It shHow Much Does a Hybrid Drivetrain Actually Improve the 6,000-Pound Toyota Sequoia’s MPG?
ocked the automotive world when it announced that each one would have a hybrid drive. Few automakers offer a full hybrid option for a full-frame SUV, and no others make it standard. But with the Sequoia weighing in at more than 6,000 pounds, some are questioning whether hybrid technology will benefit large SUVs. Here’s the truth.
Toyota Sequoia has a lot of momentum
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It adds a powerful engine/alternator between a 3.4-liter twin-turbocharged V6 and a 10-speed automatic transmission. When you pump the brakes, this alternator helps slow the car by causing traction and charging the nickel battery under the third row seat in the process. Then when you tap on the gas, the electric motor actually powers the SUV and speeds it up to 18 mph before the V6 starts up.
i-FORCE MAX hybrid improves Toyota Tundra’s fuel mileage
Since the third-generation Toyota Sequoia is only available as a hybrid, it’s impossible to gauge how much the hybrid powertrain improves its fuel efficiency. But Toyota offers the same engine in the Tundra as the i-FORCE MAX, besides. Tundra’s fuel efficiency numbers give us an idea of how much hybrid technology is improving the Sequoia’s fuel mileage.
Toyota Tundra 2WD 2023 Petrol Twin Turbo V6 gets 18 city/23 mpg highway (20 combined). The i-FORCE MAX Hybrid version of the same two-wheel drive truck received an EPA rating of 20 city/24 mpg highway (22 mpg highway).
As you’d expect, hybrid technology helps the Tundra’s fuel efficiency at stop/go, giving it a 2 mpg city bump. What might surprise you is that even though the Sequoia has about 200 pounds on the Tundra, that weight doesn’t affect its fuel efficiency.
The EPA gave the 2023 Toyota Sequoia a fuel mileage rating of 21 city/24 mpg (22 mpg). This is actually better mpg than the city tundra.
There are other benefits of a hybrid propulsion system
The Sequoia 2023’s fuel mileage takes advantage of the hybrid technology Toyota uses in its powertrain. But so does its performance. The Sequoia’s 3.44-liter V6 can produce around 389 horsepower and 479 pound-feet of torque. But with an electric motor, the powertrain on the Sequoia makes 437 horsepower and 583 pound-feet of torque.
What does this mean for Sequoia 2023? Well, first of all, it is estimated that the third row of the SUV can hit 60 mph in 6.0 seconds. It’s almost time for a sports sedan!
Plus, the 2023 Sequoia has one in its class: up to 9,520 lbs. This is the second after the Jeep Grand Wagoneer. Toyota Sequoia certainly owes some of its impressive performance numbers to Toyota’s hybrid technology in its i-FORCE MAX engine.
Discover or see the hybrid sequoia reviewed in the video below:
