The title of this review is fairly self-explanatory. What was once a thriving segment of money-making vehicles for carmakers has dwindled to next to nothing, less in available products, more so in outright volume. If it is true that consumers are moving away in droves from this category, it is also true that it will never fully go the way of the Dodo or dinosaurs if you prefer.
Full-size SUVs have become one of the many necessary evils of our time. Much like deforestation and whale hunting, SUVs have developed a stigma that has people come together to do something about them. This is so true that we seldomly see advertising on said beasts, all-new models are never spoken about and people who own them tend to try and hide behind the steering wheel as they drive by. This said, if you have 3 or 4 kids, tow a boat or a trailer and regularly travel to the country house, what are you to do?
Unabashedly a truck
The trend was, a few years ago, to move away from the “truck look”. If it seemed logical at first, manufacturers quickly realized that making their big vehicles look like minivans (read: not macho) was a bad idea as that segment was drastically loosing ground. This spawned the Crossover movement but again, the absence of “man's truck DNA” proved to be an issue. Styling-wise, for the Sequoia and many others, the essence of truck is back.
The 1st-gen Sequoia was large and imposing but this time around, the new for 2008 Sequoia has taken the “in-your-face, I'm big, bad and macho” to a whole new level. Bold as any Toyota has ever been (alongside its quasi twin-brother the Tundra), the Sequoia sports a monstrous front grille, an enormous bumper and all the 'tude you could ever hope for. Plainly handsome, the Sequoia might only offend those that are dwarfed by its imposing stature.
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| At a—dare I say reasonable—$48,320, its essentially contains everything the average user/owner could ever require from such a vehicle. |
Full-size SUVs have become one of the many necessary evils of our time. Much like deforestation and whale hunting, SUVs have developed a stigma that has people come together to do something about them. This is so true that we seldomly see advertising on said beasts, all-new models are never spoken about and people who own them tend to try and hide behind the steering wheel as they drive by. This said, if you have 3 or 4 kids, tow a boat or a trailer and regularly travel to the country house, what are you to do?
Unabashedly a truck
The trend was, a few years ago, to move away from the “truck look”. If it seemed logical at first, manufacturers quickly realized that making their big vehicles look like minivans (read: not macho) was a bad idea as that segment was drastically loosing ground. This spawned the Crossover movement but again, the absence of “man's truck DNA” proved to be an issue. Styling-wise, for the Sequoia and many others, the essence of truck is back.
The 1st-gen Sequoia was large and imposing but this time around, the new for 2008 Sequoia has taken the “in-your-face, I'm big, bad and macho” to a whole new level. Bold as any Toyota has ever been (alongside its quasi twin-brother the Tundra), the Sequoia sports a monstrous front grille, an enormous bumper and all the 'tude you could ever hope for. Plainly handsome, the Sequoia might only offend those that are dwarfed by its imposing stature.
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| Once comfortably in place, front passengers are treated to large easy-to-use controls that are perhaps not in the most ideal positions. |