Photo: Toyota
Shared with the Land Cruiser and LX series, the 3.4-liter V6 in the all-new Tundra pickup is quite impressive for its displacement and cylinder count. Not only does it overpower the free-breathing V8 in the previous Tundra, but it’s available with hybrid assistance in the guise of an e-motor.
Instead of Japan, the i-Force V6 and i-Force Max V6 engines are both produced in Huntsville by Toyota Motor Manufacturing Alabama. Coincidence or not, Huntsville is also the place where Toyota operates a facility with Mazda. That plant currently makes the all-new Corolla Cross.
“Our team members in Alabama recognize the confidence and trust Toyota places in us since we are the only assembly plant selected to build engines for the all-new Tundra,” said Jason Puckett, president of Toyota Alabama.
The non-hybrid and hybridized V6 mills are manufactured on a 142-yard production line, the longest engine line operated by Toyota in North America. Currently rated at 18,000 powertrains per month at full steam, the new line is technically capable of churning out an engine every 58 seconds.
No fewer than $288 million were poured into the Huntsville factory for the V6 engine line, which added 450 new jobs, boosting total employment at Toyota Motor Manufacturing Alabama to 1,800 souls. This expansion improves the annual capacity to 900,000 engines provided that Toyota receives enough demand and Toyota has enough chips to build these powerplants.
As a brief refresher, the base V6 in the 2022 model year Tundra is good for 389 horsepower and 479 pound-feet (650 Nm) of torque channeled to the rear or all four wheels by a ten-speed automatic transmission. The i-Force Max levels up to 437 horsepower and 583 pound-feet (790 Nm), making it more potent than the Ford F-150 pickup’s award-winning PowerBoost V6.
Although we don’t know the MPG ratings for the hybrid, Toyota has confirmed the numbers for the non-hybrid V6 as follows: 18 miles per gallon city, 23 highway, and 20 combined (13, 10.2, and 11.7 l/100 km).
“Our team members in Alabama recognize the confidence and trust Toyota places in us since we are the only assembly plant selected to build engines for the all-new Tundra,” said Jason Puckett, president of Toyota Alabama.
The non-hybrid and hybridized V6 mills are manufactured on a 142-yard production line, the longest engine line operated by Toyota in North America. Currently rated at 18,000 powertrains per month at full steam, the new line is technically capable of churning out an engine every 58 seconds.
No fewer than $288 million were poured into the Huntsville factory for the V6 engine line, which added 450 new jobs, boosting total employment at Toyota Motor Manufacturing Alabama to 1,800 souls. This expansion improves the annual capacity to 900,000 engines provided that Toyota receives enough demand and Toyota has enough chips to build these powerplants.
As a brief refresher, the base V6 in the 2022 model year Tundra is good for 389 horsepower and 479 pound-feet (650 Nm) of torque channeled to the rear or all four wheels by a ten-speed automatic transmission. The i-Force Max levels up to 437 horsepower and 583 pound-feet (790 Nm), making it more potent than the Ford F-150 pickup’s award-winning PowerBoost V6.
Although we don’t know the MPG ratings for the hybrid, Toyota has confirmed the numbers for the non-hybrid V6 as follows: 18 miles per gallon city, 23 highway, and 20 combined (13, 10.2, and 11.7 l/100 km).
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