This week’s Daddy’s Digest car review takes a look at the 2022 Toyota Tundra Double Cab SR5 TRD Sport, which is an all-new model from the Japanese automaker for this year. With the previous model spending nearly fifteen years on the market, the Tundra was relatively overdue for a full model changeover. With a new platform and new powertrains accompanying a more aggressive exterior look, the changes are much more than skin deep.
Engine and Transmission
Gone is the old 5.7-litre V8, which was a pretty refined engine, but sorely lacked the fuel economy that the Tundra’s domestic rivals were capable of. In its place is a 3.4-litre twin-turbocharged V6, and while horsepower has decreased from 381 to 349, torque has increased from 401 to 405 pound-feet. While this doesn’t appear to be a good change, the reality is that the turbo V6’s peak torque now happens at 2,000 rpm, as opposed to 3,600 rpm for the V8.
Practically speaking, this means that the 2022 Toyota Tundra Double Cab SR5 TRD Sport has a ton more oomph off the line, accelerates more swiftly and feels less laboured. While the sweet sound of the V8 is gone, the V6 doesn’t sound too bad itself and has the performance to back it up. A ten-speed automatic transmission (up from 2021’s six-speed auto) carries out shifting duty and is a smooth unit that doesn’t get in the way at any time.
Based on nominal figures from Natural Resources Canada, fuel consumption has improved by a whopping twenty-five percent – regardless of city or highway driving. The Double Cab SR5 TRD Sport trim is rated at 13.6 litres per 100 kilometres on the highway, and 10.4 litres per 100 kilometres in the city. There’s also a Tundra Hybrid model for an extra five percent gain in economy, which ups the horsepower and torque figures to 416 and 443, respectively.
2022 Toyota Tundra: Towing, Hauling, and Driving
The non-hybrid 2022 Toyota Tundra Double Cab without the hybrid powertrain is rated to tow 3,760 kilograms (8,289 pounds). As well, payload capacity is 880 kilograms (1,940 pounds). Over our week of testing, over 680 kilograms (1,500 pounds) was placed in the bed of the Tundra, which had a length of six feet, six inches for the Double Cab. The twin-turbo V6 was able to handle this load without incident, other than a little bit of squatting at the rear. Fuel economy was still better than the old V8 when unloaded, to boot!
Without some weight in the back, the 2022 Tundra does ride a little choppy and bouncy. Coil springs on the rear axle do help to improve things, and you’ll be hard pressed to find its competitors doing much better. As a half-ton, full-size pickup, it drives as big as one would expect, with about average visibility and maneuverability for a truck of this size.
For Dads and Families
While the Double Cab body format has four doors, it’s not really much more than the three-door extended cab pickups of yesteryear. Cramming in rear-facing child seats is a challenge when it comes to maintaining front-seat leg room, and while it’s not too difficult to install the seat via readily-accessible LATCH anchors, any front-seat occupants over five-foot-eight or so will have trouble having enough space with a child seat behind them.
For those who will be using the back seats on the regular, whether for people or child seats, should consider the CrewMax version of the Tundra. It has ample space for activities but does come at the expense of bed length, going from the aforementioned six-foot-six down to five-foot-six.
Seat comfort for longer drives isn’t going to be in the same ballpark as a luxury car – this is a pickup truck, after all. Drivers will find themselves going a bit numb in the butt after an hour or two. Overall road noise and vibrations are very well damped at least, so it’s still pleasant to use on a daily basis. The interior fit and finish is good and consistent, although there is a fairly large sea of black plastic whose beauty might be in the eye of the beholder.
Pricing and Features
The cheapest 2022 Toyota Tundra available starts at $48,290 for a Double Cab SR 4X4 (a 4X2 starts at $44,990), but the Double Cab SR5 TRD Sport comes in at $54,090 as tested. The TRD Sport package adds features such as active grille shutters, heated front seats, dual-zone automatic climate control, power-adjustable driver and passenger seats, 20-inch alloy wheels, a trailer brake controller, a TRD-branded leather-wrapped and heated steering wheel, blind spot monitoring, and TRD sport-tuned shock absorbers.
All Tundras are equipped with Toyota’s Safety Sense 2.5 system, which includes a forward collision warning system with automatic braking (including pedestrian/cyclist detection), automatic braking for right/left turn oncoming pedestrians, left turn oncoming vehicle detection and avoidance, lane departure warning with lane keeping assist, adaptive cruise control, and automatic high beams.
2022 Toyota Tundra: Bottom Line
The 2022 Toyota Tundra Double Cab SR5 TRD Sport is a much-needed update that brings this half-ton truck out of the Bush administration, and into modern-day hauling needs. It’s comfortable and quiet enough to be used every day, and the new twin-turbocharged V6 is a great call over the outgoing V8, especially in terms of low-end torque and fuel economy. While it may not be an absolute game changer that will sway die-hard domestic fans away from their respective corners, it’s an entirely good truck that should uphold the Toyota reputation of rock-solid reliability and incredible (and borderline ridiculous) resale value. Dads and families should skip the Double Cab entirely – stick to the CrewMax in that case.
