A shiny, sleek, aggressive-looking SUV caught my attention. Painted in an admirably bold shade of deep reddish-orange, Toyota’s new Sequoia commanded the gaze of not just me, but everyone who came within its orbit.
One of the biggest changes for the 2023 model is that Toyota swapped out the 5.7-liter V8 engine for a 3.4-liter twin-turbo V6 hybrid powertrain that puts out a burly 437-horsepower and 583 pound-feet of torque.
Also new for 2023, Toyota added a few driving modes: Normal, Eco and Sport. To no one’s surprise, I’m sure, Sport mode proved to be the most fun, though we mostly kept things in Normal. We tried Eco for a day to see if it improved fuel efficiency, but we didn’t note any changes to the mpg.
I immediately took note of how comfortable the seats were and how clean the interior looked. The subtle technical camo design on the seats was a nice touch because it’s different enough to stand out, yet subtle enough to still feel unisex.
The second row captain’s chairs proved just as comfy as the front seats, though my 7-year-old lamented the lack of heated seats. Speaking of kids, one of my absolute favorite features as a mom was just how easy it was to install car seats and boosters in the second row.
If I had to pick one feature that might produce mixed feelings among potential buyers, it’s the cargo area. Here’s why: The third row doesn’t fold completely flat, which leaves you with a tiered storage space.