Two Drive Notes for the price of one this week, due to travel last week.
Up today: The 2024 Toyota Sequoia TRD Pro.
This is a Sequoia gussied up with TRD touches, along with roof rails that caused consternation upon entering my garage. Garish and eye catching and equipped with a hybrid powertrain that combines a 3.5-liter twin-turbo V6 and an electric motor/generator to put out 437 horsepower and 583 lb-ft of torque.
Here are the pros, cons, and other notes:
Pros
- That available torque is noticeable. This is a heavy trucklet that feels lighter on its feet than it should, at least when it comes to acceleration. Passing punch is plentiful.
- I didn’t go off road, but I suspect this Sequoia can do a bit of boulder-bashing. Just a bit, though.
- The third row is easy to access and my six-foot-one frame fit. Barely.
- Power up/down for the third-row is great.
- Toyota infotainment is good now.
- There’s good center-console storage.
Cons
- The third row won’t accommodate taller adults than myself.
- The engine is loud.
- So, too, is wind noise on the freeway.
- There’s a Sport mode — but why?
- Unless I missed something, when I folded the third row down, it left the cargo area with a two-level set up. This resulted in me parking after driving home from the airport, popping the hatch from the inside release, and hearing my suitcase thud onto the garage store. I finally no longer felt like I overpaid for a hard shell.
- Ride and handling are sacrificed, a little bit, for the off-road bits.
- There is, of course, body roll.
That’s about it. See you next time.
[Images © 2024 Tim Healey/TTAC.com]
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