2023 Toyota Sequoia finally redesigned after a decade

For those customers who considered Land Cruiser to be not a large enough Toyota, there is the Toyota Sequoia, at least in North America. Though the massive SUV died out in our region a few years ago (because it was terrible), it carried on in the United States and Canada unchanged. Now after a long 13-year life, the 2023 Toyota Sequoia has finally been revealed, to compete with modern rivals, right as the Land Cruiser has been discontinued State-side.

The new Sequoia comes hot on the heels of its truck twin, the 2022 Toyota Tundra. The front end hence looks similar to that of the new Tundra. However, different trims get different grill designs to add more spice into the mix. The blacked-out pillars give the windshield a wraparound effect, and also make it look a lot like the latest Mitsubishi Outlander.

The Sequoia gets its own SUV touch at the rear. A wide trim piece connects the slim tail lamps at either end. The rear windshield creeps into the D-pillar a bit for a more cohesive look. The overall design is quite handsome, given the bulk of the Sequoia.

Underneath this handsome skin lives a variation of the same ladder-frame chassis that underpins the Tundra, Land Cruiser LC300, and the Lexus LX600.

In a cheap move, while the rest of the competition switched to independent rear suspension, the new Sequoia goes for a solid rear axle setup with a multi-link rear coil-sprung design, just like the Land Cruiser. As options, you can also throw in adaptive dampers and a load-leveling air system.

The power for the new Toyota Sequoia comes from the same unit that powers the Tundra. It is a twin-turbo 3.5-litre V6 hybrid unit that Toyota has dubbed i-Force Max. This powerplant produces 437 hp and 790 Nm of torque. Mated to a 10-speed automatic transmission, this engine can tow more than 4 tons.

Customers can opt for either a two-wheel drive or a part-time four-wheel drive. The new Toyota Sequoia also improves fuel economy but we do not know by how much. Toyota promises “a huge improvement over the previous generation,” which is not surprising, considering how vicious a gas guzzler the old Sequoia’s 5.7-litre V8 was.

The interior of the 2023 Sequoia gets amenities like Toyota Safety Sense 2.5 suite, a panoramic moonroof, heated and ventilated seats, 12.3-inch instrument cluster screen, panoramic view camera system, 14.0-inch infotainment system.

A TRD Pro off-road-focused trim packs off-road machinery including skid plates, Fox internal bypass shocks, locking rear differential, crawl control, Multi-Terrain Select, and downhill assist control. It also flaunts aesthetic updates like black 18-inch wheels, dual exhaust tips, an LED light bar, and a roof-mounted storage rack.

With EVs in the news a lot, large ladder-frame SUVs may have an uncertain future. But the 2023 Toyota Sequoia is a celebration of the old-school formula. Will “The Biggest Toyota” reach our Middle East shores? Aside from America and Russia, the Middle East is one of the last surviving markets for such land barges.