Getting the Most Out of Your 2024 Toyota Sequoia TRD Pro
The 2024 Sequoia TRD Pro comes with a 3.4-liter twin-turbo V6 making 437 horsepower and 583 pound-feet of torque. That power gets sent through a 10-speed automatic to all four wheels via Toyota's part-time four-wheel-drive system. The TRD Pro trim adds some genuine hardware upgrades over the base models - TRD-tuned off-road suspension, a locking rear differential, crawl control, multi-terrain select, and skid plates. It's a solid truck-based SUV for people who actually need to go off pavement. When I say "unleash the beast," most people are thinking about lowering ride height for better handling or adding bigger tires. The Sequoia is a 5,800-pound vehicle built on a body-on-frame platform. It was never meant to carves corners. What it's designed for is crawling over rocks, plowing through mud, and towing heavy loads without falling apart. Understanding that distinction matters more than most buyers realize. The factory suspension on the TRD Pro is competent but not exceptional. If you plan on doing any serious off-roading beyond light trails, you'll want to look at options quickly. I ran into a real issue during a weekend trip to Mojave where the stock shocks started binding after about three hours of rock crawling at slow speeds. The heat build-up in the monotube design caused the valving to get sluggish. My workaround was simple - I swapped in Rancho RS9000XL adjustable shocks beforehand for the next outing. They're more expensive upfront but the remote reservoir design handles heat much better. That's the kind of thing Toyota doesn't tell you about in the brochure.
Another thing people miss is the towing setup. The Sequoia tows 9,522 pounds when properly equipped. That sounds impressive until you're actually backing a trailer up a steep incline and realize how heavy this thing feels while doing it. The 10-speed transmission does a decent job but you'll want to manually select lower gears for descents instead of relying on the computer. Braking distance increases significantly when loaded - budget at least 400 feet to come to a complete stop from 60 mph with a full load. The multi-terrain select system is genuinely useful but it only works in conjunction with the active traction control. If you disable stability control completely, the system stops functioning. Some people run into this on very slippery surfaces and think their equipment is broken. It's not. The system needs electronic intervention to work properly. Keep traction control on and let the computer handle the brake application between wheels. The crawl control is essentially adaptive cruise control for off-road terrain. You set a speed and the vehicle maintains it by automatically applying brakes and managing throttle. It works well on moderate trails but struggles on steep rocky sections where you need precise throttle modulation. I found myself turning it off and using my foot for more control on technical sections. The system also doesn't distinguish well between loose gravel and hard-packed dirt, sometimes applying brakes when you really just need momentum.
Ground clearance is 10.2 inches with the standard suspension and 10.8 inches with the TRD Pro version. Approach angle is 25 degrees and departure is 23 degrees. These numbers are adequate for most trail use but if you're tackling anything beyond moderate obstacles, consider a front lift kit. A 1.5-inch spacer lift on the front improves approach angle without affecting the rear suspension geometry. Just be aware that any lift beyond that starts putting stress on CV joints and wheel bearings sooner than stock. The 360-degree camera system is one of the best I've used in any vehicle. It genuinely helps when you're navigating tight trails where you can't see your tire placement. The system also includes an audible proximity warning that changes pitch as you get closer to objects. It's not perfect in low-light conditions but during daylight it works remarkably well. Fuel economy is mediocre, especially with the turbocharged engine under load. Expect 15-17 mpg city and 19-21 mpg highway under normal driving. Towing drops that to about 10-12 mpg on the highway. The 22-gallon fuel tank gives you roughly 330 miles of range when empty, which is fine for day trips but tight for remote overnight adventures. Carry a spare fuel container if you're going anywhere without cell service.
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The infotainment system runs Toyota's latest update and includes wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. It's responsive enough but not as polished as some competitors. The physical climate controls are still present, which is appreciated after years of touch-only interfaces becoming unreliable. Screen brightness auto-adjusts based on ambient light but sometimes takes several seconds to react when entering tunnels or dense tree cover. For maintenance, oil changes should be done every 10,000 miles under normal conditions but reduce that to 5,000 miles if you're doing a lot of off-roading or towing. The transfer case fluid should be checked every 30,000 miles and changed at 60,000 mile intervals. Brake fluid changes every two years is standard practice but worth remembering since moisture contamination causes internal corrosion in the calipers over time. One final note about the rear differential lock. It only engages at speeds below 18 mph and disengages automatically if you exceed that speed. This is a safety feature to prevent driveline binding on high-traction surfaces. If you find yourself unable to engage it, make sure you're moving slowly enough. The system won't respond if you're doing more than crawling speed.
