Impressions of Toyota’s 2022 Tundra and 2023 Sequoia: Full-Size Hybrid Pickup and SUV

Impressions of Toyota’s New Full-Size Hybrid American Pickup; 2022 Tundra

By Bryon Dorr

Our first thought: Torque, lots of instantaneous torque. The torque comes on hard and early from the electric motor mounted between the engine and transmission. There’s also impressive horsepower, but that comes on after the twin-turbos spool up on the 3.5L V6. Basically, it has the feel of a turbo-diesel without all the black smoke and oil stains on your driveway.

While it is not the V8 we’re used to in the Tundra, it provides more power, has similar throaty exhaust notes, and gets better fuel economy. That means it offers further range between fill ups, saves money at the pump, and is better for the environment.

i-Force Max

The i-Force Max in the 2022 Tundra pickup, and 2023 Sequoia three-row SUV, borrow the 3.5L V6 from the Lexus LS sedan and combine it with an electric motor/generator. The electric motor is fitted in the bell housing between the gas engine and 10-speed automatic transmission. A battery pack sits under the rear seats to power the electric motor. This setup, known as a parallel hybrid system or one-motor hybrid system, is specifically optimized for low-end and continuous torque. The engineers at Toyota USA wanted to give truck owners the torquey feel of a diesel in a much more environmentally friendly package.

The 288V, 1.87-kWh, nickel-metal hydride (Ni-MH) battery pack is similar to what you’d find in a Prius hybrid. While heavier and less energy dense than other lithium battery options, it is much more cost effective and time-tested; Toyota has decades of experience using this type of battery pack in its hybrids.

Unlike plug-in hybrids, the Tundra’s hybrid system does not offer any electric-only range. Toyota’s engineers defended that decision by saying that the focus of their design was on reliability, cost-effectiveness, and big torque, not the ability to drive with electricity alone. While they met their stated goals, we can’t help but think they missed an opportunity here.

Power and Efficiency

The Toyota i-Force Max hybrid powertrain puts out a competitive 437 horsepower and an even more impressive 583 lb.-ft. of torque. Of that output, the electric inline motor adds 48 horsepower and 184 lb.-ft. of torque to the system.

“While it is not the V8 we’re used to in the Tundra, it provides more power, has SImilar throaty exhaust notes, and gets better fuel economy”

Official EPA fuel economy numbers weren’t out at time of publishing, but Toyota estimates 19-22 mpg average, depending on the trim level and options. Those numbers aren’t going to impress anyone, especially the competition, but they are considerably better than the outgoing Tundra with the V8, which offered a dismal 15 mpg combined rating.

2022 Tundra Hybrid Models

The i-Force engine is standard on the all new 2022  Tundra, while the i-Force Max—the hybrid powertrain—is available in the Limited, Platinum, 1794 Edition, TRD Pro, and Capstone models. All hybrid Tundras have the CrewMax cab, so the batteries have a place to live under the rear seats, and either a 5.5- or 6.5-foot (4×2 only) truck bed.

TRD Pro: The Tundra TRD Pro has sporty off-road looks and the capable equipment to back it up. We were impressed with its super smooth Crawl Control and Downhill Assist Control systems, as they are much more refined than those of previous Toyotas. We were also impressed with the very competitive 1,600 pounds of payload capacity and 11,175-pound towing capacity. The Fox shocks offer truly impressive on- and off-road comfort. Noticeably bad, however, was the large 24.9-foot turning radius. We also had a really tough time getting the selectable rear-locker to engage, but it was a pre-production truck.

“The engineers at Toyota USA wanted to give truck owners the torquey feel of a diesel in a much more environmentally friendly package.”

Capstone: The most refined and luxurious Tundra model to date is the Capstone. The only place Capstone fell short for me was offering up a bit of a stiff ride, even with the optional adaptive suspension system. Part of that harshness we’re sure also came from the massive 22-inch chrome wheels which come standard. Capstone was quiet, comfortable, and luxurious otherwise, and had the standard features to also be a great pickup, like 4WD and the integrated towing systems.

Pick up a copy of the May/June issue of Tread for an in-depth review of the off-road-focused TRD Pro and new luxury-spec Capstone models, both only available in the hybrid, 4WD, CrewMax, with 5.5-foot bed configuration.

Impressions of the i-Force Max Tundra

First off, we’re impressed with this new powertrain and the truck itself in all the scenarios we were able to test it in: curvy back roads, highway, slow easy off-roading, and towing. It’s really impressive how the hybrid system creates a super linear power curve from a stopped position until it tops out.

“This all-new truck is, no doubt, going to impress a lot of people.”

The hybrid Tundra gathers speed quite quickly for a fullsize pickup and easily maintains high speeds with ease. Off road it easily crawls its way over whatever you put in front of the tires, putting all that near-instant torque to good use. Towing a medium-weight trailer, like a small Airstream, is super smooth and confidence inspiring in the hybrid Tundra. The throttle response is quite crisp, especially when in Sport or Sport+ driving modes.

As with nearly all modern gas engine vehicles, the new Tundra has a start/stop system, which turns off the engine in situations where it’s not needed, such as stoplights or while idling in traffic. The impressive part is that this system is now impressively smooth and nearly unnoticeable. There is nearly no vehicle shudder when the engine kicks on or off.

This system, however, does create a bit of lag when trying to power away from a stop. At first we thought it was turbo lag, but then realized it was just the extra time needed for the engine to wake up and add to the electric motor’s output. You can get around this by turning off the system or just letting off the brake a bit early, which tells the system to kick on the engine.

You might think that a V6 hybrid would have a pathetic exhaust note, but you’d be mistaken. The Tundra hybrid roars to life and sounds quite good, both outside and in the truck. Inside the truck you do get a bit of a consistent turbo whine under throttle, which can be both fun and annoying. The exhaust note you hear in the cabin is also not entirely natural, as it’s piped in through the speakers, but you wouldn’t really know that unless someone had pointed it out to you, as it does so nearly seamlessly.

This all-new truck is, no doubt, going to impress a lot of people. It’s comfortable, packed with options, very competitively priced, and can haul and tow large loads. From what we’ve seen and the engineering that went into the new Tundra, there is little doubt that it will carry on Toyota’s reputation for reliability and durability.

The 2022 Tundra i-Force Max is a massive advancement in all regards over the outgoing Tundra V8 models. While Toyota is years behind the competition in updating its half-ton pickups, it has finally come to the market with a truck that is competition to The Big Three manufacturers.

You can get into a 2022 Tundra i-Force Max for as little as $52,300 with the Limited 4×2 truck model, whereas, a top-of-the-line Capstone starts at $73,530. And no, 35-inch tires will not fit nor function without modifications.

2023 Toyota Sequoia

The updated SUV becomes more off-road capable for big adventures.

By Bryon Dorr

Think of the new 2023 Sequoia as a new Tundra, without the truck bed, but with a third row and interior cargo room. Along the same lines, you can think of the new Sequoia as a three-row Land Cruiser for America, as it’s built on the same chassis and we won’t be getting the 2022 Land Cruiser on our shores (besides in the form of the Lexus LX 600).

The new Sequoia will have just one drivetrain on offer, the twin-turbo V6 i-Force Max backed by a 10-speed automatic transmission. This parallel hybrid setup puts out a total of 437 hp and 583 lb.-ft of torque. It should also get considerably better fuel economy than the current Sequoia’s dismal 13 city/17 hwy mpg.

Part-time 4WD will be available on all 2023 Sequoia models—standard on the TRD Pro—while 2WD is standard across the range. Five trim levels will be on offer: SR5, Limited, Platinum, TRD Pro, and the new top-of-the-line luxury Capstone.

Seating for 7 is standard, while a 6-passenger setup with captain’s chairs in the second row is available. The third row with a siding feature and cargo shelf system is also now available.

Toyota’s new multimedia system, including “Hey Toyota” Intelligent Assistant, will run through either an 8- or 14-inch touchscreen on the center of the dash.

The TRD Pro model is of course the off-road oriented one with Fox shocks, TRD springs, a ¼-inch front skid plate, a selectable rear locker, TRD Pro-specific BBS forged 18-inch black alloy wheels, 33-inch Falcon Wildpeak AT Tires, TRD roof rack, TRD Pro exhaust, Multi Terrain Select, Crawl Control, Downhill Assist Control, and a black TRD Pro Toyota grille with an embedded lightbar and marker lights.

Outside the optional TRD Pro exclusive color for 2023 is Solar Octane and inside you get a TRD-heated steering wheel, TRD accents on the seats and shift knob, and standard second-row captain’s chairs.

With up to an impressive 9,000 pounds of towing capacity, load-leveling rear air suspension, power tow mirrors, and a Tow Tech Package with some great backup assist and camera features on offer, the new Sequoia should be a great tow partner for your next adventure.

“Our primary design goal for Sequoia was to create a sophisticated, yet tough and active lifestyle SUV that looks capable of handling a diversity of big adventure needs,” said Kevin Hunter, president of the U.S. Calty Toyota Design Studio. “That holds true whether it’s a night out on the town with friends, towing a boat to the lake with family, or taking a more extreme off-road adventure.”

The 2023 Sequoia should start rolling off the San Antonio, Texas, assembly line this summer. Pricing has not been announced, but our best guess is that the starting price will come in around $55,000, and be very near $80,000 for the Capstone trim level.