2022 Toyota Tundra vs. Ford F-150: Upstart Battles Previous Hand

We like our comparability assessments to return to definitive conclusions, however that did not occur with this one. As an alternative, in pitting the all-new 2022 Toyota Tundra towards the bestselling Ford F-150, it got here all the way down to weighing the main points. For instance: One among these pickup vehicles has a greater engine, the opposite a greater transmission. One has a better-looking inside; the opposite affords higher performance. Even the again seat components into the equation: One has a greater seat, the opposite smarter ground storage. We did handle to choose a winner, however solely by the slimmest of margins. In case you had been to buy the truck we deemed the lesser of the 2, we definitely would not say you got the incorrect one.

However sufficient preamble, let’s meet our gamers. For this specific check, we determined to pattern workaday, lower-trim variations of those full-size vehicles. Each featured crew cabs, quick packing containers, and four-wheel drive. Toyota despatched alongside a 2022 Tundra Restricted outfitted with the TRD Off-Highway bundle and a handful of different helpful stand-alone choices that added as much as a $60,188 sticker. Ford equipped an F-150 XLT, the truck’s one-up-from-the-bottom trim, which was priced at $58,575 and fitted with two key choices—Ford’s Max Trailer Tow bundle and the three.5-liter EcoBoost twin-turbo V-6. (The truck Ford despatched was a 2021, however the 2022 F-150 is functionally similar.)

At first look, the Ford F-150 is the marginally better-looking truck in our eyes. It seems relaxed and certain of itself, whereas the Tundra is styled prefer it has one thing to show. Though we recognize the creases in its sheetmetal, we will not avert our gaze from the Tundra’s big, gaping grille, which reminds us of a jet airplane lacking its nostril cone. Out again, the Tundra’s vertical taillights aren’t as built-in into the truck’s total design. That mentioned, with regards to the main points, the Toyota seems extra trendy, with sequential LED flip indicators the place the lower-spec Ford makes do with incandescent bulbs. It is controversial to make certain, however the Tundra is certainly a product of the brand new decade, whereas the new-for-2021 F-150 might be 10 years previous.

It is a comparable story inside. The Tundra’s inside is extra trendy in execution, with its large 14.0-inch infotainment display (elective), handsomely sculpted vents, and broad piano-key switches (a good suggestion lifted from Basic Motors). The F-150’s stereo, A/C, and steering wheel controls, with their dials and plastic buttons, look old style by comparability, however they’re arguably simpler to make use of. The F-150’s inside has its share of low-cost plastics, although the majority of its dashboard seems to be constructed of higher-quality supplies than the Tundra employs. Even the upholstery is a draw: A few of our testers thought the F-150’s two-tone fabric was far more engaging and comfy than the Tundra’s fake leather-based. Others mentioned Toyota’s Sof-Tex is extra upscale and questioned what possessed Ford to place fabric seats in a $58,575 truck.

Each vehicles function big middle touchscreen infotainment interfaces, however the Toyota’s is gianter—and though that is nice for Apple CarPlay, we had been stunned the Tundra solely helps you to show one system (audio, cellphone, navigation, settings) at a time, whereas the Ford will present, say, your tunes and a map concurrently.

We discovered the again seats to be roomy in each the F-150 and the Tundra, with a number of legroom and easy accessibility via massive doorways, and each supply two kinds of USB ports (A and C) and a 120-volt outlet. The Tundra has the (marginally) extra snug seat, with an extended backside cushion that gives higher thigh help and a extra relaxed backrest angle. However with the seat bottoms folded up, the F-150’s flat ground and fold-away storage bins (a $215 choice) made it way more helpful and versatile than the Tundra, which has a large transmission hump and onerous, fastened plastic binnacles.

Each of our check vehicles had been powered by twin-turbo V-6 engines—a 3.5-liter unit for the F-150 and a 3.4 for the Tundra (although Toyota’s gross sales literature says in any other case). Notice, nevertheless, that the EcoBoost engine is a $2,595 choice within the Ford; commonplace energy is a 3.3-liter non-turbo V-6 with half as a lot torque. The Toyota, in the meantime, will get twin-turbo energy as commonplace. (Each the Tundra and F-150 can be found with an elective hybrid powertrain, however solely Ford affords a V-8.)

The F-150 supplies loads of go for the additional dough. Though its 400 hp and 500 lb-ft of torque bests the Toyota by solely 11 hp and 21 lb-ft, the aluminum-bodied F-150 weighs a quarter-ton lower than the Tundra. As well as, each come commonplace with a 3.31:1 rear axle, however our Ford check truck got here with no-cost elective 3.55:1 gearing, which the Tundra does not supply. The entire above gave the F-150 a severe velocity benefit: We clocked the Ford from 0 to 60 mph in 5.3 seconds, which is sort of a full second faster than the Tundra. And Ford’s EPA gasoline financial system numbers measure 1 mpg higher in metropolis, freeway, and mixed measurements. Out on the open highway, the Ford felt just like the extra highly effective truck, and it delivered barely higher gasoline financial system throughout our testing.

However that does not essentially imply the Ford’s powertrain is a far superior selection. The 2022 Tundra’s 10-speed computerized transmission proved to be the higher actor, shifting up and down promptly and easily. On one slender, hilly part of our check route, the Tundra knew intuitively which gear to choose; prodding the F-150’s accelerator on the identical stretch resulted in a delay and a lurch whereas it tried to search out the fitting ratio.

The suspension is one space the place Ford pulled definitively forward. Neither of those pickup vehicles will ever be mistaken for an old-school Lincoln City Automotive, however the F-150 offered a smoother journey, whereas the Tundra felt jittery even over average bumps. When the pavement acquired barely worse, the Tundra’s journey acquired so much worse, deteriorating far more rapidly than the F-150’s journey high quality. This was considerably shocking, given the Toyota’s rear coil springs and decrease payload ranking relative to the leaf-sprung Ford.

The Ford’s steering felt mild and a bit numb, making the truck simple, if not precisely pleasurable, to maneuver. But it surely steered higher than the Tundra, which felt much less exact and wandered extra on the freeway. Each vehicles have adaptive cruise management with lane centering, and though the Ford guided itself precisely, the Tundra had a more durable time staying centered, an expertise shared by its human drivers. Take into account that our check Tundra got here with the $3,085 TRD Off-Highway bundle that includes stiffer shocks and softer all-terrain tires. With out this bundle, the Toyota may nicely have had higher journey and steering qualities.

In contrast to the F-150, the Tundra does not have a spray-in bedliner, nevertheless it does not want one: The Tundra’s mattress is a plastic composite, which is nearly indestructible. There’s nothing incorrect with a metallic mattress just like the Ford’s, nevertheless it’s ultimately going to point out the dents and scars of onerous use. That will not be the case with the Tundra. Each vehicles have tie-downs within the mattress partitions; the Ford’s are fastened, whereas the Tundra affords each fastened and movable factors.

Our Tundra check truck had a $385 energy bundle that included 400-watt shops within the mattress and a Qi wi-fi cellphone charger within the cab, which our F-150 lacked. Ford affords 400-watt plugs for $290, however our truck got here as a substitute with the $995 ProPower Onboard bundle able to 2,000 watts. The Toyota additionally had a retractable tailgate step, however evetesn with it deployed, our shorter testers confronted a steep climb into the mattress. Talking of steep, that little step prices a whopping $399. In contrast to the Toyota, our F-150 did not include any tailgate help options as outfitted. Ford does supply a top quality tailgate step of its personal for the F-150, nevertheless it’s solely included as a part of the $695 energy tailgate bundle, which was lacking from our truck. (Maybe it was an excellent factor given what we found in our final full-size pickup comparability.)

By way of truck capabilities, Ford is the clear winner. Our Tundra, as outfitted, had a most payload of 1,740 kilos and a towing capability of 11,120 kilos. The Ford, in the meantime, supplied a 2,100-pound payload capability and, with its Max Trailering bundle, a towing capability of 13,900 kilos. However even with a lesser trailering bundle, the F-150 would nonetheless out-tow the Tundra by 180 kilos. Capability and ability are separate issues, although. We have all the time discovered the F-150 to be a secure towing platform, and the Tundra proved simply as competent at hauling our high-profile two-horse trailer.

We’re massive followers of Ford’s elective Professional Trailer Backup Help system, and we had been desperate to strive Toyota’s model, referred to as Straight Path Help. The important thing distinction between the 2 is that the F-150 permits the motive force to steer the trailer in reverse with a dial on the dashboard, however the Tundra solely retains the trailer going straight. With Straight Path Help, when you get the trailer pointed the place you need it, you possibly can let go of the wheel and the Tundra will steer itself in an try and hold the trailer entering into the identical course. The Tundra did a reasonably good job of conserving the trailer going straight, however actually, that is solely half the battle—getting the trailer pointed in the fitting course is the actual battle for novice trailer-backers. Ford’s system (in addition to Ram’s Trailer Reverse Steering) alleviates 95 % of the nervousness of backing up a trailer; the Toyota, possibly 50 %. We’re baffled as to why Toyota did not construct a whole trailer-backing resolution.

We suspected from our first check loop that this was going to be a detailed competitors, and we weren’t dissatisfied. Toyota clearly benchmarked the bestselling F-150 when growing its new Tundra, and it adopted very carefully within the Ford’s tire tracks.

However ultimately, the Ford managed to remain out entrance, if solely by a bumper size or two. The F-150 is the higher and extra snug truck to drive (although a Tundra with the non-TRD suspension may be capable to shut that hole). The Ford’s inside is marginally nicer and simpler to make use of, and the F-150’s again seat, although not fairly as snug because the Toyota’s, affords extra flexibility for carrying other-than-human cargo. We just like the Tundra’s robust composite mattress, however the Ford carries much more cargo. Each vehicles are competent tow automobiles, however the Ford has extra capability and a greater trailer-backing system. And though the Tundra has extra trendy styling particulars, the F-150 has a glance we expect will age higher—certainly, it already appears to be doing so.

Toyota followers could be dissatisfied to study that the brand new Tundra era is in need of class-leading; in our estimation, that title nonetheless belongs to the Ram 1500. However within the full-size pickup area, the place breaking into the Chevy-Ford-Ram triumvirate is a near-impossible job, enjoying observe the chief is probably the neatest transfer—and the 2022 Toyota Tundra is certainly following the Ford F-150 very, very carefully.

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