.
