Having stepped out of Cayman, then a 370Z followed by an XKR, you would expect that climbing into a Sequoia would have thrown me off completely. Well, not quite so. Other than having nicked the first curb as I drove out of the parking lot, I was quite impressed with the big Toyota's manoeuvrability. The absolute worst part of the drive was the steering; so light that exiting onto an off-ramp had me hugging the inside grass. Steering is assisted to such a degree that the wheels offer no resistance when the steering wheel tugged on.
As for fuel consumption, miracles are not to be expected. This is in fact the only shortcoming I could find with this new engine as it consumes nearly as much black gold as does the 5.7L. Averaging just under 16 L/100 km will not be unheard of in mixed driving. The 5.7L might guzzle, at worst, 5% more... The silver lining is, however, that the engine revs at a paltry 1,500 rpm at 100 km/h in 6th.
Not the last, not the least
At a—dare I say reasonable—$48,320, my base Sequoia SR5 essentially contains everything the average user/owner could ever require from such a vehicle. Competitors include the Nissan Armada, Chevy Suburban, GMC Yukon XL and Ford Expedition Max, all of which have a base price that is roughly $7,000 higher. They may offer more basic equipment, but I fail to see why they should be selected over the Sequoia.
It is admittedly nice to have one of these behemoths around as you really feel as though, should the end of the world arrive, that you could be ready for it. And should hell freeze over, assumingly we would all die, so would it not be nice to know that you spent less money on your truck? All kidding aside, the Sequoia is a very competent member of a select group, perhaps not the most competent, but the one that makes the most sense.
photo:Philippe Champoux
As for fuel consumption, miracles are not to be expected. This is in fact the only shortcoming I could find with this new engine as it consumes nearly as much black gold as does the 5.7L. Averaging just under 16 L/100 km will not be unheard of in mixed driving. The 5.7L might guzzle, at worst, 5% more... The silver lining is, however, that the engine revs at a paltry 1,500 rpm at 100 km/h in 6th.
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| It's nice to have one of these behemoths around as you really feel as though, should the end of the world arrive, that you could be ready for it. |
Not the last, not the least
At a—dare I say reasonable—$48,320, my base Sequoia SR5 essentially contains everything the average user/owner could ever require from such a vehicle. Competitors include the Nissan Armada, Chevy Suburban, GMC Yukon XL and Ford Expedition Max, all of which have a base price that is roughly $7,000 higher. They may offer more basic equipment, but I fail to see why they should be selected over the Sequoia.
It is admittedly nice to have one of these behemoths around as you really feel as though, should the end of the world arrive, that you could be ready for it. And should hell freeze over, assumingly we would all die, so would it not be nice to know that you spent less money on your truck? All kidding aside, the Sequoia is a very competent member of a select group, perhaps not the most competent, but the one that makes the most sense.
photo:Philippe Champoux
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