2023 Toyota Sequoia Capstone

We got a first look at the all-new 2023 Toyota Sequoia at the New York Auto Show and I think she could be the new hot mom car. Today on the blog I am giving my honest review on this gorgeous new SUV. This is a great family car option, but does it pass all of my tests? Follow along to find out all of the features this car has to offer!

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Toyota Sequoia Car Tour

Exterior

The Sequoia was completely redesigned for 2023 for the first time in 14 years. The old model was a little rounded and bumpy. Now the exterior is fresh and beefed up. It’s basically twins with the new 2023 Toyota Tundra truck and shares a lot of the same DNA with the Lexus LX. I love the beautiful boomerang headlights and the two-tone wheels. The chrome and black detailing looks so good and it has the blue Toyota logo, meaning every new Sequoia is a hybrid—very exciting!

Interior

Front Row

Sitting in the front seat of the Sequoia I am very comfortable. I have plenty of head clearance and the seats are so luxurious for such a rugged car. It has a digital dash, heads up display, and a giant screen. It does look like an iPad though. I prefer when the screen is more integrated. We didn’t get a chance to turn the car on and see the screen in action but Toyota says it has Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. I also like that they pulled the climate control dials out of the screen to make them easier to access. 

As for safety this car has everything: a pre-collision system that detects cars, pedestrians and cyclists, lane departure alert, steering assist, auto hold, and blind spot monitoring. 

Moving onto driver amenities I have cup holders not only between the two front seats, but also on the back of the center console. Thank you, Toyota! This is what I like to see. The seats are heated and ventilated, there is a cubby with a 12-volt outlet on the dash as well as a huge center console with wireless charging and USB and USBC outlets. The rearview mirror flips to a rearview camera, which is nice because this car is big and with car seats in it my rearview is likely going to be obstructed. This Sequoia really feels like a full size SUV (like the Yukon or Ford Expedition.) And even though it sits on the same frame, the Lexus LX600 feels smaller. 

Second Row

Jumping into the second row I have really great knee clearance even with the driver’s seat set for me and I’m about 6 feet tall. I have ceiling vents and lower vents on the back of the center console—ventilation at its finest. I also have heated and ventilated seats and built-in sunshades. The only thing I don’t love is the center console back here. It’s bulky and the cup holders are clunky. Car manufacturers, if you’re listening, let’s just have amazing door cup holders and cubbies, and then skip this center console so it’s easier to get to the third row. 

Third Row

Speaking of the third row, getting back there is my least favorite. There isn’t a car seat tilt, which means climbing in between the two captain’s chairs is the only way to get back there if you have car seats in the second row. We didn’t get a chance to sit in the third row because this is a pre-production model (we’ll update this as soon as we can see the real thing when it’s released this summer), so we don’t know about space or comfort, but from this first look I can see there is only one tether anchor, which means the only place you can put a forward-facing car seat in the third row is in the middle. This is horrible for visibility. If there is only going to be one, I wish it was on one of the outboard seats. 

Car Seat Set Up

As for more on the car seat set up, in this Capstone model we have two second row captain’s chairs and they both have lower anchors and tether anchors. Like I said, the third row only has one tether anchor and we weren’t able to see if there are any anchors back there.  

Trunk

Again, this is pre production so we can’t get the trunk open and see what it looks like—whomp whomp. But Toyota says the 2023 Sequoia has a new cargo shelf system in the trunk “designed to offer the ultimate flexibility in rear cargo and storage needs,” which sounds pretty ideal. I really hope it measures up because I really want to love this car. 

Trim

The 2023 Toyota Sequoia will be available in 5 trim levels—SR5, Limited, Platinum, TRD Pro and this new-to-Sequoia Capstone, which is the most luxurious. It looks like a bench seat will be available in the lower trim levels, which I can’t wait to get my hands on. 

The upgrades to the 2023 Toyota Sequoia are great. I love the beefed-up look of it, it’s just lacking flexibility with the car seat set up. Though, I’m still really excited about it and can’t wait to see it when it’s released in a few months.

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