2023 Toyota Sequoia Consumer Reviews
MSRP Starting at
$58,365
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Disappointing on multiple levels
DS, 12/09/2022
2023 Toyota Sequoia Capstone 4dr SUV 4WD (3.5L 6cyl Turbo gas/electric hybrid 10A)
39 of 43 people found this review helpful
Some of this review is specific to the car, and some if it is a result of the buying experience. But obviously they go hand in hand. In normal times, we would have had the ability to inspect and test drive the vehicles we were interested in. But these are not normal times, and the manufacturers and dealers are happy to take advantage of that. Our experience with the 2023 Toyota Sequoia Capstone is not a positive one and therefore, fair or not, Toyota has lost a customer for life. My wife and I wanted another full size SUV. We are just coming off a lease of a 2020 Expedition and were looking for a little better fuel economy. Our choices were narrowed to a 2023 Tahoe diesel and the Sequoia hybrid. Neither was available to look at or test drive. Both required refundable deposits, both carried month's long lead times. After 3 months our Sequoia arrived. After paying full MSRP we took delivery on a frigid evening just before closing in the parking lot of our local dealer. Taking our time to test drive and inspect the vehicle was not possible. Initial impression of the vehicle was, "why is it so loud? The Expedition wasn't this loud." Oh well. Several days after taking ownership, we go to get groceries and this is where the shock occurs. There is literally no space in the rear of this vehicle. After flopping the rear seats forward, we are left with 3 separate tiers of space about 6" wide to set our groceries. A small shelf at the rear, some unexplainable second tier shelf, and then the backs of the folded seats themselves. The grocery bags are falling all over, there is literally no where to set them. This is in the back of a full size SUV. The following day we are attempting to return 2 chairs to the store. Neither will fit. Not even one, let alone both. Instead we return them both in the back of our mid-sized crossover. It is inexcusable that a full size SUV is unable to hall groceries, or a couple of chairs, or a couple suitcases. The marketing line for this car should be "A full size SUV with the space of a crossover". The mileage is barely better than that of the Expedition. The engine noise is artificially loud and obnoxious. Everything about the car is clunky and unrefined. I have owned many new cars in my life including two Suburbans, two Pilots, an earlier Sequoia, an Expedition and a Toureg. This is by far the worst designed car I have ever owned. Save your money, this offering from Toyota is a complete swing and a miss.
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What was Toyota thinking?
SJB, 01/21/2023
2023 Toyota Sequoia Limited 4dr SUV 4WD (3.5L 6cyl Turbo gas/electric hybrid 10A)
16 of 17 people found this review helpful
While waiting for my wife's Lexus to get serviced I took the opportunity to drive an almost-new 2023 Sequoia Limited. The dealer had it on the lot because a very disappointed customer traded it in for a new Lexus with only 2000 miles. After driving it for a few miles, I keep asking myself what was Toyota thinking when they designed the new Sequoia. First, the outside. It's huge. Wider, taller and longer than anything else Toyota offers with the exception of the Tundra. Yet, it has less ground clearance than a 4Runner, and barely the same as a tiny Subaru Crosstrec. Now the inside. Front seats space is ample, and the distance between passenger and driver sit is huge. One could easily fit a 3rd person there if Toyota offered a bench sit. But head and leg room isn't any better than a compact SUV. The width is actually an inconvenience because of how hard it is to reach some controls. Second raw is even worse. Yes, it's Wide (maybe Toyota was influenced by the fact that the majority of American population is obese). But again leg and headroom are barely adequate, less than my 2018 Highlander. Finally, the 3rd row is totally inadequate. About the same size as the Highlander, much smaller than a Telluride, and much much smaller than any other full-size SUV. The interior is full of cheap, clunky plastic. Cargo space is another "what were they thinking" moment. With the 3rd row up It's tiny. With the 3rd row down it's about the same as an average midsized SUV but nowhere what one would expect based on exterior dimensions. The cargo floor is high making loading of heavy objects difficult. The primitive part-time 4WD system is inadequate for safe highway driving in snow and ice conditions. The driving experience is equally disappointing. Acceleration is good. Buy handling and ride are terrible. Actually with such a poor handling and powerfull engine it is borderline unsafe. The engine is noisy, and the general noise level is what you would expect from the cheapest of the cheapest of the cheap compact SUVs, not a vehicle in this price range. Bottom line, the new Sequoia resembles something designed by AMC in the 1970s, and is utterly uncompetitive in 2023.
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A great looking car that's horrible inside
Marvin , 12/31/2022
2023 Toyota Sequoia TRD PRO 4dr SUV 4WD (3.5L 6cyl Turbo gas/electric hybrid 10A)
20 of 23 people found this review helpful
I test drove this car along with Tahoe and Expedition. The huge upgrade to the dashboard from previous Sequoia along with the nice sleek look gave us a chance to put it against the other two and maybe switch to Toyota considering that we had a Highlander and liked it about 7 years ago. Let me just say this. This car is so loud inside it feels like your driving without a roof and engine is right next to you. The road noise is unbelievable. Not sure if it was a defective model or what but none of the cars I ever test drove were this loud. The car is spacious upfront but there is not trunk space. There is nothing you can haul and even if you lower the third row the space is smaller than my Pilot. Forget this. I guess it's Tahoe for us.
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Disappointing - not buying after long wait
MG, 02/19/2023
2023 Toyota Sequoia Platinum 4dr SUV 4WD (3.5L 6cyl Turbo gas/electric hybrid 10A)
3 of 3 people found this review helpful
We have a 2008 platinum one with all everything. We kept holding out to upgrade until the new body style came out. They hide all the terrible features when viewing the vehicle on their website. It is very loud. It is very small. My husband is tall and we have always used it like a truck to haul stuff. Well, you can’t with the new version. My family can’t even fit in it comfortably, like before and there is no hauling because there is a hump behind the third row when you lay seats down. We have always hauled heavy tool boxes, appliances, lots of groceries, etc. You can’t even haul suitcases with the new one. Another thing that made us not buy one is that there is NO console between the captain seats in the upper models. This is also a must for us. Our kids want to be comfortable and need a place to store things. So disappointing!!
Overpriced
Hitman, 02/02/2023
2023 Toyota Sequoia Platinum 4dr SUV 4WD (3.5L 6cyl Turbo gas/electric hybrid 10A)
5 of 8 people found this review helpful
First time I saw Sequoia 2023 I thought that would be the vehicle for me i liked the interior plenty of room even after the third row seats were up,but little I knew that this vehicle was way too pricey and not to mention 3.5L small engine for a large armada,not worth for the money very disappointed