Toyota Trucks hold a place in my heart as a former Product Planner in the division. So the new generation of Tundra and this subsequent Sequoia definitely got my attention, especially since much of this may trickle down to my beloved Taco in the not too distant future. Sequoia, much like the last Tundra, sat on the vine a bit too long so I was super happy to see a new generation debut, especially with the full-size SUV segment seemingly unfazed by the current realm of gas prices and economy issues that we’re going through. That definitely wasn’t the case when the last all-new Sequoia debuted for the 2008 model year under some similar circumstances and the whole truck market cratered itself.
The 2008 to 2022 Sequoia was dated, to put it lightly, and never a huge seller, literal drops in the bucket compared to what the Chevrolet Tahoe and Ford Expedition sling out each year. But sure not everything is set out with a target to become the segment market share leader. The Sequoia is seen to Toyota as something to keep the Toyota faithful in-house. This go around the Sequoia stays closer to the Tundra blueprint than before (read: more truck guts), and production moves from Toyota’s Indiana plant down to Texas to be with the rest of the trucks. Coincidentally the Indiana plant is making room for Toyota’s new Grand Highlander 3-row crossover.
First things first, big kudos to Toyota for finally bringing a new frame architecture to market. This is still a huge piece of the industry and as one of the biggest brands in America, Toyota can’t really afford to sit on the sidelines completely. The Sequoia’s exterior design is fresh and chiseled and dare I say a bit better looking than the Tundra, especially the grille up front in my opinion. With the loss of top dog Land Cruiser, at least for now, the Sequoia sits atop the Toyota brand throne, is it a worthy successor?
Under the hood, the aging and thirsty naturally aspirated 5.7-liter V8 is gone in favor of a new, hybrid only powertrain. Don’t worry, despite Toyota having thrived on creating an ultra efficient, but perhaps weak on power image of hybrids over the past 25 years, the Sequoia’s i-FORCE MAX (Toyota’s shouting CAPS not mine) is a gem, pairing a 3.4-liter twin turbo V6 with a hybrid motor generator to produce 437 horsepower and a crushing 583 lb-ft of the torques. On top of that, it all gets routed to the ground via a 10-speed automatic, not a typical eCVT like most of Toyota’s other efficiency minded hybrids. So there’s no wind up and groany character during acceleration like in many hybrids (looking at you Sienna). Steering feel and response is a big leap over the last generation model, but it remains a little vague and a bit over boosted. Still, I’d be much happier hustling this Sequoia around day-to-day than the old model, love the powertrain and didn’t think twice about missing the venerable V8 beast.
Even with the lift in modern power the new Sequoia is rated at 19 miles per gallon city, 22 highway and 20 combined. That’s a massive improvement over the thirsty V8 which was rated at 13/17/15, at least on paper. As they say, your mileage may vary, and our week and over 200+ miles mixed in city and highway yielded an indicated 14.1 miles per gallon. I’m not heavy on the throttle, we weren’t towing or hauling anything particularly heavy and most of the time it was myself and a tiny daughter or two. I don’t know what to tell you other than the new engine is definitely not lacking in power. It still seems to be a bit thirsty, but at least you have power! We had some shortcomings in the Tundra fuel economy as well.
About that power, one major loss for the new Sequoia is the lack of Toyota’s “Multimode” 4WD system. In its place is a less sophisticated part-time 4WD system. Multimode was on the prior generation Sequoia and is effectively an all-wheel drive type system with its 4WD mode available for use on roads thanks to a center differential that could remain open/unlocked for use in snow and rain, etc. Now, the part-time system employed in the Sequoia should only be shifted to 4WD in off-road type situations or when driving in a very straight line, otherwise you’ll experience and feel mechanical binding and risk damaging the running gear. Every other full-size SUV on the market offers something akin to all-wheel drive for on-road use, this seems like a big miss. Why not just give the 4WD configurations the full-time system from the LX 600? If you’re an existing Sequoia owner thinking to upgrade, please make sure you understand this tradeoff! Strike 1.
Another very questionable product decision in the new Sequoia was in giving up the independent rear suspension that the outgoing model had, something that now every competitor has since moved to, and replacing it with a cheaper solid axle set up, aligned with the frame donor Tundra. Why Toyota, why? A myriad of product impacts arise from this decision, the biggest and worst being the actual impacts in the form of ride quality. Even though our Platinum tester had the optional adaptive dampers and rear air suspension, that rear end crashed down over road events all over town, to the point where my wife and even 4 year old daughter asked if something was wrong with the car. Ride quality, to put it lightly, was atrocious and a rubbery/busy mess. I double checked the air pressures and they were okay. The Platinum is also on 20″ wheels, not the ultra large 22″s that are on the Capstone. It literally would feel like our red Radio Flyer wagon coming down or across anything beyond a tar strip. Not helping matters, the seats felt super stiff and generally uncomfortable, despite also including 4-way power lumbar for both driver and front passenger. Strike 2.
Added challenges from moving to a solid rear axle are felt in the 3rd row execution and cargo area. Where the outgoing Sequoia had a nice fold flat seat and decent 3rd row digs (at least when it was new 15 years ago) the 2023 Sequoia sees an awkward 3rd row that sits on an equally awkward little platform in the back. The seat sits low to the ground, not great for comfort, and no headroom for adults. Toyota made the odd move of making the 2nd row seats fixed in terms of their fore-aft position (no sliding) but allows the 3rd row to slide back and forth to try to create a passenger mode (seats pushed all the way back) vs cargo mode (slide them forward). The seatbacks can fold down, powered here in the Platinum, but they don’t fold down into a floor. There’s scant room behind the 3rd row when you’re using it for humans, and when you fold it, you have to play with the mini cargo shelf Toyota provides to try to make a flat load floor. Even then, there’s a huge gap from the 3rd row to the 2nd row and no flap to connect through. Forget sleeping back there you overlander intenders until you put in your own platform. Strike 3.
Do we need to go on? Well, if you don’t use the 3rd row often, or if you don’t need 3 rows and cargo the Sequoia could still be a good choice, in fact, Toyota should offer a 3rd row delete credit. Ford does on the Expedition and Chevrolet has on the Tahoe as well. The 2nd row has loads of room and our Platinum tester had heated and ventilated 2nd row captains chairs. It would make for a solid 2-row brute, but I guess that’s what the 4Runner has been in the lineup for years now.
Thankfully, Toyota’s latest infotainment is onboard and the 14″ screen is large and responsive. Much like the engine, this tech hub is a modern leap forward for the brand and it can’t proliferate through the other models fast enough. It is a little hard to flip back and forth from CarPlay to the native Toyota system, wish there was either a hard menu button or if the Toyota nav bar on the left side of the screen would stay persistent that would help as well. Do love that there are dedicated buttons and toggles for many heating/cooling and vehicle controls both on the dash and the center console. We had the optional color head-up display that can bring in your phone’s navigational directions, but only with Apple Maps for iPhone users, not sure what/if any support the Android people get.
In terms of safety and convenience tech, Toyota also offers up their Safety Sense 2.5 system with lane centering Lane Trace Assist and full-speed adaptive cruise control and pre-collision braking with pedestrian detection. Our Platinum also had the digital rearview camera mirror, always appreciated on anything 3-row and especially one this tall and high up. In a nod to its newfound truck-ness, our Platinum also was fitted with optional towing mirrors that are massive and can power extend out further.
At nearly $80,000 as tested, the Sequoia now stretches into some lofty air. Interior materials look a little too truck like (actually many trucks at this price point might do it better now) and the silver painted plastics and striated plastic trim on this Platinum should really be actual metals and/or woods. Rear exterior door handles lack passive entry lock/unlock, a key gripe I have with any car. Yes, the 2023 Sequoia is nearly all-new (as it should be after 15+ years on the market), but you’d have to be ultra loyal (which luckily for Toyota many of its faithful buyers are) to give this Sequoia a go over the very advanced and impressive competitive set, including the latecomer Jeep Wagoneer.
While the Sequoia is filled with a bunch of missed opportunities, Toyota fans in need of a solid 3-row utility should wait a bit longer as the recently debuted Grand Highlander addresses nearly all of these shortcomings and will likely do so at a much lower price point while only sacrificing some off-road and towing capability. In the meantime, Toyota Product Planners, let me know if you need a hand getting this self-proclaimed badass truck back in fighting shape. Toyota buyers, demand more of your full-size SUV!
