Americans buy a lot of full-size trucks. We buy them as stripped-down, hard-working basic trucks. We buy them as luxury trucks with all the leather and electronics you’d expect in a Mercedes. And we buy them as everything in between.
The three best-selling vehicles in America are all full-size trucks. The Toyota Tundra has never been one of them. But, newly redesigned for the 2022 model year, it’s become a practical and comfortable choice. In hard-working base form, it promises Toyota’s legendary dependability. In higher trim levels, it offers big-truck carrying capacity with a smoother ride than most competitors. And at the uber-luxury truck level?
Well, that part is brand new.
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The Tundra Capstone
Toyota just took the covers off its most luxurious version of its big truck. The Tundra Capstone, as the name suggests, sits at the top of the Tundra range and comes with a standard hybrid drivetrain.
Unfortunately, Toyota hasn’t yet revealed pricing for the Tundra Capstone. That prevents us from evaluating it against other top-of-the-range trucks like the Ford F-150 Platinum or the new GMC Sierra Denali Ultimate.
The previous top of the Tundra line, the 1794 edition, started at $57,690 plus a $1,695 destination fee. There’s some room between that and the $80,000 price point of some luxury trucks, so we expect the Capstone to come at a significant premium from the rest of the Tundra line.
Standard Hybrid Powertrain
What that extra cash will get you starts with a new powertrain. It comes standard with Toyota’s new i-Force Max engine. It uses a mild-hybrid system paired to a turbocharged 3.5-liter V6 to put out 437 horsepower and 583 lb-ft of torque. Power goes through a 10-speed automatic transmission.
All of the equipment from the Tundra Towing Package is standard on the Capstone. That gives it an unremarkable payload rating of 1,485 pounds but a stronger towing capacity of 10,340 pounds.
The EPA hasn’t yet published mpg figures for the Tundra’s hybrid powertrain. Without the mild-hybrid assist, it’s good for 18 mpg in the city and 23 mpg on the highway. The Capstone should beat those numbers, though perhaps not by much.
Luxurious Cabin
But the real differences are inside. Power running boards lower to ease access to the cabin. That cabin is lined in black and white semi-aniline leather, with two-tone perforated seats. It works nicely with open-pore walnut trim to create an updated take on the classic luxury vehicle look.
A 12.3-inch driver’s instrument display, 14-inch central touchscreen, and 10-inch head-up display mean a lot of screen space, but it doesn’t overwhelm in such a wide cabin. They run a new user interface borrowed from Lexus. But, to keep your hands on the wheel, you can control it all through voice commands starting with “Hey, Toyota.”
An enormous panoramic moonroof may be the biggest in its class (at least until the all-glass roof of the Chevy Silverado EV hits the market). Acoustic glass should help keep the cabin near-Lexus quiet.
Chrome-Heavy Look
In an old-school luxury move, Toyota used lots of chrome to distinguish the Tundra Capstone visually. It rides on big 22-inch chrome wheels. The grille has a body-color frame but a chrome mesh face. Mirror caps, badges, and chrome tailgate accents complete the high-shine look.
The Tundra Capstone comes only in a CrewMax configuration with a 5.5-foot bed. It’s available in Supersonic Red, Midnight Black Metallic, Celestial Silver Metallic, Blueprint, and Magnetic Gray Metallic.
Class of 2022: All the New and Redesigned Cars, Trucks, and SUVs
