Many things are unclear about the Tundra’s future. As you probably heard, the testing model has been spotted on the road. It wears a quite strange camouflage, so it is hard to tell whether it is a complete redesign or just another refresh. In any case, experts speculate about novelties in various aspects. One of the things that come to mind is powertrain. The current model comes with two thirsty gasoline units in the offer, so it would be nice to see something more efficient. It’s no secret that the Japanese manufacturer is developing a new hybrid powertrain especially for this truck, but there is more. If we can rely on the latest reports, the 2020 Toyota Tundra Diesel is about to come. At this point, it is just a rumor, although many reports suggest it is even production-ready.
2020 Toyota Tundra Diesel Powertrain
This may be one of the most interesting novelties to come for the next year. At this point, we still don’t know the details about the new powertrain, but we can make some predictions. Considering that most rivals offer six-cylinder turbodiesel engines, we would expect something similar from Toyota as well. However, the problem is in the fact that the Japanese manufacturer doesn’t have an engine that would be appropriate for a full-size truck. There is a familiar 2.8-liter turbo-four, but it’s 180 horsepower definitely don’t seem enough for a truck of Tundra’s size. Therefore, many experts believe that Toyota will aim for something that can fill the gap between light-duty and heavy-duty diesel trucks, which is pretty big in most cases.
Therefore, the first engine that comes to mind is a familiar 5.0-liter V8 turbodiesel from Cummins, which delivers around 310 horsepower and 555 pound-feet of torque. This unit already powers the Nissan Titan XD, which comes with mentioned specs. We don’t expect changes in these numbers, so we will probably see similar performances as well. Of course, besides significantly improved fuel economy, another important aspect is the 2020 Toyota Tundra Diesel towing capacity. The current model with a gasoline engine can tow up to 10.200 pounds. We expect that the new diesel version will raise the bar for 2.000 pounds, at least. So, max capacity would probably go around 12.500 pounds, which are pretty respectable numbers.
Full Load of Novelties For the Next Year
As we already mentioned, the testing model has been spotted on the road and it is still unclear whether we are about to see a redesign or just a major update. In any case, we will see a lot of novelties. Considering that the testing model under camouflage, we may expect a completely new styling. Some reports even suggest pretty radical visual updates, though the fact is that the testing model still uses sheet metal of the current model.
Changes are expected on the inside as well. We probably won’t see anything radical inside the cabin, but we definitely count on a full load of novelties in terms of latest tech features. This particularly refers to a new infotainment system and other hi-tech goodies, which will make the 2020 Toyota Tundra Diesel much more up to date.
In terms of mechanics, we’ve noticed that the rear axle has been camouflaged as well. This clearly indicates a new rear suspension setup. At this point, we know for sure it won’t get an independent suspension. A solid axle will remain, but we count on a lot of new components, maybe even an air suspension.
Hybrid Powertrain Is Under Development!
According to photographers that made these spy shots, the testing model actually runs on a hybrid powertrain. According to them, the truck is almost silent at low speeds, which clearly indicates it goes on batteries. Therefore, we can start to speculate about the specs. Currently, Toyota has a pretty solid hybrid system in the offer, which can be found in the Lexus LS 500h. The famous sedan uses a system that is based on a 3.5-liter V6 engine and delivers around 355 horsepower.
For this occasion, we will probably see big modifications. Most likely, the new system would be based on a twin-turbo V6 engine and a max output should go all away up to 450 horsepower and 500 pound-feet of torque, which promises some pretty spectacular performances.
2020 Toyota Tundra Diesel Release Date
This version would definitely bring a lot of new qualities to the popular truck. However, the fact is that we are still waiting to hear something from the officials, although many reports suggest that the new version is production ready and that the 2020 Toyota Tundra Diesel release date will be scheduled for the next year.
When it comes to the 2020 Toyota Tundra Diesel price, we presume that the new version would feature starting price between 35.000 and 40.000 dollars.
