New Toyota Tundra will infotain you

The first official image of the next-generation 2022 Toyota Tundra, which is under study for Australia, was released following leaked images over the weekend and now Toyota presents us with the first interior image.

Showing a huge new central infotainment touch-screen, the panorama shot shows the free-standing tablet-style multimedia display, incorporating Apple CarPlay native sat-nav, will sit atop an expansive dashboard flanked by a chunky grab-handle and JBL speakers on each A-pillar.

Although it’s unlikely to be standard across the 2022 Toyota Tundra line-up, it will be a big step up from the current model’s standard 7.0-inch and optional 8.0-inch media screens – and likely bigger than the 12.0-inch units available in the Ford F-150 and RAM 1500.

Also evident in the fresh teaser shot are a red centre marker on a perforated leather-wapped steering wheel and black inserts on either side of the huge bonnet.

These features will likely be unique to the TRD Pro flagship – the only variant of Toyota’s all-new full-size dual-cab 4x4 pick-up that’s been officially revealed so far.

As can also be seen from the previous image, the 2022 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro will ride on massive 32.5-inch all-terrain tyres and feature a LED light bar and daytime running lights within an enormous black honeycomb grille that extends down into a black lower skid plate.

Completing the stealth-look for the TRD Pro are black A-pillars, black window surrounds, black tubular side steps and black wheel-arch cladding.

The big new infotainment screen appears even larger than the 12.3-inch unit in the new 2022 Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series and may also grace the new Lexus LX.

And because all three new super-size models will be based on the same TNGA-F ladder platform, you can expect many more of the new LandCruiser’s fresh technologies to also appear in the Tundra.

Chief among them will be Toyota’s new iForce MAX 3.5-litre twin-turbo petrol V6, which will deliver 305kW/650Nm in the 300 Series in markets outside Australia, and is expected to replace the outgoing Tundra’s ageing 5.7-litre petrol V8 (284kW/583Nm) as the big ute’s standard powertrain.

Toyota has already promised the new Tundra’s base engine will outperform the old V8, making Lexus’ new 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 an outside chance for the Japanese brand’s new flagship pick-up.

However, as with the 300 Series LandCruiser, a hybridised petrol/electric version of the twin-turbo V6 is expected to join the new Tundra line-up down the track, and it’s possible the ute will also be available with Toyota’s all-new 3.3-litre twin-turbo diesel V6.

The latter will be the standard engine for the new LandCruiser in Australia and, with 227kW of power and 700Nm of torque, it should also easily maintain or better the current Tundra’s 4.5-tonne towing capacity.

The Toyota Tundra has never been officially sold Down Under, where the HiLux has been the Japanese giant’s biggest cash-cow and the nation’s top-selling new vehicle for the last five years, but Toyota Australia is keen to offer the new model if a business case for right-hand drive production can be established.

Watch this space and stand by for more teasers and the full reveal of the 2022 Toyota Tundra ahead of its US release later this year.

Related: First look at 2022 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro
Related: Toyota Tundra study now ‘continuous’
Related: Twin-turbo V6 for new Toyota Tundra