Experienced by Adrian McQueen
Photos by Adrenaline Lifestyles
Over time we have seen pickup trucks become more desirable for their looks. Well Toyota has entered the conversation with the newly-added luxury-oriented Capstone trim. The Toyota Tundra has been manufactured since May 1999. The Tundra was the first North American full-size pickup to be built by a Japanese manufacturer. The Tundra is built in Toyota’s San Antonio, Texas, factory and is the only full-size pickup truck manufactured in Texas. The current-generation Toyota Tundra debuted back in 2007 and continues to receive updates over the years.
Upon first look you notice the Wind Chill Pearl hue that the Tundra arrived in matches the color of the outside of the grille. It also has chrome inserts, and the “Tundra” script on the tailgate is in chrome as well. The Tundra Capstones are only available in a crew-cab configuration with a 5.5-foot bed and sits on dark chrome alloy 22-inch wheels. The optional automatic running boards and bedside step are standard equipment as well. The Tundra also has wide fenders and prominent Toyota badges. A pickup truck is a necessity in my life. I am constantly hauling things around and the bed space makes life so much easier. Routine use of my pickup truck involves moving furniture, hauling my motorcycles, lawn equipment, large purchases, etc.
Being a family man, the crew cab is essential so that my passengers can travel along. The Tundra can seat 5 passengers. The spacious cabin lacks a luxurious feel but is comfortable for all. The Capstone edition has a spacious and comfy cabin that affords the benefit in having the room to bring the whole family aboard in my travels. The Capstone has a black and white leather interior with walnut trim and an illuminated Capstone logo integrated into the dashboard. Acoustic glass on the front doors is exclusive to the Capstone and a panoramic sunroof is standard. The Tundra includes perforated, leather trimmed and heated/cooled/powered front seats. I felt like there was more than enough leg room for the driver and passengers as well as elbow room.
The cabin of the Tundra comes fully loaded with a 14.0-inch touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a 12.3 digital gauge cluster, a 10.0-inch color head-up display, and a 12 speaker JBL sound system. Sound is extremely important to me and the JBL sound system in the Tundra blew me away. I was impressed with the clarity in the speakers and impressed that the subwoofer hit hard with the rumbling of the deep bass. The 14” hi res touch screen comes with a navigation system, Apple Car play, Android Auto, SiriusXM radio, Bluetooth and much more. More importantly, this system was user friendly with identifiable icons and not a bunch of excess menus, just to get to the apps. With a few taps of my finger, I need to efficiently get to what I need.
The Tundra uses an I-Force 3.5L Twin Turbo V-6 hybrid engine, DOHC 24V with Dual VVT-I, pushing out 437 hp with 583 lb-ft of torque. The 10 speed auto transmission with sequential shift gives this powerful engine a smooth and stylish ride. This truck is powerful and is fast. This would be great for towing being that the towing and payload capacities have been increased.
As far as safety is concerned, the 2022 Toyota Tundra comes with the Toyota Safety Sense 2.5 pre-collision system with pedestrian detection. The Tundra has full-speed range dynamic cruise control, lane tracing assist, lane-departure alert with steering assist, road sign assist and automatic high-beam headlights. One should feel well protected with these safety features.
The Toyota Tundra’s key competitors are the Ford F-150, Ford F-150 Raptor, Chevrolet Silverado 1500, GMC Sierra, GMC Sierra Denali, Ram 1500 and the Nissan Titan. Gas mileage has become better over the years with the Tundra. This Capstone Edition comes in at 19 mpg city, 22 mpg highway and 20 mpg combined. The Tundra that we tested comes in at $77,399.00. Overall this is a great truck, a pure head turner and will measure up well in the pickup truck market. Please enjoy the photo gallery.
