Video: 2023 Toyota Sequoia: Up Close

Things like more power, more efficiency, more tech, more luxury, better towing capabilities, and all that while still retaining the old model's excellent interior room and exterior visibility, things that made the old model appealing despite its age. We weren't really asking for much. And it seems like at least on paper Toyota's given us a lot of what we asked for. There's a whole new styling, the new Sequoia shares its architecture with the new Tundra, as well as the global Land Cruiser, we're not getting that here, and the Lexus LX 600, the luxury Land Cruiser which we are getting. You get a new grill design, you get the Blue Hybrid logo and we'll get to why that's here in a second. And then as you move back, you get this boxier styling. You get some character lines above the fender. This is the new Capstone trim. So you get 22 inch Chrome wheels and the Capstone exclusive Chrome accents along the side and you get this nice high belt line and then a little bit more character lines and then it finishes with a C-pillar that to me reminds me a lot of the new LX. We wanted more power and more efficiency and it looks like we're gonna get both. We're definitely getting more power. All Sequoia's in fact are powered by the new i-Force Max twin-turbo V6 Hybrid powertrain. That first debuted on the Tundra. It's got 437 horsepower and 583 pounds feet of torque. That's up from 381 horsepower in the old Sequoia and 401 pounds feet. That covers the more power wish but what about more efficiency? Well, we don't have fuel economy numbers just yet for the Sequoia. Whatever it is for the new Sequoia? It should be better than the old models, 14 to 15 MPG. We also hope for more towing capabilities with the Sequoia and Toyota has again delivered. Back here is where the hitch hides. Toyota says this new Sequoia will tow up to 9,000 pounds up from 7,400 in the previous generation. And we get some new neat features as well. There's a tow tech package available and standard on higher trims. Comes with Trailer Backup Assist to help you back up with a trailer and then a Straight Path Assist that will actually help keep the trailer straight while you're backing up. There's also in certain models an integrated Trailer Brake Controller. Not clear just yet whether that's part of the tow tech package or available on certain trim levels and above. But the old model didn't have an Integrated Trailer Brake Controller at all. You actually had to go and buy one and install it separately. So, did Toyota deliver on our ask for more luxury? Well, for the most part, it seems so. We already detailed some of the exterior luxury details like the Chrome 22 inch wheels, the Chrome trim. There's also Power Running Boards though since this isn't powered at the moment those don't deploy but they are there. Inside. This is a prototype, so take my materials quality impressions with a grain of salt. But things do feel very nice. You get this nice Two-Tone white and black leather trim in the Capstone. You also get Open-Pore Walnut Wood trim here. You get a 14 inch touchscreen display. Again, we don't have power but it is here. You do also get a lot of nice physical controls wireless charging, big center console. You do have a drive mode selector, that's a first for the Sequoia. Also, push button four wheel drive over here. I will say materials dip slightly at the door level right about at midpoint down. But overall it's pretty nice in here. I don't think it surpasses the competition necessarily but it definitely keeps up. Here in the second row of the Sequoia Capstone we still get mostly nice materials although it starts to dip a little bit earlier but one improvement over the old Sequoia, you actually get USB ports. Those weren't available in the second row of the old model. You also get climate controls. Heated and ventilated seats for the second row passengers. For the most part comfort wise, things are okay here. I have decent leg room, knee room, my knees are a little elevated and the front seat is kind of close to the knees here. And my headroom is good for the most part but this panoramic sunroof is starting to cut into that headroom a little bit. Also worth noting that on some trim levels of the Sequoia this can be a bench seat so you can have an extra seat in the middle. Here we have this handy little console with cup holders and a little storage tray. Here in the third row of the Sequoia Capstone, things are a bit more cramped. I'm six foot one and this isn't where I would wanna spend time in a road trip. But it is decently roomy. You get cup holders over here, you have a power reclining seat, which is nice. And the third row actually slides forward and backwards up to six inches so you can have more leg room as you need it. Not too terrible, not the best. I feel like the third row in the older Sequoia was a little bit more roomy but this still isn't the bad place to be and not the smallest third row in the class. The third row is also available with power folding that you can control from the rear cargo area to help you with storage. And it's worth noting that the second row seats actually fold and tilt forward providing better access than in the old Sequoia. It's a little bit hard to climb into right now without the power running boards but access is still better than it was. And one more innovative feature in the Sequoia is this new tiered shelving system for the cargo area. You have multiple positions from down on the floor to all the way up to this level. It'll help you divide your cargo items a little bit better and make things a little bit easier for you when you're transporting goods. With the caveat that this is a prototype model, I have to say the Toyota Sequoia Capstone interior is pretty impressive and competitive with the class if not necessarily surpassing it. As for the rest of the Sequoia's improvements and what that'll do to its on and off offroad driving abilities? We'll have to wait a little bit longer. We'll also have to wait a little bit longer for pricing and fuel economy data which should come closer to its on sale date this summer. For more on the 2023 Toyota Sequoia and the rest of the Chicago Auto Show. Be sure to check out Cars.com.