2022 Toyota Tundra Capstone First Drive Review: Fancy Flagship

Loads of leather, more chrome than a ’50s diner, and a strong, two-syllable trim name. Yep, Toyota’s firmly in the lux-truck realm.

The 2022 Toyota Tundra Capstone is the next step in the full-size truck’s tiered roll-out. After finally giving the world the third generation truck late last year, Toyota has introduced this new hybrid-only range-topper, one meant to fight the fancy-pants F-150 Limited and Sierra Denalis out there.

Full disclosure: Toyota flew journalists out to sunny Carmel-by-the-Sea to drive the entire hybrid Tundra fleet. While this First Drive is focused on the Capstone, we’ll also be talking about other trims when necessary.

As contributor Chris Tonn covered in his 2022 Tundra first drive, Toyota has ditched just about everything from the old Tundra to build the new one. That’s to be expected when the last one made it to triple-digit age in dog years.

Say goodbye to the V8; in its place is a 3.4-liter, twin-turbo V6 engine. In the Capstone—and indeed, in all the trucks we sampled in California—a motor/generator nestles in between the engine and 10-speed transmission, a hybrid powertrain Toyota dubs i-Force Max. This bundle produces 437 horsepower and 583 pound-feet of torque. For those keeping score at home, yes, that just shades the 430-hp, 570-lb-ft F-150 hybrid.

This is where the Capstone really pushes the Tundra into territory it’s never played in before. Big seats are trimmed in black-and-white semi-aniline leather, a look that sounds too dramatic on paper but gives off a real black-tie feel in person. Dark American Walnut adorns the dashboard, center console, and door handles. The light leather across the dashboard gives the Tundra cabin a welcome light and airy feel. Bolstering that feeling is the standard panoramic moonroof. It’s also a pretty quiet space, as the Capstone is the only Tundra to include front acoustic glass.

This being a pre-production unit, there are still some rough patches, namely the small tray aft of the shifter, and the entirety of the lower door panels. The latter is the sort of shiny, smooth plastic normally reserved for VHS tapes. It’s especially jarring contrasted with the intricate speakers. We’ll see how production clears that up before final judgment, however.

The Tundra is the first Toyota to feature the brand’s new infotainment system, the imaginatively-named Toyota Audio Multimedia system. It’s largely the same interface that we raved about in the Lexus LX600, and it’s just as good here with 14.0 inches of screen to work with. The menu is easy to navigate, wireless phone mirroring works without issue, and a simple “Hey Toyota” allows the driver to operate it hands-free. Did I mention that Toyota hasn’t buried climate controls within the screen either, but kept them all as physical controls just below it?

That’s only about a third of the screen real estate, too. A fully customizable, 12.3-inch instrument cluster is standard, as is a 10.0-inch head-up display. Both are crisp and easy to read. There’s a standard digital rearview mirror too.

Toyota has stuffed the Tundra full of driver satefy assists, a suite it dubs Toyota Safety Sense 2.5. It includes the usual adaptive cruise control, lane-keep assist, automated emergency braking, auto high-beams, and a rear-seat reminder, among others.

There are also towing assists, such as the Straight Path Assist, which allows the Tundra to automatically adjust steering input while backing up in a straight line. I used it, and while the wheel was seemingly nervous, it all went without a hitch (ha!).

My drive with the latest member of the Toyota truck family starts with an Airstream. The Capstone is rated to a maximum towing capacity of 10,340 lb, so towing the silver beauty towards the coast and back doesn’t trouble the Tundra. Torque comes fast and thick, and the transmission ably finds the right gear for the job time and again. There’s little of the low-speed jerkiness we experienced in the F-150 hybrid last summer. Even with the huge 22-inch rolling stock, the Capstone rides well, feeling hushed and planted. This, along with good visibility angles, makes the Tundra feel slightly smaller than it is.

Next up is a TRD Pro, aiming its bright orange nose towards an off-roading area. This is a test of the different drive modes—not to mention following orders. Spotters have us crawl over deep ruts and jagged rocks, inch by inch, to showcase the suspension articulation. Precision is key here, as some of the path is barely wider than the Tundra itself. The forward-facing camera helps pick out the right path over crests, and we emerge unscathed. Goose the throttle and the TRD even has a pretty solid singing voice.

Finally, we take the hybrid Platinum out for a dash along the coast. Mechanically similar to the Capstone, there’s no discernible difference in ride quality, despite the smaller wheels. Without a towing burden, the Tundra feels pretty darn quick; maybe not PowerBoost levels, but without a stopwatch it’d be impossible to tell. It might be a hybrid powertrain, but EV mode is a rarity. Instead, the Tundra prioritizes power and response. That’s reflected in the only-okay fuel economy figures, with a 22-mpg average for two-wheel-drive models.

If you’ve got your heart set on the Capstone, you’re looking at $75,225 after destination, but before options. That’s a whole heck of a lot of money, though not far removed from the price of an F-150 Limited with the PowerBoost hybrid powertrain.

There are substantially cheaper options if you’re craving i-Force Max power. The hybrid powertrain shows up first in the Limited, with a price of $52,995. For comparison, the gas-only Limited is $48,545. That gap shrinks as you move up the ladder.

The 2022 Toyota Tundra Capstone pushes the truck into a part of the segment that didn’t really exist when the last Tundra debuted. Trucks as luxury limos is a real thing now.

The result is a mixed bag. We like how the Capstone interior looks, but that much white leather makes using it for truck things difficult. And at $75,000, we find it lacking truly unique features, like Ford’s on-board generator, or RamBox.

On the other hand, the day showed how appealing lower trims like the Platinum can be. The i-Force Max is an excellent powerplant, with better transmission mapping than Ford’s hybrid setup. The Platinum isn’t exactly devoid of bling either, but it still looks ready for work, too. That’s an appealing combo to us.

FAQs

How much does the 2022 Toyota Tundra Capstone cost?

You’re looking at an initial asking price of $75,225 for the Capstone, including destination.

What is the Tundra Capstone?

Capstone will be the new flagship trim for Toyota’s full-size pickup. The 2023 Sequoia will also feature a Capstone trim.

Are all 2022 Toyota Tundras hybrid?

Nope! Only the Capstone and TRD Pro come with the hybrid setup as standard; it’s optional on the Limited and up.