Toyota decided to give us a much better and official look at the 2022 Tundra in TRD Pro guise on its Twitter account following a series of leaked photos that dripped into the internet earlier today as “some people don’t know how to keep a secret”. If you’re wondering, the images were apparently shared from one of Toyota’s own dealers. [Updated]

Original story follows

The Japanese company has been teasing us with details about the new Tundra but their fun has been somewhat spoiled by apparently official dealer pictures of the new pickup truck that were reportedly leaked online.

Brought to our attention by one of our commenters and surfacing on a number of forums and sites such as Tundras.com, these photos were originally posted to a private Facebook group and Reddit, revealing the new angular design of Toyota’s full-size pickup in off-road TRD Pro trim. The current generation truck debuted nearly 15 years ago in 2007, so this update was always expected to be pretty significant and, indeed, it is.

Toyota teased the new truck’s front end on May 18 and the headlights and lightbar that were so prominent there can be seen here. These pictures reveal that big bold “TOYOTA” script will be underlined by the top lightbar, while the two smaller lighting elements at the bottom of the grille bracket the name of the truck, “TUNDRA.”

Read More: 2022 Toyota Tundra To Feature An All-New iForce Max Engine

The company had plenty of room for words because of the size of the octagonal grille. To either side of it, headlights with complex LED elements have a vertical intake below them. The hood, meanwhile, has big, angular bulges on either side giving the whole front-end a muscular, “tactical” look.

Down the side, the wheel arches are surrounded by black plastic, suggesting off-road capability. Big chunky tires surrounding black rims help contribute to that impression, too. Both trucks seen here have four full doors and a step to help people get in.

Around back, the tailgate is stamped with yet more text. This time, it reads “TRD PRO” and the three lights above it (and at the top of the grille) suggest that it could be 80-inches wide, as Car and Driver pointed out. The taillights, meanwhile, are an interesting combination of two vertical red lines.

What’s even more interesting is the pattern that much of the black trim appears to be finished in. Along the top of the tailgate and the bottom of the front grille, the black bits appear to almost have a camouflage pattern. It almost looks like the pattern of some carbon composites, which could put the Tundra in competition with the GMC Sierra’s CarbonPro Bed.

The photos are all of the exterior but under that massive hood we expect to find a 6-cylinder engine, not the V8 that powers the current Tundra. Toyota teased an “iForce MAX” engine cover earlier this week and it only featured six ribs. That’s a bit of a leap, but Toyota said in the past that it would fit two brand new engines into the truck.

Toyota promised substantially more power and torque than the current 5.7-liter engine that makes 381 hp (284 kW / 386 PS) and 401 lb-ft (544 Nm). The Land Cruiser’s recently announced 409 hp (305 kW / 415 PS) and 479 lb-ft (650 Nm) of torque 3.5-liter V6 would certainly fit the bill. The company also promised to electrify “its pickup truck lineup in the near future,” which could help the Tundra develop even more power and torque.

Again like the new Land Cruiser, a new body-on-frame platform is expected for the 2022 Tundra. Toyota has reportedly taken the time to replace the leaf springs with coiled ones, and that could even mean a fully independent suspension for the big pickup.

We’ll know more soon as we expect Toyota to unveil the new Tundra very soon and the company has promised to start selling the new truck in the fourth quarter of 2021.

 

Images via Tundras.com