Toyota’s large three-row Sequoia SUV is not precisely suited to high-speed filth highway motion. It is heavy, tender, and takes up numerous area—qualities you’d need in a family-friendly daily-driver, not a rally automotive. However with sufficient bravery, even the large Toyota utility automobile can carve via a gravel stage sideways.
Wyatt Knox, head teacher on the Crew O’Neil Rally Faculty in New Hampshire, managed to get his fingers on a 2012 Toyota Sequoia Restricted to find its (very low) limits. Primarily based on the 4Runner, it has a V-8 paired to a six-speed automated, however has to lug round 6,000 kilos of weight—not preferrred for any kind of efficiency driving.
After pulling a number of fuses to disable the anti-lock brakes (and by extension, 4WD), Knox finds the Sequoia surprisingly playful on Crew O’Neil’s testing grounds. With all of that energy going to the rear wheels, kicking the again out is straightforward, although left-foot braking is a wrestle, because the SUV cuts energy anytime it senses each the brake and throttle pedals are pushed on the similar time.
Issues get a bit harder as Knox strikes to the timed rally stage. It is right here the place the Sequoia reveals its measurement and weight, as he struggles to get the SUV stopped and turned with out the tender suspension bouncing it off the highway. At the very least the foot-pedal-operated parking brake works prefer it’s presupposed to.
The Sequoia finally ends up operating a 1:58.9 round Crew O’Neil’s rally stage course, method faster than Knox was anticipating. The time was fast sufficient to beat out legit off-roaders just like the Tacoma and even the Bronco Raptor in 2WD mode. After all, it nonetheless fell behind legit efficiency autos just like the Subaru WRX and the CanAm Maverick side-by-side. Nonetheless, this Sequoia is proof that something is usually a rally automotive in case you’re courageous sufficient.
