2023 Toyota Sequoia Vs. 2022 Ford Expedition: How Do the Big SUVs Compare?
The Ford Expedition has been around since the craze started. Based on the F-150 pickup truck, the SUV comes in two lengths and can seat seven people in comfort, towing, off-roading, hauling a bunch of stuff or street-cruising looks good. New for 2022 is the Stealth Edition Performance Package, which adds a high-output 3.5-liter V-6 twin-turbo engine, sporty suspension and a blacked-out look that makes it the (relative) street fighter in the lineup. It’s a popular choice for people looking for a full-size SUV despite its hefty price tag these days.
There’s also a new arrival on the household name full-size SUV scene: the 2023 Toyota Sequoia, which is based on the all-new 2022 Tundra. Everything about it is new, from its frame combined with the standard twin-turbocharged V-6 hybrid engine to its bold looks.
The question then becomes: What has Toyota created? Is the new Sequoia gone 14 years Without a major update, is it good enough to connect with updated players in the class like the latest Expedition? I recently had some back seat time on both the new Sequoia and 2022 Ford Expedition Limited Stealth Edition Performance to see how they compare.
Design from different sides of the spectrum
The Expedition looks the same as ever: it’s sleek, simple, and has clean lines that minimize bulk. Believe it or not, it’s within millimeters of being exactly the same size as the Sequoia even though the Toyota looks like a much larger SUV when parked side by side. This is due to differences in Toyota’s design: it Many More mass, aggressive, and designed to look more like an off-road machine than a Ford off-road look. Both are considered limited trim levels, but the Expedition takes it a step further with the Stealth Edition Performance Package, darkening a lot of the trim, adding big painted wheels and making the truck look as sporty as a two-box, seven-passenger, compact SUV can look. Instead, the Sequoia Limited trim highlights things like the fender flares made in contrasting black, giving it a more trail-ready look.
Frankly, this is a personal decision based on the preference of the customer in the matter. Do you want the plump and aggressive look? Toyota does it well. Looking for a more sophisticated and glamorous urban feel? Ford nailed it.
Mostly similar performance
Both large SUVs are powered by twin-turbocharged V-6 engines, but that’s the only similarity between them. The Expedition features a high-output 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 engine that comes with the Stealth Edition Performance Package. Its massive 440 horsepower and 510 pound-feet of torque is channeled through a standard 10-speed automatic transmission, and all-wheel drive is optional. By contrast, Toyota uses hybrid technology to augment its 3.5-liter twin-turbo V-6. Total system output is 437 horsepower and 583 pound-feet of torque, and is also channeled through a standard 10-speed automatic transmission with optional all-wheel drive.
Suffice it to say that both engines are distinct, with plenty of power on tap to move their SUVs at amazing speed and speed for vehicles this size. Both engines are very powerful, with acceleration that puts everyone back in their seats. Toyota has a roaring sound that is almost certainly more than the actual exhaust noise. The Ford, on the other hand, has a performance exhaust as part of the Stealth Edition Performance Package, so the noise that makes its way into its cabin is real. Both engines are smooth in power delivery, with Toyota using its electric motor booster to cut off the engine now and then, or to start moving in electric mode with the gas engine sounding quickly.
Both SUVs also ride and handle a combination of compliance in preventing road imperfections from entering the cabin and sufficient body control to allow decent high-speed cornering on twisty roads. The Sequoia has a more pronounced body curvature than the sporty Expedition, which has a sportier tune with a suspension that makes it stiffer, if not the case. Even more surprising is that Toyota does not suffer dynamically from reverting to a solid rear axle from the independent rear suspension of the previous generation. Ford still maintains that setting; It doesn’t seem to do her much good when it comes to handling it. Both feature powerful brakes capable of towing large SUVs from high speeds with ease and confidence.
Although they are almost identical, the Ford is slightly ahead due to its fuel economy. My week with the Sequoia 2023 saw it return just 15 mpg combined, well below the 19/22/20 mpg city/highway/combined rating. By comparison, the Expedition got a combined 19 mpg during my two weeks with it, which largely resulted in 16/22/18 mpg. The fact that Toyota performed so poorly in fuel economy despite being a hybrid is surprising, which makes me wonder about using the hybrid if it doesn’t do any good versus a non-hybrid twin-turbo V-6 of the same displacement. One possible explanation: The Sequoia is heavier than a similarly sized Expedition, likely due to the addition of electric motor components and a hybrid battery pack, as well as the Expedition’s greater use of aluminum body panels.
Interior improvements
Ford seems to be constantly improving its interiors, with the latest Expeditions featuring cabins finally starting to feel worth the money being charged for them. The Stealth Edition Performance Package added to the Limited offers dark leather seats, red stitching on the seats, doors and dashboard, and darker trim throughout to give it a refined and sophisticated look. There’s still plenty of physical buttons for the controls too – not everything is touchscreen operated like on some newer vehicles – and everything is easy to locate and use.
The new Sequoia is Wide A retro-style improvement in design, materials, assembly quality, design and style. It has a different feel than the Expedition, with a tall, glass-filled dash and squat windshield making outside viewing more challenging than a longer, higher-air expedition. Driving the Expedition feels like driving a smaller, easier-to-handle SUV, while the Sequoia feels like a tank. The Toyota’s front row feels more cramped than the Ford’s, with a very wide center console that makes the cabin more compact. The second row on both SUVs is roomy, with plenty of legroom, but the third row is very different between the two.
2023 Toyota Sequoia Vs. 2022 Ford Expedition: How Do the Big SUVs Compare?
Various technical experiments
The Expedition setup uses the latest Sync 4A system and is displayed on a huge 15.5″ vertically oriented touchscreen. It offers tons of functionality and customization, allowing the operator to change the layout, add custom shortcuts, and turn it into something unique all of their own while displaying everything they want – and eliminating the ones they don’t.
Meanwhile, the Sequoia features an all-new multimedia and audio system, a clean design displayed on a horizontal 14-inch touchscreen. The system is less versatile and displays a lot of screen real estate wasted in any mode other than navigation. It doesn’t have a “home” screen – it simply shows any function you’ve clicked on from the menu bar on the left. And on some screens, like playing audio, you’re left with a big screen that doesn’t show many things. The Toyota system also relies heavily on cloud-based data processing. This is great if you have a cellular data subscription and want to link your Google account to the car, but it smells bad if you’re somewhere without a data signal and suddenly find yourself without certain features like navigation.
Not cheap
From a price perspective, neither of these giants is cheap. The cheapest Expedition available as of this writing – the XLT, as the XL STX part isn’t currently built – starts at just a few hundred dollars shy of $60,000 (prices include destination fees). The Loaded Performance Package from the Expedition Limited Stealth Edition I tested proved to be flat at just under $84,000, with the Stealth Edition Performance Package adding nearly $10,000 to the bottom line all on its own. The Toyota Sequoia starts at a similar price of around $60,000. The Limited model I just shyly drove rang out at $72,000, but even if you opt for the Sequoia on top of the deluxe Capstone trim, it still doesn’t break the $84,000. Expedition, on the other hand, can go for $90,000 to top it off, which is a staggering amount for a mass-market brand — and yet people pay it, so it shouldn’t be very Many. However, Toyota has the upper hand here in keeping prices at least relatively reasonable.
The old spare Ford Expedition is constantly being improved upon to the point that it truly is a very comfortable, easy-to-use, relatively efficient, tech-loaded (at a hefty price) family pick-up truck. But the all-new Toyota Sequoia, completely restyled, has an attractive design and is impressively powerful. However, while it is excellent at driving, Sequoia struggles to do some of the things it does should Eliminate the hassle, like taking seven full-size people or carrying a bunch of stuff.
