10 Biggest News Stories of the Week: Toyota Tundra Too Much for Tesla Model Y

Toyota had a lot of time to consider how it wanted to improve the Tundra since the full-size pickup truck’s last total redo roughly a decade and a half ago. So it’s not surprising that, upon its redesign for the 2022 model year, the Tundra returns with a whole lot of right. What’s disappointing is that, in all that time, Toyota couldn’t get even more right for its target demographic of truck shoppers who — in defiance of the current luxurious, tech-loaded state of the open-bed automobile — still want to use their truck as a truck. In our most popular article of the past week, a rapid-fire roundup of the things our expert reviewers loved and loathed about the new generation, we tell you both sides of the Tundra tale.

Related: 10 Biggest News Stories of the Month: Rivian R1T Passes Toyota Tundra, Follows Ford Maverick

In the Tundra’s plus column are its newly overhauled engine choices, including the standard twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V-6 and powered-up optional hybrid we were able to drive; a generous list of standard safety and convenience features even at lower and mid-tier trims; effective suspension setups that provide surprisingly untrucklike ride quality; the off-road-equipped TRD Off-Road and TRD Pro models for those who wish to eschew the asphalt to take on the terrain; the durable aluminum composite bed floor that mimics the look and feel of a spray-in bedliner; and the new user-friendly Toyota Audio Multimedia System that comes standard with wireless smartphone mirroring.

Taking the Tundra down a peg are its scant offerings of advanced features found on rival trucks; payload and towing capacities that, while respectable, fall well short of the competition; a 10-speed automatic transmission that undermines the new engines with poky downshifts and unrefined upshifts; a frustratingly small control knob on the standard multimedia system that comes with the version of the truck most likely to need an oversized knob; and robust B-pillars that impair the driver’s over-the-shoulder view.

For the full details on our cheers and jeers for the 2022 Toyota Tundra, follow the link below to our No. 1 news story of the week.

Bringing up a distant, but still exciting, second is a report on our purchase of a 2021 Tesla Model Y that’s been added to our fleet of long-term test cars. Intrigued by the Model Y all-electric compact SUV’s shockingly brisk sales (132,400 sold in the first nine months of this year) putting it in the top EV echelon, Cars.com took the Tesla plunge— paying a total of $66,443.56 (including destination charge and varied fees and taxes) in a purchase process that was comparable in effort to ordering groceries online followed by a reasonable three-month delivery time. For the next couple of years, Cars.com will report on the Tesla ownership experience and compare the Model Y directly with the competitive field.

For the full story on Cars.com’s 2021 Tesla Model Y buy, follow the link below to the No. 2 news story on this week’s countdown.

Rounding out the top five this week are a breakdown of Tundra pricing, starting at less than $38,000, at No. 3; a survey of Ford F-150 owners’ likes and dislikes about the half-ton truck, gleaned from Cars.com user reviews, at No. 4; and another rapid-fire roundup of pickup pros and cons, this one focusing on the subcompact, all-new-for-2022 Ford Maverick, at No. 5.

Beyond all that, we’ve got headlines on the Subaru Ascent, Nissan Rogue, Chevrolet Equinox and much more — so don’t stop reading till the digits double. Here are the top 10 news stories Cars.com readers couldn’t get enough of in the past week:

1. Is the Redesigned 2022 Toyota Tundra a Good Truck? 6 Things We Like and 5 We Don’t

2. We Bought a 2021 Tesla Model Y

3. 2022 Toyota Tundra Pricing (Mostly) Revealed, Starts at $37,645

4. Life With the Ford F-150: What Do Owners Really Think?

5. 2022 Ford Maverick: Is It the Right Size for the Times? Here Are 6 Things We Like and 3 We Don’t

6. Is the 2022 Subaru Ascent a Good SUV? 4 Pros and 4 Cons

7. How Do Car Seats Fit in a 2022 Ford Maverick?

8. $1 Trillion U.S. Infrastructure Bill: 3 Ways It Impacts Drivers

9. What’s the Best Compact SUV?

10. What’s the Best New-Car Deal for November 2021?

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