Driven: 2022 Toyota Tundra And 2022 Toyota Rav4 – Which One’s For You?

In the best of all worlds, of course, the answer would be “both.” We’d also take the Powerball lump sum as well as the lifetime payments, wouldn’t you?

But we recently had these two tried-and-true, handsome, worthy brawlers back-to-back. Each one sped off into the distance after its test, leaving a melancholy hole in our grizzled, seen-it-all, driven-everything, cranky auto journalist’s heart. Here’s an overview of each.

2022 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro i-FORCE MAX

If my test 2022 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro i-FORCE MAX had another name, it would be the 2022 Toyota %#@$& YEAH.

It’s an all-new truck, which you probably know as it’s been out all this year. But in case you missed it, it’s got a blistering new 3.5-liter twin-turbocharged V-6 engine, a new 10-speed automatic transmission and, for our purposes, a hybrid-electric drive system making a nice whopping 437 hp and 583 lb-ft of torque.

It hits peak torque at a very low 2,400 RPM and is a big, brawny joy to drive whether on highways or cruising slowly through a neighborhood just for the enjoyment of your big boy. We did not, as others have done, take it off-road or over sand, but there isn’t any doubt after driving in normal situations that it could handle any task you throw at at.

Check out the many trim configurations here.

The drive is superb – acceleration, handling, braking and cornering all sharp, efficient and thrilling. I loaded it up with a full bed of metal junk from my buddy’s shed and garage and there wasn’t a noticeable difference in feel on the way to the dump.The truck can run on electricity up to 18 MPH and it’s library-quiet upon startup, too.

They’ve dispensed with the rear leaf springs of old and replaced them with coils and a five-link ensuring you can go over most things, rather than around them. (We did.) Its display screen inside, too, is the largest in this class – the icons almost look aimed at the vision-impaired, they are that huge. Its audio system is rich, punchy and delicious.

Speaking of huge, the The 2022 Tundra TRD Pro weighs about 5,700 pounds, making it a very big boy, indeed. One odd exterior design aspect is its huge front bumper covering its skid plate. For those heading into severe off-road territory, there aren’t any front recovery points for those unlikely and infrequent times you get stuck off road. If you’re facing whatever it is that’s going to free you, good luck, Charlie. That said, with the skid plate made from ballistic nylon, it can’t be ripped off the truck or dented into the oil pan even if Tundra owners wanted to.

As you might expect as well for trucks of this type, mileage wasn’t great despite our hybrid system. You’ll get anywhere between 18 MPG and 22, depending on your foot. As Joe Buck said in “Midnight Cowboy,” “I ain’t cheap!”

Its safety record and crash-test results are almost 100% positive – check them out here.

Despite minor beefs, this is the truck of the year, we were sorry to see it go, and look forward to the 2023 model. Prices start in the late 30s for a base truck; ours started at $73,530 and topped out at $77,339 with all options.

2022 Toyota RAV4

Telling someone about the RAV4 is like telling them about the sun – the autobuying public has made the RAV4 the best-selling SUV of any type in the world, and the fourth best-selling passenger car overall. But we’ll tell you anyway.

The 2022 Toyota RAV4 is mostly a carryover from the 2021 mode, but with the addition of the new SE Hybrid trim. A basic RAV4 officially starts at $28,310, a very low price indeed, if you can find it for that. We had the TRD Off-Road trim which starts at $36,465 and ends up at about $40,460.

One interesting thing about the RAV4 – and we’ve had 18 of them – is that none of them, even the expensive ones, are particularly speedy, even with SPORT mode enabled, nor is the vehicle sharp-as-a-syringe around corners. It’s just does everything else right, it’s got a great reputation and you always find pleasing little details and modifications Toyota likes to throw in.

For instance, in our tester, attractive orange accents in the cockpit were a standout, as was the cool, vivid driver’s cluster of instruments.

You get LED interior lights and a locking glove box this year, too, as well as an 8-way power passenger seat in the Limited trim, and illuminated interior switches for the pricier trims, all to the good.

Our “Cavalry Blue” paint option was as lovely as a clear blue sky, but we found the white roof a little too cutesy-wootsy for a vehicle boasting about its off-road capabilities. You don’t want to be chuckled at in the woods by other bros, do you?

The 2022 RAV4 houses a 203-hp 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission, with front-wheel drive standard. All-wheel-drive is on the table as well for a bit more coin. Where our tester excelled was in the 35 miles per gallon it afforded us over mountain roads and through city blocks.

We also loved the RAV4’s storage capabilities, finding the rear seats an easy fold-down, making room for your stuff. It’s just not an overly stimulating vehicle to drive.

Connectivity and tech

Base trims arrive with a 7.0-inch touchscreen; move up to 8 inches starting with the XLE. Your infotainment system comes with a 4G LTE mobile hotspot and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto capability. The so-called “premium” JBL audio system in our tester sounded muddy and low-quality, even after messing with the EQ. The good news is that if you don’t spring for a nav sys, you still have Scout GPS Link, allowing compatible smartphones to display a map and turn-by-turn commands.

Other color options offered for the 2022 RAV4 include Magnetic Gray Metallic, Lunar Rock, Blue Flame, Blizzard Pearl, Super White, Midnight Black Metallic, Ruby Flare Pearl, Blueprint, and Silver Sky Metallic.

It may sound like we’re picking on the RAV4, and we are. But it was also an enjoyable, if not slammin,’ week’s test and we give it two thumbs up. It’s got a “pick of the year” award from the Insurance Institute For Highway Safety, too – check it out here.