2026 Toyota Sequoia

How does the Sequoia drive? Equipped with a turbocharged V6 engine infused with hybrid electric thrust, the Sequoia is among the quickest and most responsive large SUVs on the market. At the Edmunds test track, our Sequoia TRD Pro test vehicle accelerated from zero to 60 mph in just 6 seconds flat. That's moving! Braking power is also relatively confident and effortless, even with the TRD Pro's chunky all-terrain tires that compromise on-pavement grip.

Considering the off-road focus of this model, we were pleased with the way our Sequoia felt stable and secure when driving around turns. The light and accurate steering plus the responsive engine and transmission make it easy to hustle the Sequoia through everyday traffic. And if you do plan to venture off-road, know that the Sequoia TRD Pro is one of the more capable big SUVs around.

How comfortable is the Sequoia? Large truck-based SUVs are more capable but also inherently less comfortable than the smaller unibody SUVs. That holds true for the Sequoia. Its solid rear-axle suspension design is great for things like towing and off-road driving, but it makes for a bumpier ride around town, especially for rear passengers. The rear seat cushions in both rows also sit a bit close to the floor so your knees ride higher than what's optimally comfortable. The front seats are thankfully more comfortable and have powerful heating and ventilation functions.

The main thing holding the Sequoia back in this category is cabin noise. There's more noticeable road noise than in competing SUVs, and the powertrain gets pretty audible when you go hard on the throttle. We also noticed that the fans for the ventilated front seats can get pretty noisy. If you want a serene SUV, there are better choices.

How’s the interior? Let's start with the good here. We were surprised by how easy it was for even small kids to get into the Sequoia thanks to well-placed step rails and large squared-off door openings. The second-row captain's chairs provide easy access to the third row if you have those seats in play, and grab handles are readily available and provide good leverage for those who need it. The driver's seating position is comfortable and has a decent adjustment range, which we think should accommodate a wide range of driver types.

Visibility is pretty good for a large SUV but it's not without its challenges. Even with the Sequoia's large windows and mirrors and boxy fenders, we were thankful to have the surround-view cameras to better gauge our proximity to objects that looked closer to our fenders than they were. Toyota even provides a convenient button to activate those cameras. Interior controls are pretty easy to figure out.

On the downside, the Sequoia isn't as spacious or accommodating for passengers as many other large SUVs. If you don't care about towing or maximizing off-road capability, we'd encourage you to check out the Toyota Grand Highlander for more passenger-friendly transport.

How’s the tech? The latest Sequoia's technology features are pretty average compared to what you get in competing SUVs. We encountered some issues with the navigation system failing to connect to the network in our test vehicle, as well as intermittent connection issues with Apple CarPlay smartphone integration. While these may be isolated issues, it left us less than confident. The audio system produced nice clean sound but didn't do anything extra to impress beyond that. Our Sequoia TRD Pro had five USB ports in the cabin along with a household-style power outlet and a wireless phone charger. That's sufficient but less than what some others offer.

Where the Sequoia does excel, and probably this is the most important area, is advanced driver aids. The Sequoia's adaptive cruise control, for instance, reacts quickly to changes in traffic and accelerates and brakes smoothly. The lane keeping assistance also works well to keep the Sequoia within the lane boundaries if you start to drift.

How’s the storage? Warning: This will be a deal-breaker for some people the second they open the rear cargo door. By the numbers, the Sequoia has a decent amount of storage behind its third row (22.3 cubic feet) when those seats are moved all the way forward. However, the third row does not fold down completely flat because of the space needed for the hybrid battery under the load floor. This aspect greatly reduces the usefulness of the cargo area if you don't plan to use the third row all the time. In-cabin storage is similarly compromised. Most of the nooks and crannies and sliding storage trays are just a bit too small to offer any real benefit.

Got small children? The captain's chairs in the second row have a ton of space to load car seats in and the LATCH anchors are very well exposed. However, the anchor depths are a bit shallow, and that can make it hard to cinch in a car seat base tightly enough. In the third row, there's a top tether anchor point for the middle seatback only and no LATCH bottom anchors in the third row either.

If there's any redeeming quality here, it's the Sequoia's substantial ability to tow up to 9,520 pounds when properly equipped. That's enough to pull most midsize trailers or boats, and maybe a few larger ones.

Is the Sequoia a good value? The value of the Sequoia depends heavily on what you value in your SUV. As a Toyota, the build quality feels better than many other large SUVs, but the overall appearance and vibe, especially on the inside, is that of durability over luxury, which may not be what people are looking for at this price. The Sequoia double downs on towing and off-road performance as a value proposition, so if that's what you're looking for, it could be worth it. But we think most buyers won't see it that way.

Toyota's warranty coverage is pretty common for the class with three years/36,000 miles of bumper-to-bumper coverage and five years/60,000 miles for the powertrain. Hybrid components are covered for eight years/100,000 miles, and the hybrid battery for a generous 10 years/150,000 miles. The first two years of scheduled maintenance are also free.

For all the practical things the Sequoia fails to provide as a large SUV, it overdelivers on style and driving experience. The turbo V6 hybrid powertrain is a beast and even boasts a surprisingly good sound to accompany that speed. And with muscular style to match, there are probably a lot of people who could be persuaded to buy the Sequoia before even setting foot in the cabin.