The 2023 Toyota Sequoia TRD Professional should be an enormous enchancment over the previous-gen mannequin in each single approach. Sadly, similar to the common variations of the Sequoia, the off-road-focused TRD Professional embodies the identical “few steps ahead, few steps again” theme.
On the optimistic facet, the Sequoia TRD Professional seems to be rad, significantly on this extraordinarily orange Photo voltaic Octane paint. Designers gave it a singular grille with “TOYOTA” spelled out in large letters, and the TRD Professional hood trim stands out as a powerful contrasting accent. Standing out even stronger at nighttime are the intense decrease fog lights and grille-mounted gentle bar that ought to confidently gentle up a path at night time — simply don’t be an fool and run it on the highway. The large physique cladding, rock rails, 18-inch solid BBS wheels that put on 33-inch Falken Wildpeak all-terrain tires and a giant ‘ole roof provider system actually full the look. One look on the monumental SUV can have you considering it’d be a perfect overlanding companion — its dimension and off-road capabilities make it a strong candidate for a rig which may spend days at a time without work the grid. In fact, the mechanicals beneath and tech inside the Sequoia TRD Professional is designed to make sure it’s as much as the duty for such ventures.
The Sequoia’s customary dampers get swapped out for TRD-tuned Fox inside bypass shocks, and floor clearance will increase to 9.1 inches, which is half an inch greater than the common Sequoia. A TRD Professional entrance stabilizer bar is added, and a quarter-inch aluminum entrance skid plate retains the underbody protected. The method angle is tremendously improved to 23 levels versus a daily Sequoia’s 15, whereas the departure angle stays the identical at 20 levels. Plus, off-road applied sciences like downhill help management, Toyota’s Crawl management and its Multi-Terrain Choose system come customary. So does four-wheel drive and a selectable locking rear differential. Assuming the hybrid powertrain’s engine is working, you’ll be capable of hear the Sequoia breathe by a TRD Professional-specific exhaust, too.
That new hybrid powertrain is an actual brilliant spot for the Sequoia TRD Professional, too, assuming you’re shopping for it for issues apart from effectivity. On paper, the brand new mannequin is considerably extra environment friendly with a 20 mpg mixed score versus the 14 mpg mixed the earlier model managed. Nonetheless, in observe, we might barely get the pc to register over 14 mpg in regular driving, which is in line with different Sequoias we’ve pushed in each Michigan and California. After we stopped attempting to drive effectively, gasoline financial system dipped all the best way right down to 11 mpg over a protracted, around-town stint. These figures aren’t wherever near even the 19 mpg metropolis this SUV is rated for, and is way worse than the 18.5 mpg we managed with the gas-only, 440-hp Ford Expedition Timberline (18 mpg EPA mixed). So, until you creep round like a tortoise within the Sequoia, we now have a sense you’ll battle to get wherever near the rated figures.
The engine and exhaust be aware make driving effectively a troublesome factor to do, too, because it’s fairly the stout-feeling and-sounding powertrain. Between the three.5-liter twin-turbo V6 and electrical motor, the Sequoia TRD Professional places out a mixed 437 horsepower and 583 pound-feet of torque. This large truck could weigh 6,150 kilos, nevertheless it feels fast off the road. The seamless mix of electrical torque, boosted V6 and silky-shifting 10-speed is maybe extra spectacular than the velocity itself. Simply lean into the throttle, and the Sequoia accelerates effortlessly with a growl from the exhaust that sounds extra V8 than V6. There’s little question that a few of that TRD Professional exhaust’s noise reaches the cabin, however similar to the Tundra, there’s an excellent quantity of augmented noise being pumped in over the audio system. It’s all quite convincing and presents nicely for an off-road-oriented SUV.
Sadly, the beautiful engine isn’t backed up by a beautiful journey. The earlier Sequoia TRD Professional dealt with Michigan’s torn up roads like a champ, and whereas a number of the credit score is because of these off-road shocks, its unbiased rear suspension was a greater place to start out from. Toyota reverted to a strong rear axle design for this technology of Sequoia, and each one among our editors observed. Simply not in a great way. The Capstone mannequin with its 23-inch wheels gave Senior Editor James Riswick an disagreeable, always jittery expertise on California highways. In the meantime, Information Editor Joel Stocksdale famous whereas driving this take a look at car that the TRD Professional wasn’t notably higher than the opposite trim ranges he drove on the primary drive regardless of the meatier all-terrain tires and Fox shocks that might have doubtlessly resulted in a greater journey.
Whether or not it was on freeway enlargement joints or pothole-ridden floor streets, the Sequoia lacks the refinement and luxury you’d count on for its dimension. The journey downside for Toyota is exacerbated even additional by how plush the Sequoia’s American rivals are – even GM’s off-road-focused Yukon AT4 and Tahoe Z71 are considerably extra nice. The rationale? All of them have unbiased rear suspensions.
That’s not the top of the strong rear axle’s troubles: It results in questionable packaging for the third row and cargo space. An image works higher than an evidence for why this setup is so foolish, so direct your eyes under.
Sure, that’s the cargo space for the Sequoia. You’ll discover that it has little mounting factors on both sides that allow you to place the ground at completely different heights. It’s a intelligent thought, nevertheless it’s additionally a workaround for a tiny area and a 3rd row that doesn’t fold flat into the ground. The trigger for that may be the hybrid system’s battery and the strong rear axle: Toyota merely couldn’t bundle these, plus the four-wheel-drive {hardware}, and make an actual fold-flat third-row work. It’s the identical situation GM’s earlier full-size vans suffered from, however rectified with the present technology and its unbiased rear finish. The result’s uncompetitive cargo area. Worse, third-row area can be below-average in a section the place even 6-footers can sit comfortably for hours behind an Expedition, Tahoe or Wagoneer.
For a brand-new platform and clean-sheet redesign, it’s shocking how a lot the Sequoia has gone backward on this space. In addition to, for an SUV with a respectable shot at getting used as an overlanding car, the compromised cargo area is much more annoying, as it would create challenges for folk packing it to the brim for prolonged stays away from civilization.
When you’re searching for positives, the brand new cabin from the second row on ahead is beautiful. The TRD Professional options distinctive camo-clad seats that, whereas slightly a lot in crimson leather-based, look agreeably distinctive in black leather-based. The TRD Professional extras such because the crimson stitching in all places, heart mark on the steering wheel and large “TOYOTA” spelled out on the passenger facet sprint all appropriately amp up the environment. Usually, the inside feels upscale and fashionable, because it ought to for 2023.
There are onerous buttons for most important controls, however the infotainment system lacks navigational shortcuts — even a “house” button with a touchdown display can be a giant enchancment, particularly when going backwards and forwards between Apple CarPlay/Android Auto. The angle at which you work together with the display is slightly annoying, too, because it’s very near the motive force for having such a large format display, forcing you to make deliberate seems to be away from the highway to function it. Visibility generally for this new Sequoia is quite poor, particularly if you happen to spec the extendable towing mirrors. Mixed with the massively chunky pillars, these mirrors create monumental ahead blind spots that make parking and metropolis driving tense actions.
At $79,770 as examined, the Sequoia TRD Professional isn’t precisely a funds choice. You may choose up a equally outfitted Chevrolet Tahoe Z71 for much less, however a Ford Expedition Timberline will value you the same quantity because the Toyota.
In terms of body-on-frame, three-row autos that take wheeling severely, the record above is brief, and whereas we haven’t pitted all of them towards one another, the race might be a detailed one off-road. Each Ford’s and Chevy’s off-road entries put up barely higher floor clearance and method/departure angle figures than the Sequoia TRD Professional, however none of those are true rock crawlers. The Sequoia’s large attracts are the sturdy powertrain, stellar seems to be and people Fox shocks, whereas the others take large wins in general inside packaging, journey consolation, the off-road numbers sport and, doubtlessly, real-world gasoline financial system. We’d quite dwell with both of the American SUVs each day, although, which is slightly heartbreaking to say as a result of we had excessive hopes for Toyota’s brand-new Sequoia that merely weren’t met.
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