2005 Toyota Sequoia Limited Review

2005 Toyota Sequoia Limited

Built on the massive Toyota Tundra pickup chassis, the Sequoia adds an SUV body that emphasizes luxury, particularly in the Limited series. For 2005 it offers more V-8 power, also includes a 5-speed automatic plus roll-sensors, a system designed to help reduce the chances of rolling over in extreme situations. Part-time 4WD features shift-on-the-fly. Price is $44,960. Warranty: powertrain 5 yr./60,000 miles, total vehicle 3 yr./36,000 miles. EPA fuel mileage: 15 city/18 highway.

I could climb a mountain and come down the other side, all without benefit of a road. I could cross a desert in scorching heat, following only a nomad's camel tracks. I could tow a 42' offshore racer from Vancouver Island to the Baja without stress or strain. I could also chauffeur six well-dressed socialites to an opening night gala in Cannes, if only the doorman wouldn't snub me for arriving in a truck. Yes, there are few places in the world where a Toyota Sequoia Limited won't go and no comfort deprivations to be suffered along the way. The versatile part-time 4-wheel-drive system takes care of traction, assisted by a combination of computer-controlled electronic aids that can even prevent rollovers, should you be so foolish as to terrorize those socialites in a hazardous manner. The luxurious interior comes with enough comfort and convenience features to make the driver's manual regular bedtime reading, although the second-row passengers, with a DVD video screen and their own sound-system controls and headsets, get the better of the deal. In short, the 2005 Sequoia will drive off the edge of the world then return along the underside in such luxury you'd never realise the earth was flat after all.

What could be more charming than to approach a test vehicle and discover a running board? Then I realized that without it, an Olympic pole-vault might be the only way to get into this thing. So I stepped up, grabbed the grab handle, and lept onto the driver's seat, whereupon any questions of "truckiness" immediately disappeared; the leather-lined, gizmo-laden interior would do justice to a Lexus. I then decided to reverse the usual front-to-rear check and began with the third-row seat, which will accommodate three over a stepped-up floor, provided they sit in the proscribed yoga position. At least they get four of the 10 cupholders. Moving ahead to the middle row one finds a pair of captain's seats, a tiny TV screen that flips down from the roof like an aircraft's, wireless headsets with a remote CD controller, a removeable console, and four more cupholders. No arguments over who gets the best deal in this vehicle. Up front the usual Toyota ergonomics are displayed with large instruments and controls plus heated seats, sunroof, another huge console (split-level with the lower level containing the CD player) and, you guessed right... four more cupholders. A setting fit for a king, albeit one with a kingly thirst.

Once past the feeling that you're piloting the Queen Mary2 through the Panama Canal, the Sequoia handles better than you expect, in spite of a steering response only slightly quicker than the liner's. Visibility is good and with a newly revised V-8 delivering 285 hp plus 325 lb./ft. of torque, acceleration and towing ability are impressive. A slick 5-speed automatic helps although (personal gripe here) I hate column shifts and this one, lacking feel for gear selection, did little to change that. But let's get to our mountain climbing task: The Sequoia cruises along in 2-wheel drive until snow begins to grease the pavement or the road turns to deeply-rutted mud, at which point a mere touch of a button switches the system to 4-wheel-drive. On the fly. With the approach angle (or descent) now getting steep, halt for a moment, then hit another button for 4-wheel-drive "low." Momentarily hung up on a snowy peak with rear wheels gripping but front wheels spinning hopelessly? Yet another button locks the differentials. Back on the highway, traction control plus vehicle-skid-control, four-wheel ABS with brake assist, electronic brake-force distribution, and a system that senses a potential rollover, combine to make for a safe journey.

I'm one of those who rant and rave over monster SUVs for environmental reasons plus the fact that I mostly spot them in mall lots with one or two passengers. Of course the truth behind this disdain is something else: I can't see past the damn things when at the wheel of a car! So why did I actually enjoy the Sequoia Limited? Partly because it is luxurious and powerful. Partly, too, because it is more nimble and handles better than expected (amazing what technology can do for a vehicle that should be inherently unstable). But mostly because in test-driving the Sequoia, I forced myself to think like a potential buyer who can justify the need. Ergo, I own a destination resort high in the Colorado mountains, offer to pick up wealthy clients at the airport, must deliver them safely and comfortably regardless of weather and road conditions; I'm a family man with six kids, a wife, and a get-away-from-it-all cottage inaccessible by ordinary automobiles; I'm a decorator who sometimes ferries clients around but also must remove the seats in order to deliver a massive pine wardrobe. Okay... I'm none of the above but if I were and also valued Toyota's quality reputation, I'd rather drive a Sequoia. With a stepladder to reach the roof rack.