First Drive: 2008 Toyota Sequoia

Few will notice the slight decrease in some measures, as the Sequoia offers plenty of space. The Platinum replaces the second-row center bench with two captain's chairs and a console, which flips open to maintain a flat-floor cargo area when all rows folded. A Limited can be ordered with the same seats but the console is omitted in the walk-through design.

Third-row access is one-pull simple, and on some models the 60/40 third row folds and reclines electrically, a chore second-row riders must do manually. The three-section middle bench slides fore and aft, the center section travels further forward so your child-seat reach is within reason. Three-zone climate control is standard and supports wide temperature gradients via dash, floor, and four overhead rear vents.

The hatch, powered if you like, maintains the rolldown glass section for light load access, the floor slopes slightly to the rear for easier unloading, and there's a wide bin below the floor that could use some dividers or nonskid surface on the bottom. Sequoias carry a full-size spare on a steel wheel.

This may be the only 'ute where the optional seven-inch nav screen is closer to the passenger than the driver, and the reach wouldn't be noticed as much if the passenger were allowed to key in info on the move. It doubles as rearview monitor and controller for the 600-watt, 14-speaker JBL Synthesis system.

Dash layout and instruments parallel Tundra grades, with only a few more buttons for the additional features. The gadget-request sheet includes intuitive parking assist, dynamic laser cruise control (Platinum only), DVD player and AC outlet, nav w/Bluetooth support for six cell-phones, and so on.