11/17/2022 Update: This review has been updated with test numbers for the 2023 Toyota Sequoia Capstone.
Few new vehicles have had a gestation period as long as the Toyota Sequoia’s. The outgoing generation of Toyota’s largest SUV arrived for 2008 and has languished for 15 model years as the rest of the full-size competition has advanced at a furious pace in refinement, drivability, technology, and desirability. But a redesigned Sequoia is finally here for 2023, sharing its platform with the equally fresh Toyota Tundra pickup and Lexus LX600 SUV. Its platform also serves as the basis for the global Toyota Land Cruiser, which has been unceremoniously dropped from the North American market. Given all the burdens that the new Sequoia must shoulder, our expectations were understandably high when we first got behind the wheel.
On paper, Toyota’s third-generation Sequoia is a solid package. Three rows of seats are standard, as is a hybridized twin-turbo 3.4-liter V-6 powertrain that makes 437 horsepower and 583 pound-feet of torque. Fuel-economy figures of 19 mpg city and 22 mpg highway for the four-wheel-drive Sequoia are much improved over the outgoing model, which carried EPA estimates of 13 mpg city and 17 mpg highway. The rear-wheel-drive Sequoia is rated at 21 mpg city and 24 mpg highway. Maximum towing capacity varies with vehicle weight, ranging from 8980 pounds for the heaviest four-wheel-drive Capstone up to 9520 pounds for the lighter two-wheel-drive SR5. Between these points, there’s a wide lineup of handsomely styled trim levels, including an off-road-oriented TRD Pro model with an electronically locking rear differential, Fox dampers, and 33-inch all-terrain tires. The more luxurious Limited, Platinum, and range-topping Capstone models should appeal to the mall-running crowd.
However, the new Sequoia feels only moderately accomplished on the road. The hybrid powertrain and its attendant 10-speed automatic transmission are plenty smooth and powerful when you mash the accelerator. At our test track, we recorded a snappy 5.6-second run to 60 mph in our four-wheel-drive Sequoia Capstone. That’s quicker than the GMC Yukon Denali we last tested, which needed 6.0 seconds, but behind the Ford Expedition Timberline’s 5.1 seconds. The Sequoia’s quarter-mile result, similarly, falls between those other SUVs at 14.3 seconds at 94 mph.
But the rest of the Sequoia’s driving behavior makes it feel every bit like the shipping-container-sized SUV that it is—in other words, unwieldy. It feels extra wide, making it harder to place in a lane than we’d like, a trait that’s worsened by steering that’s rather light in effort. Cornering grip is relatively high. The Sequoia stuck to our skidpad at up to 0.76 g, which is more than we can say for the Ford and the GMC, but subjectively the Toyota feels less planted than those other SUVs. Its brake pedal also feels squishy on initial application, which isn’t a boon for driver confidence, and the Sequoia needed 194 feet to stop from 70 mph.
The Yukon and its twin, the Chevrolet Tahoe, are the current benchmarks for large-SUV dynamics, what with their firm brake pedals, relatively communicative steering, and greater sense of what passes for agility in this segment. Cruising in the Toyota’s Platinum, Limited, and Capstone trims, we were impressed with their isolation from the road, and save for some minor wind whistling around the large exterior mirrors, their cabins remained quiet and peaceful. As an option, rear air springs and adaptive dampers can replace coil springs and passive dampers on Platinum and Capstone models, though they mostly serve a load-leveling function. On the open road, we couldn’t detect any significant difference between the two setups.
The Sequoia’s comfortable front seats flank an extra-wide center console with plenty of storage cubbies. An expansive 14.0-inch infotainment touchscreen is standard on all but the base SR5 trim, which makes do with a smaller 8.0-inch display but can be optioned with the big screen. The second- and third-row seats aren’t as accommodating, however. Headroom is limited in the rearmost seat, and it’s tight even in the second row, especially when the Sequoia is equipped with the optional panoramic sunroof. Legroom is particularly short in the third row, in part because, unlike some of its rivals, the Sequoia features a solid rear axle rather than an independent rear suspension. This layout takes up valuable packaging space under the floor, relegating the Sequoia’s aft quarters to a place best left to children.
As is often the case in three-row SUVs—unless they’re of the extended-wheelbase variety, such as the Chevy Suburban and Ford Expedition Max—cargo space is limited (12 cubic feet) when the Sequoia’s third row is in use. Although the back row can move forward up to six inches, which ups the available space to 22 cubes, it does so at the expense of third-row legroom, and it does not fold flat into the floor when you flop it down to increase the available space to 49 cubic feet. An accessory shelf can be fitted to create a flat cargo floor, but doing so requires dealing with a chest-high liftover height that won’t make it easy to load bulky items.
We’d be more willing to overlook some of the new Sequoia’s shortcomings if it was still 2008, but given the strength of today’s full-size-SUV market, we wish Toyota had put more effort into its packaging and on-road demeanor. While the new Sequoia is a marked improvement over the outgoing model in all the ways that current owners surely will appreciate, its shortcomings likely will temper its appeal with more discerning shoppers.
Specifications
Specifications
2023 Toyota Sequoia Capstone
Vehicle Type: front-engine, rear/all-wheel-drive, 7-passenger, 4-door wagon
PRICE
Base/As Tested: $80,095/$80,095
Options: none
POWERTRAIN
twin-turbocharged and intercooled DOHC 24-valve 3.4-liter V-6, 389 hp, 479 lb-ft + AC motor, 48 hp, 184 lb-ft (combined output: 437 hp, 583 lb-ft; 1.9-kWh nickel-metal hydride battery pack)
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
CHASSIS
Suspension, F/R: control arms/live axle
Brakes, F/R: 13.9-in vented disc/13.6-in vented disc
Tires: Bridgestone Dueler H/T
265/50R-22 112H Extra Load M+S
DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase: 122.0 in
Length: 208.1 in
Width: 79.6 in
Height: 74.5 in
Passenger Volume: 157 ft3
Cargo Volume, behind first/second/third rows: 89/49/12 ft3
Curb Weight: 6179 lb
C/D TEST RESULTS
60 mph: 5.6 sec
1/4-Mile: 14.3 sec @ 94 mph
100 mph: 16.4 sec
Results above omit a 1-ft rollout of 0.3 sec.
Rolling Start, 5–60 mph: 6.3 sec
Top Gear, 30–50 mph: 3.4 sec
Top Gear, 50–70 mph: 4.3 sec
Top Speed (gov ltd): 107 mph
Braking, 70–0 mph: 194 ft
Roadholding, 300-ft Skidpad: 0.76 g
C/D FUEL ECONOMY
Observed: 16 mpg
EPA FUEL ECONOMY
Combined/City/Highway: 20/19/22 mpg
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Keyword: Tested: 2023 Toyota Sequoia Looks More Modern, Still Needs Polishing