2018 Toyota Sequoia Preview
CARS.COM
Competes with: Ford Expedition, Chevrolet Tahoe, Nissan Armada
Looks like: Truck in front, SUV in back
Drivetrain: 381-horsepower, 5.7-liter V-8, 401 pounds-feet of torque; six-speed automatic transmission; front-wheel drive or four-wheel drive
Hits Dealerships: TRD Sport in September 2017
Making its debut at the 2017 Chicago Auto Show, the Toyota Sequoia gets a mild refresh for the 2018 model year. Toyota is adding new standard safety equipment and a new trim level, the TRD Sport. The TRD Sport joins the SR5, Limited and Platinum trims.
Exterior
The Sequoia is still more truck-like in appearance than Toyota’s mid-size Highlander crossover. Changes to the exterior include new LED headlights (which are now standard), daytime running lights and foglights, as well as three new exterior colors: Midnight Black Metallic, Shoreline Blue Pearl and Toasted Walnut Pearl. Each trim level also gets its own specific grille design as well.
The TRD Sport wears a new front bumper, 20-inch alloy black sport wheels, smoked taillight lenses and gloss-black mirror caps.
Interior
Interior changes are much more limited, and the biggest is a redesigned instrument panel to fit a new multi-information display for the driver; it controls the added safety features. The center console has also been slightly restyled.
For the TRD Sport, which comes with black fabric upholstery and seating for seven with standard second-row captain’s chairs, black leather upholstery is optional. There are also added TRD badges on the shift knob, floor mats and sill protectors.
Under the Hood
The Sequoia only has one available engine, a 381-hp, 5.7-liter V-8 that makes 401 pounds-feet of torque that’s mated to a six-speed automatic transmission. It’s offered in 4×2 or 4×4 configurations.
There are some upgrades to the TRD Sport to improve handling, with the addition of TRD Sport-tuned Bilstein shock absorbers and TRD front and rear anti-sway bars.
Safety
The biggest upgrades for the 2018 Sequoia come on the safety front. Toyota has a stated goal to include automatic emergency braking in most of its vehicles by the 2018 model year, and the Sequoia now joins that list, adding Toyota Safety Sense as standard equipment across all trim levels.
TSS-P adds a pre-collision system with pedestrian detection and automatic braking, lane departure alert, automatic high beams and adaptive cruise control.
