2021 Ford F-150 SuperCab

RYAN ZUMMALLEN: What do you get when you combine the brand new 2022 Toyota Tundra with our top rated full sized truck, the 2021 Ford F-150 Hybrid? You get a towing test. That's what. [MUSIC PLAYING] Now is this a perfect apples to apples comparison? No. The Tundra is a non-hybrid with its off road package. And the F-150 is a hybrid and it does not have its off road package. So we are not looking for a direct head to head winner. We are looking to see what the 2022 Tundra is really made of. And there's no better benchmark than the F-150, our highest rated truck. Hey, before we hitch these babies up, why don't you tow yourself over to that Like button and don't forget to hit the little bell next to the Subscribe button so that you'll be the first to see all of our videos when they come out. And if you're thinking about selling your car, go to edmunds.com/sellmycar to see how much money we'll give you for it right now. Seriously, we want it. Now you're going to notice a theme with the new Tundra. When it comes to the choices available to you, Toyota keeps it real simple. There are two body styles, each one has two beds to choose from. And then there's two available engines under the hood. Easy. So let's get into it. Let's say you choose the smaller access cab. Then you can choose from a 6 and 1/2 foot bed, or an 8.1 foot bed. Now if you go with the crew cab like this, there's a 5 and 1/2 foot bed or a 6 and 1/2 foot bed. Again, keeping it simple. As far as trims, there are the base SR and and SR5, and then there's this one, the limited. Above that, there's platinum, 1794, and the off road ready TRD Pro. Under the hood, like I said, we have the non-hybrid version of the Tundra's engine. That's a twin turbocharged 3.5 liter V6. This one with 389 horsepower, 479 pound feet of torque. Now if you want to go for the hybrid, that comes standard on the TRD Pro. Or you can get it as an option on the limited, platinum, or 1794. Just be aware, they're probably not going to be available until the spring of 2022. As far as notable features on the outside of the Tundra, there's a cool button near the back of the bed that will automatically drop the tailgate. And I'm a little bit embarrassed at how much I actually like using it. Inside, every Tundra comes with a composite bed to avoid dents and scratches. And each one gets sequential turn signals and tail lights too. I mean, that's just cool. Of course, one final aspect that's important to talk about is pricing. And I would if I could. Unfortunately, Toyota has not released any pricing figures for the 2022 Tundra at all. Seems like a pretty important thing you'd want people to know. Sorry about it. Onto the Ford. So we know the Tundra likes to keep it simple. But here's what you need to know about the F-150. You've got a ton of choice. The F-150 is the king of giving you options. And wait until you see the trick that this one has up its sleeve. You can choose from three different body styles. There is a traditional single cab plus the extended cab, and then like this one, a crew cab. And there's a ton of power trains, six engines in total to choose from. The one that matches up best with what's in our tundra today is Ford's turbocharged 3.5 liter V6. That's got 400 horsepower and 500 pound feet of torque. Both numbers are more than what's in the Tundra. But this F-150 has that engine combined with an electric motor and a battery pack, the whole system making a whopping 430 horsepower and 570 pound feet of torque. Now as far as notable exterior features, the F-150 does have a protective bed liner. But you've got to add it on as an option. You can also get this cool pull down step in the middle of the tailgate. And the piece de resistance is the Pro Power Onboard system. That's an electric generator. And this one has the big daddy, 7.2 kilowatts worth. As far as pricing, when you load a truck up to the gills with options like this one, it's going to cost you. And this one with all of its super cool features comes in right around $70,000 with destination charge. Now that's a pretty penny. But at least you know what to expect. That's more than I can say for some people. Let's hop inside and see what $70,000 gets you. [MUSIC PLAYING] The first thing you notice in here is the absolutely massive amount of space. I'm 6 feet tall and head space is not a problem at all. There's also a ton of adjustability in the steering wheel, the seats, even the pedals to be able to find a comfortable driving position. Plus in this platinum trim, these leather seats are extremely comfortable, really wide, and cushy. But on the topic of comfort, one of the things that I want to point out is the really nice material quality in here. There's not a lot of hard plastic. And instead, you get wood, metal, aluminum, soft leathers, soft rubber all over the place. You can start to see where that money is going in that price tag. Now when it comes to technology, another area where it's easy to see this platinum level takes things up to new heights. Directly in front of the driver is a fully digital display where you have your gauges and other information. It looks really crisp. And then in the center console, you have a 12 inch touch screen using Ford's latest sync infotainment system. We found it easy to click around and find what you're looking for. Screen is really responsive to touch. Nice big volume knobs and tuning knobs. And there's really nice features like a heated steering wheel, heated and cooled seats, all kinds of cool stuff. Now obviously when you're climbing in and out several times during the day, you need places to store all your stuff. And the F-150 has that too. There's four cup holders that are easily accessible right when you get in, and then a very spacious center console area that has a large bin underneath. Now you may notice this thing is pretty bulky. And here's the reason why. If you want, you can fold down the gear shifter, and then open this up from the back. And now you've got a completely clear and flat workspace. Is it a little bit gimmicky? Sure. But what I absolutely open up my laptop and bang out a few hours of work on here? Yeah. It'd be a lot more comfortable than the way I do it now, which is like this. OK, inside the Tundra now. And by and large, Tundra owners love their trucks. And the interiors are a big reason why. I think a lot of the things people liked about the previous Tundra interior carry over into this one. And I'd like to show you some of those. First of all, you also have tons of space in here. And remembering that this is a mid-level limited trim, the seats are really comfortable. They're not quite as plush or premium feeling as the ones in that F-150. But they've been really comfortable for long road trips for the last few days. A few words on technology. In this Tundra, you get the traditional analog gauges and a small display for all of your information. But you get this massive center touchscreen, 14 inches in total. I know it's only 2 inches more than the one in the Ford but it feels like a foot. And there's a few neat things about it too. For instance, this map is able to pinch out and pinch in. Or you can move it in a 3D way, which is really neat. It's easy to click around and find things. And whereas the F-150 comes standard with Apple Carplay and Android Auto, the tundra comes standard with them wireless, even on a mid-level trim and base versions too. You also get a wireless charging station down here for your smartphone, just like in the F-150. One thing that I wish it had is a cover over it. Instead, this is all open and there's no way to conceal anything there. For different external camera views, you just hit this button. And look at this. It's a pretty neat 360 degree view. Or you can click like that and it does this kind of view. It's kind of a different take on external cameras. And it's really neat. The last point on technology is this, the rear view mirror with a simple flip it becomes a rear facing camera. This is a lot of equipment on a mid-level tier. And it makes the Tundra much more impressive than it looks at first glance. As far as storage, the Tundra follows most of the same playbook as the F-150. You got nice big cup holders that are easy to access and then this large center console area that's pretty deep. You don't have the trick folding out system. But what you do have is this tray that can pull back. So without opening the whole thing, you can just reach in, grab whatever you need, and close it up. So a pretty comfortable and usable interior that I think Tundra owners will like. The most complicated part of towing is backing a trailer up. So we decided to create a course to make that even more difficult and see how the Tundra and the F-150 handle that in different ways. So in the Tundra, there are a couple of cool features that I want to show you. First, the sheer amount of different camera angles that you have available to you. You've got one looking straight back at the trailer, one in front if you need it, from the sides, looking back from the sides, and then down into the bed. So there's a lot of different options for visibility, which is super important. And second is an automatic straight path backup system that will automatically calibrate your truck and trailer so that they can move straight back in a straight line without getting all wiggly. It may not sound hard, but that's really difficult to do. So we're going to see if I can make it through this course using the technology and give that bipedal turtle back there just a little touch, a little graze, just to say hi. And that'll be the end goal. So let's get started. We're in reverse. And the first thing we have to do is turn the trailer so that it's going to get past those cones so we can set up for the next move. So I'm going to move this way. And already in the mirrors, I can see the trailer starting to point the way I want. And the cameras, I can see exactly how the truck and the trailer are positioned. And I'm using all of them so that I can make sure the trailer is going where I want. But the truck is not going to get hung up on any curbs. And so that I don't jackknife the trailer and the truck, which can be very dangerous. Not at these speeds, but it's not good. I definitely don't want that to happen. So the trailer is going where I want. I'm going to straighten out the truck to get where I want too. And I went too far. Boofed it. I'm going to try again. OK, already one cool thing that I'm noticing is when you are in reverse and maneuvering the trailer, and backing up with it, the camera view gives you a path so that if you're turning the wheel, it shows you which direction everything is going to move so that you can predict it before it goes. So I'm getting out of the way of the curb here and I'm going to follow the trailer. And I did it again. [BLEEPS] OK, second thing you need to know about towing is that it wouldn't be towing if there wasn't a lot of cussing involved. So get your bleep buttons ready. OK, so I need to start out going this way. Then as the trailer turns, I'm going to go this way with the truck and follow the trailer hard. So we cut it hard. There we go. Make sure the trailer is not going to hit that cone. I think we're good. Thanks to all the cameras, I can see pretty far in advance the trailer is going the way I want. So now I can make the truck follow it. And they should line up together. OK, so we made it past the first cone. Now we're under this little straightforward area. And this is a good opportunity to show you how the straight path backup system works. So I put it into reverse, I hit this button, which is the automatic backup button. Now earlier, I already set up the trailer so that the truck is aware that it's back there, and it's aware of how big it is. Setup does take a while. There's six steps in total. And you need to have a big open space. But it's worth it because now the truck will remember the trailer and how to maneuver it. So we're in the reverse, we have the automatic system on. Now we need to hit this button on the screen, take our hands off the wheel. The Tundra is going to turn itself to make sure both the truck and the trailer are going back perfectly straight. We just give it a little bit of gas making minor adjustments. And I can see the truck-- the trailer's staying straight. It's not wiggling. Around the truck is the one doing the moving. And that's all the Tundra. Perfectly straightened out for me, which is great. So I'll go back as far as I need to, right until the point where I need to start turning the trailer, which is now. So I'll turn that off. Thank you, backup assist. You did your job. I'm going to start turning this way so we can get the trailer around the next set of cones. So I can see from the bird's eye view that the truck is clear of the cones. I think the trailer is clear. Oh, shoot. All right. So the truck didn't like what I was doing. Can you tell if I'm going to hit the curb with the trailer. SPEAKER 1: I mean, you're not close to it at all right now. RYAN ZUMMALLEN: All right. OK, apparently that was a false alarm. I guess that happens sometimes. OK, so one other cool thing I want to point out now that you can see. So now, trailer view camera and the bird's eye view, it's showing me that whichever way I turn the wheel, it's showing me which way the trailer's going to go now. So if this is hard mental hurdle for you to get over, like, I turn the wheel one way, but the trailer goes the other, now you can see it here. Whichever way you turn the wheel, it's going to give you an arrow for which direction the trailer is now going to move. OK, the trailer is clear. Now we're going to follow it with the truck. Looking good. Camera views are super helpful. Now I can just aim it at our little guy. I feel like the truck is being a little bit sensitive and a little bit over anxious with its warnings. But that's OK because if I didn't know what I was doing, I would probably really appreciate that. That's what I'm going to tell myself, that those warnings are there to help, not to annoy me. And I'm going to give our little turtle guy a kiss. I'm going to hit it, right? SPEAKER 1: No. RYAN ZUMMALLEN: I'm going to miss it? SPEAKER 1: You're 6 feet away. RYAN ZUMMALLEN: Didn't quite hit the turtle. But that's OK. I was able to use the cameras and the backup assist system to get through a pretty tight cone course. With a little bit more practice, I could probably do it more regularly. OK, so can the Ford match the Tundra when it comes to our backing up cone challenge and using all of its technology? So there's a similar setup process for the Ford. It was pretty cumbersome in the Tundra. It's pretty similarly cumbersome in the Ford to make sure that the truck is reading the trailer, understands how big it is, understand how it turns and how it moves. But once we got that set up, which I did, we are ready to go and try it out. Now the Ford comes with a different technology trick than the one in the Tundra. And that is using this knob up here to turn the truck and the trailer at the same time. Now the way that they tell you to think about it is instead of thinking about where the truck is going to turn, you think about where you want to turn the trailer. So you use this knob to control the trailer. Obviously, you're actually controlling the truck. But they want you to think of it as you're controlling the trailer. And then the wheel is going to move by itself. So let's see how it does. You go into reverse to activate it. We are now activated. I've got really good camera views looking straight back at my trailer and at the truck from a bird's eye view, which is perfect. So I needed to go to my right. So I'm going to turn the knob to the right and the wheel turns to the left. So as I come off the brake, we're going to start moving. A little bit of gas, and the trailer-- I need a pretty aggressive turn here. So the trailer starts to go. And I can see it moving on its own. Of course, I'm not actually controlling the trailer. I'm controlling the truck controlling the trailer. OK, so I can see I got a good angle on the trailer now. And while it's going, OK, I just got it past the first cone. So now I need to follow it back. I need the trailer to turn now. There it goes. OK, now to get it in the cones, just because of the way I turned, user error. I need to turn it really hard. All right. So that didn't work. Let's try again. Curses edited out. OK, so the trailer's going back into the lot now a lot better. OK, this is better now. OK, and now that it's back there, I can let go. And the truck-- OK, that's looking good. And the truck is going to automatically go straight. When you aren't using the knob, the truck automatically aligns itself with the trailer. So it basically has the Tundra's automatic straight backup assist. But it also has this knob turning functionality too. So it's like starting with the Tundra's system and adding an extra assist to it as well. It's just kind of a mental hurdle for me to get used to the actual turning part of it. Getting out of this part and hitting the turtle is where I had trouble with the Tundra. So let's see if it's easier with this system. OK, this time I'm going to be a little bit more gradual instead of being so dramatic about it. I'm going to try to get the trailer moving in the right direction. Early, gradually, little more, little more, little more. The truck is doing good. I've got a good view. I can see we're doing fine. We're not going to hit the cone. OK, that's good. Now we're not going to hit the cone so I can have the truck straighten up. I have to get the trailer past that curb behind me. But once I think I've got that, one more dramatic turn and then let it straighten. I think we might be in the clear here. Are we in the clear? OK. OK, so we got that. And now we can just turn and head straight for the turtle. Turtle, I'm coming for you. I'm coming for you. Turn the trailer. [INAUDIBLE] the turtle. Now back up straight. I think I hit him. So that took me a little bit of time to get used to and figure out exactly how to get comfortable using it and turning it in the right way. In this situation where I was trying to hit an exact target, it was a lot easier for me to navigate something and then hit a pinpoint accuracy for what I was looking for. The system worked a lot better. And it has the functionality that the Tundra has. So while that system is really cool and a nice advancement, this just take things to another level. [MUSIC PLAYING] So as promised, towing with the 2022 Tundra. We've got a trailer hooked up to the back. And on top of that is our project car Mazda Miata. So stay tuned for future content around that. That should be a lot of fun. But trailer and car combined, it's right around 4,500 pounds. That's no problem for the Tundra. There's a maximum towing capacity of 12,000 pounds, which you can get it equipped up to that. This one with the crew cab, short bed, right around the range of 11,100. So the weight that we're towing really is not a challenge for the truck. But it does give us a good chance to test out the different modes and see how the truck reacts differently than when it doesn't have any weight behind it. So we've put it into tow and haul mode, which calibrates the transmission and the engine to give you maximum power, especially down low when you really need it. And if you're towing bigger, heavier weights, there's a Tow and Haul Plus mode to do that even further. One thing to know, and if you've watched our first look and first drive videos on the 2022 Tundra, you might recall that Toyota switched to a fully boxed frame for this truck. That's a change from the previous generation. But it brings the Tundra more in line with the rest of the class. Every other full sized truck also has that fully boxed frame. And it just creates more strength and more rigidity. So it gives you more stability when you're towing something like this, or even something a lot heavier. Steering and braking don't feel like they're being changed too much from the normal driving experience. I don't think Tow and Haul mode are doing much to affect their behavior. Steering feels really natural and braking is really strong and responsive. So it's really easy to nicely modulate it down to a stop, even if you're coming from a pretty high speed. And the trailer's staying under control. And it feels nice and stable, which is great. It's exactly what you want. You've also got really big side mirrors that go out quite a bit. So I can really clearly see my trailer and that I'm keeping it within the lane markers, which is great. Unfortunately, it's not all gravy in here. And the thing that's holding it back is pretty sizeable. And that's fuel economy. Toyota did away with V8s completely for the 2022 Tundra. As we said before, there's this twin turbo V6 and then a twin turbo V6 with a hybrid system attached. You would think that presumably the thinking behind that is you get better fuel economy if you go from V8 to V6. However, they packed on two turbochargers. And that can pose some problems, especially in a truck that we just weighed near 5,700 pounds. And that is showing up here on our 150 mile test loop that we put every vehicle through. The Tundra came back with 15.2 miles per gallon. And that's a lot of highway driving. And that's pretty similar to what I observed on a weekend of driving out to the mountains and back. I'm pretty surprised at how low that is. And towing 4,500 pounds around is not going to do any favors in that sense. [MUSIC PLAYING] OK, so now we're towing in the F-150. Same amount of weight, about 4,500 pounds. But this time, the capacity has changed. Some versions of the F-150 can tow up to 14,000 pounds. That's a full extra ton than the Tundra can and its maximum configuration. This version of the F-150, crew cab, 4 by 4, hybrid V6 is right around the neighborhood of 12,500 pounds. So pretty close to the maximum for the vehicle and in no way bothered by the 4,500 pounds that we have behind us. Obviously not only is the maximum towing capacity higher, but there's a lot more power in this truck than in the Tundra that we have today. So going up inclines is really not a problem. And getting up to speed is really not a problem. If I step into the throttle here, we're getting going really quickly with no issue. This F-150 also has the max trailer towing package. And that just strengthens everything up a little bit more and gives you some really cool functionality and technology. For example, in this truck, we have things like a camera looking straight down on the ball hitch so that you can back up right to the trailer. There are also scales in the bed so that when you load up whatever it is you're hauling, the truck can tell you exactly how much the load weighs and how close to the capacity you are. There's also blind spot monitoring that extends not only to the truck but all the way back to the trailer, just like in the Tundra. But what I want to talk about right now is not all the fancy frills and technology, but the bread and butter of the F-150, which is towing power and confidence. Like the Tundra, the F-150 has a fully boxed frame. But the F-150 has had that for a long time. And Ford engineers have been working to perfect it and refine it for a very long time. I would never say that in the Tundra you forgot that you were towing, but in this one, I think that probably is the case. If you were driving on a long trip, there are times definitely that you would not even notice that the truck was working extra hard. We are in a Tow and Haul mode just like we were in the Tundra. And that's changing the behavior in the same way that it did in the Tundra, just making sure you're in the right range to have the most power possible when you need it. So is the Tundra enough truck for most buyers? Oh hell yeah. Without a doubt, the 2022 Tundra is basically a quantum leap compared to the previous one in everything from power and refinement to its use of space. This is one of the most dramatic evolutions we've seen in the truck space in a long time. One of the issues, though, is that it just doesn't go far enough when you look at what the rivals are willing to do. Something like the onboard generator in the F-150, the clever use of storage space in the Ram, or the fact that the GMC 6.2 liter V8 measured better fuel economy than the turbo V6 in the tundra. As for the F-150 Hybrid, a year after its debut, it still feels like a turning point in the class. Yes, it has old school traditional bones. But it's still cutting edge just like a class leader should be. Now as for the Tundra, it's not so specialized. Instead of picking one sport and trying to get a D1 scholarship, it likes to play every sport and has a really good time doing it. And that's OK. We'll know more about where it falls in the rankings once we get to test the hybrid and once we find out pricing. Any day now, Toyota. In the meantime, it's OK to be impressed. I sure am. Thanks for coming on this towing adventure with us today. Don't forget to click like and subscribe. And to read a full in-depth article about both of these trucks, click the link in the description below. Down there. [MUSIC PLAYING]