2012 Toyota Sequoia Overview Change Vehicle

This 2012 Toyota Sequoia review explains changes for the model year, provides a summary of the 2012 Sequoia , and includes Toyota Sequoia safety, reliability, and fuel economy ratings.

The 2012 Toyota Sequoia is a full-size SUV with seating for up to eight passengers. Rear- and four-wheel-drive versions are offered with power coming from one of two V8 engines. Competitors include the Chevrolet Tahoe, Ford Expedition, GMC Yukon, and Nissan Armada.

For 2012, Toyota has upgraded its jumbo family hauler with a standard Trailer Sway Control feature that affords drivers an extra level of confidence when towing, and a blind spot warning system that can be added to the top-of-the-line Sequoia Platinum model.

Toyota offers the 2012 Sequoia in three trim levels, the most affordable of which carries the familiar SR5 badge. Far from a bare-bones SUV, this base variant comes to the table with standard amenities including a power moonroof, 18-inch alloy wheels, running boards, fog lights, triple-zone climate control, and items many of us have come to expect on modern vehicles, like power windows, mirrors, and door locks. Also on the menu are a leather-wrapped tilt-and-telescoping steering wheel, a power driver’s seat, Bluetooth connectivity, split-folding second- and third-row seats, a tow package with a receiver hitch and a heavy-duty alternator, and an eight-speaker sound system with a complimentary three-month subscription for satellite radio, a USB port, and an auxiliary input jack.

If that laundry list of amenities leaves you wanting for more, Toyota will be happy to oblige with a variety of options, including a capable four-wheel-drive system with a Torsen limited-slip center differential that can be locked when traction is in short supply.

Buyers can also opt for a Sport Appearance Package that tricks out the Sequoia with 20-inch chrome wheels and a set of captain’s chairs for the second row, or a Premium Package with leather upholstery, dual heated and power-adjustable front seats, an auto-dimming interior mirror, a rearview camera display, and a universal garage door opener.

Representing the middle of the 2012 Sequoia lineup is the Limited, a more upscale version that spikes the creature-comfort meter by adding all of the SR5 Premium Package’s contents, as well as a power tailgate, heated mirrors with integrated turn signals, revised gauges, and sunshades for the rear windows. Toyota has also equipped this rig with standard 20-inch alloys and a 14-speaker JBL sound system decked out with a six-disc CD changer, a subwoofer, a USB port, SiriusXM satellite radio, and Bluetooth connectivity. Options include second-row captain’s chairs, a rear entertainment system, and a navigation unit operated via touch-screen controls or voice commands.

That brings us to the most luxurious of all Sequoias, the Platinum. This one is hard to miss thanks to its unique 20-inch “diamond-cut finish” wheels, chrome-capped mirrors, and perforated leather upholstery. Standard second-row captain’s chairs are also factored into the mix, along with the Limited’s entertainment and navigation systems, memory settings for the driver, heated and cooled front seats, and intelligent cruise control. What’s not found on the Platinum’s lesser stablemates is an electronic air suspension engineered to improve handling while towing heavy loads, and an adaptive variable suspension with driver-selectable normal, comfort, and sport modes. A new blind-spot warning system is optional.

Big SUVs need big engines, a fact that is clearly understood by the brains behind the Toyota Sequoia. Standard on the SR5 is a 4.6-liter V8 with 310 horsepower and 327 pound-feet of torque on tap, all of which is harnessed by a six-speed automatic transmission. In rear-drive guise, this powertrain is estimated to average 14 mpg around town and 20 mpg on the highway; plug in a four-wheel-drive drivetrain and those figures drop to 13 mpg and 18 mpg, respectively.

The fuel economy picture doesn’t get any prettier when discussing the 5.7-liter V8 that’s optional on the SR5 and standard on the upper trims. With 381 horses and 401 pound-feet of torque, this is the shirt-shredding, muscle-flexing Incredible Hulk of the Toyota engine family. Unfortunately, it has a thirst to match. Expect no better than 13 mpg around town, and between 17 mpg (four-wheel-drive) and 18 mpg (rear-wheel-drive) on the highway.

Vehicles like the 2012 Sequoia, those with three rows of seating for up to eight passengers, are ideally suited for large families. But with the capability to move so many people comes the responsibility to keep them as safe as possible, a challenge Toyota has answered by fitting its large SUV with eight airbags, stability and traction control systems, four-wheel-disc antilock brakes with electronic brake-force distribution and brake assist, front and rear parking sensors, and this year’s new Trailer Sway Control feature. The optional blind-spot warning system is another key player in the overall safety effort. How this all comes together in the real world has yet to be seen, as neither the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration nor the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety had published crash test results at the time of this writing.

Reliability information is a bit easier to come by. Boh J.D. Power and Associates and Consumer Reports suggest that Sequoia buyers will enjoy above average dependability, and Consumer Reports has gone one step farther by adding the big Toyota to its list of Recommended vehicles.

More than just an overgrown minivan, the Toyota Sequoia is a genuine workhouse built to haul cargo as confidently as it does people. Unlike other SUVs and crossovers that require making a choice between filling the seats with warm bodies and carrying a bunch of groceries, the Sequoia offers 18.9 cubic-feet of usable space behind the third row. Lower the second- and third-row seats and you’ll avail yourself to 120.1 cu-ft of cargo room. If that isn’t enough, fill up a trailer and take advantage of the vehicle’s 7,400-pound maximum towing capacity.

In many ways, the Toyota Sequoia is like a modern-day dinosaur, and understandably so. Fact is, fewer buyers want a big SUV that gets no better than 20 mpg in the best of scenarios, especially when there are an increasing number of comparable crossovers that delivers greater efficiency, sleeker styling, and, in most cases, a superior ride quality. Yet, there are those who continue to want or need the greater capability afforded by the full-size body-on-frame SUV. For them, we suggest giving strong consideration to the Chevrolet Tahoe, Ford Expedition or GMC Yukon before setting their sights on the 2012 Toyota Sequoia.

By Thom Blackett