The new Tundra is a heavy-hauler that also sips fuel.
ToyotaAside from being better looking, offering more features and having a vastly improved interior, the redesigned 2022 Toyota Tundra full-size truck should also be significantly more efficient than its predecessor. While official fuel economy figures for the pickup’s new hybrid drivetrain have not been published by the EPA, Toyota has released some estimates.
Our friends at Automotive News report a rear-wheel-drive Tundra powered by the i-Force Max hybrid engine should return 20 mpg city, 24 mpg highway and 22 mpg combined. The best a rear-drive version of this truck can do when motivated by the non-hybrid, standard engine is 18 mpg city, 24 mpg highway and 20 mpg combined. A difference of 2 mpg in mixed driving doesn’t sound like much, but it’s pretty significant, both for a full-size truck and on a percentage basis.
Tundra hybrids fitted with four-wheel drive are, naturally, slightly less economical. Depending on trim, they’re estimated to return either 19 mpg city, 21 mpg highway and 21 mpg combined, or 19, 21 and 20. Depending on trim and other considerations, nonhybrid versions come up one or two mpg short.
This is the new Tundra’s hybridized, twin-turbo V6.
ToyotaIn comparison, a rear-drive 2022 Ford F-150 hybrid is rated at up to 25 mpg across all three driving cycles. As for diesel-powered competitors, a rear-drive 2022 Chevy Silverado with the smooth running 3.0-liter Duramax I6 stickers at 23 mpg city, 31 mpg highway and 26 mpg combined.
The 2022 Toyota Tundra features a base 3.5-liter (technically 3.4 if you’re feeling pedantic) twin-turbo V6 that’s good for 389 horsepower and 479 pound-feet of torque. The hybrid version of that engine really turns up the wick, enhancing output to 437 hp and a whopping 583 lb.-ft. of twist. Both variants are matched to a 10-speed automatic transmission.
Despite its enhanced efficiency, Toyota estimates only a quarter of Tundras sold will be hybrids. Expect this gasoline-electric engine to become available in the spring, which is just around the proverbial corner.
Watch this: 2022 Toyota Tundra: Hybrid hauler heroics
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