Pros: Neat TRD Professional trim level likely over-normal gasoline economic climate aggressive towing potential
Drawbacks: Bad cargo room Capstone’s teeth-chattering trip comparatively cumbersome handling iffy price
The 2023 Toyota Sequoia signifies the initial finish redesign of Toyota’s full-measurement SUV because George W. Bush was president. It must thus not be surprising that it is tremendously improved in the locations of motor performance (it has a twin-turbo hybrid V6), inside top quality and technological innovation. The design is certainly more fashionable, as well, whilst the 2023 Sequoia TRD Pro is an even more able mountain goat.
Problems is, the Sequoia has truly fallen backward in critical respects. It is a little bit smaller on the outside, which exacerbates the inside packaging difficulties brought on by the hybrid battery and a change to an previous-faculty sound rear axle as opposed to its predecessors’ impartial rear. The final result is a cramped third-row seat in a section the place entire-size grownups really should be able to easily healthy, and a shrunken, exceptionally compromised cargo area. That sound rear axle does the Sequoia’s managing no favors, either, and when paired with to the Capstone’s enormous 23-inch wheels, benefits in a tooth-chattering trip that is quite frankly stunning for a thing that fees virtually $80,000.
Pricing is yet another concern. Even even though the Sequoia is scaled-down, considerably less purposeful and commonly significantly less aggressive than the Ford Expedition, Jeep Wagoneer and GM’s Tahoe and Yukon siblings, it typically charges more. Perhaps it could be argued a hybrid powertrain should come at a quality, but its efficiency advantage is negligible, and we positive weren’t acquiring shut to 20 mpg in our testing. In quick, the new Sequoia is not well worth the 15-12 months wait around.
Interior & Technology | Passenger & Cargo Space | Functionality & Fuel Overall economy
What it truly is like to drive | Pricing & Trim Levels | Crash Rankings & Basic safety Functions
What’s new for 2023?
The Sequoia is totally redesigned for the very first time in a lot more than a decade. You can go through additional about these adjustments in our 2023 Toyota Sequoia initial generate critique.
What are the Sequoia inside and in-automobile technology like?
The Sequoia shares its cabin design and style with the Tundra complete-dimensions truck. It actually does not suffer for that actuality in conditions of aesthetics, but it potentially clarifies why you are going to obtain a number of more tricky plastics inside than a Chevy Tahoe or Jeep Wagoneer. Higher trim stages do spruce factors up, which include the TRD Pro’s unconventional purple camouflage print seats (below suitable) or the Capstone’s ritzy mix of open-pore wood trim, black seats and white leatherette inside trim (earlier mentioned, underneath left).
Conventional on most trim degrees is an massive 14-inch touchscreen (the foundation SR5 gets an 8-inch unit). The operating method is the latest Toyota has to supply, that includes dazzling, minimalist graphics and purely natural speech recognition. It really is responsive and runs rapidly. The shortcut icons on the facet closest to the driver are effortless to achieve, but they sadly disappear when you use Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, that means you have to simply click-click on-click to escape the Apple/Android interfaces relatively than making use of a straightforward Dwelling button like Toyota utilized to attribute. There are other annoyances we found out, specially with the radio operation, that can make the new system significantly less person-friendly than what you’d uncover in a Tahoe/Yukon, Expedition, Wagoneer and their luxurious variants.
How large is the Sequoia?
As a whole-dimension SUV, the Sequoia is obviously great on the outside in contrast to a crossover like the Highlander or even an SUV like the 4Runner. It is more compact than its American entire-dimensions SUV opponents on the outside the house, even so, and packaging troubles at the rear make it even lesser inside. Rather basically, the Sequoia’s 3rd-row seat and cargo area are not competitive.
Whilst totally grown teens and grownups can easily healthy in the third row of a Tahoe/Yukon, Expedition or Wagoneer, the Sequoia is finest suited to people of smaller sized stature, and even then for shorter trips only. It’s more akin to what you’d uncover in a 3-row crossover, albeit with a increased step-in height. Now, it does uniquely slide fore and aft, but that is far more for the sake of cargo house.
Even with that element, cargo space is incredibly compromised. The major difficulty is that the 3rd row does not fold flat into the ground as its competitors’ do, nor can it be taken off. The result is essentially a stage for your belongings that necessitates a substantial elevate and lean in to access. With the 3rd-row in use, area shrinks to a diploma bested by several significant a few-row crossovers. And accurate, you can slide that 3rd row forward to totally free up excess space, but you’re just shrinking the 3rd row even additional and the consequence continue to falls limited of what you can match in the American opponents. Toyota at least arrived up with a intelligent multi-stage cargo floor and partition process, but this mainly would seem like a workaround for a elementary flaw.
What are the Sequoia fuel economic climate and performance specs?
Every single Sequoia receives a hybrid powertrain dubbed i-Drive Max. It is composed of a 3.5-liter twin-turbo V6 and a single electrical motor sandwiched between the motor and a 10-pace automated transmission. It is a basically various structure than Toyota’s traditional, efficiency-oriented hybrids. Without a doubt, although the Sequoia does achieve over-typical EPA gasoline economic climate estimates, its performance benefits are the even larger deal: 437 horsepower and 583 pound-toes of torque. Torque in distinct betters its fuel-powered GM, Ford and Jeep rivals. Its 9,520-pound towing capability also eclipses them.
Fuel economy also bests them at 21 mpg metropolis, 24 mpg freeway and 22 mpg mixed with typical rear-wheel drive, or 19/22/20 mpg with optional 4-wheel push. In the authentic globe, having said that, we did not come remotely shut to that, averaging all over 16 mpg in a mix of highway and suburban driving.
What is actually the Sequoia like to generate?
Though the Sequoia is a hybrid, you’d be tough pressed to convey to when driving, so really don’t go expecting a 6,000-pound Prius right here. The twin-turbo V6 is just as burly as any V8, if not burlier. Push the throttle, and the electric powered motor and turbo motor coordinate to give easy, easy torque, which retains coming all via the rev variety. Thrust it more durable, and you get a deep, throaty growl. It is really even louder in the TRD Pro, which gets a cat-back exhaust. The conventional 10-pace computerized also means there is no droning as you’d get from the e-CVT transmissions in other Toyota hybrids.
Here is the place the superior bits conclusion. Managing fails to crystal clear even the lower bar set by total-sizing SUVs, as it is somewhat barge-like with light, vague and slow steering. A gentle suspension and sound rear axle are never a system for chassis poise and driver assurance. The ride quality is Alright in most trims, but we would strongly urge you to steer clear of the array-topping Capstone and its teeth-chattering experience. It would make correctly typical, smooth pavement experience like washboard dust roads as it continually shivers and vibrates. The decision to incorporate gigantic 22-inch wheels to the mixture of physique-on-body truck chassis and a strong rear axle was not a excellent one. That it arrives in a approximately $80,000 SUV that supposedly can compete with an entry-stage Escalade or Navigator is laughable.
What other Toyota Sequoia reviews can I go through?
2023 Toyota Sequoia To start with Generate Review: New and improved, but not enough
Browse a lot more about the lots of improvements for 2023, its new engineering and design and style, and far more in-depth driving impressions of different versions.
Toyota Sequoia Baggage Check
Just take a further dive into why the Sequoia’s cargo place is so compromised and as a result uncompetitive.
What is the 2023 Sequoia value?
Pricing for the 2023 Toyota Sequoia starts at $59,895, including the $1,595 desired destination cost. Rear-wheel generate is regular on each Sequoia and four-wheel drive is a $3,000 alternative.
Not like the instead sparsely equipped SR5 4Runner and Tacoma, the foundation Sequoia SR5 basically comes pretty very well equipped with LED headlights and fog lights, a sunroof, a few-zone climate command, heated front seats, a 60/40-split next row bench seat (captain’s chairs are the only decision on the Platinum, TRD Professional and Capstone), a leather-wrapped steering wheel, a panoramic parking digicam, a 12.3-inch electronic instrument panel, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Car, and an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment process. Just about every other trim gets a 14-inch program managing mainly the same interface.
The Restricted is possibly where by most consumers will get started their Sequoia search given its included SofTex simulated leather upholstery, ventilated entrance seats, driver memory functions, a heated steering wheel and rear sunshades. There are then two amounts of luxurious trim stage accessible: the Platinum or the even additional lavish Capstone, even though we would strongly steer clear of the latter thanks to its 22-inch wheels and resulting terrible experience top quality.
The TRD Professional is the rugged alternative that adds an off-highway suspension with Fox Internal Bypass coilovers and rear remote-reservoir shocks, a entrance stabilizer bar, all-terrain tires, enhanced clearances and exceptional design prospers. The TRD Off-Highway bundle is accessible on other trim stages and provides Bilstein shocks and springs for improved off-street capacity. The TRD Sport package goes in the reverse course with a suspension tuned for much better on-road dealing with.
SR5: $59,895
Restricted: $66,295
Platinum: $72,495
TRD Professional: $77,595
Capstone: $76,895
What are the Sequoia security rankings and driver guidance characteristics?
Each 2023 Sequoia involves as conventional ahead collision warning with pedestrian detection, lane-holding help, blind-location and rear cross-website traffic warning, and adaptive cruise control with halt-and-go features and lane-centering steering help. Also normal are front and rear parking sensors, and Basic safety Connect emergency communications solutions.
The 2023 Sequoia has not been crash tested by a third social gathering.