Northof49
New member
Had a road trip to go on and the Toyota boys suggested I drive a '06 Sequoia Limited, as they had a customer who wanted to view it where we were headed. I'd driven a few of these years ago, but they don't sell particularly well around here so not a ton. Considering the chassis is over 6 years old, and the motor/tranny setup is nearly identical to the lighter, smaller, sportier, more toy-equipped 4Runners/GX470's with whom I'm very familiar, I really didn't expect anything too special. Boy was I wrong; these things are an absolutely kickass vehicle.
The piece of highway we needed to conquer was a 4 hour (one way) stretch of 2-lane "highway," complete with 2 rugged mountain passes and pavement recently ravaged by a record BC winter. The Sequoia simply ate up bumps, road imperfections and miles unlike anything I've ever driven. Road, engine and wind noise were basically non-existent....I've driven almost every truck and car-based SUV out there, and this was tops. I considered my 05 4Runner and its big brother GX470 to be very quiet and relaxed vehicles, and couldn't believe how much better this was. 50mph felt like 30mph in a Camry, and 80mph felt exactly like 50. The only way to introduce noise to the cabin was either through the sunroof or the stereo. Even at WOT passing uphill, the engine was audible....but that's about it. You'd swear the thing had an electric motor driving at anything less than WFO.
The seats were extremely comfortable, and the pedals and steering wheel sit exactly where they need to be. On the high side of 6'2" 220lbs, many seats come up short for me, but these were spot-on, 4 hours of straight driving and I wasn't the least bit tired or sore. More headroom than most other sunroof equipped vehicles is nice too. A 4Runner or a car-based SUV corners flatter, but the ride in the Sequoia more than makes up for it. On crappy pavement, most vehicle "nibble" around, in this thing you could have a drink, a snack, check your email, then look back at the road and it's still going dead straight. I've driven MUCH faster cars on this same trip, yet this time was one of my best ET's ever, as it cruises so non-chalantly at speed, you never feel stressed. The 4.7 V8 is not as snappy as in the 4Runner (where it is downright fast), but it was easily strong enough for every stupid, uphill, 2-lane pass I could throw at it
Styling wise, this example was a white Limited with pewter-ish wheels, and it simply looked awesome IMO. The lines are more rounded and classic than many modern SUV's trying hard to be "new age." I honestly couldn't believe how many random comments we got on the vehicle throughout the weekend. Parked out in front of classy restaurants with lots full of Escalades, Lincolns, jacked S-dutys, BMW's, etc....and still people would say "Wow, that is a REALLY nice vehicle!" Everyone who rode in was extremely impressed....from a few business friends to some party girls, everyone just loved the roomy interior, buttery smooth yet solid ride and good looks.
I consider myself a fairly picky driver, and it's rare to find a vehicle where everything just feels "right" from the get-go. It was great to appreciate a product that works exactly as it should; despite the vast number of autos on the market, this is a surprising rarity. With a re-design due for 08, there should be some great deals coming up on leftover and slightly-used Sequoias. The new model should be awesome if they stick close to the current formula, but I would have 0 hesitations jumping on any 05+ that was a good deal. Cars come and go very easily for me, but I was genuinely disappointed to return this one. Toyota has had many under-appreciated models throughout the years, and this is definitely one of them.
As a testament to the noise levels and ride quality delivered by this thing....on the way home my friend fell asleep for 3.5 hours straight. On a road that looks like this, averaging 15mph over the speed and corner limits, that's damn impressive IMO:
Here's the unit:
The piece of highway we needed to conquer was a 4 hour (one way) stretch of 2-lane "highway," complete with 2 rugged mountain passes and pavement recently ravaged by a record BC winter. The Sequoia simply ate up bumps, road imperfections and miles unlike anything I've ever driven. Road, engine and wind noise were basically non-existent....I've driven almost every truck and car-based SUV out there, and this was tops. I considered my 05 4Runner and its big brother GX470 to be very quiet and relaxed vehicles, and couldn't believe how much better this was. 50mph felt like 30mph in a Camry, and 80mph felt exactly like 50. The only way to introduce noise to the cabin was either through the sunroof or the stereo. Even at WOT passing uphill, the engine was audible....but that's about it. You'd swear the thing had an electric motor driving at anything less than WFO.
The seats were extremely comfortable, and the pedals and steering wheel sit exactly where they need to be. On the high side of 6'2" 220lbs, many seats come up short for me, but these were spot-on, 4 hours of straight driving and I wasn't the least bit tired or sore. More headroom than most other sunroof equipped vehicles is nice too. A 4Runner or a car-based SUV corners flatter, but the ride in the Sequoia more than makes up for it. On crappy pavement, most vehicle "nibble" around, in this thing you could have a drink, a snack, check your email, then look back at the road and it's still going dead straight. I've driven MUCH faster cars on this same trip, yet this time was one of my best ET's ever, as it cruises so non-chalantly at speed, you never feel stressed. The 4.7 V8 is not as snappy as in the 4Runner (where it is downright fast), but it was easily strong enough for every stupid, uphill, 2-lane pass I could throw at it
Styling wise, this example was a white Limited with pewter-ish wheels, and it simply looked awesome IMO. The lines are more rounded and classic than many modern SUV's trying hard to be "new age." I honestly couldn't believe how many random comments we got on the vehicle throughout the weekend. Parked out in front of classy restaurants with lots full of Escalades, Lincolns, jacked S-dutys, BMW's, etc....and still people would say "Wow, that is a REALLY nice vehicle!" Everyone who rode in was extremely impressed....from a few business friends to some party girls, everyone just loved the roomy interior, buttery smooth yet solid ride and good looks.
I consider myself a fairly picky driver, and it's rare to find a vehicle where everything just feels "right" from the get-go. It was great to appreciate a product that works exactly as it should; despite the vast number of autos on the market, this is a surprising rarity. With a re-design due for 08, there should be some great deals coming up on leftover and slightly-used Sequoias. The new model should be awesome if they stick close to the current formula, but I would have 0 hesitations jumping on any 05+ that was a good deal. Cars come and go very easily for me, but I was genuinely disappointed to return this one. Toyota has had many under-appreciated models throughout the years, and this is definitely one of them.
As a testament to the noise levels and ride quality delivered by this thing....on the way home my friend fell asleep for 3.5 hours straight. On a road that looks like this, averaging 15mph over the speed and corner limits, that's damn impressive IMO:
Here's the unit:
