Toyota Sequoia vs. Chevy Tahoe: Compare Large SUVs
The full-size SUV accomplishes a singular feat unmatched by any other automotive segment. It can transport a hockey team’s starting line and their gear in relative comfort, as long as you’re wearing nose plugs.
The large truck-based SUVs that seat up to nine passengers are known for their roomy utility as much as their poor fuel economy. The redesigned 2023 Toyota Sequoia counters that last point with a standard hybrid powertrain nearly 50% more efficient than the V-8 it replaces. Is it enough to overcome the segment’s bestseller, the larger, roomier, and more versatile 2023 Chevrolet Tahoe?
Here’s how the two squads face off.
2023 Toyota Sequoia
2023 Toyota Sequoia
2023 Chevrolet Tahoe
2021 Chevrolet Tahoe Z71
Tahoe vs. Sequoia prices and trims
Base Tahoe LS costs about $56,000
Base Sequoia SR5 costs about $61,500
4WD adds $3,000 on both models
Best picks: Sequoia SR5, Tahoe LT
How much does a Toyota Sequoia cost?
The Sequoia SR5 costs $61,500, including a $1,595 destination fee. It’s more expensive than the base Tahoe LS, but it comes much better equipped with a sunroof, power and heated front seats, a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, and wireless smartphone compatibility. On Limited, Platinum, TRD Pro, and top Capstone models, a 14.0-inch touchscreen with a new infotainment system that’s almost as good as GM’s comes standard. The base SR5 with 4WD and an 8.0-inch touchscreen does the job just fine; we’d add a $2,195 TRD Sport package with 20-inch alloy wheels and Bilstein shocks for a total of $67,000, though we might add a heated steering wheel.
The top Capstone trim doesn’t match rival’s luxurious trims, including the Tahoe High Country. For $80,000, the Toyota Sequoia Capstone adds 22-inch chrome wheels, power running boards, black-and-white leather upholstery, American Walnut wood dash trim, and LED mood lighting.
Every Sequoia has a 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty with 2 years or 25,000 miles of scheduled maintenance. Hybrid components are covered for 8 years or 100,000 miles.
How much does a Chevrolet Tahoe cost?
It varies based on the three powertrain options, but the base LS costs a bit over $56,000 with rear-wheel drive and the 5.3-liter V-8. Standard gear includes power-adjustable front seats, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility, keyless and remote start, but GM can’t match Toyota’s warranty with just 3 years or 36,000 miles of coverage. The turbodiesel costs $1,000 more, on average, while the 6.2-liter V-8 available on RST, Z71, Premier, and High Country trims costs between $2,000 to $8,000 more.
The $62,000 LT model aligns with the Sequoia SR5 and upgrades from an 8.0-inch touchscreen to a 10.2-inch touchscreen with wireless smartphone compatibility, as well as wireless smartphone charging, a 12.0-inch digital instrument cluster, a hands-free power tailgate, Bose audio, and leather upholstery. In addition to the available turbodiesel, the Tahoe comes with many more options as well, which ultimately gives it the edge here.
The top High Country model nudges into GMC Denali terrain with its adaptive damping, heated second-row seats, and power-folding third row, but at $80,000 it’s a bit much.
Advantage: Chevy Tahoe.
2023 Toyota Sequoia SR5
2023 Toyota Sequoia
2023 Chevrolet Tahoe
2023 Chevrolet Tahoe
Tahoe vs. Sequoia performance and efficiency
The Toyota Sequoia comes with one hybrid powertrain
The Chevy Tahoe offers up to three engine choices
Both models use a 10-speed automatic transmission
2023 Toyota Sequoia SR5
What are the Toyota Sequoia specs? How does it drive?
A 3.5-liter twin-turbo V-6 hybrid powertrain makes 437 hp and 583 lb-ft of torque
EPA rates it at 21 mpg city, 24 highway, 22 combined with rear-wheel drive
Four-wheel drive costs it 2 mpg across the board, to 19/22/20 mpg
Sharing a hybrid engine with the Toyota Tundra full-size pickup truck, the 2023 Sequoia’s hybrid powertrain sandwiches a motor generator between the engine and 10-speed automatic transmission for low-speed EV driving below 18 mph. More spirited off the line and while passing than its predecessor, the Sequoia scoots to 60 mph in the low six seconds. The hybrid V-6 rides quieter than the old 5.7-liter V-8, giving the Sequoia a sense of refinement it lacked before. That’s enhanced by an independent front suspension and a solid rear axle with coil-over rear springs and an available air suspension that keeps it from handling as rough and tumble as a truck. The Sequoia can tow up to 9,520 pounds, but it’s not as smooth or confident as the Tahoe and its 8,400-pound tow rating.
2021 Chevrolet Tahoe Z71
What are the Chevy Tahoe specs? How does it drive?
The standard 5.3-liter V-8 makes 355 hp and 383 lb-ft; it gets 15/20/17 mpg
A 3.0-liter inline-6 turbodiesel churns out 277 hp and 460 lb-ft; it’s the highway champ at 21/28/24 mpg
The 6.2-liter V-8 makes 420 hp and 460 lb-ft; it gets 16 mpg combined with RWD or 4WD
The Tahoe’s best version slaps with a 6.2-liter V-8 that hustles the land barge to 60 mph in the mid seven-second range. It’s available on all but the LS and LT trims. Any of the three Tahoe engines pair with a seamless 10-speed automatic that’s almost telepathic, but a heavy foot keeps it in low gears until it howls approaching the redline. The turbodiesel is a rare but compelling option, especially for owners who tow and log a lot of highway miles. Quieter and cleaner than older diesels, it’s only a $1,000 upcharge and it’s more efficient than the hybrid Sequoia. Rear-wheel drive comes standard, but four-wheel drive is available across the lineup.
Chevy fits the Tahoe with a fully independent suspension that counteracts the SUV’s prodigious weight to make it feel lighter and more agile. The available magnetic ride control dampers smother road imperfections even better, and an available air suspension can raise or lower the big rig by nearly four inches.
Advantage: Sequoia for everyday efficiency, Chevy’s turbodiesel for towing, Chevy’s 6.2-liter V-8 for everything else.
2023 Toyota Sequoia SR5
2023 Toyota Sequoia SR5
2021 Chevrolet Tahoe
2021 Chevrolet Tahoe
Tahoe vs. Sequoia specs and dimensions
Both full-size SUVs seat up eight passengers standard, but the Tahoe can be equipped with a front-row bench to seat nine
Available captain’s chairs bring the seating capacity to seven
The Tahoe is longer, roomier, and has more cargo room
While fuel efficiency might be the Sequoia’s best move, it can’t measure up to the economy of space in the Tahoe. And the two are related.
Is the Toyota Sequoia bigger than the Chevy Tahoe?
It’s 2.0 inches shorter than the Tahoe but has a 2.0-inch longer wheelbase
There’s only 11.5 cubic feet of space behind the rearmost seats
Rearmost legroom measures out to 33. 7 inches, but it’s misleading
The Sequoia’s hybrid battery pack sits below the third row seat, designed so that more high traffic areas around the second row would be easier to navigate. Because of this packaging, the second row doesn’t slide, but the third row slides fore and aft 5.5 inches. Sliding the seats to the rearmost position is the only way to accommodate passengers in the third row, and they should be on the smaller side. This squeezes headroom and legroom enough to prohibit adults or even teens from fitting heads, shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes. In Toyota’s family, the Grand Highlander feels roomier by comparison. With the seats back, the third row measures out to only 11.5 cubic feet. Not even goalie gear would fit back there.
How big is the Chevy Tahoe?
The Tahoe stretches to 210.7 inches long with a 120.9-inch wheelbase
Cargo volume behind the third row is 25.5 cubic feet, or 72.6 cubes with the third row down
Rearmost legroom measures out to 34.9 inches, and its functional enough to fit adults
The Tahoe has 25.5 cubic feet of space behind its third row, and adults can functionally sit in the wayback with 34.9 inches of rear legroom, which is as much space as the second row of many compact crossovers. The second-row seats slide and collapse for easier entry and exit, and unlike the Sequoia they can be folded down for a full flat floor to optimize cargo, which measures out to 122.9 cubic feet with both rear rows folded.
Advantage: Chevy Tahoe, by a good margin.
2023 Toyota Sequoia
2023 Toyota Sequoia
2021 Chevrolet Tahoe Z71
2023 Chevrolet Tahoe with Super Cruise
Tahoe vs. Sequoia exterior and interior
Is the Toyota Sequoia a good-looking SUV?
The Sequoia looks newer but the Tahoe appears more timeless in its big box shape. Both models embrace the design cues of the full-size pickup trucks with which they share a platform, with broad vertical grilles and jar-head sides.
Bulging fenders and flexed rocker panels define the profile of the Sequoia, and the door cutouts don’t gel with the rear part of the greenhouse, though the same could be said of the Tahoe. Up front, a prominent air dam on non-TRD models underscores broad grilles that differ by trim. The Sequoia wears the same corner brace LED headlights as the Tundra, and it also has the same narrow windshield that squeezes outward vision once inside. In the cabin, the horizontal blockiness carries over across the dash, with vents like ears flanking a 14.0-inch touchscreen on most grades. Gratefully, and maybe even gracefully, both models have climate control dials and multimedia buttons so you don’t have to rely on the touchscreen for everyday functions.
Is the Chevy Tahoe a good-looking SUV?
Most Tahoes feature a 10.2-inch touchscreen with a vertical gear panel on the left side. It’s a no-frills arrangement, much like the Silverado pickup, until you get to top trims like High Country that summit Denali and Cadillac territory.
Outside, the Tahoe can ride on 22-inch wheels that make the sharp horizontal bands on its steep face even more imposing in rear-view mirrors. The rear end is more unified than the Sequoia’s, even with its shark fin cover behind the rear door pillars. The proportions of both models preclude them from being attractive, but the Tahoe is more whole.
Advantage: Chevy Tahoe.
2023 Chevrolet Tahoe with Super Cruise
Tahoe vs. Sequoia safety
Tahoe gets four stars from the NHTSA, including a three-star rollover rating
Sequoia has not been tested by the NHTSA
Neither model has been tested by the IIHS
Automatic emergency braking is standard on both
How do the Toyota Sequoia safety features compare to the Chevy Tahoe?
Even though they lack full crash-test ratings, both models come well equipped with driver-assist features meant to avoid or mitigate the impacts of a crash. Automatic emergency braking with pedestrian and cyclist detection, active lane control, and blind-spot monitors are standard on both, but Toyota adds adaptive cruise control, front and rear park assist, and a standard surround-view camera system that is crucial for a vehicle with such thick rear pillars. Headrests—and heads—in the rearview mirror can stick out like a game of whack-a-mole. The Tahoe can be fitted with Super Cruise limited hands-free driving system that gives a welcome assist on road trips.
2023 Chevrolet Tahoe
Which is better: Sequoia or Tahoe?
The Chevy Tahoe wins in a shootout. From design to execution, the Tahoe presents a more well-rounded case and excels at what the full-size SUV is meant to do by offering tons of passenger and cargo room. That’s why it earns a superior TCC Rating of 6.4 out of 10. But the Sequoia’s hybrid powertrain, with its balance of power and efficiency, is right there with a TCC Rating of 6.2 out of 10. That advantage comes at a steep cost of interior roominess that makes all the difference in the land of the largest passenger vehicles. It all comes down to which team you root for most, space or efficiency.