The Toyota Sequoia has been with us for nearly as long as the venerable Ford Expedition has been with us! Whereas the Expedition took a foothold in the marketplace immediately, the Sequoia always remained a step or two behind in the sales number race. In recent years, it was easy to why.
The Expedition has been tweaked, refreshed, updated with everything from styling along with interior to full platform and powertrain updates. The Sequoia on the other hand crept on by with minimal tweaks here and there. The rift between both models turned into a canyon in 2007.
The second generation Sequoia was revealed with a pair of V8 engines, the Expedition landed with an option for a twin turbo 6. If you don’t remember that far back…that was right around the same time gas prices skyrocketed to oblivion. The battle of size turned into a battle of fuel efficiency, with the Expedition coming out on top.
The updates kept on coming for the Expedition and the Sequoia kept on keepin’ on with minor tweaks here and there. All of that changed last year, with the introduction of the entirely new third generation Sequoia. This new generation Sequoia finally takes the battle to Ford’s doorstep and for once…has the ability to kick down it’s door!
This new generation is powered by a 3.5 liter twin turbo V6 Hybrid making an astonishing 583 ft/lbs of torque! That is roughly 70 ft/lbs more than the Expedition! That torque difference is something you can feel immediately courtesy of it coming on 1000 RPM sooner in the revrange. Pair that with the brilliantly tuned 10 speed automatic, which always finds itself in the right gear…the difference in driving both vehicles is palpable.
The Expedition, no matter how hard it tries, cannot overcome the instant ‘on’ nature of the Sequoia’s electron supplied torque. The Sequoia can ride that wave of torque in either a blissfully smooth way or full bore hooligan way. Just takes a simple twist of the Drive Control knob.
What also is palpable is the efficiency of the Sequoia. If you’re gentle with the throttle you can meander along at low speeds on full electrons alone. Heck, we were able to squeeze out nearly 20 mpg on average during our week with the Sequoia!
Driving like that though is boring and if you’re a dum-dum like me…just turn the drive control to Sport. Why? Well because instead of syrupy power delivery of ‘Normal’ mode, ‘Sport’ gives you a on/off switch for all those torques! A mere squeeze of your right foot and you can roast the rear tires instantly. Yes, you’re gas mileage will suffer immensly but come on…live a little!
It’s not all powertrain and nothing else with the new Sequoia. Inside you find a cathederal like amounts of space from the front row all the way to the third row. It’s airy, accomodating, beatifully buttoned (yes it’s a word), ergonomically a delight and comfortable! Oh and did I mention it has actual buttons and knobs? Sexy, tactile knobs and buttons! No smearing your fingerprints and shaking your head at a damn touchscreen, most every ‘everyday’ controls are at your literal fingertips.
Now that you have read my very long introduction…lets go ahead and break down the 2024 Toyota Sequoia: