2024 Toyota Land Cruiser vs 2023 Toyota Sequoia

The 2023 Toyota Sequoia was a striking presence on the road, with its bold design inspired by the Toyota Tundra pickup truck. The SUV's exterior featured a traditional grille and front bumper, which distinguished it from the Tundra's more unconventional look. Inside, the Sequoia shared many design elements with the Tundra, offering an industrial theme with luxurious touches in the Capstone trim, such as leather, wood, and metallic finishes. The 14-inch Toyota Audio Multimedia infotainment system dominated the dashboard, and the interior was available in a cream white-over-black two-tone colour scheme. Despite its upscale appearance, some interior materials reminded drivers of its pickup truck origins.

In contrast, the 2024 Toyota Land Cruiser embraced its iconic heritage with a boxy design and flat roof, reminiscent of its predecessors. The heritage grille and round headlights on the First Edition trim paid homage to earlier models, while LED lighting brought a modern touch. The Land Cruiser's interior focused on comfort, with heated front seats and a heated steering wheel standard across trims. The Premium Package and First Edition offered real leather seats with unique logos, a moonroof, and ventilated front seats. The cabin's design echoed Toyota's truck lineup, with cushy seats and attractive contrast stitching, ensuring a comfortable ride on any terrain.

The 2023 Toyota Sequoia was powered by a twin-turbocharged 3.5-litre V6 engine paired with 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 delivered 437 horsepower at 5,200 rpm and 583 pound-feet of torque at 2,400 rpm. The Sequoia's towing capacity increased to 4,137 kilograms (9,120 pounds) in Canada, while its fuel efficiency improved to 11.7 L/100 km with 4WD. The Sequoia offered various driving modes, including Eco, Comfort, Normal, Sport, and Sport+, but its ride quality varied depending on the mode selected. The steering was slow, and the regenerative braking system felt unresponsive at times.

The 2024 Toyota Land Cruiser featured a hybrid powertrain with a 2.4-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine, a 1.87-kWh battery pack, and a 48-hp electric motor, producing a total of 326 horsepower and 465 lb-ft of torque. It came with an eight-speed automatic transmission and standard full-time 4WD. The Land Cruiser's off-road capabilities were enhanced by Toyota's Multi-Terrain Select system, which operated in both 4Hi and 4Lo. The vehicle also included an automatic limited-slip differential, rear- and centre-locking differentials, and a push-button disconnect for the front sway bar. The updated CRAWL control function offered five speed settings for precise off-road navigation, and its operation was notably quieter than previous versions.

The 2023 Toyota Sequoia excelled on highways, offering a quiet cabin with comfortable front seats, a JBL premium audio system, and a triple-zone automatic climate control system. However, the panoramic glass moonroof reduced second-row headroom, and the third-row seat was less comfortable due to its high floor and low roof. The Sequoia's cargo space was limited, with only 325 litres available with the third-row seat in its rearmost position, expandable to 631 litres by sliding the seat forward. Folding the third-row seats increased cargo capacity to 1,387 litres, while folding the second-row seats provided 2,460 litres of space, still less than its predecessor.

The 2024 Toyota Land Cruiser offered two rows of seating, with headroom measuring 917 mm in the front and 897 mm in the back. Legroom was 838 mm in the front and 678 mm in the rear. The centre console housed controls for off-road features, and the wireless charging pad was conveniently located. The cargo area featured a raised load floor with a rubber mat, providing 1,063 litres of space. A 120-volt AC outlet and USB-C ports were standard, enhancing the Land Cruiser's practicality.

The 2023 Toyota Sequoia featured a new Toyota Audio Multimedia infotainment system, with an 8-inch touchscreen on the base TRD Off-road trim and a 14-inch touchscreen on higher trims. The system included wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, but glare on the display was an issue. The Intelligent Assistant responded to voice commands, though it occasionally misinterpreted requests. The Capstone trim offered a 10-inch head-up display and a surround-view camera system, but the parking sensors and automatic rear braking system were overly sensitive at times.

The 2024 Toyota Land Cruiser came with a 12.3-inch centre touchscreen display, which was particularly useful for off-road navigation with the Multi-Terrain Monitor system. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto were standard, along with USB-C ports for front and rear passengers. The base infotainment system included an 8-inch display and a six-speaker sound system, while higher trims offered a 10-speaker system or an optional 14-speaker JBL premium sound system. Additional features included a head-up display and a digital rear-view mirror in the Premium Package and First Edition.

The 2023 Toyota Sequoia came equipped with Toyota Safety Sense 2.5, which 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 a road sign recognition system. Blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, and Safety Connect services were also standard. While the Sequoia had not been crash-tested by the NHTSA or IIHS, the Tundra, on which it was based, received high ratings from the IIHS.

The 2024 Toyota Land Cruiser featured Toyota Safety Sense 3.0, which included adaptive cruise control, lane-departure alert, lane-tracing assist, automatic high beams, road-sign assist, and Proactive Driving Assist. The Premium Package and First Edition added lane-change assist, front cross-traffic alert, and traffic jam assist. Although the Land Cruiser had not been rated by the IIHS or NHTSA, the Tundra's Top Safety Pick award provided some assurance of its safety.