The new 2022 Tundra pickup which features new technologies, more power, and a braver look was officially unveiled by Toyota Motor on Sunday.
More than this, truck owners might be astonished by an extra feature: the additional power will not be sourced from a V-8 engine.
A couple of versions of a 3.5-liter twin-turbo V-6 engine will be offered by Toyota instead of the V-8 engine. These include a hybrid that can result in horsepower exceeding 437 and torque of 583 foot-pounds. The horsepower is 56 more as compared to the present V-8 while the torque is an increase of 48 percent than this year’s Tundra model.
“We took a fresh, transformational approach to our truck development and had to rethink many things we’d previously done,” Toyota’s product development office senior vice president Mike Sweers said in a statement.
For pickup trucks, the use of twin-turbo V-6 engines resulted in promising success. Several were caught in surprise when Ford Motor used this engine in their F-150 pickup in 2011. Ford named it EcoBoost, which became a hit, pushing Ford to create more Ecoboost engines for its truck products.
Alternative powertrain options became a trend among automakers as the entry of all-electric pickups is anticipated in the market in the years to come. A hybrid F-150, as well as a standard hybrid on its Maverick pickup, was offered by Ford. Ram Trucks, on the other hand, has their mild hybrid on its 1500, CNBC reported.
“Buyers in general are becoming a little bit more accepting of alternative, powertrains” Stephanie Brinley, IHS Markit principal automotive analyst, said. “If the engine and the propulsion system gives you what you need to operate your truck, and do what you need to do with that truck. they’re accepting alternatives to V-8s.”
