Off-Road All the Things: Sequoia TRD Pro, Mildly Refreshed Tacoma Appear in Chicago

by Matthew Guy

Published: February 7th, 2019

off road all the things sequoia trd pro mildly refreshed tacoma appear in chicago

Thanks to Toyota’s glacier-like design cycle, the full-sized Sequoia SUV looks largely the same as it did when it rolled off the ark in 2008. With seating for seven, the big body-on-frame rig harkens back to the days when SUVs were unapologetically truck-based. For 2020, the Big T is tossing some of its TRD Pro toys at its house-on-wheels, including a set of dandy internal-bypass Fox shock absorbers.

While they were at it, Toyota engineers took the opportunity to breathe on the hot-selling Tacoma. You’ll have to look closely to see those changes but, if past sales performance is any indication, the company didn’t need to spend much money on a refresh, anyways.

The 2020 Sequoia TRD Pro is the answer for folks who want to take six of their closest friends well off the beaten path. With a chassis fortified by a TRD-tuned Fox shock absorber suspension, this big rig joins a roster of capable TRD Pro machines that are proving to be quite popular.

Fox has been providing stout suspension components to off-road gearheads for ages. Here, the internal bypass shock integrates bypass zones inside the shock body, allowing fluid to bypass the piston through regulated ports as it moves through its travel. Providing a cushioned ride during typical driving, the Fox shock damping gets progressively firmer through the shock piston’s stroke to resist bottoming over rough trail surfaces.

These 2.5-inch Fox shocks on the front of Sequoia include seven compression zones and two rebound zones. TRD engineers are said to have also reduced the front spring rate on Sequoia TRD Pro to improve its off-road compliance, code for “this thing shouldn’t bounce like a rubber ball after striking some whoop-de-doos.” For the rear suspension, Sequoia TRD Pro employs 2-inch-diameter Fox piggyback monotube shocks. Compared to the standard rear Sequoia shocks, the 2-inch Fox units feature 47mm pistons, 15mm larger than stock.

Deploying the TOYOTA billboard grille, now a TRD Pro signature, your author confesses to liking the look of this brute a lot more than he probably should. After all, size and mass are often the enemy of off-road fun, so this Sequoia probably won’t go as far as its TRDized Tacoma and 4Runner cousins. Still, it speaks to my appreciation of jacked up big rigs like the old-school Land Cruiser. It also proves that the traditional “spelling-out” of the Toyota brand is a heckuva lot more appealing than the roundish stylized T logo. The butch Sequoia will be available in a unique Army Green while featuring rims and skid plates that appear on other TRD Pro machines.

Speaking of the Tacoma, it receives ever-so-slight changes for the 2020 model year. A power driver’s seat finally appears, as does a sorely needed upgrade to the infotainment system. High-tech trail assistance comes shows up in the form of new Panoramic View and Multi Terrain Monitors. According to the bumf, these tools allow a driver the ability to select front, side, or rear views for improved visibility. This is not new to the market. What is neat is the mention of an under vehicle terrain view, allegedly able to help the driver avoid unseen obstacles. Your off-road gearhead of an author looks forward to trying that out on the trail.

In addition, there will be new grille and wheel designs on most Tacoma trims. Despite its advancing age, the truck enjoys very robust sales numbers. Expect that trend to continue with these updates.

[Images: Toyota]

#ChicagoAutoShow #NewCars #Sequoia #Tacoma #Toyota #ToyotaSequoia #ToyotaTacoma #TrdPro #Trucks

Matthew Guy

Matthew buys, sells, fixes, & races cars. As a human index of auto & auction knowledge, he is fond of making money and offering loud opinions.

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9 of 21 comments

Trucky McTruckface on Feb 07, 2019

Wow, Toyota actually fixed my biggest beef with the Tacoma, which was the lack of a meaningfully adjustable driver's seat. Carplay/Android Auto finally got added, too. The truck is still old as dirt, but what's more disappointing is that none of the competitors clearly outshine it. The Colorado is much more up to date with better drivability, but its appeal is hobbled by typically cheap GM attention to detail and materials. The Ranger is already getting hit with a recall, and the first real reviews of the truck from Motor Trend hit it hard for its aged global platform and poor ride quality. And the Ridgeline is just too weird and CUV-like. I despise Toyota for letting so many of their products get so outdated, but the Tacoma is still way more competitive than it should be.

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- 87 Morgan on Feb 07, 2019
  
  Honest question or thought from me... I have had the Colorado as a rental a few times from National. I found it to be fine in terms of fit, finish, interior comfort, NVH what have you. MPG was ok, about what I was expecting. I have also had a 4Runner. I have always assumed, perhaps incorrectly, the 4Runner and the Taco would drive the same as I sort of figured they shared a lot of architecture. Again, I could be way wrong on this score. I had the Toy and Colorado back to back weeks. The Colorado was nicer in every respect from the vantage point of the drivers seat. The GM is vastly more comfortable , more power, better mpg, quieter, road handling. I would say the infotainment systems were about equal, though full disclosure I am not an audiophile in anyway. I can handle the long term reliability argument, but I really feel that it is Toyota who has been taking advantage of their customers goodwill and foisting uncomfortable seats, massively huge silver plastic dials for the climate controls that look like they came from a Tonka toy upon their loyal customers. So, honest question. What am I missing?
  
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- Trucky McTruckface on Feb 07, 2019
  
  @87 Morgan Honestly, the Colorado's probably my choice in this segment. It's missing a couple of features like blind-spot monitoring that the competitors have all adopted, and, again, I wish they had done better on the detailing inside, but it's not a deal-breaker. In terms of ride, handling, power, comfort, everything...the Chevy should be walking away with this market, but it isn't. I think the "GM junk" perception, true or not, is probably working against it. That, and GM marketing is so dense that they couldn't figure out how to sell ice water in the Sahara. Toyota doesn't even have the reliability argument in their favor, not with the frame rust issues these things had. Their success is entirely based on (outdated) reputation and market momentum. It annoys me that they continue to get away with phoning in pretty much everything they make.
  
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- Jdowmiller on Feb 08, 2019
  
  @Trucky McTruckface Agreed. I have had three Toyotas since 2014. I’m too lazy to go into a detailed review but my main beef is they are rattle trap tin can junk. Reliable, yes. But isn’t any car with 35000 miles? I have another one with 50,000 and it’s been decent and the third one was totaled at 80,000. By that time it had already experienced a few annoying mechanical problems. I can’t see myself getting another one considering the poor build quality and the excessive NVH.
  
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- Gtem on Feb 08, 2019
  
  @87 Morgan FWIW, my one test drive of a Colorado left me with a positive impression of the interior, comfort, and how it drove, but I was absolutely aghast at the build quality: the sheetmetal stamping/alignment was atrocious, and you could see daylight between the tailgate and bedside from the driver's seat. This was a brand new truck.
  
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- 87 Morgan on Feb 08, 2019
  
  @gtem Thank you for the follow up. 'GM marketing is so dense that they couldn’t figure out how to sell ice water in the Sahara'; has anything more true ever been typed at TTAC? gtem, I need to get better at noticing this kind of thing. My primary concern walking up at the rental lot is to open the door and take a deep breath. If it smells like a covered up ash tray, I walk. I never notice the other stuff, panel gaps etc. From a sensory stand point I notice everything behind the wheel, weird vibrations, shock dampening, noises etc.
  
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- Gtem on Feb 08, 2019
  
  @87 Morgan In my case this was a new-on-the-lot Z71 Diesel that I test drove. Absolutely adored the motor+transmission pairing, an easy 30mpg on my test drive loop, loped along and easily accelerated uphill 70->75mph without even unlocking the torque converter, in stark contrast to the under-motored 3.5L Tacoma I had as a rental in December that had to drop a gear for even the most benign little hills on the highway, and got 19mpg (in winter weather, admittedly). If I were in the market now, even as a diehard 4wd Toyota guy, I'd have a really hard time justifying a Tacoma. The Diesel Colorados have been quite troublesome however, judging by how many lemon-buy-back branded title used trucks there are for sale. I'd probably be looking at Rangers (great torque out of the 2.3L Ecoboost, nice styling) or the old school Frontier to save some money and get that lusty (but thirsty) VQ40 and nice low bed height.
  
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- 87 Morgan on Feb 08, 2019
  
  @87 Morgan gtem, the biggest issue with the Frontier, I had an 11' for about a year. The front seats are awful, the worst of the worst, and the reason I happily parted ways it as 100 miles was all I could take at one time.
  
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Superdessucke on Feb 08, 2019

This thing weighs up to 6,000 pounds. What's the point of a performance 6,000 pound vehicle? This is comparable to if FoMoCo would have offered a Lincoln Continental Mark III Cobra back in the day!

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