Toyota has spent most of 2021 teasing the all-new 2022 model year Tundra. This completely revamped design sports an awesome new look, brand new powertrains, improved performance, and upgraded capability. While one of the big selling points for the new model year Tundra is the reinforced steel and improved durability of the chassis, it’s a hard thing to imagine when the body is covering up the undercarriage. But, what if you had an opportunity to see everything underneath the body and what the new 2022 Toyota Tundra looks like stripped down of its flashy new exterior? Well, fans of the new pickup have been given such an opportunity.
A Dynamic New Change
Leading up to the official reveal of the 2022 Toyota Tundra with the feature overview that took place in late September, lots of critics, enthusiasts, and content creators speculated about what would be underneath the hood of the Tundra. Some came closer than others to figure out what Toyota had lined up for the full-sized pickup truck, but a new video that completely removes the outer shell and gives everyone a look at what’s underneath the new hybrid Tundra illuminates a lot of details about what’s really powering the Tundra and how.
What’s Actually Underneath The Tundra…
It’s not often we get to see a real-life new model year vehicle completely stripped down to get a nice good look at the powertrain, the drivetrain, and the chassis. In the case of the 2022 Toyota Tundra, we actually have managed to see what it looks like without the exterior body. This was all thanks to YouTuber TFLShorts.
In the minute-long video, we get to see exactly what the 2022 Tundra looks like beyond just going under the hood. We literally see the entire drivetrain exposed. The video illustrates how the new hybrid system works and where each component is located on the chassis. There’s a lot to soak in here because it’s rare we get to see the anatomy of a vehicle like this, and it’s even more special since the Tundra is operating on the i-Force Max 3.5-liter twin-turbocharged V6 hybrid power plant, which produces a total 437 horsepower and 583 pound-feet of torque.
There’s an electric motor-generator between the transmission and the engine, which is fed additional power from a 1.87 kWh battery pack. As you can see, the battery pack stretches horizontally across the inner chassis near the mid-rear of the vehicle so it doesn’t obstruct the seating arrangements. Another neat bit of info is seeing where one of the turbochargers is located on the powertrain, just to the right-hand side of the steering column, and complemented by the intercooler on top of the engine block.
The hybrid powertrain setup is accompanied by a 10-speed electronic automatic transmission with intelligence, also known as an ECT-i. It’s designed to get the maximum amount of torque out of the twin-turbocharged V6. Toyota’s engineers have fine-tuned it to accommodate standard driving, trailering, and off-road use. If it can make full use of the electronic generator and the torque produced by the V6, then the 2022 Tundra could give every other full-size truck on the market a real run for their money when it comes to low-end, off-the-line performance.
Light Yet Powerful Suspension
It’s amazing how compact the frame is for the 2022 Tundra. It looks a lot more compact than you might have been expecting from a completely redesigned and overhauled full-size pickup. But the video reveals something even more interesting: dynamic rear air suspension with adjustable manual height settings. This improves the truck’s capabilities and ride quality over the traditional leaf-spring suspension still found in most pickup trucks.
If the optional air suspension is not for you, you will instead get the Tundra with modern coil spring suspension and dampening. So there are a variety of options based on what you plan to use the Tundra for, which is quite unique in its setup. There’s basically a different kind of suspension configuration based on what you need the Tundra for, whether it’s just normal pickup duties, towing and trailering, or off-road adventures.
This is all coupled with the brand new reinforced frame, which has also been made lighter and sturdier thanks to a laser-welded design. The idea was to make something more lightweight but with higher rigidity. This means the truck can withstand rougher use while still improving efficiency. Now what you don’t see in the video highlighting the stripped-down frame is the fact that the cab over the boxed frame is also completely redesigned with lightweight materials so that it has proper crumple zones but is also capable of handling heavy payloads fwithout deconstructing under stress. The 2022 Tundra is now rated for a max payload over 200 pounds heavier than the 2021 model.
Clean Design
One major takeaway from the stripped-away exterior that gives us a good clean look at the drivetrain is that the design is exceptionally clean. We can see how there’s no unnecessary clutter. The Tundra sports a very lean chassis and a really streamlined suspension and damping setup. It’s obvious that the redesign of the Tundra is aimed to be as efficient as possible. It’s not just there to hit the checklists and be a standard fare full-size pickup.
I’m sure one of the most popular features for the Tundra will probably be what’s located within the interior, specifically the completely revitalized infotainment system and sweeping suite of integrated technological compatibility. However, the highly improved platform with the added efficiency in the powertrain and electric generator, combined with the all-new Crawl Control features for tackling off-road challenges, will likely end up being one of its most defining features when compared to competing full-size trucks.
Criticisms and Expectations
Getting to peek beyond the hood and under the actual frame gives you a lot to look at and an understanding from a design and engineering aspect of the 2022 Toyota Tundra. In particular, the hybrid version rocking the i-Force Max V6. But some enthusiasts are asking some good questions based on the placement of some components, such as: how easy will it be to repair the turbos being placed where they are on the power plant?
As detailed in the video, the turbochargers are placed right next to the long members of the ladder frame that anchors the engine. So it might require completely lifting the engine out of the bay to reach the turbochargers. Another thing that some enthusiasts were curious about was the transmission cooler. It wasn’t covered in the video, but it could prove to be a huge game-changer in terms of top-end performance and towing reliability of the Tundra under different loads and conditions.
But most importantly, what exactly did you think of the stripped-down build of the 2022 Toyota Tundra? Did the design meet your expectations? What do you think about the electric generator being anchored between the engine and transmission? And how about the battery pack placement? Some people like it, some people don’t. How do you feel about it, and do you think it helps maximize the space of the Tundra’s cabin volume?
Regardless of what you think about the design, it’s quite a fascinating look at how Toyota went about completely overhauling the 2022 Toyota Tundra. The extra power from the electric motor and the revamped V6 powertrains are also interesting features. It will be fascinating to see how the consumer market responds to these big changes.
