Will the 2023 Sequoia have a V8?
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Last fall — after leaving its successor around to the point of being rather stale — Toyota finally unveiled the all-new Tundra full-size pickup. Now, we're getting its SUV counterpart: the all-new 2023 Sequoia. With
the Land Cruiser no longer sold on American soil, the Sequoia is currently the only full-size Toyota-branded SUV on offer. Show The Sequoia won't have that coveted Land Cruiser name, and it will be built in America rather than Japan. But it will run on the same platform as
the J300-gen Land Crusher. On paper, the Sequoia package looks compelling enough that Toyota truck enthusiasts will be more than satisfied. And it probably won't have a four-year wait, either. The 2023 Toyota Sequoia gets a twin-turbo hybrid engine…standard We knew the Sequoia would use the same TNGA-F truck platform as the Tundra, and ditch the trusty but inefficient 5.7-liter V8. We presumed the Sequoia would receive the new iForce Max twin-turbo 3.5-liter twin-turbo V6 hybrid with 437 horsepower and 583 lb-ft of torque. But, surprisingly, that hybrid — the upgrade option on the Tundra — is the only Sequoia engine at launch. Like the Tundra, that engine pairs with a 10-speed automatic transmission. Buyers can choose between two-wheel drive and part-time four-wheel drive Sequoias. The TRD Pro trim will be 4x4 only. Wait, hold up: Toyota's full-size SUV has a better engine than the Lexus LX? Incredibly, yes. Lexus just debuted the swanky new LX 600, a J300 Land Cruiser wearing formal wear. That vehicle only offers the strictly internal combustion version of the twin-turbo 3.5-liter V6 with 409 hp and 479 lb-ft of torque. So, oddly enough, the less-premium Sequoia now has a better engine. The Sequoia comes in five trims, plus a TRD Off-Road package Toyota offers the Sequoia in five grades: SR5, Limited, Platinum, the new high-lux Capstone and the off-road high-performance TRD Pro. SR5 and Limited grade SUVs can be fitted with the TRD Off-Road package, including a selectable locking rear differential, Multi-Terrain Select, Downhill Assist Control, Crawl Control, and TRD-tuned Bilstein monotube shocks and 18-inch alloy wheels. TRD Pro adds those goodies from the TRD Off-Road with a skid plate and upgrades to FOX internal bypass shocks. Capstone will be similar to the Tundra with exclusive black and white leather seating, open-pore wood and 22-inch chrome wheels. The 2023 Sequoia has a flexible third row Many SUVs claim to have third-row flexibility, but the Sequoia offers a flexible third row. The seats will fold flat, recline and travel six inches forward to backward as needed. The seats also work in tandem with a new, adjustable cargo shelf system, which is also removable if so inclined. The Toyota Sequoia will be one of the best SUVs for towing you can buy With the iForce Max hybrid, the Toyota Sequoia can tow up to 9,000 lbs. That places the Sequoia just short of the Ford Expedition for best towing SUV, but ahead of vehicles like the Dodge Durango and Lincoln Navigator. The Sequoia can come with a 14.0-inch touchscreen The new Sequoia uses the new Toyota Audio Multimedia infotainment system (essentially Lexus Interface with a less fancy name). Sequoia buyers can upgrade to the new 14.0-inch touchscreen. When will the Toyota Sequoia be available? Toyota projects that the all-new Sequoia hits the market in Summer 2022 as a 2023 model year vehicle. No word yet on pricing. The 2024 Toyota Tacoma: Here's Everything You Need to Know What we know so far about the most-eagerly-awaited midsize truck. LEARN MORE
Nathan Leach-Proffer Enthusiasts — long loyal to the cult of the Land Cruiser —have long known the Sequoia as Toyota’s other three-row SUV. But that’s about to change. Toyota has dropped the Land Cruiser from the American lineup, and now, the company is reintroducing the Sequoia with its first all-new version since 2007 — the year Apple launched the iPhone. And, based on price, size and capability, the Sequoia is Toyota’s flagship model — at least for now. The 2023 Toyota Sequoia is upgraded from the old reliable but inefficient 5.7-liter V8 to the company’s best powertrain, a twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter (well, 3.4-liter, if you want to be technical) twin-turbo hybrid V6. That powerplant puts out 437 horsepower and a mammoth 583 lb-ft of torque. The Tundra gets that engine on fancier grades; the Lexus LX 600 and J300 Land Cruiser don’t get it all. On the Sequoia, the hybrid motor comes standard. The Sequoia rides on Toyota’s new TNGA-F truck platform. It sports swaggy new looks cribbed heavily from the new Tundra. It uses Toyota’s sharp-looking new North American-developed infotainment system. And Toyota believes it’s quite the package — enough to sell about three times as many of them as before. Toyota enticed me to Plano, TX, with the promise to drive the new 2023 Sequoia on-road and off it for a day. And like the Tundra it is based on, the Sequoia is a comprehensive, night and day improvement over what came before. The full-size, three-row market is fierce. And for the first time since Rihanna asked you to stand under her umbrella, ella, ella, eh eh eh, the all-new Sequoia is prepared to compete in it. How does the Toyota Sequoia differ from the Land Cruiser? So, the J300 Land Cruiser and Sequoia share a segment, platform, manufacturer and commitment to durability. Beyond that, they are very much different vehicles. The Land Cruiser is a specialist SUV. It’s a niche, high-end, Japanese-built product. While found in places like Nantucket, the Land Cruiser is designed for harsh environments like the Australian Outback. The Sequoia is designed, developed and assembled in America (now in Texas, rather than Indiana) and sold in the North American market. It’s more truck than SUV. Its wheelbase is about 10 inches longer than the Land Cruiser’s, better for stability and worse for off-road obstacle clearance. It has the hybrid powertrain the Land Cruiser doesn’t and can tow more, with a 9,520-lb max rating. And unlike the Land Cruiser, the Sequoia can be more reasonably priced. TL;DR: The Land Cruiser is the better off-roader. But the Sequoia is closer to what more Americans want to buy. How does the 2023 Sequoia drive on the street? Like the Tundra, the new Sequoia drives very well. The twin-turbo V6 is smooth and powerful, paired with a seamless-shifting, linear-feeling 10-speed automatic transmission. While it does at least theoretically improve fuel economy, the electric motor is tuned for torque delivery. The new TNGA platform brings a fully-boxed frame for better rigidity and a standard rear multi-link coil suspension for improved ride quality. The result is a composed and competent highway cruiser. With all that torque, overtakes are effortless. And though it’s not a Lexus, the Sequoia is quiet at high speeds with standard acoustic windshield glass (the Capstone grade throws that on the front side windows, too). You do get the customary array of drive modes — the number varies by trim — but there’s not much reason to shift out of normal mode. Don’t worry about losing that big SUV feel with the Sequoia because it’s not dainty. The TRD Pro and Capstone 4x4 Sequoias check in north of 6,100 lbs. That’s around 500 pounds heavier than the Tundra. And it’s 300 pounds more than the outgoing J200 Land Cruiser, affectionately nicknamed the Land Crusher. You’ll feel that weight if you enter a corner too hot or exceed its comfort zones. Toyota does not have EPA fuel economy figures for the Sequoia yet. They expect the EPA numbers to be around the Tundra hybrid’s 19 mpg city and 22 mpg highway rating. I saw about 15 mpg and 19 mpg in each scenario, which is about what I achieved in the Tundra. How does the new Sequoia drive off-road? Well. The Sequoia 4x4 (there is a 4x2 option if you’re into that sort of thing) will be super-capable for most buyers, especially in TRD Pro form. Toyota laid out an off-road course for us with multiple staged events. We had articulation tests, a mild rock climb, ascents and descents, loose surfaces, and even some water to wade through. It was the same gauntlet Toyota was sending Tacomas, 4Runners and Lexus LX 600s around. The Sequoia TRD Pro handled everything deftly — including a rock climb that the 4Runner driver in front of me took multiple attempts to complete. You get a lot of ground clearance and a fair amount of articulation, and hey, 583 lb-ft of torque will muscle you through and over many obstacles. Extreme rock crawling — where the long wheelbase and not especially great approach and departure angles would come into play — would be a concern. But the Sequoia will handle the cobblestones on Main Street and rutted beach roads without issue — even if it can't quite pull off the Land Cruiser's coveted old money panache. What’s the new Sequoia interior like? Very, very similar to the Tundra. It’s tough to tell the two interiors apart from some angles. The Sequoia swaps the remnants of 2000s curviness for clean horizontal lines and a massive new 14-inch touchscreen — which curiously lacks the option to take advantage of that screen and view the navigation and radio simultaneously (you can change the station by yelling). Luxury isn’t Toyota’s hallmark; that’s more of a Lexus thing. Everything is soft to the touch, but the interior is still quite simple and unadorned, even if you do level up to the Capstone trim for the fancy wood. There’s a big jump in features from the base SR5 grade to the second-tier Limited, which will have more of the amenities — i.e. heated and ventilated seats — one would expect in a relatively pricey SUV. We have to discuss the Sequoia's trunk space Or lack thereof, at least with every seat in use. Toyota highlighted some innovative Sequoia cargo features during their Sequoia presentation, including an adjustable cargo shelf and a sliding third row. Toyota had to get innovative back there, because there is hardly any space behind the third row. It would be hard to go grocery shopping if the cargo shelf weren’t there. Even if you slide the seat all the way forward, you'll be squeezing in carry-on suitcases vertically. Some midsize crossovers like the Telluride offer more cargo space. The Sequoia can seat seven or eight people, or carry luggage and gear. But not both. You'll likely need a rooftop carrier if you’re a road-tripping family of more than five. How much does the 2023 Toyota Sequoia cost? Previous Sequoia owners may be in for some sticker shock. The Sequoia starts at $58,300; adding the $1,495 destination charge and some floor mats would put you around $60,000. Adding 4x4 to any trim — TRD Pro excepted, since it only comes as a 4x4 — is a $3,000 option. A fully-loaded 4x4 Capstone grade Sequoia begins at $78,300, a tad more than the $76,900 TRD Pro trim. That’s about $10,000 cheaper than the base model Lexus LX 600. Toyota didn’t have the complete pricing on our pre-production test cars, but it didn’t look like there were many options to drag the price point further upward. What are some Toyota Sequoia alternatives? Toyota mentioned specific competitors for the Sequoia: the Chevrolet Tahoe, the Ford Expedition and the Nissan Armada. These are relatively affordable three-row, full-size family SUVs priced between $50,000 and $80,000. They each have more expensive corporate siblings — Cadillac Escalade, Lincoln Navigator, Infiniti QX80 — that rival the Lexus LX 600. The Sequoia starts higher than all three of them with current pricing. A couple of Jeep models could also tempt the Sequoia buyer. Jeep prices the base Wagoneer — a bit cheaper than the Grand Wagoneer — similarly to the Sequoia. The Grand Cherokee L can also be maxed out in opulent Summit Reserve spec for less than $70,000 and — though not body-on-frame — would offer similar off-road capability and practicality. Powertrain: Twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6; 10-speed automatic; 4x4 Horsepower: 437 Torque: 583 lb-ft Towing Capacity: 9,520 lbs Seats: 7 to 8 LEARN MORE The 2024 Toyota Tacoma: Here's Everything You Need to Know What we know so far about the most-eagerly-awaited midsize truck. LEARN MORE Will the new Sequoia have a V8?No More V8, Now Hybrid Only
Following the lead of the Tundra, the new 2023 Sequoia has discarded the gas-guzzling 5.7-litre V8 engine of the previous generation.
What engine does the 2023 Sequoia have?3.5 L V62023 Toyota Sequoia / Enginenull
Does the Toyota Sequoia have a V8?Toyota replaced the V8 engine from the outgoing Sequoia with a turbocharged and hybridized V6 for the new model, and this powertrain delivers superior performance across the board.
Will the 2022 Sequoia have a V8?The 2022 Toyota Sequoia is available with a 5.7-liter V8 engine that delivers 381 horsepower and 401 lb. -ft of torque. The high-power engine comes standard in all Sequoia models.
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