2020 Toyota Sequoia Interior Storage Driveway Test

Welcome to the interior of the 2020 Toyota Sequoia TRD Pro, Toyota’s largest SUV in its lineup. We’re in the fancy off-road-ready TRD Pro (new for 2020), but that doesn’t make a difference when it comes to the Sequoia’s interior storage solutions. 

This truck is huge, both inside and outside. It’s imposing and utilitarian, and there are many cubbies and slots for you to put your life’s treasures. The video at the top of this post will give you a tour of the various places to put things, but keep reading for testing of said storage compartments.

We’ll start with the up-front storage. Large water bottles do fit in the cupholders in the center console, of which there are three. One is slightly smaller than the other two and is better suited to containers like cans or smaller plastic containers. There is no perfect spot for a cell phone to rest, but the cupholder is an acceptable place for it. You’ll actually want your phone out and connected via USB, too, because Toyota has added Apple CarPlay and Android Auto this year. Hurrah!

If you don’t need the cupholders, the giant piece of plastic will lift right out of the console area, leaving a spot suitable for something like a purse, gallon of milk or other large item. There’s just no great place to put the giant hunk of plastic you lifted out, so decide before you leave whether you want the cupholders or not. 

 

Open the gigantic armrest, and you’re met with a cavernous space for storage that’s rather truck-esque. There’s an organizer hanging in there, but it can be removed by pulling it straight out. Once that’s gone, a folder hanger reveals itself. As in literally a place to hang the important folders of paper you bring around everywhere. As one totally does.

Toyota hasn’t redesigned the Sequoia since 2007 — maybe it was an important feature back in the Bush era? (It really wasn’t. -Ed).

 

In addition to these central storage areas, Toyota has implemented two slots on either side of the steering wheel. Letting the 5.7-liter V8 loose from a stop will cause whatever is in those slots to fly out, which is less than optimal if you throw coins in there. On the door, you have a pop-out storage container that looks like it could be an ashtray, but is not. And then there are two more cupholders in both front doors. They’re large enough for big water bottles and offer an impressive height range.

 

On the passenger side, you get a double glovebox that’s common in trucks these days. The top glovebox is smaller than the bottom, but is still plenty big to hold some random, smaller items on a road trip.

 

The backseat is expansive in terms of comfort and space, but not brimming with storage options. There’s a single pull-down cupholder on the back of the center console that reveals two large cupholders. The rear doors also have cupholders in them, but they’re not as tall and accommodating as the front door cupholders. You can see the one black water bottle didn’t fit standing up, but the coffee mug did.

 

The Sequoia’s third row is more storage-friendly than the second row. Each side of the third row has a set of twin cupholders. The coffee mug is less friendly in this one due to its handle on the side sticking down, forcing the mug sideways in the spot. There are no doors for side pocket storage, but that hasn’t stopped Toyota from making some anyways. One side has a shallow area to set a phone, while the other side is deep enough to store a number of items in a cinch. On top of that, there are two bins with lids you can pop up, revealing even further storage capacity. If for any reason your third row passengers are the types to bring a lot of random knick-knacks along for the ride, they’re definitely covered in the Sequoia’s third row. Well, as long as they’re not powered knick-knacks. There are no USB ports in the second or third rows, just 12V outlets. 

The setup as a whole may not look pretty inside, but there’s no denying its practicality in all three rows. You’re not getting Sienna minivan levels of utility, but you also can’t go overlanding and mudding in a Sienna. Toyota doesn’t offer the spectacular Army Green on the Sienna either.