Cargazing
By Derek Price
Until 2021, if you wanted the cushiest Toyota Tundra, you could pick from two ho-hum names: the unoriginal Platinum, or the awkward-sounding 1794 Edition.
For its new-generation Tundra, Toyota is rolling out one of the best names for a luxury trim I’ve ever seen: the Capstone.
This fanciest Toyota pickup comes with a boatload of tech features, 22-inch chrome rapper wheels and more white leather than a pop diva’s dressing room.
Yes, white leather in a truck.
As crazy as that may sound, Toyota did a wise job putting the snowy bits in places they’re not likely to get dirty. The two-tone cabin in my tester felt more like a Lexus than a Toyota, swathed in soft-touch materials and a leaving sensation of tight construction in every detail.
It’s easy to see why WardsAuto named this one of the 10 best interiors this year. It uses semi-aniline leather, just like many high-end luxury sedans, along with genuine open-pore walnut wood trim and gentle ambient lighting to create a classy frame for the truck’s tech features.
Toyota’s redesigned Tundra pickup includes a new top-level luxury grade with an appropriate name: the Capstone.
A 14-inch screen is the centerpiece of the dash. Hardware buttons for the most commonly used controls follow the stereotypical Toyota logic and build quality.
All the knobs, trim and storage covers feel as if they’re designed to withstand a nuclear winter, something that might come in handy if things don’t change soon in Ukraine.
The freshly redesigned Tundra’s underpinnings help with those Lexus sensations from the driver’s seat, too. Along with the Ram 1500, it’s one of the smoothest, quietest pickups for sale today.
Unlike the Ram — or any other mainstream truck, for that matter — you can’t get it with a V8 engine. Toyota switched to a twin-turbocharged V6, also available as a hybrid for more power from an added electric motor, for the new-generation design that bowed last year.
The Capstone’s two-tone interior makes liberal use of white leather, fortunately in spots that aren’t likely to get too dirty.
My tester, the V6 hybrid, didn’t play second fiddle to a V8. It’s just as meaty, powerful and effortless as one would expect from a classic pickup V8 engine, including the way it sounds with some electronic augmentation magic. You hear a hint of turbo whine mixed with a deep, bellowing grunt that seems to deliver a message: this is a serious truck.
And it is.
The new Tundra is rated to tow up to 12,000 pounds. The hybrid drivetrain makes 437 horsepower and a brawny 583 pound-feet of torque, a nice bump over the standard engine’s 389 horses and 479 pound-feet.
To me, the big question is whether a new turbocharged engine and complicated hybrid system can have the same legendary longevity as a Toyota V8. Turbos as a technology certainly don’t have that reputation.
We won’t know the durability answer for several more years, of course, but if there’s any brand I would trust to get the engineering right, it’s this one. From the Prius to the Land Cruiser and everything in between, Toyota has a stellar reputation for dependability.
Pricing starts at $35,950 for the base SR grade. The Capstone tops the lineup, just as its name implies, at $73,530.
At A Glance
What was tested? 2022 Toyota Tundra HV 4×4 Capstone CrewMax ($73,530). Options: Adaptive variable suspension ($1,045), special color ($425), ball mount ($65), spray-on bed liner ($579). Price as tested (including $1,695 destination charge): $77,339
Wheelbase: 145.7 in.
Length: 233.6 in.
Width: 80.2 in.
Height: 78 in.
Powertrain: Twin-turbo V6 and electric motor (combined 437 hp, 583 lbs. ft.)
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Fuel Economy: 19 city, 22 highway
RATINGS
Style: 9
Performance: 9
Price: 7
Handling: 8
Ride: 9
Comfort: 9
Quality: 10
Overall: 9
Why buy it?
The Capstone grade sets a higher level of luxury for Toyota’s full-size truck. The new-generation Tundra is more capable, quiet and feature-packed than ever before.