The brand spanking new 2023 Toyota Sequoia TRD Pro is able to safely carry 1,430 lbs. With a full 22.5 gallon tank of gas, that leaves only 1,295 lbs left over. Divide that number by the truck’s seven seats, and you get a maximum average passenger weight of 185 lbs. The average adult male in this country weighs 198 lbs. The 2023 Toyota Sequoia is not able to safely fill all seven of its seats with adult humans. Other trim levels can carry even less.
Of course, limited payloads are nothing new for Toyota 4x4s. But people still love them. Why? Here on the Internet, where up is down, black is white, and conventional wisdom is treated as the pinnacle of human knowledge, Toyotas enjoy a strong reputation for reliability.
But, complete with a 583 lb-ft, twin-turbo, gasoline-electric hybrid V6 and 10-speed automatic transmission, along with five separate radiators, will the new Sequoia, and the all the rest of the trucks that share its new platform live up to that reputation? The Sequoia is just entering the market, but the mechanically identical new Tundra has been on-sale for over a year. And it’s not fairing well.
In 2021, Consumer Reports awarded the previous generation Tundra a perfect 5/5 reliability rating. This all new model receives only a 3/5 score, with CR reporting, “We expect the 2023 Tundra will be less reliable than the average new car. This prediction is based on data from 2022 models.”
Owners report problems with the electrical system, door locks, turbo waste gate, brakes, and throttle. JD Power reports a 70/100 Quality and Reliability rating from its owner satisfaction survey. In 2021, the old Tundra netted an 86/100 Q&R rating. The current Ford F-150 receives an 86; JD power ranks the Tundra in last place for full-size truck reliability.
What about performance and fuel economy? In buff book testing, the Tundra is proving both slower and less fuel efficient than rivals.
What about off-road? Like many others, I assumed the Tundra’s new coil rear spring setup would increase articulation. After driving it, I am sad to report articulation is substantially decreased. Where the 2nd get Tundra was able to flex out with a pretty weak 484 Ramp Travel Index, that number for the new Tundra TRD Pro is just 436. For comparison’s sake, that’s even less articulation than that achieved by the new Land Rover Defender, a fully-independent family crossover styled to appear off-roady.
Update: Dan Edmunds reports that RTI on the Tundra TRD Pro is just 408, several points behind that of both a base Tundra, or a work-spec F-150.
It should also be noted that the Sequioa and Tundra TRD Pros achieve less articulation than lesser trims. That’s because TRD Pro is apparently now an off-road appearance package, not an off-road performance package. On the Tundra launch, Toyota PR reps noted that the the bright red sway bar on TRD Pros is thicker than that on other trim levels. I asked why. I don't remember the exact answer since this was over a year ago, but it was along the lines of allowing owners to fit taller tires without sacrificing road manners. The rep was careful to follow up with a note that a three-inch “lift kit” is available as a dealer-fitted accessory. But without the ability to move those tires up and down, that lift kit will add no additional capability.
Just in case you don't understand that last paragraph—the TRD Pro will be less capable off-road than the standard Tundra or Sequoia.
And, like the Tundra, no trim level of the Sequoia is available with front recovery points. So, like the current Tundra, no Sequoia is able to be safely used off-road, in bad weather, or in remote areas in totally stock form.
This is the part of this newsletter where I’m going to start talking about Land Cruisers. There’s a couple of points to make here.
1) My wife and I own a Land Cruiser. Not only is the 200 series the most capable 4x4 Toyota has ever sold in this country, it’s also the most durable. Where products like the above Tundra and Sequoia were validation tested to ensure they’d last at least 15 years of normal on-road driving (you know, school runs, and adventures through the parking lot at Whole Foods), the 200-series was validated to ensure it’d be good-as-new after 25 years of daily off-road abuse. And, and, the custom suspension system I put together for for our truck gives it more wheel travel than the new Ford Bronco Sasquatch or Jeep Wrangler Rubicon.
This is to say I am not a Toyota hater. I am somebody who fully understands how truly great a great Toyota can be when Toyota decides to make them great.
2) Toyota no longer sells the Land Cruiser in the United States. Instead, we get the 300-series-based Lexus LX600. That vehicle is unavailable with features like KDSS that make the Land Cruiser so unique.
3) All new Toyota 4x4s, at least those available in the US, will be made on the same platform as the one that underpins the new Tundra and Sequoia.
4) RTI for a bone stock 200-series is 661. The only stock vehicles I’m aware of that exceed that number are Jeep Wranglers with their sway bars removed. Our 200, which I’ve dubbed the OE Long Travel 200-Series, should exceed the RTI of a stock 200 by a significant margin, but I have yet to find an opportunity to measure that.
The fact that the upcoming Tacoma and 4Runner replacements will use a shortened version of this platform is not encouraging. It’d be hard to make either vehicle any worse, but with already unsafe payloads and really significantly limited articulation (the 300 also has less articulation than a 200), it’s also hard to see how Toyota is going to make them any better.
Am I wrong here? Honestly, I hope I am. Can someone less dismayed by the current state of affairs please provide some encouraging data points in the comments?
I’m not even a car guy (I take my Nissan Leaf elk hunting), but it seems to me unconscionable that they can sell a car that can’t handle the payload of passengers. Should they have to put a weight limit warning on three of the seats?
And on top of everything you mention - they reduced reduced cargo space in new gen Sequoia from 120 cu ft to 87.