If you like your SUVs big, bold, and adventurous, boy do I have a rig for you. Toyota’s newly re-designed Sequoia, especially in hard-core TRD Pro trim, is the Bear Grylls of adventure trucks.
Load up the back with camping gear, strap a kayak or two to the roof, and hook-up your Airstream Bambi to the tow-hitch and you could head off the grid well, indefinitely.
Toyota gave its full-bodied Sequoia a full body makeover for 2024, still basing it on the XXL-sized Tundra pick-up, but sharpening-up the design and adding plenty of new mechanical bits.
The biggest change came under that helicopter landing pad-sized hood. Out went the big, old-school 5.7-liter V8; in its place came a new hybrid powertrain featuring 3.5-liter twin-turbo V6 boosted by a big, battery-juiced electric motor/generator.
Combined, they crank out a beefy 437 hp and stump-pulling 583 lb-ft of torque. Peterbilt 18-wheelers make do with less. Away from the stop light, aided and abetted by a quick-shifting 10-speed automatic, this is the Usain Bolt of full-size SUVs.
While regular Sequoias have no shortage of climb-any-mountain offroad capability, it’s the TRD Pro that lets everyone else around you know that your second home is the nearest Dick’s Sporting Goods store.
Just look at the thing. That humongous black plastic grille is emblazoned with ‘TOYOTA’ spelled out in angry caps. Just in case you forgot what you’re driving. Plus an LED lightbar just beneath to light-up a trail, or blind on-coming traffic.
Add to that hefty, black plastic body cladding around the wheel arches, hood vents with TRD Pro writ large, and rock rails under the doors. And at each corner you’ll find black-painted, 18-inch forged BBS wheels wearing deep-grooved, mud-plugging 33-inch Falken Wildpeak all-terrain tires.
The TRD Pro package adds even more substance to this rugged style. Standard dampers are traded for TRD offroad-tuned Fox internal bypass shocks, Bilstein springs and a TRD front stabilizer bar. It also gets a beefy aluminum front skid plate to protect the undersides.
Climb aboard and it’s all wipe-down Tundra pick-up fixtures and fittings. Cool front seats though with a funky camouflage pattern and contrast red stitching.
The second row is a pair of comfy captain’s chairs that flip forward pretty easily to give access to the third row. No prizes here as the seats are only suited to young kids which, for a truck of this length, is less than impressive.
But the real mis-step is the rear load area. Having to mount a battery pack under the deck for the hybrid system creates a huge step-up in the floor. Loading in boxes or bags is a real challenge.
Out on the road, the Sequoia does a lot better, courtesy of that new hybrid powertrain. Step on the gas and the truck feels much lighter and more agile than you’d expect of a 6,000-pound leviathan.
The big twin-turbo i-Force Max V6 is also nicely refined, Teflon-smooth and has effortless torque for swift getaways and easy passing. It also packs the muscle to tow up to 9,520 pounds.
Don’t expect nimble handling with something this tall and off-road focused. It rolls when pushed through corners, and has pretty numb steering feel. Its ride is a little on the jittery side too.
Sadly during my week with the Toyota I wasn’t able to get to the Darian Gap to test out its considerable offroad prowess. Those sandy beaches on the west end of the Gandy Bridge were no challenge to the TRD’s knobbly Falken Wildpeak tires.
Six flavors of Sequoia are currently on offer, kicking off with the SR5 at $62,175. Then there’s the Limited (($68,575), Platinum ($79,320), 1794 Edition ($80,135) and range-topping Capstone at $83,665. Our TRD Pro came with an MSRP of $80,045. Add the obligatory$1,850 destination charge to all prices.
Looking for some serious offroad capability, or you love your trucks to look the part of mud-plugging hero, then this new Sequoia TRD Pro has your name on it.
