2023 Toyota Sequoia Review - A Three-Row Prius?

Toyota wasn’t the first to market a hybrid car here in the U.S. Despite that, the Prius has become the defining hybrid car of the past two decades or so, with the model name occasionally outshining the marque itself. Hybridization has metastasized throughout the Toyota lineup, punctuating nearly every model and segment with electrification. 

It only stands to reason that the largest vehicles in a lineup, those vehicles for which fuel economy has never been the sole focus, should be among the last to see battery power. Within full-sized trucks and SUVs, however, there are plenty of gains to be made and plenty of room to stow extra batteries for additional economy and performance.

While the full-sized Tundra offers the choice between a standard turbo V-6 and hybridization, this 2023 Toyota Sequoia is hybrid only. How does it stack up in the real world? Is it a revelation in fuel efficiency, or does it keep you from seeing the redwood forest for the trees?

Whenever I drive a new vehicle, I try to look at it from a few angles. First, I ask myself where it might fit in my life and my driveway. But then I try and consider who the ideal buyer is, and ask how well it fits the needs of that buyer. Maybe it’s all the time I spent in sales, but I know that the marketing and planning departments always have that mythical target buyer in mind when they start to develop a new product.

Perhaps I’m a partial fit for the target demographic of the Sequoia, but I don’t specifically have a need for the size of this thing. When fitted with four-wheel drive, every trim level inches past the magical three-ton mark when empty. It’s 208.1 inches long and 79.6 inches wide, with a 122.0-inch wheelbase. I don’t tow anything regularly, but for those who do, the Sequoia can drag 8,980 pounds of boat, horse, car, or whatever. 

For those who do need the capability of this big rig, it’s competitive. The 583 lb-ft of electrically-assisted torque is addictive. Sadly, dipping into the throttle does send the fuel economy reading south, as the 20 mpg combined estimate might be a bit optimistic. My time in the Sequoia yielded readings in the 17 mpg range. That’s no improvement upon what I typically experience in V8-powered domestic rivals. Maybe the big 22-inch wheels fitted to this top-level Capstone trim affect the economy somewhat, though there is no difference in the EPA ratings for lesser trims. 

Comfort and ride quality aren’t what one might hope for out of a dreadnought-class SUV, either. Competitors have broadly moved to the independent rear suspension, but the Sequoia persists with the live rear axle borrowed from platform mate Tundra. Midcorner bumps send the hindquarters in a mild shimmy - it’s never uncontrollable, but it isn’t as plush a ride as one finds elsewhere.

The combination of a live axle and hybridization has another downside - rear headroom. The battery is above that axle, and thus right below the third-row seat. While this is a vehicle seemingly meant for hauling mass quantities of human cargo, those of average height and above will find themselves intimately acquainted with the texture of the headliner should they be unlucky enough to pull the short straw boarding position. Materials throughout the interior are quite nice, but that rear row is just a bit too cozy.

My concern with Toyota is they don’t seem to want to be the best with their mainstream vehicles - and that I’m talking about an eighty-thousand-dollar full-size luxury SUV as a mainstream vehicle is frankly absurd, to be honest. It feels as if Toyota is content to let their legendary customer loyalty and fabled reliability continue to feed customers into their showrooms, rather than building fully-realized market-leading vehicles. We know that Toyota has enthusiasts squirreled away within the engineering and product planning teams - witness the crazy GR Corolla I reviewed last month - but it often feels they deliberately hold back on their volume models.

The 2023 Toyota Sequoia is, frankly, more of the same. I have no doubts that they’ll easily sell every one they make. But competitors are building SUVs with fewer compromises, and that’s why I’m disappointed with Toyota’s biggest tree.

[Images: © 2023 Chris Tonn/TTAC.com]

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