The Toyota Tundra has been redesigned for the first time in more than a decade, so it comes as little surprise the truck is looking to make a splash at SEMA. Headlining the event is the TRD Desert Chase Tundra, which is based on the Tundra TRD Pro and draws inspiration from desert racing support vehicles.
Looking undeniably aggressive, the pickup
has been equipped with a wide-body kit that features bulging fenders which help
to cover 18-inch forged aluminum wheels wrapped in 37-inch General Grabber X3
tires. The model also sports a tubular front bumper, a long-travel suspension,
and a custom roll cage with Rigid lights that can be electronically raised and
lowered.
Since the concept was envisioned as a
support vehicle, its bed has been outfitted with everything an off-road racer
might need. In particular, there’s a custom-mounted off-road jack, a 6.8 kg CO2 bottle as well as fuel and water containers. They’re joined by two
spare tires and an ARB Tred Pro Recovery Board. Under the hood, there’s an
all-new i-Force Max powertrain that consists of a twin-turbo 3.5-liter V6, a
nickel-metal hydride battery, and an electric motor that is effectively
sandwiched between the engine and a ten-speed automatic transmission. It
enables the truck to produce a combined output of 437 hp and 790 Nm of torque.
When we test drove the Tundra earlier this
year, Toyota announced plans to offer a dealer-installed lift kit and an
assortment of other accessories. We’re now getting a peek at them thanks to a
customized 2022 Tundra Limited outfitted with the TRD Off-Road package. Among
the highlights are a TRD lift kit that provides an additional 2.6 inches (66
mm) of ground clearance, while also improving the approach, departure and
breakover angles by 5 degrees, 1 degree and 2 degrees, respectively. Other
off-road goodies include a TRD skid plate, TRD cast aluminum running boards,
and a TRD Off-Road wheel and tire package.
The accessories don’t end there as the
model also sports a bed extender, a folding tonneau cover, a bed mat, a dash
cam, and swing-out storage boxes in the bed. They’re just a few of the more
than 100 accessories for the redesigned pickup.
Power comes from the non-hybrid version of
the twin-turbo 3.5-liter V6. It produces 389 hp and 649 Nm of torque, which makes it more powerful than the previous 5.7-liter
V8. Besides the torquey engine, the truck has been equipped with the aforementioned
TRD Off-Road package. It includes an electric locking rear differential, a
Multi-Terrain Select system as well as Crawl Control and Downhill Assist
Control.