Toyota Sequoia 2023
Powerful performance
Toyota Sequoia 2023
© press-inform – the press office
Toyota is currently on a mighty road to success. Not only is it the undisputed number one among automakers worldwide, it is also the largest automaker in the USA for the first time, with 2.3 million vehicles sold. Once again, the Japanese are going all out with their large models in what is for them the most important market. After the Toyota Tundra and Land Cruiser, the luxury SUV Sequoia will be launched in the summer.
In the USA, Europe and Japan, Toyota plays in completely different dimensions to attract customers. The company is so successful precisely because of the very different strategies, which by no means only rely on electric drives – on the contrary. While in Japan and Europe the focus was on small and medium-sized vehicles with hybrid drives for many years and the taste for electric was only slowly gaining traction, things are very different in the United States. The motto “size matters” applies here and the management team around group leader Akio Toyoda is really annoyed that the important full-size pick-ups with the Toyota Tundra are so far behind the management trio of Ford F-150, Chevrolet Silverado and Dodge Ram sneaking after it. That should change with the new Tundra and expectations are high – but not for the first time.
It looks much better with the SUVs and off-road vehicles and with the Sequoia Toyota has a new top model with a length of around 5.20 meters and an unladen weight of 2.3 tons, which is positioned above the Land Cruiser and also shares the platform with it like the new tundra. The Sequoia is more than a crossover, because it has real off-road qualities, especially as an off-road version TRD. The new Sequoia generation, which competes against models such as the Audi Q7, BMW X7, Mercedes GLS, Jeep Grand Wagoneer and Cadillac Escalade, has its market launch this summer for the new 2023 model year. The luxury model with tough qualities will be manufactured at the San Antonio / Texas. The drive is not provided by a powerful V8 naturally aspirated engine, but by a 3.5-liter V6 turbo engine, which was presented for the first time in the new Tundra, combined with a 36 kW / 48 hp / 50 Nm electric motor, which is installed between the engine and the ten-speed automatic transmission is installed. The hybrid six-cylinder delivers 321 kW / 437 hp and a maximum torque of a whopping 790 Nm. This allows the American to hook trailers weighing more than four tons. A plug-in hybrid is not in the program at market launch.
For those customers who want to drive the Sequoia alone on paved roads and in summer temperatures, Toyota also offers its top model with pure rear-wheel drive. However, most customers should opt for the two all-wheel drive variants, of which the TRD also offers a reduction gear and underrun protection if you leave the paved paths. An optional air suspension not only ensures variable ground clearance, but also the greatest possible comfort. Depending on the installed chassis, the Toyota Sequoia offers between three and six driving programs, which adjust their parameters in tuning, steering, engine electronics or transmission accordingly. Up to a speed of almost 30 km/h, the new luxury model is preferably electrically driven with the 36 kW / 48 hp e-module. At speeds above that, the doubly charged 3.5-liter V6 takes over the work and the electric module preferably contributes boosts.
Inside, the American offers plenty of space for up to seven people. There is more luxury, especially for the passengers in the second row, who can not only select their own ambient temperature on their individual seats, but can also heat and cool the leather-covered armchairs. The driver and passengers see animated 12.3-inch instruments and a 14-inch touchscreen in the center of the dashboard, which can be used to operate most functions. Like some competitors, the Sequoia is also available with a digital interior mirror for the first time. Also standard are seat heating, electric tailgate, LED headlights and an electrically foldable third row of seats. In the top version Capstone, the Toyota Sequoia offers, among other things, air-conditioned comfort seats, 22-inch wheel set, air suspension, insulating glass or walnut wood in order to withstand the strong national and international competition. In terms of price, it should start at just over 50,000 US dollars. An official export to Europe is currently not planned.