Next-Generation Toyota Sequoia SUV Branches Out Toward Modernity
With the introduction of the 2022 Toyota Tundra, we began to wonder when we'd see the next Sequoia SUV come out. Considering the full-size three-row SUV is loosely based off of the full-size pickup, it'd make sense that a new Tundra might beget an updated Sequoia. Sure enough, it looks as though a new Sequoia is finally happening, as Toyota has begun to tease out the look of the next-gen large SUV. Even better? It looks like there might be a few stylistic references to early Sequoia models in the new one.
What We Get To See, So Far
From the looks of the teaser image above, the 2023 Sequoia's design is going to depart from the current, second-generation model, which has been around since 2007. The rear end shows just how much change to expect: Where rounded, doughy, early naughts bodylines once meandered there now live more muscular, straight edges. The tail lights also show a new "T" design fast growing familiar across the Toyota SUV lineup. They draw not only further forward and into the rear quarter panel, but also further across the liftgate.
The teaser also shows that the C-pillar has adopted a piece of black trim (instead of a body-color treatment) and brings the rear quarter window closer—physically, as we can tell thanks to some exposure editing—to the back of the rear doors. Toyota also gives the rear quarter windows a new arrowhead shape with a gray, silver, or chromed piece of trim between it and the body. Also getting some potential chrome treatment on this teaser image are the door handles.
The New Liftgate Design Is A First Gen Sequoia Callback
The bumper has also changed from a straight body separation on the body to now an angular one from the lower portion of the tail light to the molded overfender, however this separation does not continue into it. With our enhanced exposure edit, we also get a look at how the rear gate blends into the quarter panels, seemingly like the piece on the first-generation XK30/XK40 Sequoia. Instead of being completely encased into the liftgate, the rear window now curves around the gate and into the body, just like the 2001-2007 models' did.
Unfortunately, we can't see how the glass separates to form the liftgate as its separation is not evident in the edited image. It's possible that the last bit going into the body is just a piece of trim—either black plastic or darkly tinted glass bonded by adhesive—and the separation follows the line seen in the rear spoiler and taillight just as it did with the first generation Sequoia. Or it could be one whole piece that lifts up with the rest of the liftgate. Finally, we also get a quick tease of the wheel, which on the surely up-level trim highlighted here looks to be a black-painted aluminum wheel with a machined face.
Anything Else Teased?
For the moment, this is all Toyota is giving out. There is no news on available engines, drivetrains, suspension, TRD versions, or the like. We imagine that the new Sequoia will get the same engine and drive treatments as the newest Tundra short of the live axle rear. Despite the Tundra's change to coil springs, we just don't see the Sequoia backsliding from its multilink, independent rear suspension setup—recently adopted by segment heavyweights from General Motors, the Chevy Tahoe and GMC Yukon, and long a staple of Ford's Expedition—to the Tundra's live axle, however improved it might be.
Given how the Sequoia's teaser train has left the station, figure on the big SUV making its formal debut sometime soon.
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There's a very human instinct that, when faced with a problem, one must do something. Take action, lest we possibly lose control over the outcome. Toyota isn't human, it's a car company. But humans work there, and those people seemed concerned enough about customers' wholesale abandonment of full-size sedans in favor of SUVs, they decided to do something about it. The 2023 Toyota Crown is that something.Programmatically, at least, it makes sense: Full-size cars like the Avalon—which Toyota recently discontinued—might as well be invisible to most buyers because, well, they're low to the ground and conspicuously not SUVs. So, why not make a sedan taller, creating a swoopy four-door that is neither SUV nor car—with a trunk, no less? It's a curious choice that'd be bold if not for the ample historical evidence that such a vehicle isn't the genius white-space opportunity Toyota thinks it is. Remember AMC's Eagle Sedan, or Subaru's Legacy SUS (that's Sport Utility Sedan), or more recently, Volvo's S60 Cross Country? We didn't think so.Toyota insists we haven't quite been here before. Those other lifted, SUV-ish sedans (sedan-UVs?) were smaller midsizers, and weren't offered in the same fevered, SUV-crazed market crucible we're living through today. Oh, and this one's sporty! And a hybrid! Okay, maybe?The Crown nameplate is not new. In fact, it adorned the first Toyotas sold here in America back in the 1950s, before fading from this market in the early '70s. All in all, it's been through 15 generations overseas, where it has long been attached to premium Toyota sedans. (More recently, Toyota added an SUV version based on what we know as the Highlander, and it's expected that the Crown family in Japan will grow to include more body styles soon.) Consider the Crown name appropriate, then, for this up-market four-door, which, yes, essentially fills in for the now-dead Avalon in Toyota's U.S. lineup.To further differentiate the Crown from mere cars—or similarly sized offerings such as Nissan's Maxima or Dodge's Charger—all-wheel drive is standard. So is hybrid power. On the entry-level Crown XLE and midlevel Crown Limited, that hybrid power is delivered by the latest version of Toyota's 2.5-liter-four-cylinder-based gas-electric combination, similar to what you'd find in the RAV4 Hybrid crossover. Final power figures are forthcoming, but look for something in the neighborhood of 236 hp between the dual front electric motors and gas engine and the separate (third) electric motor that independently powers the rear axle. Toyota expects this combination will deliver up to 38 mpg combined.Step up to the range-topping Crown Platinum, and Toyota swaps in a hybrid powertrain geared toward sportiness over efficiency. In goes a new 2.4-liter turbo four-cylinder and six-speed automatic transmission combo with an electric motor standing in for the torque converter, plus a larger rear-axle motor. This layout mimics that on the new-generation Lexus RX's 500h F Sport trim, though instead of 367 hp it delivers 340, along with some 400-lb-ft of torque. The Platinum also has a Sport+ drive mode (XLE and Limited models top out at "Sport") and paddle shifters for its automatic transmission. (The XLE and Limited, like other Toyota hybrids, have a planetary-type continuously variable automatic transmission tuned for smoothness.) Fuel economy drops to a combined 28 mpg, perhaps a worthy tradeoff for the huge power.Toyota says the Crown generally and the Platinum specifically are tuned for sportiness, though both also prioritize quiet operation and comfort, with standard acoustic front glass and a thick noise-absorbing mat lining the firewall. If those sound like disparate and conflicting goals, well, consider them on-brand: You're talking about a vehicle that can't figure out if it's an SUV or a car. Internal strife seems to be its thing.The Crown itself is big. Think Avalon big. It is 194 inches long, 72.4 inches wide, 60.6 inches tall, and its wheelbase stretches 112.2 inches. Those dimensions are all just a hair smaller than those of the Avalon, save for the height, which is taller. (Toyota says the Crown sits 4 inches higher off the deck than a regular sedan, which we take to mean the Avalon.) The rear seat area is commodious, and even the Crown XLE rides on 19-inch wheels. In a Toyota first, the Platinum wears standard 21-inch rollers. Toyota also will offer a two-tone paint option on the Platinum only, which slathers the hood, roof, and decklid in black paint, in case the whole lifted-giant-sedan look weren't bold enough for you. Underneath, its platform isn't shared with other Toyotas; instead, its TNGA-K bones are closer to those of the new Lexus RX crossover.Without poking further fun at the Crown's oddball format, it has some presence in person. The shape is very sleek for a Toyota sedan—er, thing—and while the detailing is a bit strange, it's not an incohesive design. There is a full-width, thin taillight, along with slim headlights. A contrasting color panel on the lower door area breaks up the otherwise slab sides, and the mouthy grille is distinctive. Of course, nearly 100 percent of that mouth is not actually open; only a thin section below and nostrils on either side of a central front crash sensor are perforated to allow air into the nose.Every Crown is loaded with glamorous tech, including a 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster and 12.3-inch touchscreen running Toyota's latest Audio Multimedia software. This easier-to-use, snappier-looking interface first appeared on the 2022 Tundra pickup and is rapidly proliferating throughout Toyota's lineup. A thin row of climate control buttons live beneath this screen, as does a central volume knob. While XLE versions get a six-speaker audio system, Limited and Platinum models upgrade to an 11-speaker JBL setup.Other niceties include standard heated front seats (ventilated and heated up front and heated in back on Limited and up); Toyota's SofTex faux leather (Limited and up get real leather); and Toyota Safety Sense 3.0 (TSS) active safety features including blind-spot monitoring, adaptive cruise control, and lane-keep assist. Limited and up also get full-LED headlights, parking sensors, and rain-sensing wipers. For the Platinum, Toyota also fits an electronically adaptive suspension, which can firm up or soften depending on which drive mode is selected.We poked around the interior of the new Crown and felt it was premium, but not quite Lexus level. There are some mainstream-feeling plastics on the door panels and center console, but the overall look is definitely more up-market than you'll find on any other Toyota. One glaring issue we found has nothing to do with quality, but practicality. For as large as the cabin is, the trunk—yes, there's a trunk, not a hatch like the fastback roof suggests—feels Corolla-sized at best, and with an odd opening and only a small pass-through to the cabin with the rear seats folded.Whether this combination of supposedly sporty (or at least powerful) hybrid-ness and tall sedan-ness is something buyers are looking for remains to be seen. What we can say is that Toyota's will to do something for full-size sedans is as admirably human as it is abnormal. The logical thing for an automaker watching shoppers abandon one vehicle segment it no longer serves for another it has more than covered would be to step out of their way. Do nothing but hold up a big sign for the RAV4, Highlander, or Sequoia. Instead, this fall, the Crown will arrive in dealerships.
Tokyo Auto Salon returned after a one-year, Covid-induced hiatus that saw the cancellation of 2021's expected event. And along with the various tuning firms, parts distributors, and always interesting mom and pop shop-created display vehicles, some of the OEMs take part and show off some of their more enthusiast-focused projects.One of those automakers is Toyota, which regularly attends TAS and always brings something worth a closer look. For 2022, the Toyota Gazoo Racing group went all-in for the annual auto salon with a line of can't miss display cars, throwback parts, and some high-level motorsport competitors.Toyota GR GT3 ConceptThe world premiere of the group's GR GT3 Concept is much more than an exercise in design language and a pop of performance. The idea was to take all the technology, knowledge, and experience that Toyota Gazoo Racing has earned in various forms of motorsport and put them into a single race car. Most expected a modified MkV Supra, but what they got was something entirely different.With Batmobile like proportions, the front fascia isn't like any other Toyota product, using slender lighting that sits within a small gap along the upper portion of the front bumper. The pronounced splitter, accompanied by dual canards on each end, stretches the car out a little further. Out back, a massive carbon fiber wing sits over the rear with a sculpted vents under each side of the full-width taillight. Further down you'll spot diffuser with sharp blades and, in between, the GT3 Concept badging and GR logo.The slippery coupe sports vented front fenders that add considerable width, the rear portions connected to bulky side skirts that carry into the rear quarters. Exhaust exits are integrated into the front portions of the side skirts and the sharp cuts of the aerodynamic side mirrors are an elegant touch. Rolling stock is based on center-lock wheels wrapped in Bridgestone race meats and the suspension places the car's aero just a few inches off the ground. TGR states that they'll be implementing feedback and technologies refined in motorsports competition to develop their GT3 program as well as mass-produced vehicles.GR Yaris: Bite-Sized DynamoThe fan favorite GR Yaris is on display but it's the GRMN model that everyone is talking about. Limited to just 500 units, the three-door hatchback goes on a diet, including ditching its rear seats, and the body gets increased rigidity with additional spot welds and longer structural adhesive. The car's width is increased, and its ride height reduced, both by 10mm. Upon the rear hatch is a unique carbon fiber wing that sits well above the roofline with pedestals that mount to a carbon fiber base. Oh, did we mention the entire roof is also carbon fiber to drop some weight? It is.The transmission gets closer gearing with a low final drive and a mechanical LSD will be added to the mix, while grip and cornering were also improved upon based on feedback from professional drivers who helped TGR further refine the already potent GR Yaris. Toyota says they'll be offering an Update and Personalization Program to help end-users make changes to their cars as they increase their seat time. The Update Program promises additional parts and software updates will be offered along with engine upgrades, while the Personalization Program is based on the owner's driving habits, offering steering control and shock updates, additional aero, and more.Within that group of limited-edition Yaris, 50 models will include the Circuit Package which TGR says will focus on road performance based on feedback from Super Taikyu - Asia's top endurance race series. Available only in a Matte Steel color, the package includes that interesting rear spoiler, specific side skirts and front lip, Bilstein shocks, huge 18-inch brakes under BBS GRMN wheels. An airbag-equipped, fixed-back Recaro bucket seat with motorsport-grade side mounts is available as well. The Circuit Package, along with the standard GRMN Yaris Package will be made available through GR Garages in Japan this summer using TGR's lottery system.Old Is GoldFor those that are enamored with iconic Toyota models of yesteryear, the announcement of remanufacturing OEM-spec Toyota parts for fan favorites like the MkIII and IV Supra, 2000GT, and Corolla AE86 have been celebrated by enthusiasts attempting to restore or give these older vehicles a second life. TGR announced 56 items for the group's six chosen vehicles will be added to the already 33-piece line up as production begin to ramp up. The vehicle list includes those mentioned above, along with the Land Cruiser 40 and 2000GT.
The old Grand Cherokee is out, and the new Grand Cherokee is in. Or is it? Production of the outgoing Jeep Grand Cherokee—chassis code WK2—has ended, according to a Jeep representative, but it can still be found on sale as a 2022 model alongside its replacement, the new 2022 Grand Cherokee WL (the one available, for the first time ever, as a three-row). This overlap of old and new offered simultaneously is nothing new—there's the Ram Classic, for example—and Jeep had mentioned it'd happen when the new WL arrived.But that was over a year ago. That you can still find the Grand Cherokee WK2 on Jeep's website, listed as a new offering alongside the new Grand Cherokee WL, is surprising. So, we checked with Jeep on what was going on, and found out that you can't configure or order a new (old) WK2, which only is available in Laredo E, Laredo X, and Limited trims. You'll need to consult dealerships directly about any remaining WK2 inventory.All vehicles are quite pricey right now, and these "old" WK2s are no exception, at least going by a quick glance at inventory prices. On the configurator, the least-expensive old Grand Cherokee is only $1,345 less than the new Grand. If you're looking for a deal, opting for the outgoing Grand may not be the best bet. If you're craving a WK2, though, there's still hope while inventory lasts. If your search for a WK2 falls short, remember, there's always its platform twin, the (three-row) Dodge Durango.A W-what? A WL-who?Some surprises are good, but others aren't. Here's the bottom line: Know what 2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee you're buying because there are two—at least while inventory lasts. To help, here is a quick rundown of the Jeep Grand Cherokee's generations:1st generation "ZJ" (1993-1998)2nd generation "WJ" (1999-2004)3rd generation "WK" (2005-2010)4th generation "WK2" (2011-2022)5th generation "WL" (2021-22 three-row L)/2022 two-row)Jeep has sold 7 million Grand Cherokees globally since 1992. The new Grand Cherokee runs on a new platform befitting of its new muscular look and offers a new plug-in hybrid (PHEV) powertrain for the 4xe that pairs a 270-hp, 295-lb-ft turbo 2.0-liter I-4 with a 134-hp, 195-lb-ft traction motor that replaces the eight-speed automatic transmission's torque converter (as well as a 44-hp, 39-lb-ft starter/generator motor that acts on the accessory drive pulley) for a combined 375 hp and 470 lb-ft of torque. Fuel economy for the PHEV rates at 56 mpg-e combined with 25 miles of all-electric driving range thanks to a 17-kWh battery pack. For the 2023 model year, the 4xe powertrain will be the only way buyers can order a Grand Cherokee Trailhawk. The other WL-generation powertrains carry over from the WK, including the entry-level 3.6-liter V-6 and 5.7-liter V-8.
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