2024 Toyota Sequoia Review: Big SUV Asks A Bigger Question

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EDITORS’ RATING: 8/ 10

If you think the commercials, every full-size SUV owner is excitedly stacking their household into all 3 rows and navigating an experience. Truth, obviously, is rather more ordinary (and a lot less aspirational). Households desire outsized SUVs for their usefulness and visual, and if there’s a splash of electrification to take the sting out of refueling, then all the much better.

Now in its 3rd generation, the 2024 Toyota Sequoia assures all that and more. Covering its 3 rows of seats in a harder, burlier style, this is no minivan masquerading as something it’s not. A truck platform and readily available TRD off-roading goodies make certain of that.

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As is typically the method, then, the hardest concern is whether your truth measures up to your expectations of it. Do you actually require a locking rear differential and a digitally managed transfer case in your household SUV? Is almost 9 inches of ground clearance more vital than trunk area with all 3 rows up?

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Unsurprisingly, provided the shared platform and lots of other parts, the Sequoia looks a lot like its Tundra brother or sister. It’s an enforcing SUV with LED lights, basic front and back, and outsized badging. Wheel sizes vary from 18 to 22 inches in a range of surfaces. In 2015’s Solar Octane orange paint has actually been retired, however there are at least some brighter red and blue alternatives readily available.

It’s a huge SUV, and it features a huge rate. The entry 2024 Sequoia SR5 trim begins at $60,875 (plus $1,595 location), while the high-end flagship Capstone trim starts at $77,865 (plus location). The 2024 Sequoia TRD Pro is in fact a little bit more costly, from $78,710 before location, though that likewise gets you 4WD as requirement. Toyota will charge additional for that on other trims.

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This 2024 Sequoia Platinum slots into the middle of the lineup, from $73,465 plus location. Anticipate to pay $2,575 for a 4WD and, presuming you examine that box, a minimum of $2,310 more for the TRD Off-Road bundle.

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Every 2024 Sequoia cut now features the very same 3.5-liter twin-turbo V6 hybrid engine. Called i-FORCE MAX– the “MAX” addition identifies it from Toyota’s non-electrified turbocharged engines– it integrates the gas engine with a long-term magnet simultaneous motor/generator and a 10-speed automated transmission.

In overall, there’s 437 horse power and 583 lb-ft of torque to have fun with, the electrical motor contributing 48 horse power and 183 lb-ft of that. The tow ranking differs depending upon the precise trim, though it generally clocks in north of 9,000 pounds (the luxurious Capstone dips simply listed below that).

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The only drivetrain choice is whether you opt for 2WD with all the power headed to the rear wheels or spend the additional for part-time 4WD. Both delight in an automated limited-slip rear differential, however just the 4WD Sequoia loads a digitally managed transfer case and an electronic locking rear differential.

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Normally, the Sequoia has 8.6 inches of ground clearance, a 15-degree technique angle, and a 20-degree departure angle. Selecting the TRD Pro bumps the method angle to 23 degrees and the clearance approximately 9.1 inches, thanks to the 2.5-inch FOX Internal Bypass coilovers and rear remote-reservoir shocks. It likewise includes a TRD Pro front stabilizer bar, additional underbody security, and electronic niceties like Multi-Terrain Select (MTS) drive modes, Crawl Control, and Downhill Assist Control.

Unfortunately, you can’t have all that with the optional adaptive variable rear air suspension, used as a choice in other trims (it’s from $2,050, however that likewise includes power running boards). That brings a degree of additional plushness to the Sequoia’s trip, in addition to the usefulness of load-leveling rear height control.

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What you can have is the TRD Off-Road Package and the air suspension. Now, with that mix, you do not get the fanciest suspension- a more traditional set of Bilstein shocks- however you still take pleasure in the digitally managed locking rear diff, MTS system, and other electronic additions from which the TRD Pro advantages. Toyota likewise packages unique 20-inch wheels and all-terrain rubber into the TRD Off-Road Package, too, together with a front skid plate and some visual modifications.

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Even without the TRD Pro variation, it signifies Sequoia’s severe off-road abilities that even soften for everyday household driving. The huge SUV is still an appreciated mud plugger. Still, you can’t assist however question if an Auto AWD setting would not be more attracting that market, which normally desires the peace of mind of “yes, this will do simply swell in the snow” more than recreating an ad-hoc Baja experience.

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On the asphalt, where it’ll likely invest the majority of its time, Toyota’s hybrid sure is punchy. As in the Tundra– and quickly to appear in the brand-new Tacoma — the i-FORCE MAX drivetrain is really fast. This specific Sequoia may tip the scales at a sturdy 6,150 pounds, however the sensible application of electrical power leaves it rising far from a standing start.

Change to Sport mode, and the usually syrupy 10-speed transmission holds lower ratios for longer, though honestly, the Sequoia’s brand name of “runaway rhino” does not actually require it. Thank goodness for huge, powerful brakes.

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It’s a smooth monster, too, the shift in between gas and electrical power managed effortlessly, and though the steering is certainly tuned on the light side, I presume that’s simply what owners desire. What they may not be so crazy about is the thirst: in 4WD type, the Sequoia is ranked for 19 mpg in the city, 22 mpg on the highway, and 20 mpg integrated (2 miles per gallon less, in each classification, than the 2WD variation). They’re barely penny-wise figures, especially for a hybrid, however my real-world experience of approximately 17 mpg showed even worse.

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Starving, then, however a minimum of the Sequoia is roomy and comfy. Where entry-trim designs have seating for 8, higher-specs swap the middle-row bench for a set of captain’s chairs. These– like the third-row bench– topple and fold with ease. The rearmost row slides for a compromise of legroom to freight area (from 11.5 cu-ft to 22.3 cu-ft); drop it completely, which broadens to 49 cu-ft. With all the seats down, you’re taking a look at 86.9 cu-ft overall. It’s huge however not rather as much as a 2024 Ford Explorer uses.

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While the black leather interior– the only choice on the Platinum, unlike the Capstone’s duo-tone black and white conceal– is ugly, the basic scenic moonroof keeps things from feeling too glum. Toyota includes a lot of storage nooks and cubbies, too: a huge storage bin in between the front seats, substantial door pockets, and great deals of cup holders.

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Platinum trim gets warmed and aerated seats not simply for the front however the 2nd row, too. Charging is managed with a Qi cordless pad in the front, 120V air conditioner outlets in the 2nd row and the trunk, and a healthy spread of USB-A and USB-C ports.

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Probably, the greatest cabin upgrade when Toyota last revamped the Sequoia was to the infotainment system. The base SR5 trim gets an 8-inch touchscreen, whatever above that changes to a quite huge 14-inch variation. In any case, Toyota’s most current infotainment software application is a night-and-day enhancement over its predecessor: a tidy UI that’s simple to browse, cordless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto assistance, and even a remarkably capable voice control system. A 12.3-inch digital cluster is basic, too, while greater trims get a 10-inch color head-up screen.

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Platinum trim gets the 14-speaker JBL audio upgrade that’s optional on more affordable variations of the SUV. Tri-zone environment control is basic, as is the incomparably helpful breathtaking electronic camera system, which assists balance out the slab-sided Sequoia’s numerous blind areas and its annoyingly big turning circle. Much better still, Toyota puts a huge, easy-to-find-during-parking-panic button in the middle of the center console to quickly summon that cam view.

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The entire security tech suite is thorough as requirement. In addition to blind area cautions, rear cross-traffic signals, and trailer combine cautions, there’s Toyota Safety Sense 2.5 on all trims. That packages pre-collision support with pedestrian detection, lane departure informs with guiding help, lane tracing help, and car high beams. Adaptive cruise control is likewise basic.

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The Sequoia’s appeal depends upon simply how seriously you take your SUV. Or, to be more particular, simply how severe the locations you take your SUV are. With the very same incomparably capable foundations as the Tundra pickup, Toyota’s household hauler is likewise a bonafide off-roader, even if this Platinum TRD Off-Road example isn’t rather as proficient as the complete TRD Pro.

That’s fantastic, however it’s likewise probably a lot more than most of households in fact need. And, while the basic V6 hybrid engine is a great modification from the near-ubiquitous V8 discovered in other places, those getting in Sequoia ownership anticipating Prius-levels of energized effectiveness will be dissatisfied.

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In other words, the Sequoia loads up on off-road trustworthiness, however at the same time, you compromise a few of the usefulness and improvement competing three-row SUVs wield– or, for that matter, Toyota’s own 2024 Grand HighlanderEven if, no, those options aren’t possibly so proficient in the mud. Toyota’s most significant SUV is up for experience, however it pays to be reasonable about simply how excited you and your household are for the very same.