2026 Toyota Sequoia 4WD TRD Pro Hybrid - Review by David Colman +VIDEO

There's a New Sheriff in Town

David Colman

Story and Photos by David Colman
Special Correspondent
THE AUTO CHANNEL

The only way to get your '26 Sequoia painted Wave Maker Blue is to order the TRD Pro model. Lesser versions of the Sequoia do not qualify for Wave Maker status. That brilliant blue paint - which my wife immediately labeled "Bilious Blue" - will set you back just $695. And for the record, I love it. The TRD Pro package, on the other hand, will nick you for $81,565. All told, the out-the-door bottom line for this hulking beast comes to $88,196. That total includes $2,299 for a "TRD Performance Package" consisting of Dual Air Intake Boxes and Cat-Back Exhaust, plus $850 for a "Tow Tech Package with Wireless Trailer Camera System." Toyota thoughtfully provides your gas cap with a "TRD Performance Premium Fuel Sticker" intended to remind you to buy only 91 Octane when refilling the Sequoia's 19.5 gallon tank. You'll be doing that a lot, since its 437hp/583lb-ft Hybrid V6 gets just 20 MPG in combined city/highway driving. Since California Premium now goes for $6.50/gallon, an empty tank fill-up will run you about 125 bucks.

While street-bound drivers will be content with lesser Sequoia variants, more adventurous souls will opt for the TRD Pro's highly evolved technical package expressly designed for backcountry travel. Helping you outback are an array of sophisticated suspension enhancements designed to maximize your control of this 6,140 lb SUV. Since all traction emanates from your four tire contact patches, Toyota's TRD Pro Sequoia is equipped with arguably the best set of wheels you can buy from legendary BBS: satin black 18 x 8.5J forged alloy rims wrapped in (TW500) Falken AT 3W 285/65R18 rubber. TRD Pro suspension components at all four corners are stabilized by racing-quality Fox shock absorbers.

A multi-terrain dial prominently located atop the transmission tunnel allows you to select from four different types of suspension control. The Drive Mode button provides Eco/Normal/Sport choices. The adjacent Tow/Haul button offers Tow and Tow+ variants. An electronically controlled transfer case and locking rear differential allow you to select 2WD or 4WD Low and High via a selector switch located on the center console. Taming the performance of that explosively powerful and torquey i-FORCE MAX twin-turbo V6 is a system called Multi-Terrain Select. To control wheelspin on a wide variety of surfaces, MTS offers the following settings in 4WD Low: Auto/Sand/Mud/Rock. In 4WD High, you are offered: Auto/Sand/Dirt /Mud/Deep Snow.

On top of that smorgasbord of specificity, you have even more options available from the same master twist knob. There's yet another quadrant offering Crawl Control and Downhill Assist Control. Think of Crawl as a sort of slow-motion Cruise Control for the outback, a system which allows the driver to concentrate on steering input rather than throttle position. While you won't use Crawl for racing the Baja 1000, you'll at least be assured of making the finish line in one piece. Lest you get carried away on descents, the system also provides Downhill Assist Control (DAC) to limit speed to safe levels. You don't necessarily need an advanced degree from Caltech to operate this TRD earth mover, but it wouldn't hurt your cause to have one.

For such an intimidating piece of machinery, the interior is attractively laid out. Rows 1 and 2 get four big bucket seats adjustable in a wide variety of ways. Row 3 gets a 60/40 split bench. The front row loungers are designed for fine-tuning. They're also impressive to behold, with camouflaged TRD Softex fabric, trimmed red stitching, and eye-popping TRD PRO headrests. They proved to be exceptionally supportive, with altitude adjustment for the front and back of the lower cushion and Olympic-quality lumbar support for driver and passenger. The rest of the cabin is similarly tailored in a businesslike fashion, with an intriguingly deep center console storage bin. A beautifully wrapped, perforated leather steering wheel, sized like an extra-large Domino pizza, is finished off with a red Porsche-style racing stripe at top dead center.

Because the Sequoia shares its platform with the company sibling Tundra pickup, the pair share a live axle rear suspension that jacks up rear load height to a rather uncomfortable level. Mountain bike insertion was not fun. The suspension design yields the kind of bouncy ride you would expect from a truck of this caliber, but in its defense offers an HD towing capacity of 9,000 pounds. On the positive side, Toyota has supplied an ingenious rear storage shelf that allows you to flip a lid to access a quartet of segmented compartments with moveable dividers. The cargo shelf can also be removed entirely along with the row 3 jump seats, for an immense 89 cubic foot cargo bay. No flat floor on offer, however, and a lot of seat shuffling/removal needed.

The TRD Pro may not do it all, but it comes so close you'll love it anyway - even painted Wave Maker blue.

2026 TOYOTA SEQUOIA 4WD TRD PRO HYBRID

• ENGINE: 3.4 liter V6, twin turbocharged and intercooled DOHC 24-valve Hybrid
• HORSEPOWER: 389hp
• TORQUE: 479lb.-ft.
• FUEL CONSUMPTION: 19MPG City/22MPG Highway/20MPG Combined
• PRICE AS TESTED: $88,196

HYPES: There's a New Sheriff in Town

GRIPES: A Handful to Handle on Tight and Twisty Roads

STAR RATING: 10 Stars out of 10

©2026 David E Colman