There Are Only Three V6-Powered Toyotas Left In The USA

There are 36 different models within Toyota USA’s lineup, but only three are powered by a V6 engine. The vast majority of Toyota’s lineup relies on power sourced from some variation of a four-cylinder engine. This includes models such as the Crown, Tacoma, Corolla, and Highlander. The only models offered by Toyota that employ a V6 engine as their power source are the Toyota Sequoia, Toyota Tundra, and the Toyota 4Runner.

However, all three models have been updated for the 2025 model year, and one will lose its V6 engine in favor of a hybrid four-cylinder once its 2025 model arrives in the US at the end of 2024.

Toyota Sequoia

Toyota has recently unveiled the 2025 model year rendition of its third-generation Sequoia SUV, which shares the same body-on-frame chassis as the Tundra. New to the revised Sequoia lineup is the 1794 grade, which is positioned above the Platinum grade and below the TRD Pro grade within the 2025 model year range. One of the more noteworthy features of the 2025 model is its engine, which is carried over from the previous model year and implemented across its model range from the entry-level SR5 to the range-topping Capstone derivative.

The 2025 Toyota Sequoia utilizes Toyota’s i-Force MAX architecture. The three-row SUV’s powertrain system consists of a 3.5-liter, aluminum block 24-valve DOHC V6 with dual VVT-i and operates on a 10.4:1 compression ratio. Additionally, the 3.5-liter six-cylinder employs two turbochargers and water-cooled intercoolers. Paired with the ICE V6 is a parallel hybrid system featuring an electric motor generator, positioned between the engine and a 10-speed automatic transmission. The electric motor is capable of generating 48 hp and 184 lb-ft of torque. This hybrid system sources energy from a 1.87 kWh sealed Nickel-Metal Hybrid battery.

The V6 power plant is a relatively new engine configuration for the Sequoia nameplate, as all the previous generations utilized some variation of the V8 engine. The earliest examples of the Sequoia SUV were offered with the choice of a 4.6-liter, 4.7-liter, and 5.7-liter V8 petrol engine. The second-generation Sequoia range, which featured six different grades, relied on a 5.7-liter petrol V8 paired with a 6-speed automatic transmission. The current 3.5-liter V6 platform was introduced at the core of the first rendition of the third-generation Sequoia that debuted in 2023. Compared to the initial third-generation model, power and powertrain composition haven’t changed as the latest variant retains the previous model year’s output of 437 hp and 583 lb-ft of torque.

Toyota intends for the Sequoia to offer a large SUV capable of carrying up to eight passengers, and feature a high-quality interior, all without sacrificing capability, as one of its main selling points is the maximum towing capacity is rated for 9,520 lbs.

Toyota Tundra

Following the debut of the third generation Tundra in 2022, Toyota has debuted the updated variation of its full-size pick-up truck for the 2025 model year, still powered by the i-Force hybrid architecture. Similarly to the Sequoia, the basis of the Tundra’s powertrain is a 24-valve DOHC twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter aluminum block V6. The Tundra models equipped with the i-Force configuration rely solely on the turbocharged V6 engine to produce its power, whereas grades with the i-Force MAX configuration feature the same V6 engine but are aided by a parallel hybrid system comprised of a unique electric motor/generator. Compared to the 2024 model range, the non-hybrid V6’s output in the SR grade has decreased from 358 hp and 406 lb-ft to 348 hp and 405 lb-ft in the updated 2025 model year. The more powerful non-hybrid 2025 Tundra grades like the SR5 feature the same output as the 2024 model year. The hybrid V6’s power output remains unchanged.

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The Tundra is offered in seven different grades, from the SR grade to the Capstone grade. The lowest-ranking SR and SR5 grades are only offered with the less powerful i-Force platform, while the rest of the range has the option of either pure ICE or hybrid configurations. Unlike the Tundra’s counterpart, the Sequoia, this generation isn’t the first time a V6 has been employed in the nameplate’s history. Earlier Tundra generations, such as the first rendition of the second-generation Tundra, featured a naturally aspirated 4.0-liter petrol V6 capable of producing 236 hp @ 5,200 rpm and 266 lb-ft @ 4,000 rpm.

The earlier generations also featured a V8 option in varying displacements from 4.6 liters to 5.7 liters. The two engine configurations were offered side-by-side from the first-generation Tundra up until the 2019 Tundra range debuted, which was the third facelifted version of the second-generation Tundra. This is when the V6 engine configuration was axed from the Tundra range. Between 2019 and 2021, the Tundra was only offered with a 4.6-liter V8 or a 5.7-liter V8. However, when the third-generation Tundra was revealed in 2022, Toyota had completely revised its engine line for the full-size pick-up, now relying on a 3.5-liter twin-turbo V6 commanding 389 hp and 479 lb-ft of torque.

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Toyota 4Runner

The Toyota 4Runner is one of the last V6-powered models. Kind of. The entire 2024 model year 4Runner is powered by a 4.0-liter naturally aspirated V6 engine and paired with a 5-speed electronically controlled automatic transmission. Toyota’s 4Runner has been offered to the public since the late 1980s and, even in its earliest form, was powered by a V6. The first generation featured a 3.6-liter V6, but the 4.0-liter V6 configuration that is offered for the 2024 model year can be traced back to the fourth-generation 4Runner that debuted in 2003. This V6 configuration has been a mainstay of the 4Runner’s composition for generations, with the odd four-cylinder and V8 being offered here and there. For the most part, the 4.0-liter naturally aspirated V6 has been the main motivator of the 4Runner bloodline, but the V6’s tenure with the 4Runner stops with the fifth-gen 2024 model year.

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Toyota unveiled the sixth-generation 4Runner model, which is built on the TNGA-F global truck platform, used for the Tundra, Sequoia, Land Cruiser, and Tacoma. The new generation 4Runner is exclusively powered by two variations of Toyota’s turbocharged 2.4-liter four-cylinder petrol engine. The entry-level SR5, TRD Sport, TRD Off-Road, and Limited grades are equipped with a non-hybrid version of the i-Force four-pot engine capable of producing 278 hp and 317 lb-ft.

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The more power-laden i-Force MAX, which features a 48 hp electric motor and 1.87 kWh battery, is standard in the TRD Pro, Trailhunter, and Platinum derivatives. The i-Force MAX engine can generate up to 326 hp and 465 lb-ft of torque, which makes it the most powerful powertrain ever offered for the 4Runner since the first generation debuted 40 years ago.

Although the sixth generation has been unveiled and is primed for an arrival in the US by the end of 2024, the fifth generation powered by the 4.0-liter V6 engine is still available to be configured and ordered from Toyota. So, for now, at least, the 4Runner stands as one of the last Toyota models powered by a V6 engine. Come 2025, only the Sequoia and Tundra will be powered by a V6 engine.