Text by Tom Appel
2024 Toyota Sequoia TRD Pro
Specs
Class: Large SUV
Color: Terra
Seating capacity: 7
| CG Report Card | |
|---|---|
| Room and Comfort | B+ |
| Power and Performance | B+ |
| Fit and Finish | B |
| Fuel Economy | B |
| Value | B |
| Report-card grades are derived from a consensus of test-driver evaluations. All grades are versus other vehicles in the same class. Value grade is for specific trim level evaluated, and may not reflect Consumer Guide's impressions of the entire model lineup. | |
| Big & Tall Comfort | |
| Big Guy | A |
| Tall Guy | B |
| Big & Tall comfort ratings are for front seats only. "Big" rating based on male tester weighing approximately 350 pounds, "Tall" rating based on 6'6"-tall male tester. | |
| Drivetrain | |
| Engine Specs | 478-horsepower 3.4-liter |
| Engine Type | Turbo hybrid V6 |
| Transmission | 10-speed automatic |
| Drive Wheels | 4WD |
Miles driven: 119
Observed fuel economy: 16.5 mpg
Driving mix: 65% city, 35% highway
EPA-estimated fuel economy: 19/22/20 (mpg city/highway/combined)
Fuel type: Regular gas
Snow Performance: N/A
Base price: $78,710 (not including $1850 destination charge)
Options on test vehicle: Panoramic roof ($500), dash cam ($499), TRD roof rack ($1395)
Price as tested: $81,104
Pros and Cons
The great: Ample power, roomy and comfortable cabin
The good: Big touchscreen, simple control layout, solid feel
The not so good: Complicated cargo-area arrangement, limited 3rd-row comfort
Overview
When it comes to marketing big, body-on-frame SUVs, General Motors has a huge leg up on the other carmakers in the segment. GM can reach value-oriented shoppers via the Chevrolet Tahoe and longer Suburban, upscale and off-road minded consumers with the GMC Yukon and Yukon XL, and luxury buyers with the Cadillac Escalade, which is also offered in two lengths.
Ford, too, has an advantage, marketing versions of the same truck as the popular Ford Expedition, and luxurious Lincoln Navigator. And, both the Expedition and Navigator are offered in two lengths. Jeep, too, takes a two-pronged approach to the big SUV segment, though the jury is out on how successful the Wagoneer/Grand Wagoneer strategy actually is.
To its credit, Toyota isn’t attempting to cover the entire big-rig field, as its 2024 Sequoia lineup does not start as affordably as the Tahoe (about $58,000), or peak as high as the Escalade (starting around $84,000).
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Prices and Trim Levels
The tidy, five-model Sequoia lineup begins with the base SR5 (about $63,000), and ascends through the midlevel Limited ($69,000), upscale Platinum ($76,000), luxury-level Capstone ($80,000), and off-road-oriented TRD Pro ($81,000). 4WD is standard on the TRD Pro and Capstone, and optional on other trim levels.
Engines
Redesigned for the 2023 model year, the Sequoia moved to Toyota’s flexible TNGA-F architecture, which also underpins the brand’s Tundra full-size pickup. With the redesign came a new engine, Toyota’s i-Force Max powerplant, which mates a turbocharged, hybrid 3.4-liter V6 with a 10-speed automatic transmission. The engine is rated at a stout 437 horsepower, up from 381 in the previous-generation Sequoia with its thirsty 5.7-liter V8.
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Consumer Guide recently spent a week behind the wheel of a 2024 Tundra TRD Pro in eye-catching Terra (that’s the color). All told, our full-size Toyota SUV rang in at $82,954, including destination charge.
Off-Road Equipment
The rugged-looking TRD Pro backs up its tough stance with some legitimate off-road gear, most of which should ease the minds of Snowbelters just looking for a little insurance the next time the Midwest is walloped with another “serious show event.”
Unique to the TRD Pro are 18-inch, black-finish BBS-brand alloy wheels shod with specific tires, Fox-brand shock absorbers with remote reservoir, a front stabilizer bar, protective skid plates, an electronically controlled locking rear differential, off-road driving modes, a crawl control system, a hill-descent control function, and specific trim elements. Counterintuitively, TRD-brand running boards are also part of the “Pro” equipment group, which will need to be removed before the truck does any serious off-road work.
Room and Comfort
Inside, Sequoia’s bright and modern cabin is both spacious and comfortable. Interior trim is price appropriate, though may trail in quality somewhat relative to the fittings found in upper trims levels of the Expedition and Yukon. That said, nothing looks or feels cheap.
Big doors and plenty of space make the front two seating rows easy to access and long-haul comfortable. The third row, however, is another story. Because of the hybrid drivetrain, the battery specifically, the 3rd-row seats do not fold flat into the floor. Instead, because the battery lives down below the load floor, the seatbacks simply fold down over the seat bottoms. To compensate for this, sort of, the Sequoia is equipped with an adjustable cargo shelf that can be moved to allow for a continuous load floor. This feels like an undue hassle, and isn’t something buyers of $80,000 SUVs will want to deal with. This arrangement may prove to be a deal breaker for consumers looking to do a lot of cargo hauling.
Additionally, the flat floor in the 3rd-row limits legroom, and forces occupants of the rearmost seat into an uncomfortable “leg-out” position which will not suit larger passengers well on long trips.
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Connectivity
Otherwise, the cabin works well, as do the primary controls. The large center touchscreen handles most commonly used functions, save for climate, and does so simply and effectively enough. The screen is easy to read in direct light, and the icons easy to identify at a glance. And, we found the 14-speaker JBL audio system up to the task of recreating the mid-century jazz preferred by this editor.
Power and Performance
On the road, the Sequoia TRD Pro moves out smartly. The big, turbo V6 delivers plenty of useful power, and boasts reassuring reserves of passing and merging muscle. There drivetrain is not perfect, however, we found the transmission prone hunting and excessive shifting at low speed and when decelerating. The around-town transmission busyness can prove annoying in stop-and-go traffic, but trails off as speeds climb.
Ride and Handling
The Sequoia rivals the Expedition for the title of best-handling large SUV. It feels well controlled in most situations, and doesn’t lean in corners with the same sloppiness of other big rigs. Additionally, by our seats of the pants, the TRD Pro rides more comfortably than the Capstone we tested last year. We suspect the Pro’s more generous tire sidewalls (275/65R-18 vs. the Capstone’s 265/50R-22) play a role is smoothing out the ride.
Fuel Economy
And as for the departed V8 engine: When last we tested an 8-cylinder-equipped Sequoia, we saw a combined 15.4 mpg in mostly highway driving. In mostly city driving, our 2024 tester returned 16.5 mpg, a more than 1 mpg improvement. The fuel-economy bump is made additionally impressive given that the new Sequoia boasts 56 additional horsepower.
Review
There’s an intangible value to the TRD Pro that doesn’t play too well in our objective evaluation: Presence. During our evaluation our test truck garnered numerous comments regarding the color and general visual appeal of the truck, all quite positive. Indeed, the Sequoia looks the part of rugged, post-apocalyptic survivor, in the best possible way.
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2024 Toyota Sequoia TRD Pro Pictures
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Consumer Guide Car Stuff Podcast Episode 205: 2024 Consumer Guide Best Buy Podcast
