The Toyota Sequoia is still the same — but also very different.
How so?
Well, it's still a full-size SUV, with real four-wheel drive and real off-road capability. But it no longer comes standard with a big V8; instead, it comes standard with much more powerful V6 that's only about half the size of the previously standard V8. It gets slightly better gas mileage, but it's the much-increased power (and increased towing capacity) that's the real draw.
Of course, there are costs involved. ...
What It Is
The Sequoia is a full-size SUV with three rows and seats for seven to eight people, depending on the configuration. Most trims are rear-wheel drive, with 4WD (not all-wheel drive) available optionally. All trims come standard with a turbocharged (and hybrid-augmented) 3.4-liter V6 paired with a 10-speed automatic transmission.
Prices start at $64,025 for the base SR5 trim with RWD (two-wheel drive); 4WD — with a two-speed transfer case and low-range gearing — is available as a standalone option that bumps the MSRP up to $64,525. From there, there are Limited ($69,795), Platinum ($80,035), TRD PRO ($80,765), 1794 ($80,50) and Capstone ($84,435) trims.
Platinum and higher trims get upgraded leathers seats, heated second-row captain's chairs, a panorama sunroof, wireless phone charging and upgraded stereo systems. 1794 and Capstone trims get massaging front seats, insulated side glass, wood trim inside and larger wheels/tires.
TRD PRO Sequoias come standard with 4WD and off-road-enhancing upgrades such as 18- or 20-inch TRD wheels with all-terrain tires, skid plates, off-road suspension tuning (with Bilstein shocks), an electrically locking rear differential and Crawl Control, among other upgrades.
What's New for 2025
The 1794 trim is new; also, the Tow Tech package includes a Wi-Fi trailer camera.
What's Good
— Turbocharged, hybrid-augmented V6 makes more power than the previous V8, uses less gas.
— Can pull almost 10,000 pounds.
— TRD off-road upgrades can be added to any trim.
What's Not So Good
— The previous V8 had a long-established track record for being extremely reliable and long-lived too. The new turbocharged, hybrid-augmented V6 has yet to establish its long-term reliability.
— To activate the seat massagers, it's necessary to tap the touchscreen to access the menu, then tap it again to turn the massagers on. A physical button would be easier to use — by feel — when driving.
— Third-row seat is tighter than in rival models that have independent rear suspension under the floorplans (the Sequoia has a solid rear axle).
Under the Hood
The Sequoia — like the Tundra pickup that it's based on — used to come standard with a V8 because it used to be necessary to put a big engine under the hood of a heavy vehicle such as the Sequoia (curb weight is 6,185 pounds) in order to get it to move faster than a box turtle can run. But big V8s use a lot of gas. The Sequoia's previously standard 5.7-liter V8 only managed 13 mpg in city driving and a hardly better 17 mpg on the highway. That probably didn't matter all that much to most of the people who bought a Sequoia, of course.
If it did, they probably would not have bought one.
On the other hand, it matters bigly to Toyota — which, like every other vehicle manufacturer, must find a way to comply with corporate average fuel economy regs that keep getting more and more demanding. They also must comply with federal emissions requirements that demand ever lower "greenhouse gas" emissions — and big engines that burn more gas generate more of those. That's fundamentally why the V8 has been replaced with the new 3.4-liter V6; its smaller size increases gas mileage, which goes up to 21 mpg city, 24 mpg highway, and while that may not matter all that much to people who buy huge SUVs that have $60,000-plus starting MSRPs, it does matter hugely to Toyota — in terms of meeting the government's demands.
The turbos (there are two) bolted to the small V6 are there to meet your demands — for power/performance and capability. All three of which are greatly upticked. The V6 produces 437 horsepower — versus 381 for the old 5.7-liter V8 — and 583 foot-pounds of torque, which (along with body-on-frame construction and a solid rear axle) enable this three-ton-plus SUV to pull up to 9,520 pounds, matching (just about) the class-best 9,600-pound max tow rating touted by the Ford Expedition — which also comes standard with a twice-turbo'd V6 but without the hybrid augmentation.
On the Road
Part of the appeal of a big SUV such as the Sequoia is just exactly that. It's big — and heavy — and that feels great. It is the feeling of being bigger than just about everything else on the road. You feel like a battleship among sailboats. The downside to this is, of course, the size of the thing.
More finely, the width of the thing.
It is just shy of 80 inches wide — not counting the mirrors, which extend several more inches on either side. How wide is 80 inches? It is nearly 8 inches wider than a Camry, and that doesn't leave a lot of room on either side of the lane on many roads. It's why you've probably found yourself bottled up in a conga line behind a big SUV that can't find room to pass a bicyclist riding on the edge of the road. It takes more-than-average skill to competently pilot a vehicle this big (and wide), and some of the people who buy these rigs don't have it.
Acceleration is effortless at any speed. But especially at lower speeds, due to the nearly 600 foot-pounds of torque produced by the turbocharged, hybridized drivetrain. It's really something to be able to match or nearly match moves — in a straight-line drag race — with a Mustang GT in a vehicle that can pull a Mustang GT loaded onto a trailer.
At the Curb
The Sequoia comes in just one (super) size — as opposed to its two main rivals, the Ford Expedition and the Chevy Tahoe/Suburban, which are available in standard-length and longer-length versions.
At 208.1 inches long, the Sequoia is actually just slightly smaller than the Expedition — which is 210 inches long in standard-length iteration and 221.9 inches long in MAX iteration — and also versus the Tahoe, which is 211.3 inches long. A Suburban — which is basically a longer version of the Tahoe — is 226.3 inches long.
This means the Sequoia — though it's still a big rig — is more likely to fit in your garage than an Expedition or Tahoe (and especially a Suburban). It's also slightly easier to park because size — length — does matter when it comes to that.
On the downside, the Toyota has significantly less space for cargo than its two main rivals. It touts 22.3 cubic feet of cargo capacity behind its third row, which is less than the Tahoe's 25.5 cubic feet and much less than the Suburban's 41.5 cubic feet. Total capacity with both its second and third rows down is 86.9 cubic feet — versus 122.7 cubic feet for the Tahoe and 144.5 cubic feet for the Suburban. The standard-length Expedition touts 104.6 cubic feet; the longer MAX version ups that to 12.5 cubic feet.
The Rest
It's nice that Toyota lets buyers add the TRD equipment — which includes an electric locking rear differential, skid plates, off-road shocks and 33-inch tires on 18-inch wheels.
It's also daunting just how expensive the Sequoia (and its rivals) have become. Back in 2022 — barely three years ago — the base price of the last-generation Sequoia (with the 5.7-liter V8) was $50,500. The current model's base price — $64,205 — is nearly $15,000 higher. Certainly, the 2025 Sequoia offers more than the 2022 did — in terms of standard power/towing capacity and so on. And it is absolutely more luxurious.
But it is also a vehicle that fewer will be able to afford. The tested 1794 model was priced out just shy of $100,000. You can imagine what the monthly payment on that would be.
The Bottom Line
The Sequoia is an impressive rig that manages to meet the government's demands as well as what buyers demand.
Assuming they can afford it.
Eric's latest book, "Doomed: Good Cars Gone Wrong!" will be available soon. To find out more about Eric and read his past columns, please visit the Creators Syndicate webpage at www.creators.com.
View the Toyota Sequoia this week.
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