It’s not too often that a vehicle offering manages to go over 15 years without any form of major changes, but that was the state of affairs for the Toyota Sequoia. The model was last updated way back in 2007, and it managed to solider on mostly unchanged for all those years. But the full-size SUV market has rapidly grown over the past few years, and the Sequoia’s age was readily apparent. Toyota set out to change all that with the 2023 Toyota Sequoia, A major infusion of Tundra DNA has given the Sequoia a new lease on life, but is it all enough to help the Sequoia finally be in the same sales bracket as the Chevrolet Suburban and the Ford Expedition?
Tundra DNA Adds Refinement To 2023 Sequoia
The Toyota Sequoia has always had a close relationship with the Tundra pickup, and when the Tundra got revamped, it was only inevitable that the Sequoia would also get a similar suite of revamps. The front fascia has a strong family resemblance to the pickup with Capstone models, like our example getting a large chrome gilded front grille and LED headlights. The hood gets some new bulges, and the large chrome wheels do a good job of filling in the arches. Toyota also wanted to highlight the Capstone package and has added Capstone badges below the front doors, with the badge also serving as a starting point for a large chrome accent that snakes its way along the front doors. The Sequoias platform is also shared with the Lexus LX600 and the international market Toyota Land Cruiser, with the core shape of these models also carrying over to the Sequoia.
The side and rear profile of the Sequoia is where things begin to stumble. Toyota designers attempted to reduce some of the visual length that defined the older model, but the resulting scrunched version looks awkward from some angles, with the taillights suffering from this effect the most. That minor gripe aside, the Sequoia still looks very handsome, and Toyota claims that the front grille will also serve as a prominent identifier for each model, with some trim levels having black mesh style grilles while the Capstone and other similar trims will get chrome ones. The TRD PRO is the lone prominent outlier here, with the grille for this trim getting a large “TOYOTA” script across the center of the grille piece.
Cramped Sequoia Interior Benefits From Rigorous Updates
Slip inside the interior of the 2023 Sequoia Capstone, and you’ll see that Toyota designers went out of their way to distinguish the Capstone from the rest of the Sequoia trim family. While material quality here is a few pegs shy of Lexus, it’s still a noticeable jump over lesser models, and we like the way that Toyota balanced out the wood and two-tone accents in the interior to help create a dignified space to spend time in.
A large center console dominates the space between the front seats, and this large console also plays a role in making the front seats cramped for front-seat occupants, with the width of the center console intruding on legroom. The second row comes standard as a bench, but the Capstone swaps this setup out for a set of captain’s chairs. The thrones reduce passenger capacity to seven but do allow rear occupants to stretch out on long journeys. The tradeoff here, though, is in headroom, with the panoramic sunroof on our tester eating into the space for taller drivers. The third row is best left to children or shorter relatives. Lesser trims get cloth and other materials, but we came to appreciate the heated and cooled seats in our tester, especially during cold days.
A large 14.0-inch infotainment system is also newly added and is standard on all models except for the base SR5. This system is a massive improvement over the outgoing unit and comes bundled with slicker software as well as Apple CarPlay and Android Auto capabilities. The multi-talented screen also comes with smartphone mirroring technology and even a WiFi hotspot. Toyota hopes that the screen will help the Sequoia be on par with rivals, especially those that have made the infotainment system a prominent part of the family SUV experience like the Ford Expedition. Unfortunately, that doesn’t;t translate well into rear cargo storage, with the space being unusually tight with the third row up. Fold it down, and it creates a weird step-like layout that impedes loading cargo, especially for shorter drivers.
Hybrid Power Turbocharges Sequoia’s Green Game
A 3.4-liter twin-turbocharged V6 is standard on all Sequoia models, with the engine also being equipped with Toyota’s iForce MAX hybrid system. This allows the Sequoia to produce a combined system output of 437 horsepower and to also stand out from the Tundra, which also comes equipped with the iForce MAX system but only as an optional extra versus it being standard here on the SUV.
The Tundra’s 10-speed automatic is also carried over, and the potent combination allowed our Capstone grade tester to make the sprint to 60 mph in 5.6 seconds. That figure allows the Sequoia to reside in the middle ground, with the big Toyota being faster than the GCM Yukon Denali while also being slower than a Ford Expedition Timberline. The ride quality in our tester was smooth, and it certainly does a good impression of a Lexus LX 600 in certain situations. However, its large size also plays a role in making certain parking and passing maneuvers very challenging, especially on the freeway and on some narrow city streets. The steering was also too light for our tastes, with the situation not improving even when the Sequoia was placed into Sport mode.
The new engine’s biggest impact is in fuel economy, with our all-wheel-drive equipped tester getting an EPA-rated 19 mpg in the city and 22 mpg on the freeway with base RWD models see those figures get bumped up slightly to 21 mpg and 24 mpg in the same categories. While these figures still prevent the Sequoia from ever being a Prius in that particular category, it’s an improvement over the outgoing V8 engine, which guzzled gas with alarming vigor.
Value Quotient
Pricing for the 2023 Toyota Sequoia starts at $61,460 (all pricing includes the $1,595 destination charge) for a base SR5 model, which comes with the smaller 8.0-inch infotainment system but features a panoramic camera system, eight-speaker audio system, and 18-inch alloy wheels. Capstone models, like our example, have a base price of $78,460. Our lightly optioned example has a final as-tested price of $80,220 which puts it in the thick of things with models like the Ford Expedition King Ranch, GMC Yukon Denali, and select members of the Jeep Commander family. This lofty figure also highlights some of the Sequoia’s faults, with many rivals having a better arrangement for the rear cargo area as well as slightly better fuel economy and engine variety.
However, while we cannot recommend the 2023 Toyota Sequoia Capstone for your next purchase, we think that buyers should gravitate towards selecting Sequoia trims to get the best combination of value and usability. The base SR5 model has enough standard equipment for most people, while the $79,160 TRD PRO model comes with enough off-road upgrades to help with trail running as well as occasional blasts of snowy weather.
@carlmalek #quirks are abundant here in the #2023toyotasequoia but #staytuned we will show you a few of the things that we do like inside this #revamped #suv in a seperate video #fyp #suvsoftiktok #suvs #toyota #toyotasequoia #toyotasequoia2023
Carl Malek has been an automotive journalist for over 10 years. First starting out as a freelance photographer before making the transition to writing during college, his work has appeared on numerous automotive forums as well as websites such as Autoshopper.com.
Carl is also a big fan of British vehicles with the bulk of his devotion going to the Morgan Motor Company as well as offerings from Lotus, MG, and Caterham. When he is not writing about automobiles, Carl enjoys spending time with his family and friends in the Metro Detroit area, as well as spending time with his adorable pets.