Half-ton vans have been encroaching on luxurious automotive territory for years. Today, you may spec a Ford F-150 or Ram 1500 with all of the nicest leather-based and fanciest trim items, assuming you are keen to spend nicely north of $70,000.
The 2022 Toyota Tundra is not any exception to that rule. However as a substitute of parsing every particular person upscale aspect into a number of choices or packages, Toyota crams all of the nicest stuff into one aptly named trim: the Capstone.
The Capstone mannequin is new for 2022 and out there on each the Tundra pickup and the Sequoia three-row crossover. With it, you get the highest-end leather-based out there within the vary, the chromiest styling, and all the greatest know-how packed into one single trim line. However is it value an asking value of $74,000 to start out?
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Professionals
Toyota is treating this Tundra prefer it’s a Lexus with a mattress, and the Capstone actually does symbolize a big step up from the next-best trim when it comes to lavishness. Gentle semi-aniline leather-based covers the seats and heart console whereas a stunning matte wooden remedy spans the width of the sprint. There’s some fake aluminum, too, on the steering wheel and shifter that appears good and helps additional amplify that luxurious really feel.
Toyota’s new I-Pressure Max hybrid powertrain is not unique to the Capstone mannequin, admittedly. However the hybrid setup is normal on the top-end trim, and it’s implausible. The dual-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6 engine with hybrid help produces 427 horsepower and 583 pound-feet of torque, which makes the Tundra genuinely punchy in a straight line.
And at low speeds, it’s simply nearly as good. The hybrid help works in excellent unison with the fuel engine. This powertrain is without doubt one of the smoothest setups of any half-ton truck and presents a seamless transition from fuel to electrical.
Once more, the Tundra Capstone would not provide the identical cloud-like-ride as a few of the top-end Lexus merchandise – but it surely comes fairly shut for a truck. The impartial double-wishbone entrance and multi-link rear suspension with coil springs is without doubt one of the high setups within the full-size truck section. The journey is comfy and smooth, physique roll is stored to a minimal, and you may barely discover any uncomfortable suggestions over dangerous roads – even with the Captone’s 22-inch wheels.
Cons
Everyone knows vans are getting greater, however much more than the Ford F-150 or Ram 1500, the Toyota Tundra feels comically massive. Tight parking tons require three-point turns and a few metropolis streets really feel like they will barely accommodate the width of this truck. Even the largest F-150s and 1500s (not counting the Raptor and TRX) don’t drive as prolonged or as cumbersome because the Tundra does.
The Tundra Capstone stretches out to 245.6 inches with the longest mattress and 80.2 inches broad. The hood rises up excessive nicely into your sightlines, too, which makes frontward visibility a problem. And the bulging entrance accents on the hood make it exhausting to level the truck completely right into a nook.
What’s humorous is, for as massive because the Tundra feels to drive compared to Ford and Ram, the second row is tighter right here than it does in both of these two vans. The underside cushion extends out a lot additional than you’d anticipate, making for much less legroom. The Tundra’s 41.6 inches of leg house are nonetheless loads spacious in comparison with most conventional automobiles, however that’s nonetheless about two inches down on the F-150 and nearly 5 inches fewer than the longest 1500.
The 2-tone white-and-black leather-based that’s unique to the Capstone trim appears beautiful. However as you already know, placing white leather-based on high-traffic touchpoints – like the middle console armrests and the door panel armrests – is a recipe for catastrophe. That’s true in most automobiles, however particularly in a truck meant for work. The white finishes within the Tundra Capstone are sure to get soiled rapidly.