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2024 Toyota Sequoia Red: Toyota Sequoia Red Edition Luxury Full 2024 -Towing capacities may be significantly increased, and certain types of terrain can be navigated more easily when an SUV is built on a truck. However, this kind of design can be detrimental to ride quality, fuel efficiency, and other aspects of an SUV’s performance. Following closely on the heels of the release of a brand-new Tundra truck, the 2024 Toyota Sequoia serves as a wonderful reminder that life is full of compromises, and it is up to you to choose if the benefits are worth the effort required to get them.
The Sequoia had been on the market for 10 years when it was ultimately redesigned, and the dramatic change in appearance makes that fact quite clear. The 2024 Toyota Sequoia Red, much like its older brother the Tundra, has some hefty new styling that I find to be rather appealing. There are many interesting curves and angles on this vehicle, such as the deep indentations on the fenders, and the headlamps have a very fascinating form. Not only does it totally occupy each and every parking place that it occupies, but it also has a significant presence in the area.
The inside is also really fantastic looking, although it is by no means ideal. My $70,000 Sequoia Platinum tester has a shockingly high percentage of really hard plastic, which I find surprising despite the fact that I understand the necessity for long-lasting materials in something that is designed to be a bit more robust. Although the heavy usage of leather across the most frequent contact areas helps raise things somewhat, nothing that seems to be metal really is. Because of the smooth plastic surrounds of the third row, passengers at the far rear of the vehicle may have the impression that they are luggage rather than individuals.
Design
Concerning the third row, this is the section where the need to make concessions first becomes apparent. The Sequoia’s standard hybrid system is located under the bench that is very far in the back, which pushes the seats close enough to the ceiling that grown occupants will constantly brush the headliner. The second row isn’t much better, because the hardware for the panoramic sunroof creates a sizeable bulge right where your head goes. However, if you need to store both things and people, that legroom condenses down to a few scarcely useable inches. The second row does not allow any fore-aft mobility, but the third-row slides to balance between storage space and legroom. Because here is where all of the high-voltage components are stored, the bench that is most rearward won’t fold up flush into the floor either.
The Sequoia’s cabin, on the other hand, retains a great many of its positive qualities. It has a couple of levels of storage on the door panels, a big front tray with a vertical wireless device charger, and a truly honking middle armrest cubby with numerous movable trays and means to reach what’s within. All of these features combine to make it quite functional. You can make up for the overall lack of capacity in the back cargo compartment with some ingenious shelving, but no matter how hard you try, it won’t be able to hold as much as a vehicle like a Chevrolet Tahoe.
The technology used in the Toyota Sequoia is also very reliable. I particularly appreciate the fact that the most recent iteration of Toyota’s infotainment system is housed on a touchscreen that is 14 inches in size. The user interface has been updated, the internal navigation now uses data from Google Maps and has a far more contemporary appearance than in the past, and both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto may be experienced wirelessly. It should come as no surprise that Toyota’s suite of active and passive safety technologies is also excellent. Standard equipment includes full-speed adaptive cruise control, automated emergency braking, lane-departure warning, lane-keeping assist, and blind-spot monitoring, among other features.
Engine
Each and every 2024 Toyota Sequoia will be a hybrid, and they will be a very robust hybrid at that. A 3.5-liter twin-turbo V6 engine and an electric motor work together to create a total of 437 horsepower and 583 pound-feet of torque. This powertrain is coupled to a 10-speed automatic gearbox as standard equipment. As the Sequoia bursts off the starting line with intensity, the phony V8 soundtrack that is fed through the speakers sounds fairly nice. All of this motive power helps the SUV attain a darn great tow rating of 9,310 pounds.
On the other hand, my tester isn’t the smoothest operator on the block, since it has quite a few shudders every time the engine starts or stops. When the V6 engine is turned off, another strange thing that happens is that the needle on the tachometer suddenly vanishes from the gauge cluster. When applying brakes, some low-gear downshifts are audibly detectable, although the upshifts of the 10-speed transmission are normally relatively imperceptible. However, the brakes themselves are sturdy and not at all difficult to adjust in any way.
For a vehicle of such a large size, the Sequoia achieves a remarkable level of fuel efficiency thanks to all of the intricate electronic wizardry. The EPA gives vehicles with two-wheel drive a city rating of 21 mpg, a highway rating of 24 mpg, and an overall rating of 22 mpg. Those figures aren’t difficult to attain either, and I often see 70-mph highway driving getting close to the 30-mpg level, which is an outstanding accomplishment for a mobile studio apartment in Brooklyn.