Toyota’s All-New Tundra TRD Pro is a Total Beast! (YotaTech Reviews)
Wider and taller than all other Toyota trucks, the Tundra TRD Pro is a powerful off-roader with style and amenities for days!
Toyota was long known and loved in America for compact and mid-size trucks. But all of that changed when, in 1999, Toyota unveiled its first full-size truck, the mighty Tundra. Yet, despite winning MotorTrend’s truck of the year in 2000 and 2008, the Tundra saw very little evolution over the years. In fact, the outgoing second-generation lasted a staggering 14 years. Thankfully, here in 2022, Toyota finally unleashed the long-awaited gen three Tundra with a lighter, stronger platform, more power, and more tech and amenities than ever before. Today, we’re reviewing a Tundra TRD Pro, the rugged off-roading variant.
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Tundra TRD Pro Specs
Born on the new GA-F global platform, the all-new Tundra drops 441-lbs while gaining 20% more rigidity and more power from a pair of turbocharged engines. The iFORCE engine is a variant of what you’ll find in the Lexus LS 500, a twin-turbocharged 3.5L V6 making 389 peak horsepower and 479 ft.-lbs. of torque. The iFORCE MAX hybrid system adds an electric motor to the 10-speed automatic transmission bell housing, boosting horsepower and torque to 437hp and 583 lb.-ft of torque at 2,400 RPM.
Despite being a wonderful drivetrain — very similar to Ford’s hybrid PowerBoost setup — following something as reliable as the 3UR-FE 5.7L V8 is going to be tough. Not in terms of performance, of course. iFORCE MAX is a massive upgrade in that regard. But the 5.7L is a longevity legend and it’ll be interesting to see if Toyota suffers any of Ford’s EcoBoost growing pains.
Our Solar Octaine loaner, a glorious color ripped from early 70s muscle cars, would MSRP for $66,805 if it was a production model. But it’s not. It’s a prototype, so there are a few potential bugs we have to forgive. For now. The TRD Pro package adds skidplates, 2.5″ FOX shocks, red suspension components, a 1.1″ front lift, locking rear diff, multiple 4WD modes, and black 18″ BBS forged wheels wrapped in P285/65R18 Falking all-terrain tires.
The look is generally monochromatic save for blacked-out trim (no chrome allowed!) and the black exhaust tips, which sounds pretty mean and aggressive for a six-pot. (I don’t know what voodoo Toyota used, but Ford’s turbo V6s sound like hot garbage while the TRD Pro growls nearly as well as a V8.) LED foglights and a (high-beam activated) lightbar also come standard, as do DOT-friendly front-and-back lights to let folks know this truck is wider than most Tundras.
Inside, you’ll find leather-trimmed camouflaged heated and ventilated front seats, a massive center console, room for five adults, several USB A and USB C charging ports, a massive 14″ infotainment system. Plus the rear window — you know the one looking into the truck’s 5.5′ bed? — rolls down like a 70s or 80s SUV. Great addition. And a glass moonroof engulfs the ceiling.
All of it — the luxury and performance — stuffed into a dessert running, mountain climbing, four-door pickup truck that can tow 11,175 lbs and haul 1,600 pounds in the bed.
What We Love
We could spend a few thousand words describing the TRD Pro’s achievements — also, make sure to watch the above video — but here’s are a few highlights. The iFORCE MAX powertrain makes this THREE TON Tundra feel more like a sports car. It’s incredible for performance and may save you a nickel or two at the pump over the standard iFORCE. Visually, the new Tundra rocks too, especially with the TRD Pro’s bright Solar Octane and black trim. It’s modern and beastly.
On the inside, yes you’ll find a good bit of cheaper plastics, but it’s fairly luxurious. Room for five adults. A modern infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and wireless charging. Heated and ventilated seats. A relatively quiet cabin. It’s a great space to spend time heading to work or playing on the weekends. (It’s almost Lexus-good, y’all.)
And the driving experience is excellent as well. For this generation, Toyota finally dropped the leaf springs in favor of rear coils. Not independent, but still smooth on and off the road. (Unless you hit some washboard afflicted pavement, but that upsets most trucks, to be honest.) Speaking of off road, outside of more technical elements where you’d want a Tacoma, Bronco, or Wrangler, the TRD Pro is unbelievably stable playing in the ruts and ditches and when crawling over rocks… all while you’re enjoying a cooled butt and satellite radio.
Lastly, I think this model is a solid value. Last year, I tested Ford’s PowerBoost in an XLT High-Package FX4 truck. For those who don’t know Fords, XLT is a mid-level cloth trim. The high package adds in tech and comfort, while the FX4 option includes a locking diff and 4×4 goodies. But it’s also a step below what Ford calls their TREMOR offroad package, which is philosophically closer to any TRD Pro.
All of this to say that my Ford loaner offered similar POWER to the TRD Pro, but at only $3,000 more, the TRD Pro includes more luxury (leather seats), amenities (moonroof and rear fifth-window), and genuine offroad capabilities (FX4 suspension and tires aren’t as good). Which, to me, makes the TRD Pro a good value. Technically, you can snag an F-150 TREMOR to compete, but Ford doesn’t offer a hybrid TREMOR.
What We’d Change
Despite an overall positive Tundra TRD Pro experience, we’d love to see Toyota make a few changes as the new platform evolves. First, with this much power, we’d love to see Toyota beef up the brakes. I don’t mean to imply it’s dangerous, but at these power levels, it would be easy to drive one of these too hot into a corner. Next, the steering itself is good but very numb; it would be great to see a smaller wheel with a touch more feedback.
Speaking of feedback, my body gave me some feedback about the driver’s side kick panel. It appears to curve inward near the dead and brake pedals. And after an hour or so, my left knee started to feel tweaked. I wish there was a little more room under the dash right there. And while there’s a great center console for storage, it should be pointed out that there’s no under-seat storage in the hybrid models. We’d recommend getting a tonneau cover (or similar) for family trips.
And lastly, despite all the hybrid performance gains, our fuel economy experience was pretty bad at 11.5MPG. Yes, this included idling while filming, off-roading, several 0-60 runs, and driving over mountain passes at 80mph, but the best we saw with the computer was 16mph during stop-n-go morning traffic when the hybrid motor did a lot of work. This is a few MPG lower than the F-150, in our experience. But that had better road tires and the TRD Pro is taller and wider and, as we’ve said before, a prototype.
Speaking of which, we also couldn’t get the radar cruise control to work, but it was unclear if that was a prototype bug, user error, or a system flaw. We’ll report back after testing a full-production Tundra.
Tundra TRD Pro Wrap Up
Part luxury vehicle, part work truck, part desert runner, the Tundra TRD Pro with its iFORCE MAX hybrid powertrain ticks a ton of boxes. Bravo, Toyota. This update was a long-time coming, but you didn’t disappoint. Now let’s just hope your engineers designed the iFORCE and iFORCE MAX to live a few hundred thousand miles, and you’ll have yourselves another legendary classic with high resale value.
