The Toyota Sequoia finally gets a big redesign. Can the new-look SUV compete with the Chevy Tahoe and Ford Expedition?
It’s been 14 years since toyota last overall hauled the sequoia an eternity in the automotive to us all new for 2023 new platform new hybrid up folks i’m dave undercoffler editor-in-chief of autolist.com a sister company to cargurus a lot has changed in the world since toyota last introduced a new sequoia so this
Version has a lot of catching up to do especially when it comes to rivals like the ford expedition chevy tahoe nissan armada and jeep wagoneer plus toyota is no longer so this also needs to fill in that space so is it up to the task or is this one tree that’s better left in the forest let’s go find out but
Before we do like and subscribe to this channel so you can get all of our alerts on future videos all right let’s take a look at the exterior now this new sequoia is based on the same platform shares a lot of the exterior cues so you can see it has this big bold muscular presence we’re testing the fully loaded capstone
Version us led headlights and fog lights down below moving to the side our capstone model has 22-inch alloy wheels other trim levels will get either 18-inch wheels or 20-inch wheels you’ve got the capstone badging here and some chrome treatment loaded model also has power retractable running boards
To help the little ones get in the truck more easily the wheelbase of this new sequoia but the overall length is up three inches moving to the back again you can see the big bold sort of muscular presence in the styling back here sequoia badging across the back in case you forget up like this but if you want to
Just get access through here you have that option as well under the hood all sequoias get this all new hybrid powertrain and it is a monster it’s a 3.5 liter twin-turbo charged v6 and an electric motor that makes 437 horsepower and 583 pound-feet of torque it’s paired to a 10-speed automatic transmission
Two-wheel drive is standard but our loaded model has part-time four-wheel drive with a limited slip differential so some people are gonna like the fact that this hybrid powertrain has more power and torque but others are gonna miss the v8 where do you guys fall let us know in the comments below on paper fuel economy goes
Up two-wheel drive models are rated at 21 miles per gallon city 24 in the highway and 22 overall this four-wheel drive version loses two miles per gallon for each of those so it’s 19 in the city 22 on the highway and 20 overall but keep in mind those figures are on paper only what have we been getting over 300
Miles of testing well stay tuned we’re going to tell you so much like the outside got a redesign so did the inside and it too has this sort of big brash bold characteristic to it this is a 14 inch color touch screen for the infotainment system this is standard on all models except the base which is the sr5 that gets
An eight inch screen here but you can get this screen optional i love the setup here this is a system toyota has been putting in all of its new vehicles and i really like it it’s very crisp it’s responsive to your touch there’s wireless apple carplay wireless android auto another thing that i really like is
That there are physical buttons for the climate control if you’ve been watching any of my other videos you know it’s so frustrating to me when automakers put everything into the touchscreen so toyota did a really nice job you’ve got physical buttons for all the climate control i will say some of these labels are a little
Hard to read in daylight but you can infer what each of them does based on the screen above it you do have a large volume knob there i like that as well also all display for the driver that’s a nice touch goodies like heated and ventilated seats you’ve got this large panoramic roof i’ve got a digital camera
For the rear view mirror a up display open pour wood trim and these two tone leather seats finally because toyota knows that this sequoia is going to be put into full-time family duty there are cubbies and cup holders all around this truck it’s really cool you’ve got little ones in here this entire thing opens up and
If you want more access that’s easier that slides out of the way cup holders here more cup holders on the door so that’s really nice very practical for this suv this is a look at the second row as you can see there are two captains chairs here so overall this is a seven passenger version of the sequoia lower
Trims will have a bench seat here which makes them an eight passenger as you can see i’ve got plenty of space you would hope so right in a vehicle this big i’ve got the driver’s seat adjusted to where i would have it i’m six foot one so i’ve got plenty of room for my legs my knees headroom is comfortable but it does get
A little tight thanks to this low roof with the panoramic moonroof and because this is the capstone version you have a variety of amenities back here i’ve got heated and cooled seats i’ve got my own climate control system and a variety of ways to charge my devices one thing to note about these captains chairs is
That they don’t slide back and forth as they will and some of the competitors to the sequoia they do flip and fold out of the way pretty easily however plus because this is the loaded capstone version i’ve got a button here that automatically folds the rear seats once we’re in the third row i’ve actually got a fair amount
Of space plenty for my toes my legs and my knees headroom gets a little tight but you could spend quite a bit of time back here as an adult that’s nice and because this is the loaded capstone version there are some other goodies back here i’ve got a button that allows me to recline the seat or move it forward
I’ve got a usb charger down here and just like the second rows and the doors i’ve got a sunshade here in case i want to take a nap all right now to the cargo area of the sequoia and this is probably my biggest gripe of the vehicle overall it’s the cargo space there’s just not a lot of it given how big this vehicle is
Overall both the ford expedition and chevy tahoe have an independent allows them to more cleanly integrate the seats into the cargo floor for better space this sequoia has a more basic solid rear axle so it really doesn’t give you a lot of space you do have a few options in terms of configurability back here
Aft to give you a little bit more space here and then this floor can be adjusted in terms of its height to bring it level with these seats don’t have nearly the cargo space that you would in some of the rivals in this segment so it’s a bit of a miss for the sequoia that way all right driving impressions probably
My favorite thing about the sequoia overall is the power train 437 horsepower 583 pound-feet of torque that is a lot this thing is a monster and i really like that unlike some other turbocharged v6 engines this one has no turbo lag whatsoever the minute you get on the throttle it’s responsive that’s great probably
The highest compliment you can pay a turbo v6 is to say it feels exactly like a v8 with all that rich torque and the sound and that’s exactly what this powertrain does it sounds like a v8 it acts like a v8 unfortunately it also drinks like a v8 over 300 miles of testing we’ve been averaging 15 miles per gallon and some
Of that was even on a pretty long road trip so that’s not great definitely doesn’t measure up to the epa estimates meanwhile the 10-speed automatic transmission is a peach it stays out of the way but it’s also very responsive when you need it to be a couple of things that i don’t like the steering for one is
Very light i have it right now in sport mode which does dial up the feeling and the resistance a little bit but in the default normal setting you really don’t get much feedback from the steering at all and that’s a bit of a problem in a vehicle that’s this big i also don’t love the ride quality ours has the optional air
Suspension and it’s just there’s too much chatter again part of that is also because we have the larger wheels the 22-inch alloy wheels so be sure you test drive the sequoia with a different trim that you’re interested in because it does vary depending on which model you have there’s 18-inch alloy wheels 20-inch wheels
And then the 22s that are on this truck one thing about the steering is that this sequoia has a really tight turning radius and that’s been great you’re going to find that really handy when you’re navigating really tight parking spots or parking garages another great thing about the sequoia’s new hybrid powertrain
Is its towing capacity it can go up to 9 500 pounds of towing that’s a lot it’s 2 000 pounds plus over the previous generation of sequoia so that’s great in terms of visibility it’s good but not great this is a full-size suv right you’d think you’d have this commanding view of the road unfortunately the
Windshield feels like it’s a little too low and then out the back the glass feels a little too low as well so you don’t have that commanding presence you think this would be like driving a lighthouse not so so that’s a little frustrating the scoia also has adjustable drive modes so there’s a normal setting there’s a
Comfort there’s a sport a sport plus and finally a custom mode that allows you to sort of fine tune how the vehicle feels wind noise and road noise is largely held at bay and that’s really nice you kind of hope so right on the vehicle this large the seats are certainly comfortable but they don’t have the bolstering
That i would like they’re a little too wide for me so it’d be nice if they held you a little bit tighter but that’s really nitpicking at this point against the ford expedition the chevy tahoe the gmc yukon the nissan armada and the jeep wagoneer the chevy is going to have more passenger space in the third row and
In the cargo area but it doesn’t have this amazing hybrid powertrain the ford is going to stack up really well because it too has a turbocharged v6 although it’s not a hybrid and its cargo area is really nicely managed because it has that independent rear suspension the nissan armada was recently updated but it’s
Still starting to show its age it’s got a basic v8 so i think i would choose this sequoia over that model the jeep wagoneer is the new entrant to this segment it has a nice burly v8 but it gets terrible fuel economy so there’s no turbocharged space so that’s certainly something to consider so overall this toyota
Is best for people who want bulletproof reliability because you always get that from toyota from people who want a great powertrain that has a lot of towing capabilities for rear cargo space all right folks there sequoia pros well we like the new styling this hybrid power train is incredible to drive and
We really appreciate the tech upgrades inside cargo space lag behind most of its peers this hybrid powertrain is certainly thirstier in the real world than it is on paper and this can get expensive this is 81 000 as you see it here so overall while we appreciate the upgrades toyota made to this generation of the
Sequoia we don’t quite think it can keep up with its american counterparts and we also don’t think it can fill the shoes of the discontinued land cruiser so for reviews or listings of this sequoia or anything else you’re shopping for be sure to check out cargurus.com and if you have a car to sell check out carguru’s
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Transcribed from video
2023 Toyota Sequoia Review | A new full-size contender? By CarGurus
