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What To Think of The 2022 Toyota Tundra Hybrid: Recommend or No?

I own a full size pickup truck and its gas mileage is starting to piss me off. I saw that Toyota was offering hybrid mechanics with its new Tundra. What do you think?

An opinion about the 2022 Toyota Tundra hybrid was asked by a pick up truck owner, who is looking for a new hybrid truck. Indeed, what do you think of the new 2022 Toyota Tundra hybrid as an option?

For 2022, Toyota has renewed its Tundra. The arrival of a new generation of Tundra trucks was eagerly awaited. Remember that the old model remained on the market for nearly fifteen years. It's very long.

Among the significant novelties of the new Toyota Tundra model, let us underline the advent of the hybrid technology. Since the turn of the 2000s, Toyota has marketed hybrid vehicles, but had never paired this technology with a pickup truck. In fact, Ford has outstripped Toyota by bringing the F-150 PowerBoost to market as early as 2021.

In the 2022 Tundra hybrid Toyota combines a 3.5-liter turbocharged V6 engine with a small electric motor paired with a 1.9 kWh battery. The whole thing develops a power of 437 horsepower and 583 lb-ft. This mechanism does not lack confidence, that is not the question. Performance is interesting and we certainly won't miss the old V8 engine.

However, this fall Le Guide De L'Auto tested the Tundra Hybrid over a distance of over close 700 miles. At the end of their test, the on-board computer showed fuel consumption of 13.4 L per 100 km. That's 3.53 gallons for 60 miles and is a little disappointing. For its part, Natural Resources Canada announces a combined consumption of 11.7 L/100 km. The difference is significant and the publication says it is difficult to explain it given that they did not tow with the vehicle or transport heavy loads over long distances.

In September of last year, they also tested the F-150 with PowerBoost mechanics. After having traveled more than 1,300 kilometers at the wheel, the on-board computer showed a consumption of 10.8 L/100 km. That's about 2.85 gallons per 60 miles. As an indication, Natural Resources Canada announces a rating of 10.2 L/100 km in combined driving. That is more interesting.

On the other hand, despite impressive fuel consumption, Le Guide De L'Auto writes that they are unable to recommend the F-150 with the PowerBoost engine given that it suffered from numerous failures in terms of reliability. That said, they are also not comfortable recommending the Toyota Tundra Hybrid to you with their eyes closed. Although Toyota has a great reputation for overall reliability, the hybrid technology is new and yet unproven in a Tundra truck.

I personally like the hybrid technology very much. I know that Toyota has more than a decade of experience with the hybrid technology in its cars starting the Prius, which I happen to own and am very pleased with it. Thus, before you buy a Tundra hybrid, test drive it a for a considerable amount of miles and check the MPG for yourself, if that's the main decision-making factor.

You may want to also check what Scotty Kilmer has to say about the 2022 Toyota Hybrid here, calling it not really a hybrid truck. If you are a Toyota Tundra Hybrid owner, please tell us your opinion. Are you pleased with the truck? Thanks for reading and sharing in your social media.

Armen Hareyan is the founder and the Editor in Chief of Torque News. He founded TorqueNews.com in 2010, which since then has been publishing expert news and analysis about the automotive industry. He can be reached at Torque News Twitter, Facebok, Linkedin and Youtube.

Comments

John Goreham    October 6, 2022 - 10:44AM

I attended a new product introduction by Toyota, and my take-away was that the lower RPM higher torque, and huge fuel savings would be a great thing. I'm glad to see more truck makers offering fuel saving engines.