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2008 Toyota Sequoia - First Drive
Let this serve as notice that the Detroit Three are not unique in their propensity for bad timing. Toyota fails here, too. The long-awaited, long-overdue real full-size Tundra pickup launched just as the housing market was putting the kibosh on full-size pickup sales. The Sequoia launches a year later, having been developed when full-size, truck-based SUV sales were beginning to slide from 800,000 per year to 500,000 per year (Toyota's numbers).

If you think of Toyota as being smug, though (an image that the Prius and its owners foster), well, then the World's Most Fantastic Number One automaker can continue to be smug. The Tundra is meeting Toyota's conservative sales projections. Toyota says it hopes the new Sequoia can claw its way back to a peak of about 65,000 sales per year, roughly twice calendar year '06 numbers, and that seems reasonable, even in the current market.

Like Tundra, Sequoia is vastly improved and should grab a larger share of its shrinking segment. Tundra's aluminum 5.7-liter V-8 is optional on SR5 and Limited and standard on the new Lexus-like Platinum. The old 4.7 iron block remains the base engine until a new smaller V-8 derivative of the 5.7 is ready.

Tundra's familiar dash makes it into the Sequoia, but the horse-collar grille is toned down a bit, as if to say, "I'm not really so massive." The dash is still disappointing in its plastic-ness, and looks better in photos than in the flesh. But the days of making an SUV by slapping a station wagon body onto a pickup truck are long gone, and here, Toyota doesn't disappoint. The Sequoia gets an independent rear suspension, replacing the old Sequoia's live rear axle, and re-tuned steering. The steering is "for females," and that's according to chief engineer Motoharu Araya, so direct your emails about male chauvinism elsewhere. Toyota boasts a 39-foot turning diameter, which happens to equal that of the Chevy Tahoe and GMC Yukon. Read Article
2008 Toyota Sequoia - First Drive



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S4cabriofoxoneS4cabriofoxone - 11/18/2007 2:30:21 AMView My AgentSpace
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It's just not attractive.

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rok_altimarok_altima - 11/18/2007 10:13:36 AM
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I agree, I saw this picture and I was shocked! the current one looks 10x better than this one. This one looks so bloated and very similar to a Dodge Durango (which is not a compliment)..what happened?!


S4cabriofoxoneS4cabriofoxone - 11/18/2007 1:13:45 PMView My AgentSpace
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"it is even more beautiful than the Tundra!"

Are you joking? I mean, you ARE joking, right?

Tundra, "beautiful?" It's a nice truck and it looks fine. Nothing exciting going on there, except for its unexpected amount of recalls.

SEQUOIA, "beautiful?" LOL! It looks horrific. Toyota didn't even TRY with this one. They stuck the truck front on and called it a day, and it DOESN'T WORK. It's not "understated massiveness" at all, in fact, it looks HUGER than it is. This is only because of the front end. The rest reminds me of the Chrysler Aspen (not a compliment), but the front is what ruins what otherwise could be a bland, inoffensive SUV design. Gee, that sounds like the current Tundra.

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S4cabriofoxoneS4cabriofoxone - 11/20/2007 8:04:46 PMView My AgentSpace
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"but you FAWN over every audi with OVERSIZED grills."

That's because they make gorgeous cars, and the grilles fit in perfectly. I honestly just don't notice the grille any more--it's just part of the car, and doesn't stand out to me much.

But the front end on the Sequoia is just TOO WIDE. It doesn't work. On the Tundra it's fine... but the Sequoia is a family SUV, and if I saw this in my rear view it would look like it was going to eat me. That feature alone ruins what could have been a characterless, inoffensive design (current Sequoia).

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S4cabriofoxoneS4cabriofoxone - 11/20/2007 8:06:12 PMView My AgentSpace
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BTW, what's the point of mentioning Audi in the first place? Aren't you one of those that get all pissy when someone mentions Lexus in a non-Lexus-related article?

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wooodwoood - 11/18/2007 5:30:50 AM
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I say shove the new Toyota twin turbo diesel v8 in this new sequoia and see sales rise to record numbers.

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huu76huu76 - 11/18/2007 12:45:39 PM
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What does Motortrend have against the Japanese? Did they stop advertising? Again, practically nothing remotely positive to say.

They should note that Toyota doesn't live and die by truck/SUV sales and their targets are modest, unlike the big 3.

I'm sure if MB had come out with a 16cylinder diesel that got 2mpg, they'd be raving about it.

They knock the Sequoia's mileage yet don't offer up even a manufacturer stated number.
Feminine feeling steering, as if to say SUV buyers want them to feel like trucks. Motortrend should do a survey of who the real buyers of Escalades are and they might suddenly like feminine and geriatric.

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S4cabriofoxoneS4cabriofoxone - 11/18/2007 1:14:53 PMView My AgentSpace
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"What does Motortrend have against the Japanese? Did they stop advertising? Again, practically nothing remotely positive to say."

Maybe because it's NOT GOOD.

Did that ever occur to you?

Or did you just assume it would be a good car, because of the badge on its grille? Yeah, that's what I thought.


S4cabriofoxoneS4cabriofoxone - 11/20/2007 8:02:44 PMView My AgentSpace
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CR BASES THEIR DATA ON RELIABILITY ALONE.

They are not the definitive automotive source! I'm not talking about reliability, I'm talking about the CAR ITSELF. If the Tundra is ugly, slow, heavy, cheap on the inside and ungainly to drive, then they'll say it is!


huu76huu76 - 11/18/2007 3:11:30 PM
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The hybrid-Tahoe apparently gets 20mpg, the Sequoia-hybrid should at the very least match that.

I don't recall saying the Sequioa was perfect. No car has negative everything (even German ones) but Motortrend seems bent on printing nothing but negativity if it has the Toyota badge on it. I'm starting to think they were bought out by Autobild or something.

You've been on this site long enough to know I don't care about badges. Lexus' would be just as nice badged as Toyota's (in some cases, I'd prefer them that way). It's usually only the BMW crowd who cares more about the badge than the car, and defending their choices with made up stuff like handling and German feel.

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S4cabriofoxoneS4cabriofoxone - 11/18/2007 7:08:33 PMView My AgentSpace
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"You've been on this site long enough to know I don't care about badges."

No, I haven't. You seem absolutely badge-centric to me.

If the Tundra isn't a good car (no, I didn't say you thought it was perfect), the publication is not BIASED as you continue to imply. They have nothing against Toyota. They just weren't impressed.

"It's usually only the BMW crowd who cares more about the badge than the car, and defending their choices with made up stuff like handling and German feel."

Since when is "handling" a made up thing? Maybe you don't know about it, because you've never driven a German car, but it's actually quite nice. BMW fans don't like the cars because of their badges... in fact, it's the opposite. They like the badges BECAUSE OF THE CARS. BMW has a history of consistently producing excellent drivers' cars, with a comfort and ease of use that isn't found in most performance cars. This, in fact, is what sets German cars as a whole apart. All of the sporty cars they make can be driven every day, even the Porsche GT3, which is the most extreme. They all share a superb ride/handling balance that makes us love them.

You say you buy ToyLex products because of their quality and feature content; well, those are good reasons. But those reasons are no more tangible or practical than why we buy European cars--they drive well. It just so happens that European and Japanese cars have finally reached a crossroads; Japanese cars (or some of them) now drive well, and European cars have cutting-edge features.

Is it that hard to understand?


huu76huu76 - 11/18/2007 3:13:33 PM
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Oh, btw Motortend. My Jeep has light steering, wonder what you have to say about that. Probably nothing bad since it's not Japanese.

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S4cabriofoxoneS4cabriofoxone - 11/18/2007 7:10:31 PMView My AgentSpace
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Why would I be more partial to a Jeep with light steering rather than a Toyota?

I am not a Japanese car "hater." I simply am not. I buy German cars, but that doesn't mean I dislike the Japanese competition.


ToneeTonee - 11/18/2007 7:30:38 PM
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Looks okay I guess. Took to much styling cues from the Tundra thou. I wonder why Lexus didn't base the LX570 off of this new Seqouia instead of the Land Crusier? I think they would have a better chance a competing w/SUV's in its class if it were bigger.

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carguy68carguy68 - 11/19/2007 12:07:22 PM
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Looks really ugly in person, saw it at the la auto show.

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1970toyotamarc1970toyotamarc - 11/20/2007 9:42:12 PM
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How is it ever bad timing to introduce a new version of a vehicle in a market that is shrinking? If Toyota just let the current Sequoia wither on the vine, it would shrink even more. Why doesnt Toyota scrap the 4Runner, Sienna, Avalon, Tundra, Sequoia (did i mis any) because apparently the only classes of vehicle increasing market share are small cars and CUVs. Well it aint gonna happen. While GM refuses to update the Trailblazer and its twins, Ford and GM drop their miniVans, the Explorer dies a long sad death, Chrysler kills off half its products, Toyota forges forward on in shrinking classes with new, bold products, with the intention of increasing sales and market share. Uh, and by the way, contrary to all the lies lately, that strategy is working just fine for the Tundra, which is on pace to hit its goal of 200,000 this year, case ya hadnt noticed.

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