2023 Toyota Sequoia vs 2022 Land Rover Defender

The 2022 Land Rover Defender retained its distinctive exterior styling, reminiscent of the original model with its boxy profile, tailgate-mounted spare wheel, and flat hood. This design paid homage to the classic Series Land Rovers, with options like a white contrasting roof and steel wheels enhancing its retro appeal. Despite these nostalgic elements, the Defender was a thoroughly modern vehicle. Its rounded corners improved aerodynamics, while recessed LED headlights added a unique personality. The modern Defender was significantly larger than its predecessor, offering more interior space and improved ergonomics. The interior design emphasized ruggedness without appearing gimmicky, featuring a mix of leather and suede upholstery, exposed metal, and screws, which contributed to its off-road-ready character.

In contrast, the 2023 Toyota Sequoia was impossible to ignore with its bold styling, merging the look of the Toyota Tundra pickup with a newly creased SUV body. This redesign gave the Sequoia a more substantial presence than its predecessor. Inside, the Sequoia shared many elements with the Tundra, featuring an industrial theme with leather, wood, and metallic finishes in the upscale Capstone trim. A massive 14-inch infotainment system dominated the dashboard, and the interior was available in a luxurious cream white-over-black two-tone colour scheme. Despite its luxurious appearance, some interior materials reminded occupants of its pickup truck origins. The Sequoia lineup included various trims, each offering different features and capabilities, with the TRD Pro trim providing enhanced off-road capabilities.

The 2022 Land Rover Defender offered a range of powertrains, including a base 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine producing 296 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque. The mid-level option was a 3.0-litre turbocharged inline-six mild-hybrid powertrain rated at 395 hp and 406 lb-ft. For those seeking more power, the new-for-2022 V8 engine delivered 518 hp and 461 lb-ft of torque, propelling the Defender 90 from zero to 100 km/h in 5.2 seconds, with a top speed of 240 km/h. All models featured a ZF eight-speed automatic transmission and standard four-wheel drive with a two-speed transfer case. The Defender excelled in off-road conditions, boasting a 4WD system with low range, impressive approach, departure, and breakover angles, and up to 29 centimetres of ground clearance with optional air suspension. It also offered a maximum towing capacity of 3,500 kilograms.

The 2023 Toyota Sequoia was equipped with a twin-turbocharged 3.5-litre V6 engine, a 10-speed automatic transmission, a 36-kilowatt electric motor/generator, and a 1.87 kilowatt-hour nickel-metal hydride battery pack. This hybrid powertrain produced 437 horsepower and 583 pound-feet of torque. While it lacked the rumble of the previous 5.7-litre V8, the new V6 offered improved towing capabilities, with a maximum tow rating of 4,137 kilograms in Canada. The Sequoia was more fuel-efficient than its predecessor, achieving 11.7 L/100 km in combined driving with 4WD. The SUV featured various driving modes, including Eco, Comfort, Normal, Sport, and Sport+, allowing drivers to tailor the driving experience. However, the Sequoia's steering was slow, and the regenerative braking system felt unresponsive at times.

The 2022 Land Rover Defender offered versatile interior configurations, with 40/20/40 split-folding rear seats in all models. The two-door Defender 90 provided limited rear seat access and cargo space, but the four-door Defender 110 offered more flexibility. The three-row Defender 110 had 160 litres of cargo space with all seats in place, expanding to 1,826 litres with the second row folded. Two-row versions offered 786 litres with the rear seats up and 1,875 litres with them folded. The interior design emphasized functionality, with a large caged storage space below the dashboard and a spacious centre-console storage bin. Optional features included a basket-style roof rack and cargo boxes for additional storage.

The 2023 Toyota Sequoia excelled on open roads, offering a comfortable cabin with soft leather upholstery, a JBL premium audio system, and a triple-zone automatic climate control system. The Sequoia's interior featured power-deploying running boards, a panoramic glass moonroof, and second-row captain's chairs with separate climate controls. However, the third-row seat was less comfortable due to its high floor and low roof. Cargo space was limited, with 325 litres behind the third row, expandable to 631 litres by sliding the seat forward. The Sequoia's third-row seats folded to provide 1,387 litres of cargo space, and folding the second-row seats increased capacity to 2,460 litres. Despite the hybrid powertrain's benefits, the Sequoia's overall utility was compromised compared to its predecessor.

The 2022 Land Rover Defender featured the Pivi Pro infotainment system with a 10-inch central touchscreen and wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto connectivity. A 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster was standard on all trims except the base model, and an 11.4-inch touchscreen was newly available for 2022. The system's graphics and menu layouts were user-friendly, although the touchscreen required a firm touch to respond. Optional features included a 14-speaker Meridian audio system, a head-up display, and a surround-view camera system, which was particularly useful for off-roading.

The 2023 Toyota Sequoia came with the new Toyota Audio Multimedia infotainment system, featuring an 8-inch touchscreen in the base TRD Off-road trim and a 14-inch touchscreen in higher trims. The system was intuitive, with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Connected services allowed for user accounts and an Intelligent Assistant for voice commands. However, the system experienced some glitches during testing. The Capstone trim included a 10-inch head-up display and a surround-view camera system, although glare on the display was an issue. The Sequoia's parking sensors and automatic rear braking system effectively prevented collisions.

The 2022 Land Rover Defender included standard driver-assist features such as lane-keep assist, automatic emergency braking, traffic-sign recognition, and blind-spot monitoring. Adaptive cruise control was optional. However, the Defender had not been rated by the IIHS or NHTSA, which was common for luxury vehicles.

The 2023 Toyota Sequoia offered a comprehensive suite of standard driver-assistance features, bundled into Toyota Safety Sense 2.5 (TSS 2.5). This package included forward-collision warning, pedestrian detection, automatic emergency braking, lane-departure warning, lane-keeping assist, lane-centring assist, adaptive cruise control, automatic high-beam headlights, and road sign recognition. Additional features included blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, and Safety Connect services. The Sequoia's adaptive cruise control and lane-centring assist systems enhanced highway driving, although the lane-departure warning system's beeping was somewhat irritating. The Sequoia had not been crash-tested by the NHTSA or IIHS, but the Tundra, on which it was based, received high ratings from the IIHS.