2001 Toyota Sequoia
Review by RON DRYSDALE

Toyota's big new Sequoia is probably the most off-roadable vehicle in the current crop of full-sized mainstream sport utes, and so it is with more than a little embarrassment that I have to admit that our test drive never got any hairier than the distant reaches of the overflow parking lot at The Forks.
Sure, the lot was a sheet of lumpy ice and we did gently motor up and over a few concrete dividers … but, really now … the Sequoia deserved better.
The Toyota's off-road DNA is quickly noticed. The first external clue is the vehicle's 27 cm (more than 10.5 inches) of ground clearance. Approach and departure angles are also pretty decent, so there's little chance of a prudently-driven vehicle getting hung-up or bashed from below.
In the interior, the thick stubby lever poking out of the transmission tunnel quietly signals the Sequoia's ability to shift from 4WH to stump-pulling 4WL. It's a rarely-used but always-nice-to-have feature, and its presence says far more than any number of ruff-'n-ready grab-on handles.
The Sequoia is based upon Toyota's Tundra full-sized pickup truck platform, and naturally shares that truck's sweet 4.7 litre DOHC V-8 engine. From a review of a Tundra written in autumn '99 …
The Tundra's 32-valve 245 hp DOHC engine is a sweetie, singing a Lexus tune at high rpm while still providing 85 percent of its considerable torque (315 lb.-ft) at just 1100 rpm.
The Sequoia's engine produces five fewer horsepower (likely due to exhaust constraints) but the drop is insignificant … the Sequoia still (as I wrote of the Tundra) inhales long stretches of open pavement with almost the same aplomb as the corporate-flagship LS430.
Other points noted during the three-day test period:

The 70-30 split mid-row seats offer fore-and-aft adjustment, a folding centre armrest, tilt, and wonderfully-long seatbases. It's a great place to spend some time.

Power front seats are excellent, but unfortunately they're only available in the Limited or as a part of an option-pac in the otherwise well-equipped base SR5 Sequoia.

Combine great ground clearance with body-on-frame construction and the inevitable result is one long step up into the vehicle. The side running boards (standard on the Sequoia Limited) are almost a must-have, but they are vulnerable in the rugged stuff and will get dirt onto the pants or legs of the athletic soul who chooses to step over (rather than onto) them.

Even the base Sequoia SR5 comes with a lot of standard goodies that we've come to associate with high-end sedans … pricey things like side-curtain airbags and Vehicle Stability Control.

I spent almost an entire day just running errands in and around the city, and quickly came to appreciate the Sequoia's fairly reasonable turning radius and the keyfob-powered window in the rear liftgate.

Fuel economy in the city is shocking, as it is with all V-8 powered SUV's, but Greenies can take some small comfort in the knowledge that the Sequoia is classed as a ULEV (Ultra Low Emissions Vehicle) by the EPA in the United States.

The dead pedal for the driver's left foot was perfectly placed and didn't feel mushy … a simple idea well done … typically Toyota.

The windows on the rear doors roll all the way down. Such a neat idea.

Toyota should have stayed with the Tundra's simple rotary controls for the HVAC system. The Sequoia's fancier Mode buttons require a long look down from the road ahead. Simpler is better.

The two third-row seats are OK for kids, and they are equipped with proper three-point belts and adjustable headrests. Each individual seat can be removed fairly easily.

A high-end drivetrain like the Sequoia's naturally comes with ABS and Traction Control, but the vehicle is also equipped with (in addition to the aforementioned VSC) something called Active Traction Control that redistributes power from wheels that slip to wheels that grip.

Quick Summary - Toyota's new Tundra-based sport-ute is a bit bigger than the Tahoe/Yukon competition from GM, and considerably newer than Ford's Expedition. It offers the same tough-as-nails persona as the company's legendary Land Cruiser (available in Canada only as the full-boat Lexus LX 470), and sweetens the deal with Lexus-like fit, finish and attention to detail.
The Sequoia is assuredly not a Land Cruiser, but at $58,000 for the loaded Limited model it also costs thousands less than that wonderful benchmark. It gets better … the base Sequoia SR5 is anything but basic and offers the same mechanical goodies for a substantial $12,000 less than the Limited.

Home, James