2008 Toyota Sequoia Review Saint Paul MN

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Introduction

What's New - All new from the ground up, the 2008 Toyota Sequoia out-sizes almost all of its competition, and out powers them to boot. Based on the new-for-2007 Toyota Tundra full-sized pickup, the Sequoia is significantly larger than the vehicle it replaces, and muscles its way into the full-size SUV arena.

Why It Matters - The Sequoia is entering the marketplace at a precarious time, when full-size SUV sales are on the decline as gas prices spiral upward. Regardless, it's a finely executed beast of burden, and there are a lot of people for whom large vehicles like this are a necessity, and not an option. For them, the Sequoia's a good choice.

Toyota Sequoia - 2008 Review:The Sequoia is not just gigantic in every dimension, it wears its size as proudly as a fat guy in a Hawaiian shirt. One of our staffers took a look at its stadium-sized proportions and dubbed it the Toyota Dome. We thought its platform-mate, the full-size Tundra pickup, had inoculated us against its enormity. We were wrong.

Just for comparison's sake, let's run a few numbers, shall we? The Sequoia is three inches longer, has six inches more wheelbase, and is 0.9-inches wider than Chevrolet's big boy, the Tahoe. Its wheelbase is three inches longer than a Ford Expedition, and even though it's about an inch and a half shorter, it's more than an inch wider. Even the gigantic Nissan Armada is narrower, although the wheelbase and body are both longer.

The funny thing is, once you take your first bite, this 72-ounce porterhouse of an SUV goes down like an eight-ounce breakfast steak. The big 5.7-liter V-8 has plenty of power in reserve, and has no problem motivating the Sequoia. Despite its girth and length, it's just as maneuverable as the smaller Tahoe. It offers up a comfortable and effortless drive, and of course, enough room for a board meeting.

We're not sure if we'd bestow a "Best in Class" award on the Sequoia, because it's not without shortcomings. However, after years of the previous Sequoia catering to the "don't need so much" crowd, it's clear that Toyota has thrown in with the "more than we need" camp populated by domestic makes in a big and very convincing way.

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