Toyota Tundra (2022–) review: American-size capability without American-size support
3.5/5motorssouq Editorial Team
The XK70 Tundra is a genuinely capable, modern full-size truck built on the same platform philosophy as the Land Cruiser Toyota does sell here, and Bahrain's growing community of American-pickup importers and specialist workshops has made ownership far more practical than it used to be. It remains a private-import decision with no factory warranty backstop, so budget for that reality rather than expecting Land Cruiser-level dealer support.
Pros
- Twin-turbo V6 outguns any previous Tundra V8 on power and torque
- TNGA-F platform shared with the Land Cruiser brings a genuinely modern chassis
- Growing Bahrain specialist-workshop community eases private-import ownership
- Genuine towing and payload capacity most locally sold trucks cannot match
Cons
- No factory warranty or Toyota Bahrain dealer parts support
- Nearly 6 metres long — a real challenge in older neighbourhoods and car parks
- Running costs sit well above a locally sold Land Cruiser Prado
- Every purchase needs full US import-history diligence
The current-generation Tundra is built on the same TNGA-F architecture that underpins the Land Cruiser and Sequoia, and it shows in a chassis that feels genuinely modern rather than like an old-school American truck bolted to a new cabin. The twin-turbo 3.5-litre V6 makes more power and torque than any Tundra V8 before it, and the ten-speed automatic shifts with the same unobtrusive competence found across Toyota's current lineup.
The import market here
No Gulf Toyota distributor sells the Tundra, so every one in Bahrain has come in as a private import, predominantly from the United States. That has created a real community of specialist workshops and parts suppliers around it and the closely related Sequoia and Tacoma, which meaningfully eases ownership compared with a decade ago — but there is still no factory warranty, no dealer-stocked parts counter, and every purchase needs the same import-history diligence as any other US-spec vehicle.
Living with the size
At nearly six metres long in CrewMax form, the Tundra asks serious questions of Bahrain's older neighbourhoods and multi-storey car parks, and running costs — fuel, tyres, insurance on a private import — sit well above a locally sold Land Cruiser Prado. What it buys in return is genuine towing and payload capacity that few vehicles sold in the country can match, and a road presence that has its own dedicated following here regardless of the practical trade-offs.