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5/8/2008
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California’s sequoia trees are noted for their large size, and with its redesign for the current model year, so is Toyota’s Sequoia SUV.
This is one massive passenger truck – the kind that might have attracted legions of buyers when it went on the drawing board, probably about two years or so ago. It’s still a heck of a truck, but with today’s fuel prices, the number of buyers is likely to be smaller.
Click her for a photo of the Sequoia:
www.valleybreeze.com/www/toyota_sequoia_08.jpg
Our test Sequoia was the mid-line model, Limited. SR5 is the “base” version, while, if you don’t think our tester was loaded enough, you can step up to Sequoia Platinum. All versions are available in either two- or four-wheel drive. Standard engine in SR5 is a 4.7-liter V8, teamed with a 5-speed automatic; Limited and Platinum include Toyota’s “I-Force” 5.7-liter eight, pumping out 381 horsepower and 401 foot-pounds of torque, and a 6-speed automatic.
Sequoia is an SUV in the classic mode. It’s truck-based, built off the Tundra pickup’s architecture: Full-framed, default rear drive, with the transfer case (4x4 mechanism) near the center of the truck. It’s a go-anywhere vehicle, provided the off-road trail you’re traveling is wide enough! Meanwhile, depending on how it’s equipped, Sequoia can tow up to 5 tons of trailer.
From the driver’s seat
There’s something about the shape of Sequoia’s hood that conveys its massiveness, making the driver more aware of its bulk in close quarters than with some other large trucks. If you find that problematic, the optional backup camera helps you move back far enough to aid in escaping from tight spots, while the proximity warning system beeps to let you know if you’re getting uncomfortably close to the car in the next space.
Sequoia’s mass comes home when you reach for the audio and HVAC controls: They ARE a reach. Some of the functions you use most often can be handled by redundant controls on the steering wheel. (Kudos to the HVAC, which does allow some defrosting using recirculated, interior air.)
Take time to check out all the controls before heading out in dicey conditions, though. There are many knobs and switches you may want to use. They’re not just the shift-on-the-fly 4-wheel-drive (and 4-wheel low-range) knob. They also include an electronically-controlled lock for the center differential, electronic vehicle-height adjustment, and a shutoff for the traction control as well as the proximity warning, which has the potential of being annoying in the outback.
Though Sequoia’s massiveness somewhat limits your view of mere mortals below, its visibility otherwise is good. The side mirrors are large and useful (and in ours, they folded away at the touch of a button.) And like some other trucks’, they include turn-signal arrows, but unlike a few of the others, they light enough to be seen by the driver at night, but not enough to distract. The taillights’ slightly bulged shape lets the driver find them in the side mirrors; if you get used to seeing them there, you may notice if either of them burns out!
Our Sequoia Limited was equipped to carry eight in comfort; the ride is amazingly smooth for something so truckish. The three-passenger third row is large enough for three adults; it reclines, and there’s even a useful amount of storage space behind it. Its halves fold flat, each at the touch of a button, a convenience somewhat mitigated by the fact that you have to HOLD the buttons while they move. (Manual operation would be faster!) Row two, which also seats three, provides amazing foot room when slid back (and kids can still fit fine in row three.) But even when both “halves” are slid forward to allow for grown-ups in back, row-two foot room is still good.
Both sides of the second row easily flip for third-row access, and every rear seat folds down. Row three doesn’t quite lie flat, there’s a slight ramp effect to it, but Sequoia can provide plenty of storage space (or a mix of seating and storage) depending on whether you fold some or all of the seats. How much space is there? Over four feet between the wheel wells and roughly 7’ 2” between the tailgate and back of the front-center console.
Two common annoyances present in so many modern vehicles are blessedly absent in Sequoia: The passenger’s side wiper doesn’t toss its load ahead of the driver, while the gas pedal isn’t closer to the driver than the left-side footrest. But speaking of gas…
Fuel usage is certain to lessen the size of the market for Sequoia and other large SUVs and pickups. (Toyota’s timing for introducing such a big vehicle seems almost Detroit-ish in its prescience!) Sequoia’s fuel tank holds 26.4 gallons – exactly 100 liters – of gasoline. Figure about 90 bucks when you’re near dry at $3.65 a gallon (as I write.) Still, there will always be people who genuinely need large vehicles for carrying people and things, and for towing. Otherwise, virtually every manufacturer offers smaller SUVS. Toyota, for example, has the also-recently-upsized Highlander they’d love to show you. It’s not as big as Sequoia, and is available in a hybrid version.
By the Numbers:
2008 Toyota Sequoia Limited 4X4 SUV
Base MSRP: $49135 (incl. $685 delivery)
As Tested: $53,184
EPA MPG: 13 city / 18 highway
