Toyota (TM) has done several things of note in redesigning the Sequoia full-size SUV for the 2008 model year. The obvious: It hit the market with a big, fuel-thirsty, truck-based SUV just as buyers stampede toward smaller, lighter, car-based crossover SUVs.

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Such redesigns are planned years in advance. And this launch is tied to the redesign a year ago of the full-size Tundra pickup (Test Drive, Jan. 12, 2007) on which Sequoia is based. There's nothing to do now but try to market the heck out of it to people who need its 10,000-pound towing capability and eight-passenger room and those who like big, traditional SUVs, never mind the fuel economy.

FIND MORE STORIES IN: Toyota | Tundra | Chevy Tahoe | Toyota Sequoia | SUV
We'll use Chevrolet's Tahoe (Test Drive, Jan. 20, 2006), the best-selling big SUV and a chief rival to Sequoia, as a benchmark.
Generally, Sequoia is roomier, more comfortable and more pleasant to drive, and tows quite a bit more. But it also hauls a lot less weight, uses a bit more fuel and has less interior class.The good and bad, based on a 1,060-mile round trip from Northern Virginia to Detroit and a few hundred suburban miles, in a $42,000 (but fairly plain) SR5 four-wheel drive:

•It's a big smoothie. Despite its size, it's easy to drive. The ride is comfortable. It parks easily (unless you're used to a compact). You don't feel like a prisoner of its size, rather a guest.  Independent rear suspension helps the hefty truck corner and ride without stiffness or jolts you might expect. Chevy parent GM (GM) hews to the cheap, sturdy solid axle.

•It's remarkably roomy. Oughta be, you say, but Tahoe has taught us that big outside doesn't guarantee big inside. Tahoe's second-row seats are awkward to enter and exit, and the third row is pretty cramped. But Sequoia's second- and third-row seats are easy to reach, commodious, comfy.  Sequoia's third row folds down for a big, flat cargo area. GM's third row flips up against the second; for max cargo, you must wrestle it out. GM says it didn't see reason to spend big bucks to redesign the rear suspension for folding seats.  Sequoia's second row slides fore-aft to fit people and cargo needs. The second-row seats also tilt and slide very far forward for a generous aisle to the third row. If you haul people on long trips, it's hard to see how any other big SUV could compete in expansiveness and convenience.  What about the driver and front-seat passenger? As well-tended as the back-benchers. The driver's seat offered no reason to complain on the trek to Detroit, or in daily use.

•It looks good, unlike the Tundra it's based on, with its tasteless collection of bulges and angles. Sequoia's obviously longer roofline and straightened window-sill line make a big difference. Not slapping fat, gratuitous trim on the astonishingly attractive flanks helps. The gratuitously beefy grille even seems at home on the Sequoia, unlike on the Tundra.

But …

•The Sequoia steering is overboosted: nice for tight parking but a fistful of anxiety whipping through a highway construction zone lined with concrete barriers. Tahoe steering isn't great but might suit some folks better than Sequoia's.
•Brakes are a bit numb. They stop the big truck with more assurance and less panic-pedaling than typical on some Toyotas, but they're not right-now Audi brakes.
•Interior is OK but a cut below other family-oriented SUVs (GM interiors are especially dressy and tasteful). Surfaces that you turn and touch lack the tactile allure we now expect even on $15,000 compacts.
•Payload's not great: 1,235 to 1,350 lbs., depending on model. Chevy rates the Tahoe to carry 1,776 or 1,835 lbs. The much smaller Jeep Liberty SUV is rated 1,150 lbs.

Tahoe won't tow as much as Sequoia, however.

•The automatic transmission in the test vehicle stumbled a bit when asked to shift up or down into second gear at low speed. Otherwise, though, the gearbox was a whiz.
•A loop hangs down to help you close the tailgate, but, as on the new Toyota Highlander, it's too small and skinny.
•The 5.7-liter V-8 in the test machine sounded coarse and loud when cold. It got quiet and pleasant when warm.
•The array of dashboard lights don't all brighten or dim at the same rate with the dimmer.
•The price is high: $35,000 to start, $60,000 with everything. Not that any big SUV is cheap.
•No surprise for big, V-8, truck-based SUVs: Fuel economy's poor. Figure 12 in town, 17 on the highway. A heavy foot in town could drop you into single digits.

Note, too: The standard 4.7-liter V-8 gets worse mileage, not better, than the optional 5.7-liter. The big one has more sophisticated variable valve timing, so doesn't work as hard.

If you tow heavy trailers, carry lots of folks or just like the yippee factor of Toyota's 5.7-liter V-8, Sequoia's an easy choice. If you want a spiffier interior, more payload than people comfort and slightly better mileage, Tahoe shows there are better choices.

ABOUT THE 2008 TOYOTA SEQUOIA

•What is it: Full-size SUV based on redesigned Tundra pickup. Available with rear-wheel drive (RWD) or four-wheel drive (4x4). Built at Princeton, Ind.
•How soon? Sold now.

•How much? SR5 RWD starts at $34,835. Top-level Platinum 4x4 starts at $56,285.
Test vehicle, SR5 4x4 with optional 5.7-liter V-8 and a modest array of options: $42,474.
•Who'll buy? People who need passenger space, towing capacity and like big, heavy SUVs.
•What's the drivetrain: Standard: 4.7-liter V-8 rated 276 horsepower at 5,400 rpm, 314 pounds-feet of torque at 3,400 rpm; five-speed automatic transmission, traction control, electronic limited-slip differential.
Optional: 5.7-liter V-8 rated 381 hp at 5,600 rpm, 401 lbs.-ft. at 3,600 rpm, six-speed automatic. Optional 4x4 has RWD, 4x4, 4x4 locked, 4x4 low-range settings.
•What's the safety gear? Front and side air bags in front, head-curtain bags all three rows, stability control, anti-lock brakes with assist, force distribution.

•What's the rest? Varies, but standard on all: climate control; AM/FM/CD; power windows (including tailgate), mirrors, locks; cruise control; tiltable, telescoping steering column; alloy wheels.

•How big? Sequoia is 205.1 inches long, 79 inches wide, 74.6 inches tall on a 122-inch wheelbase. Weight range: 5,680 to 6,000 lbs.
Cargo space in cubic feet: 18.9 behind third row, 66.6 with third row folded, 120.8 with second, third rows folded.
Various models rated to carry 1,260 to 1,350 lbs. of people, cargo. Rated to tow 10,000 pounds.
Turning circle diameter is listed as 39 feet curb-to-curb.
•How thirsty? 4.7-liter V-8 RWD rated 14 mpg in town, 17 highway, 15 combined; 13/16/14 with 4x4. 5.7-liter V-8 RWD rated 14/19/15; 13/18/15 with 4x4.
Trip computer in 5.7, 4x4 test truck showed 16.4 mpg for 1,060 highway miles; 14.2 in mixed suburban-freeway driving; 12.4 in suburban driving. Tank holds 26.4 gallons. Regular gasoline specified.

•Overall: Room, power, comfort at the expense of fuel economy and payload capacity.