The 2021 Chevrolet Suburban pulverizes the 2021 Toyota Sequoia on all levels

Fresh out the drawing board and designed to reach for the full-sized SUV podium in terms of sales across the US, the 2021 Suburban faces some tough competition to reach its mark.

But rest assured, Chevrolet equipped it with more than enough features to beat the competition and come out a winner.

Today, we’ll pit the 2021 Suburban against the Toyota Sequoia, another full-sized SUV famed for its reliability and durability.

First thing’s first, let’s talk about exterior design. The Suburban got a full makeover for 2021 that makes it look modern, imposing, and down-right gorgeous, which is a hard thing to pull for an SUV its size. The front grille is fresh with huge C-shaped LEDs on both sides that let you know in an instant you’re looking at a recently designed car.

The Sequoia, though, isn’t such a success story. Toyota tried to make it look modern but came up short with an awkwardly small front grille that makes Sequoia look as though it’s constantly looking for a set of keys it dropped on the floor. The front end is downward-facing and off-putting. And even though design is subjective, it’s safe to say you won’t turn any heads in admiration while you drive the 2021 Sequoia down the street.

With exterior aesthetics out of the way, let’s look at the interior.

Inside, the Chevrolet Suburban got bigger and better. Already an SUV of considerable dimensions, the brand-new Suburban gets even roomier with added legroom for the second and third row plus more storage space. The Sequoia isn’t crammed by any means but it doesn’t live up to Suburban’s almost obscene level of comfort.

Looking at engine choices, again a clear victory for the Suburban considering it offers three powertrains to Sequoia’s one.

All Sequoias tap the same 5.7-liter V-8 engine that will deliver 381 horsepower and 401 pound-feet of torque. Decent numbers but it comes up very short when you compare it to all the available options on the Suburban.

First, you get the standard 5.3-liter V-8, capable of producing 355 horsepower. Then there’s the powerful upgrade, the 6.2-liter V-8 that will churn out 420 horsepower, almost 40% more than Sequoia’s.

The third option is a class-first, the Duramax I-6 turbodiesel that will belt out 277 horsepower and an impressive 460 pound-feet of torque. No other SUV in Suburban’s class offers a turbodiesel.

A single engine choice versus three different options, each addressing a certain need be it for extra power or fuel-efficiency. No contest as the Suburban scores an A+ while the Sequoia barely passes the test.

Finally, we have to address standard features. 

Both SUVs come with quite an impressive list, especially when it comes down to active safety features, such as Automated Emergency Braking and Forward Collision Alert. But then Toyota misses the mark again with some undefendable choices like fitting a measly 7.0-inch color touch for Sequoia’s infotainment system. That’s what Chevrolet uses on their Spark model, a car a quarter of Sequoia’s size and with a far lower price tag. For comparison, the Suburban has a standard 10.0-inch color touch, an 8.0-inch instrument cluster and can be fitted with a massive, segment-first 15-inch head-up display plus two 12.6-inch rear-seat screens that can stream independent content from a mobile device.

No - contest.

Come check the latest and greatest rendition of the Chevrolet Suburban here at O'Neill's Chevrolet Buick in Avon, CT .
Our team will gladly show you all trims and arrange for you to take the SUV for a test drive.