What is Toyota’s I-Force Max (and which vehicles use it)? – Jalopnik

These days, if you want a large Toyota car with a responsive, powerful engine that’s capable, efficient and fully compliant with emissions regulations, then the brand’s i-Force Max engine is by far the best option. It is a hybrid propulsion system that pairs the Japanese automaker’s combustion engines with an electric motor to deliver more power and fuel efficiency than traditional ICE engines.

The i-Force Max hybrid powertrain is specifically designed for use in Toyota trucks and large body-on-frame SUVs that can both tow and off-road. It’s available with two different engine options and two levels of tuning, depending on the truck or SUV you’re looking at. The first is a 3.4-liter twin-turbo V35A-FTS V6 hybrid that produces 437 hp and 583 Nm of torque. If that’s too much for your application, there’s a turbocharged 2.4-liter T24A-FTS inline-four hybrid setup with 326 horsepower and 465 pound-feet of torque.

Both torquey powertrains achieve their respective performance with a little help from a 48 hp electric motor that is itself powered by a 1.87 kWh NiMH battery that is charged through regenerative braking and using energy from the engine. In total, there are five Toyota vehicles powered by the brand’s i-Force Max, not to be confused with the non-hybrid Toyota i-Force engine or the Toyota Hybrid Max system found in the Toyota Crown and Toyota Grand Highlander, among others. Here’s a look at the Toyota models that come with the i-Force Max engine.

This is where it all started for the i-Force Max. The Tundra became the first Toyota production vehicle to use the i-Force Max when it debuted the hybrid powertrain as part of the third-generation model introduced for 2022. The setup consists of a 3.4-liter twin-turbo V35A-FTS V6 paired with an electric motor placed between the engine and the 10-speed automatic transmission. So equipped, the Tundra generates 437 horses and 583 pound-feet of torque.

It means the third-generation Tundra i-Force Max’s peak power is increased by 56 horses and 182 pound-feet of torque, compared to the old naturally aspirated 5.7-liter V8 found in the second-generation model. It’s also 48 to 79 horsepower more powerful than the i-Force 3.4-liter twin-turbo V6 used in third-generation non-hybrid Tundra models. If you’re interested, there are a variety of Tundra trim options available with the hybrid powertrain, including the Tundra Limited, Platinum, 1794 Edition, TRD Pro, and Capstone. A Tundra i-Force Max can tow up to 11,450 pounds and average 22 mpg combined in its most efficient state.

Since the Sequoia is built on a GA-F platform shared with the Tundra, it’s not surprising that it uses the same i-Force Max 3.4-liter twin-turbo V6 as the truck. Like the Tundra, the Sequoia i-Force Max makes 437 horsepower and 583 pound-feet of torque, but unlike the Tundra, there’s no non-hybrid i-Force engine here, meaning you get the i-Force Max as standard with the Sequoia no matter which trim level you choose. This has been the case since the third generation of the full-size SUV was introduced in 2022.

All that power makes for a capable tow vehicle, as the Sequoia can tow a whopping 9,520 pounds. But you need the SR5 with rear-wheel drive to unlock that maximum power. Four-wheel drive SR5 models are good for £9,120. If you choose the Tundra Platinum or 1794, you get a towing capacity of up to 9,310 pounds, while the Limited trim has a towing capacity of up to 9,300 pounds. The TRD Pro makes do with a towing capacity of 9,020 pounds, while the Capstone class can tow up to 9,280 with the right equipment. EPA estimates suggest the Toyota Sequoia can get up to 22 mpg combined and up to 24 mpg on the highway.

From now on, it’s all the turbocharged i-Force Max 2.4-liter T24A-FTS inline-four. Launched in 2023 with the fourth-generation Tacoma, the hybrid mill generates a total system output of 326 horsepower and 465 pound-feet of torque, allowing the Toyota Tacoma Hybrid to blow away any truck in its segment. For context, the previous 3.5-liter V6 in the third-generation Tacoma made 278 horsepower and 265 pound-feet of torque, while the base 2.7-liter four-cylinder produced a more modest 159 horsepower and 180 pound-feet of torque.

Of course, hybrid assistance also means better fuel efficiency than the previous V6, even if the fuel savings are negligible. According to EPA testing, Tacomas with the i-Force Max hybrid powertrain average 23 mpg combined. That means it returns an improvement of up to 2 mpg over the most fuel-efficient 2023 V6 Tacoma models, which see an average of 21 mpg. More importantly, you won’t lose much towing capacity with the hybrid engine, as Tacoma models with the i-Force Max engine can tow a maximum of 6,000 pounds and carry a payload of 1,709 pounds. The fourth-generation non-hybrid Tacoma weighs 6,500 pounds and has a payload capacity of 1,705 pounds.

The legendary Land Cruiser has long been the SUV of choice for Toyota enthusiasts looking for a serious midsize high-rider with true go-anywhere capability. But it has been plagued by criticism over its high price tag and poor fuel economy. The 381bhp 5.7-litre V8 engine in the previous generation car averaged 14mpg, which many saw as hugely disappointing. To address this, Toyota opted to give the seventh-generation model the i-Force Max 2.4-liter turbocharged T24A-FTS inline-four, boosting the efficiency rating to 23 mpg combined and making the new-generation Land Cruiser the revival of an off-road icon.

With 326 hp it is 55 hp less than the previous generation. However, the Land Cruiser’s i-Force Max engine generates 64 pounds more twisting force than its predecessor as it produces 465 pound-feet of torque, compared to 401 pound-feet for the discontinued V8 engine. As with the engine, the only transmission offered is an eight-speed automatic that routes power to the standard full-time all-wheel drive system. The SUV also comes standard with center and rear locking differentials and can tow up to 6,000 pounds when properly equipped.

Another Toyota SUV powered by the i-Force Max engine is the 4Runner, which began offering the hybrid with the introduction of the completely redesigned 2025 model. As with the above models, the version in the 4Runner delivers up to 326 horsepower and 465 pound-feet of torque. Another important note is that it offers the same 23 mpg combined rating and 6,000-pound maximum towing capacity as the current Tacoma and Land Cruiser. In Car and driverWhen testing a 2025 Toyota 4Runner Trailhunter, the i-Force Max engine helped push the SUV to 60 mph in an impressively quick 6.7 seconds.

That’s about a second faster than the all-wheel-drive 2025 Toyota 4Runner Limited with the standard non-hybrid i-Force engine. The downside is that the hybrid advantage means starting prices are higher than the non-hybrid models, at $52,790 for the base-spec 4Runner TRD Off-Road i-Force Max and at least $67,900 for the 2026 TRD Pro i-Force Max. For comparison, the non-hybrid 4Runner starts at $41,570 for the SR5 and tops out at $58,200 for the Limited trim. These are Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Prices (MSRP) and do not include delivery and handling charges.