Toyota Sequoia

There’s no match for the available room inside the big SUV Sequoia. It’s an eight-seater vehicle, and you’ll get first and second-row captain’s chairs as standard in all the variants. This SUV offers comfortable seating, plenty of headroom and legroom, automatic three-zone front and rear climate control with air filter, plus an updated 7-inch infotainment system with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay compatibility. However, Sequoia lacks many tech features that you can get in its rivals like, heated steering wheels, a head-up display, and front massaging seats. Also, the build quality is not as per the standard of big luxury SUVs’, the plastic looks inexpensive and makes the cabin look a little dated.

Sequoia is a perfect match for big families, it is spacious from inside and holds an unmatchable powerful V8 engine. But, when it comes to the exterior design and practicality of this SUV, it might not entice you any further in 2020. There are plenty of other big SUVs’ that capture the attention solely by their looks. The Sequoia looks average in its class, but it’s loaded with many features that elevate the exterior design of this vehicle and are standard from the base grade. You’ll get low and high beam LED headlights and LED DRL with auto on/off feature, power tilt/slide moonroof with sliding sunshade, windshield wiper de-icer, and darkened rear taillight bezel. And, the top grade TRD Pro comes equipped with Rigid Industries LED fog lights that are a perfect match in the front bumper and projects high-intensity light while consuming very less power.

Sequoia is built on the chassis of Tundra- a pickup truck, Toyota has upgraded the rear suspension by improving the architecture. That ultimately leads to raising the ride quality, and even while going over bumps, it perfectly balances and maintains the passengers from trembling. The steering is also very light and easy to control, it’s well-tuned and comes with Engine Speed-Sensing Variable Flow Control function that makes long rides comforting and enjoyable. Furthermore, with the adaptive variable suspension that maintains the height of the Sequoia, you can change the height with respect to the payload you are carrying. Moreover, this SUV is equipped with automatic limited slip differential that applies the brakes to the wheel that’s losing the traction. So you can always stay on the right track without losing the grip. Also, LSD helps in maintaining the Sequoia’s performance on uneven road conditions like sand and mud.

All the grades of Sequoia are powered by the same V8 engine. This 5.7L engine comes mated with six-speed automatic transmission, rear, and four-wheel drive option. It can produce the maximum power of 381 hp at 5600 rpm and torque of 401 lb.-ft. at 3600 rpm. On the performance front, this SUV will never disappoint you, it drives smooth and quick that makes driving on city and highway fun. It’s a match that you’ll not get in its rivals. However, Sequoia is not a fuel-efficient SUV as it drinks a lot of gasoline, and manages to get around 16 mpg on the highway, and a combined rating of 14 mpg.

Being one of Toyota’s most reliable big SUV, it comes loaded with many standard active and passive safety features, that helps you to focus on the ride without compromising peace of mind. Sequoia comes standard with lane-departure warning, dynamic radar cruise control that maintains its speed and keeps you at the safe distance from the vehicle driving in front of you. Moreover, as a part of standard safety features, you’ll get a blind-spot monitor with rear cross-traffic alert, smart stop technology, front and rear parking assist sonar, and trailer sway control. Further, in terms of the passive safety of the passengers, Sequoia is built strong. It has a front energy-absorbing crumple zone, that in case of mishap transfers the crash energy away from the cabin and saves passengers from getting direct impact. On the braking front, you’ll get power-assisted four wheels anti-lock brake with electronic brake force distribution and brake assist that are standard among all the grades of Sequoia.

Being on the American roads from around ten years, Sequoia is a perfect SUV for big families. It is safe, powerful, and is available in both rear-wheel and all-wheel-drive mode, that makes it a perfect match for getting big on off-road trips. From inside, it looks great, but the poor quality of plastic degrades the essence of interiors. Also, when it comes to the exteriors, Sequoia lacks innovation, there are no sharp cuts, plus it lacks the appearance of muscular SUVs’. Rather, it looks bulky and old fashioned.