There’s very little we know for certain about Toyota’s forthcoming Raptor competitor. We know the name: TRD Hammer. We know it will “have 37s and be badass” because somebody familiar with the project told us so. And based on those two pieces of information, we’ve managed to connect a few more dots that led us to a critical detail: it’s going to be powered by a tweaked version of the Tundra’s hybrid V6.
We previously reported, Toyota took a mystery Tundra on 37s to the 2026 running of the Mint 400 in Nevada—and won. That’s the truck in the hero image up top there, rocking what appears to be a set of KO3s. And that truck, per its official Mint 400 entry information, is powered by Toyota’s hybrid V6.
Toyota may not have come right out and said it, but we can all do the math, right? This is the TRD Hammer, hiding very much in plain sight. This is final validation testing with the engineering team in a real-life scenario. Toyota isn’t the first to do something like this; it certainly won’t be the last.
While Toyota will not outright confirm this, our insider sources are telling us that we’re officially beyond the speculation stage. Based on our current understanding, the TRD Hammer’s engine will be breathed on slightly. Expect power and torque figures to go up, but think high-output EcoBoost V6, not something along the lines of the V8-powered Raptor R and the Ram TRX.
Toyota’s most potent version of its “i-Force Max” hybrid already produces a healthy 437 horsepower and 583 pound-feet of torque. Without any further massaging, that’s already in standard F-150 Raptor territory (450 hp/510 lb-ft.). Toyota could do very little and still remain competitive in the powertrain department, but with Ram sitting on a 540-horsepower RHO, one might argue that ~450 horsepower simply doesn’t cut it for a six-cylinder “performance” truck anymore.
For the moment, we’re left to speculate on the specifics, but what do you think? Will Toyota give us a 500-horsepower Hammer? We shouldn’t have to wait much longer to find out.
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