This is my second time with the third generation Sequoia in the last year, I previously spent a lovely week with a 2023 Platinum back in September. My summary was that while the Platinum was good, I felt like the TRD Pro trim level “represents a much more interesting option just from a “damn that’s got some personality” perspective”. Toyota must be paying attention to my ramblings and decided to deliver an “Ice Cap” white 2023 Sequoia TRD Pro for a week to see what’s what. Or it was just the next car in my rotation, that’s more likely. Still, I was excited to swap the the Jetta GLI Autobahn I had last week for this big Toyota and see how it compares to the Platinum. Let’s get it on!

2023 Toyota Sequoia TRD Pro Overview

The 2023 lineup is the same as it was last time…except more expensive. Specifically, each trim level has seen a $1,565 increase in MSRP across the board since fall of last year. So you’re at close to $60,000 for the base SR5 and the top spec Capstone is nearly $76,900. All Sequoia trim levels get a turbocharged 3.4L V6 hybrid setup making a robust 437 horsepower and a very stout 538 lb-ft of torque. Each gets a 10-speed automatic and AWD is optional on all trim levels except for the TRD Pro where it is the only option.

Standard feature highlights for the TRD Pro include:

• TRD emblazoned synthetic leather upholstery
• Red engine start button
• Toyota heritage dashboard badge
• Leather-trimmed TRD steering wheel
• 18-inch TRD wheels
• Black grille with integrated light bar
• Dual exhaust tips
• Electronic locking rear differential
• Fox front coilovers and rear remote-reservoir shocks
• TRD aluminum front skid plate and front stabilizer bar

The TRD Pro is available in four colors, white, orange, gray, and black. Only the cool Solar Octane orange adds to the price ($425) but looks phenomenal. As you can see below, our tester got a handful of options including power extending tow mirrors ($290), a TRD Roof Rack ($1,395), a dash cam ($499), and a hitch mount ($87).

Out the door you’re at a significant number – $79,866. So, I noted that the Platinum’s $78,500 (ish) price was “not inconsequential) and that’s clearly the case here. Let’s find out if there is enough extra personality to make this pricey Pro worth considering.

2023 Toyota Sequoia TRD Pro Inside & Out

So, first off I really do like the look of the Sequoia TRD Pro. The bright white looks clean and I really dig the muscular shape. The front and rear fenders are nicely sculpted, the rear is clean and simple with two big TRD exhaust outlets, and even the front end is largely free of extra design cues present in a lot of big trucks. Naturally it says “T O Y O T A” across the front, we can blame the original Ford Raptor designer for kicking off that trend.

Still, it’s a good looking thing, I actually don’t even mind the camo accents on the fenders and some of the exterior trim. Some people on Twitter X noted that it was a little “dude-bro” looking, especially when paired with the eye-scorching red interior. I actually dig all of it, it feels like it has a sense of theater, like it has a personality. Bro.

Dang, look at that, it’s red ain’t it? I was a fan of the new interior on the last go-around and that remains the same. It’s chunky without looking out-of-date as the last generation Sequoia felt every time I drove one. Unlike in the Platinum, you get a large “T O Y O T A” emblazoned across the right side of the dashboard. In case you forget. From a standard features perspective, the TRD Pro is basically identical to the Platinum, getting stuff like the 14-inch touchscreen, 14-speaker JBL audio system, and 14 cupholders. I actually made that last bit up, but it’s possible since the front door alone has two. I actually left an empty soda can in there, forgot it was there, finished another the next day and had a spot for that empty as well. It’s all pretty usable and well laid out.

I didn’t come up with much I didn’t like, though I did think it odd that it still uses conventional USB to sync my phone, but there is right next to it USB-C to charge. I find myself coming out to each new press loaner with both cables since it’s hard to tell what the hell is going to happen. Oh, on the tech side there was one mild annoyance. The system lowers the radio volume slightly when I use voice to text, which is fine. However, when it reads it back to me it’s also not very loud, so I’m not sure what I said. CarPlay was like “would you like to send” and I’m like “uh, not without knowing what you’re sending”.

Like the center console in the Platinum (and the Tundra) the one in the TRD Pro is massive. I didn’t stash a bottle of Tito’s in this one, but clearly it would fit. Plus, there’s more camo.

Interior room is solid, the middle row in particular is pretty comfortable. As you can see from the montage above, the rear row is plausible for a six-footer like myself, but not much more, and not for all that long. However, there is a little window screen back there for the rear passengers, neat.

You’ll get 22.3 cubic feet of space behind the rear seat, and Toyota has some cool little dividers and shelves to help keep your groceries from sliding around. Max cargo capacity is 86.9 cubic feet, however just like the Platinum, the seats don’t actually fold flat enough to make a good interior camping spot. However, I suppose you could drop the captains chairs, and the rear row, and with the shelf things would be slightly flat. If you ignore the big hole in between the middle row. That you could fall into at night. My Wrangler just folds down and I can hop back there and sleep, easy peasy.

2023 Toyota Sequoia TRD Pro On the Road

The TRD Pro sounds really good, if you told me it was a V8 I would believe you. Plus, with all those torques it gets moving with some enthusiasm. As a daily driver, it did quite well in a mix of stop and go traffic and highway driving. The TRD rides fairly quietly as well, that is except for the roof rack which makes quite a noise poised up there in the wind. So make sure you test drive one at a variety of speeds if it comes fitted with the optional rack.

Still, for an $80,000 truck, it’s a nice place to spend some time. Even the leather-on-leather gearshift falls nicely to hand. Yeah, it’s a little lumpy but gives you something to fiddle with in traffic. Oh, and I did try the front light bar, which I could only get to come on when the high beams were on. So you can really piss people off at night!

The tow mirrors are pretty cool, they easily extend out to see what’s going on behind you. The V6 hybrid in the Sequoia is good for 9,020 lbs. of towing capacity, which opens up some nice options for the weekend warrior.

Summary

I liked the Platinum, but I really liked the TRD Pro. If you’re going to get something big, at least get one that looks cool. The other trim levels in the Sequoia lineup are just a bit too pedestrian looking. The camo trim and crazy seat colors might not be for everyone, but if you want a fun off-roady look with three rows and the potential for some of that long-term Toyota reliability, there are worse ways to spend close to $80,000. I’d happily daily drive a Sequoia TRD Pro, just make sure it’s your cup of tea.