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This is the 2023 Toyota Sequoia full-size three-row SUV, and it shares many components with the 2022 Tundra pickup. It comes standard with the iForce MAX hybrid powertrain with a twin-turbocharged 3.4-liter V-6 that produces a total of 437 horsepower and 583 pound-feet of torque. Arriving in the summer, it’ll be available in SR5, Limited, Platinum, TRD Pro, and Capstone models starting at around $50,000. Toyota is revamping its ancient body-on-frame offerings with technology from the modern era, including better interiors with massive touchscreens, coil-sprung rear suspensions, and more efficient powertrains. The 2022 Tundra pickup arrived first, aiming to capture a larger share of the full-size-pickup market dominated by Ford, Chevy, and Ram, and now the new 2023 Sequoia full-size SUV is here with similar upgrades. And it only comes as a hybrid.

2023 Toyota Sequoia TRD Pro.
Toyota

Like the new Tundra, the Sequoia is built on Toyota’s TNGA-F platform, but it’s shorter in length compared with the full-size pickup. This platform also underpins the new global Land Cruiser and Lexus LX, but the former isn’t sold here anymore. The Sequoia now uses a solid rear axle instead of an independent setup like the previous-generation and the Chevy Tahoe, Ford Expedition, and Jeep Wagoneer. Rear air springs and adaptive dampers are available, and the off-road-oriented TRD Pro model has 2.5-inch Fox dampers with internal-bypass chambers and remote reservoirs and 33-inch Falken Wildpeak all-terrain tires.

Unlike the Tundra, which is available with a nonhybrid twin-turbocharged 3.4-liter V-6, the Sequoia comes standard with the iForce MAX hybrid setup. It has an electric motor between the twin-turbo V-6 and 10-speed automatic transmission that’s powered by a roughly 1.5-kWh nickel-metal-hydride battery pack. This combination provides 437 horsepower and 583 pound-feet of torque. Toyota hasn’t announced fuel-economy estimates yet for the Sequoia or Tundra hybrids, but Sequoias can tow up to 9000 pounds. That’s 600 pounds more than the Chevy Tahoe’s max rating but less than the Ford Expedition’s and Jeep Wagoneer’s. To help with hauling, a towing technology package adds a trailer backup guide, and towing mirrors and a surround-view camera are available. The Sequoia’s grille is somewhat downsized compared to the Tundra’s. It’s about 10 percent smaller than the pickup’s, since it’s not a single-frame look, but the rest of the front end is shared with the pickup, including the headlights. We think the Sequoia’s best angle is the rear three quarter view, which shows the thin taillights that complement the lights in the front. Among the exterior color choices are Lunar Rock and Supersonic Red.
Interior improvements first seen on the Tundra carry over into the Sequoia. An 8.0-inch touchscreen is standard on the SR5 model, but the large 14.0-inch touchscreen is available as an option on that trim on it and standard on the rest of the lineup. A 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster is standard, along with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto capability. It offers either a second-row bench or captain’s chairs, and the third-row bench seat can slide up to six inches and fold down to fit in an adjustable cargo shelf. When it goes on sale this summer, the Sequoia will be available in SR5, Limited, Platinum, TRD Pro, and Capstone (a fully loaded, luxury model first introduced on the Tundra) models with two- or four-wheel drive available. A TRD Sport package is available on the SR5 model that adds black TRD wheels, Bilstein dampers, and other TRD accents. Newly available on the Sequoia SR5 and Limited models is a TRD off-road package, and it adds a locking rear differential, Bilstein dampers, black 18-inch TRD wheels, Multi-Terrain Select off-road drives modes, and off-road cruise control. The 2023 Toyota Sequoia will be built alongside the Tundra at Toyota’s factory in San Antonio, Texas. Pricing is expected to start close to $50,000 and reach around $70,000 for the fully loaded Capstone model.
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Kia has revealed more information about the new 2023 Niro hybrid.It will again use a 139-hp powertrain with a 1.6-liter gas four-cylinder engine. Plug-in-hybrid and EV models will follow.The Niro hybrid will likely go on sale in the U.S. later this year.After revealing the second-generation Niro late last year, Kia is now providing more information about the second generation of this small hybrid crossover. The 2023 Kia Niro will again be offered in hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and electric forms, with the conventional hybrid set to arrive first.

The Niro hybrid will again use a powertrain that combines a 1.6-liter inline-four gasoline engine, an electric motor, and a six-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. Kia says total output will be 139 horsepower, the same as before, and it will be front-wheel-drive-only. Details aren’t yet available on the plug-in-hybrid or electric versions, but they will surely use more powerful electric motors and larger battery packs. Kia has released photos of the Niro EV showing a slightly different front-end design.

Niro EV
Kia

The 2023 Niro is larger than the old model, with a slightly longer wheelbase, an increase in width, and a 2.5-inch longer body that should provide both more passenger space and extra cargo room. Its styling is taken largely from the HabaNiro concept car and will offer interesting trim customization possibilities: eight exterior colors are on offer, with six color options for the contrasting C-pillar trim and three trim choices for the body cladding.Inside, the Niro comes with a 10.3-inch touchscreen and a digital gauge cluster like many other new Kia models. A rotary shift knob, previously seen only on the Niro EV, is now standard on the hybrid models as well.
We expect to see Kia provide more U.S.-specific information in the coming months, as the Niro is set to go on sale in Korea first with other markets to follow later this year.
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The 2022 Kia EV6 starts at $42,115 and goes up to $57,115 for a fully loaded model.The EV6 is available in Light, Wind, and GT-Line trim levels in various single- and dual-motor combinations.Kia says the EV6 will start arriving at U.S. dealerships within the next few weeks.The 2022 Kia EV6 is more expensive than the closely related Hyundai Ioniq 5, starting at $42,115 compared to the Ioniq’s $40,925 starting price. The Kia will offer a choice of two battery pack sizes and either a single-motor rear-wheel-drive powertrain or a dual-motor all-wheel-drive powertrain. Its trim levels include Light, Wind, and GT-Line, while a more powerful GT model is said to arrive later on.

The base EV6 Light RWD comes with a 167-horsepower electric motor and a 58.0-kWh battery pack that offers a 232-mile EPA-estimated range. The $48,215 Wind RWD comes with a larger 77.4-kWh battery pack and a more powerful 225-hp electric motor, offering an EPA-estimated range of 310 miles. The GT-Line RWD is also available with this same powertrain setup and starts at $52,415.Both the Wind and GT-Line offer an upgrade to the dual-motor all-wheel-drive setup that produces 320 horsepower and comes only with the larger battery. The Wind AWD starts at $52,115 and the GT-Line AWD starts at $57,115. These are rated to deliver 274 miles of range by the EPA.The EV6’s basic specs are identical to the Ioniq 5’s, although the Kia’s EPA range estimates are longer than the Hyundai’s. We’ve gotten behind the wheel both EVs and found them to have different driving characters, and the two cars’ exterior designs are very distinct from each other.Kia says that the EV6 will start arriving at U.S. dealerships in the next few weeks.

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After nearly 50 years, Volkswagen has killed off the Passat sedan in the U.S.The last of 800,000 Passat sedans to come off the Chattanooga, Tennessee, production line was a Limited Edition 2022 Passat in Platinum Gray.The plant will now turn to the ID.4 EV, with production to start later in 2022.The Volkswagen Passat officially takes its leave of our market, as the last U.S. Passat has rolled off VWoA’s Chattanooga, Tennessee, assembly line. The Passat enjoyed a long run in the States, one that dates back to 1974, when the model was known as the Dasher.

1977 VW Dasher.
Volkswagen of America

The first Passat shared its Giugiaro-penned “folded paper” styling with the Golf and the Scirocco. With Volkswagen preparing to leave the Beetle behind, the brand used the Passat/Dasher to push its way upmarket. By the late 1970s, VW was (rather optimistically) hawking the Dasher as a luxury model. In this Passat commercial from 1979, a Malibu, California–dwelling proto-yuppie mocks the notion that he’d drive a Buick:
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The Dasher was offered in coupe and sedan (both hatchbacks) as well as wagon body styles. That three-model lineup would continue into the second generation in 1982, when the Dasher nameplate gave way to Quantum. Four- and five-cylinder engines were offered and again were longitudinally mounted, as the platform was shared with Audi. All-wheel drive (Syncro) was also available. The Passat name finally appeared on the third-generation car, which arrived for 1990. Sold as a sedan (with a trunk) and a wagon, this Passat rode on a transverse-engine VW-based architecture. For 1992, a 2.8-liter narrow-angle VR6 joined the base 2.0-liter four as the higher-output engine offering. A facelift bringing additional equipment marked the fourth generation, which carried the Passat through 1997.

1998 VW Passat GLS wagon.
Volkswagen of America

The Passat moved out of the shadows with the fifth-generation model that debuted for 1998. Reverting to an Audi platform (shared with the A4), this Passat delivered impressive quality for a mainstream mid-size sedan and wagon. Four-cylinder and V-6 engines and front- or all-wheel drive were available. A technically complex W-8 engine arrived later in the life cycle, as did a turbo-diesel.

2007 VW Passat sedan.
Volkswagen of America

Worries that the Passat had grown too expensive led VW to divorce the U.S. version from the European model, starting with the B7 Passat that debuted in 2006 as a sedan and 2007 as a wagon. Four-cylinder and V-6 engines were again offered, along with front- or all-wheel drive.Yet another attempt to better align the Passat with American tastes and pricing brought a new, larger Passat for 2012. To keep costs under control, the model was assembled at a brand-new U.S. factory in Chattanooga. The Passat grew larger still and much more spacious than before. This is the model, with updates, that VW has sold right up to the present day. Although the Passat is ending production, the Chattanooga factory will continue to build the Atlas three-row SUV and the (slightly) smaller Atlas Cross Sport two-row SUV. It will also start building the ID.4 EV later in 2022, VW said.With the Passat’s departure, buyers seeking a mid-size four-door could check out the sleek VW Arteon. But most probably won’t. Instead, they’ll gravitate to one of the other remaining mainstream mid-size sedans. Of them, our top choice would be the Honda Accord, a multiple 10Best winner. But shoppers can check out all the mid-size offerings here.
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