RPM News Weekly

by Peter Ciani

One of the benefits of writing for RPM News Weekly and WheelsTV is that I get to drive a different vehicle nearly every week. Unfortunately, circumstances don’t always allow me to take full advantage of a vehicle’s intended purpose. Notably, a 717-horsepower Dodge Challenger is a thrill to drive, but when 80% of your time behind the wheel is spent navigating through Boston traffic, it’s less enjoyable than you might imagine. Been there, done that, as they say.

Under those condition, the Challenger tempts you to bang a U-turn and blast off at triple-digit speeds in the opposite direction of your fellow commuters. But going all ‘Vin Diesel’ around here will quickly get you busted.

It’s a similar story with the Ford F-150 Raptor R or RAM 1500 TRX. I love those trucks, but I’m several thousand miles from the nearest desert, so no adventure-video-style full-throttle dune rips for me. 

Which brings me to my recent Ride of the Week: The 2024 Sequoia Capstone SUV – Toyota’s full-size, three-row SUV.

During an eventful week with the vehicle, I managed to pick up furniture, tow a car, navigate through snow, and squeeze in a two-day family road trip. For once I had the opportunity to test a vehicle in scenarios that were precisely aligned with its intended purposes, and I can say, “I wasn’t disappointed.”

For those unfamiliar with the Sequoia, it competes in a class of large utility vehicles that includes the Chevrolet Suburban, Ford Expedition, and Nissan Armada. Both the Sequoia and the Armada are crafted by Japanese automakers specifically for the North American market. It’s no secret that we Americans prefer our SUVs on the larger side.

Holding the position of Toyota’s flagship SUV — a title it inherited after the last generation Land Cruiser exited the market in 2022, the Sequoia stands as the largest civilian SUV ever produced by Toyota.

For 2023, the Sequoia underwent a complete redesign following a lengthy 15-year second generation run, and production shifted from Indiana to Toyota’s San Antonio, Texas truck plant, where it’s built alongside its platform-mate, the Toyota Tundra pickup.

As with previous generations, the third-generation Sequoia features a body-on-frame design, which is ideal for a full-size SUV, especially if you intend to put it to heavy-duty use. In years past, this might have meant sacrificing comfort for ruggedness. These days, however, Toyota engineers incorporate state-of-the-art design and build techniques that ensure a harmonious balance between durability and comfort.

A lot of effort goes into frame design, after all it is the foundation of the vehicle. Using high-tech manufacturing techniques like laser welding to help reduce mass and weight, Toyota was able to increase frame rigidity in the Sequoia, while reinforcing areas that need the most strength.  

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Meanwhile, the updated exterior of the Sequoia adopts a robust, more aggressive, off-road-inspired appearance, abandoning last generation’s rounded styling for a look more reminiscent of Toyota’s premier off-roader, the 4Runner. This echoes a recurring theme as Toyota systematically revitalizes the styling across its truck and SUV lineup. Ironically, the 4Runner itself has not undergone a significant redesign since the debut of its fifth generation in 2009, and yet it still looks fresh in 2024 (maybe even more so now that every car company on the planet from Mazda to Kia is jumping on the adventure-ready, off-roader bandwagon). 

The Sequoia is offered in five trims (known as grades in Toyota terminology): the base SR5, Limited, Platinum, TRD Pro, and Capstone.

Each grade is distinguished by a trim-specific grille design, aligning the purpose of the specific grade with its personality. The TRD Pro, for example, showcases a black grille with prominent Toyota lettering, whereas the top-tier Capstone, which we drove, boasts an elegant machine-finish grille.

But it’s what you’ll find behind the grille these days that’s significant. Starting in 2023, the Sequoia ditched the powerful but excessively thirsty 5.7-liter V8 and adopted the Tundra’s i-FORCE MAX hybrid powertrain.

The i-FORCE MAX powertrain features a twin-turbocharged 3.4-liter V6 combined with a 48-volt permanent magnet synchronous electric motor, Nickel-Metal Hydride battery, and a 10-speed automatic transmission, delivering a hefty system net 437-horsepower and a robust 583 pound-feet of torque.

If you’re having difficulty giving up the V8, you’ll be happy to know that Toyota did a good job tuning the engine sound of the V6. Of course, some of it might be a bit piped in, but It still sounds good. I’ve read a few reviews that complain about the engine being a bit loud, but I didn’t find that to be the case.

On the road, the Sequoia feels like a full-size SUV – wide with a commanding presence. The ride is comfortable, but still, it’s a full-frame vehicle and you can certainly feel that. It doesn’t employ a rear independent suspension as do some of its competitors, but that’s the price you pay for the extra capability.

There are plenty of people who want their SUV to actually feel like a utility vehicle, but if you prefer a more car-like ride and don’t require the better tow rating and rugged utility of the Sequoia, then the Toyota Grand Highlander is a great alternative.

Fuel economy is much improved compared to the 2022 model Sequoia. At that time, the two-wheel-drive V8 edition managed an abysmal 13 miles per gallon in the city and 17 mpg on the highway. Even the Chevrolet Suburban with the optional 6.2-liter V8 got a better rating. For the 2024 model year, the two-wheel-drive Sequoia demonstrates significantly better fuel efficiency garnering 21 mpg city and 24 mpg highway, while the four-wheel-drive variant achieves 19 mpg city and 22 mpg highway.

Something that I’ve never understood about Toyota is how they are the pioneers of hybrid power, yet for years they’ve dragged their feet on hybridizing their truck and SUV fleet. In any case, it’s nice to see them flip the switch and make the hybrid standard on the Sequoia. That’s something you won’t find on competitors in the class.

The Sequoia also bests nearly all of its full-size SUV competitors when it comes to towing. The two-wheel drive Sequoia SR5 can tow up to 9,520 lbs. Only the Jeep Wagoneer with its 10,000 lb. max towing capacity offers more. 

I needed to bring an old Mustang project in for a VIN verification and was holding off until I would score a pickup truck for my weekly test ride. But, after I dug into the Sequoia specs I decided to give it a chance to prove itself. With an 8,980-lb. maximum towing rating, my Sequoia Capstone test vehicle happens to be the lowest rated in the Sequoia lineup. Nevertheless, it effortlessly towed a 3,114-lb. car for 168 miles on a 2,210-lb. U-Haul auto transporter.

The entire towing experience was mostly smooth and uneventful, which is a compliment. The V6 drivetrain has plenty of torque to handle the total 5,324 lbs. that I was towing, and the brake system worked perfectly well. The huge, optional power-extending tow mirrors proved invaluable, especially with their included lower convex spotter mirrors for added visibility.

The only glitch I encountered while towing was with the vehicle’s safety systems, specifically the rear Rear Parking Assist emergency braking which kicked in as I was trying to back the trailer into a spot. The system thought the Sequoia was going to hit the trailer and forcefully applied the brakes. While this feature would have been handy IF I were about to hit something, in this case it was a bit jarring since I initially thought I DID hit something.

The Sequoia comes with two built-in plugs for trailer wiring – a four-prong and a seven-prong. When you connect a trailer to the four-prong plug, as I did, the system automatically detects the trailer and disables the Lane Tracing Assist feature. Logically, one would think that if the system is smart enough to know that the trailer is there, it would also consider the trailer’s presence when backing up and would adjust, or disable the Rear Parking Assist. That isn’t the case.

According to the owner’s manual, the system can automatically disable the rear backup safety systems, but only when you connect to the seven-prong outlet (not the four-prong), and activate Auto Trailer Detection. The logic behind this is unclear, as the system should ideally disable the Rear Park Assist when using either plug. With the four-prong, you have to manually turn the rear sensor off.

Inside, the Sequoia provides standard seating for 8 passengers. Upper trims feature second-row reclining Captain’s chairs, lowering the seating total to 7 as in our Capstone edition.

Being the top-of-the-line luxurious grade, our tester included semi-aniline leather-trimmed seats with heated and ventilated front and rear seats. The Capstone also features dark American walnut wood-grain interior trim and a cool light-up badge on the passenger side of the dash.

On the tech side, all but the base SR5 get a 14-inch Toyota Audio Multimedia system, which can be upgraded to include JBL Premium Audio. All models include wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility. Subscription-based Drive Connect adds cloud-based navigation with real-time traffic elements and 24/7 live-agent navigation assistance to the vehicle’s telematics profile.

All Toyotas come with a robust suite of standard safety features. With the Sequoia it’s the Toyota Safety Sense 2.5 system that features a Pre-Collision System with Pedestrian Detection, Full-Speed Range Dynamic Radar Cruise Control, Lane Departure Alert with Steering Assist, and Lane Tracing Assist. Also included are Automatic High Beams and Road Sign Assist.

In addition, the Sequoia gets Blind Spot Monitoring with Rear Cross Traffic Alert and Trailer Merge Warning, as well as Front and Rear Park Assist with Automatic Braking. The subscription-based Safety Connect comes with a complimentary trial subscription bringing Emergency Assistance, Stolen Vehicle Locator, Roadside Assistance, and Automatic Collision Notification to the safety and security cache.

Out back, cargo space tops out at 86.9 cubic feet with the second and third rows folded. Storage space behind the third row is a bit small, but it does include a handy three-tier cargo shelf that can be used to create a flat surface with the folded third-row seats, or as a cover to hide what you have in the rear. The third row sits over the hybrid battery, which does constrict the space behind the seat a bit.

During my tenure with the Sequoia, I scored a smoking deal on a nice old dining room table set and was able to fit the table, two leaf extensions, and 3 of the chairs in the back. I probably could have fit it all in if the seats were fully removable as in the SUVs of old, but those days are long gone, unfortunately, so I settled on making two trips.

I wasn’t privy to the exact cost for the model as driven, but pricing for the Sequoia Capstone grade starts at $78,265. If you’re not into so fancy a trim, I recommend skipping over the base SR5 and going with the Limited trim at $67,675. With the Limited, you’ll get plenty of standard features and seating for eight passengers with SofTex synthetic leather seat trim. If you’re planning on using it to tow, spring for the optional Power Tow Mirrors. At $290, they’re worth every penny.

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