• The Turn 14 Distribution x SuperPro Sequoia TRD Pro made its official debut on the SEMA show floor about a month ago.
• The Sequoia sponsorship list is highlighted by renowned brands, including SuperPro, Hawk Performance, Weld Racing, MagnaFlow, Mickey Thompson, aFe Power, LIQUI MOLY, Westin, ANZO USA, Firestone Airide, Baja Designs, sPOD, Rally Armor, CSF, and Superwinch.
• Post-SEMA, the #TRDSuperPro Sequoia came back East for some aFe Power mods, and then back West to prepare for its next overseas adventure.
• T14 staff, Mike and Ricky, flew out to put the Sequoia through its paces to make sure it was up for the job ahead.

One of the last things I expected to do after spending a long week at SEMA was trekking a Turn 14 Distribution booth car through the desert. But here we were—a pair of  Marketing staff turned inexperienced off-roaders—loading our luggage into the trunk of the T14 x SuperPro Sequoia TRD Pro. We met the truck where we’d last seen it in person—Las Vegas—so that we could drive it towards California through the West Coast’s barren wasteland. The goal behind this adventure was simple: Vet the decisions we’d made over the last few months to build an off-road capable yet city-civil truck before it well and truly gets tested in 2025.

FIRST THINGS FIRST

Before Ricky and I began our day trip, the #TRDSuperPro Sequoia followed us back to the East Coast for a few more upgrades from aFe Power. This generation Sequoia TRD Pro touts 437hp and 583 lb-ft of torque from a 3.4-liter, twin-turbo V6. While some bemoaned losing two cylinders, the outgoing 5.7-liter V8 was an ancient lump that needed to be put to rest. The modern powerplant also meant that aftermarket gains were easier to achieve—turbos gave this V6 much more headroom—and companies like aFe Power were keen to help.

We didn’t have any experience driving this generation stock, but if there’s anything that Sam and I’s 4Runner road trip to King of the Hammers told me, it’s that Toyota trucks could always use more power—just not at the expense of off-road reliability. To that end, I understand why Toyota took its time to engineer a solution that could deliver both.

Anyway, my point is that this Turn 14 Distribution x SuperPro Sequoia TRD Pro didn’t feel sluggish around town, during a spirited go-pedal mash, or while coping with the West Coast’s undulating highway grades. Whatever magic that aFe Power managed to inject into this three-ton truck was working, at least as much as our butt dynos could validate. During our first sight of loose sand, Ricky and I vowed to pop the hood and inspect what we installed back at T14 HQ.

2JZ, NO SH*T

Okay, our reaction wasn’t that theatrical. But we were impressed that a few aFe Power bolt-ons could liven up this truck so much.

The orange polymer housings that you see are part of the Power Momentum GT air intake (afe50-70100KN). The clear windows on each bank’s feeder allow you to easily inspect the air filters—something that’ll need to be monitored frequently with heavy dirt and off-road use—and I love that aFe Power thought of this. The 360° radial air flow filters are massive—8” tall—which were the largest aFe could squeeze into the package. The adjoining intake tubes are designed by aFe experts to ingest more air, smooth out flow through the chambers, and maximize power. I should point out that if orange isn’t your thing, aFe Power also makes this intake kit in black and red.

The aFe Power BladeRunner aluminum hot charge pipes (afe46-20718-R) are hidden from casual viewing, but they are doing their job. The factory pieces are plastic and are bound to be a failure point as this truck ages. That’s not something you want to deal with on the trails. Since they’re rather inaccessible, replacing them proactively with aFe’s aluminum pipes is a justifiable “while you’re in there” expense. The 17% improvement in flow is a happy side effect to the peace of mind.

The SCORCHER Blue Bluetooth power module (afe77-86011) completes the aFe trifecta. The power module is a plug-and-play system that connects to the engine sensors for control over turbo boost levels. It comes with four power settings—stock, Sport, Sport+, and Race—that can be adjusted on-the-fly via remote or aFe’s phone app. Inside the cabin, we were happy to report zero check engine lights despite the module’s ability to tack on an additional 110hp and 162 lb-ft of torque. Those numbers might be why the Turn 14 Distribution x SuperPro Sequoia TRD Pro had so much up-and-go.

ET PHONE HOME

Our pursuit of loose sand happened to land us at an interesting photo spot in front of what appeared to be a collapsed shack that’d sunken into the sand over time. Scattered among the beams were a myriad of glass bottles, this landline phone, and a bunch of snake-sized holes that I was careful to leave undisturbed. The landline had no service, much like the phones we had in our pockets.

ALL OF THE LUMENS

Before we left, the scorching sun gave us one more idea: we should test out all of the Baja Designs auxiliary lights in broad daylight. The 20” grille (448078) and A-pillar light kit (448075) were surprisingly potent. Once we landed in California (and regained reception), I found out why: the Baja Designs combination projects a total of 21,557 lumens. For reference, that’s roughly 17% of our sun’s output by the time it reaches Earth’s surface.

RIGHT HERE’S GOOD

After how this first location panned out, we committed to keeping our eyes open for more opportunities. As long as we were headed west, we’d be down to make detours—both for interesting photo locations and for testing different terrains. As a result, we transitioned from smooth highway bombs to more unknown surfaces as soon as we spotted something cool from a distance. We stopped by a series of scorched “tree skeletons” next. I didn’t even know this was possible, but apparently, it can become too dry for trees to properly decompose. The result is this barren “forest” that left us wondering how long it’d been this way. The snake holes persisted, so we didn’t wonder for too long.

The landscape gradually transitioned from silky sand to more rough and rocky. With that came our first opportunity to test how the Turn 14 Distribution x SuperPro Sequoia TRD Pro’s wheel and tire setup would soak it up. The Weld Racing x Mickey Thompson duo proved formidable here, making us feel rather invincible despite the more abrasive surfaces.

MAYBE THAT’S ENOUGH

At this point, we were brimming with confidence. So when we spotted some rather jagged passes off of the main artery, we didn’t think twice to try and conquer them. Here, we thought, would give us a chance to measure the #TRDSuperPro Sequoia’s suspension articulation. We parked at the pass’s entry point and were immediately shocked by the surface. It wasn’t so much the look of it but the sound—it was like we were walking on fossilized bone. I later read that this could happen because of the rocks’ density and a high degree of internal stress. At least that part is relatable.

Anyway, it was more fantastical to think that we’d stumbled upon some archeological gold mine for a moment. We got the Sequoia deeper into the terrain and soaked it all in.

Our hubris resumed shortly after, and we forged onward. As the truck oscillated over crests, down a cascade of fossilized rock, and across remnants of water pathways long evaporated, we couldn’t help but be massively impressed by how capable this  Turn 14 Distribution x SuperPro Sequoia TRD Pro had become. A couple of weeks before we were scaling these micro mountains, this thing was parked safely inside a SEMA display booth. It’s crazy to think it could traverse those two environments with ease—especially in the hands of two novice off-roaders.

Before we got back onto man-made roads, we had to acknowledge that all of the work we’d put in—between the ideation of our hard-working staff, working with our partners, having RPM Off-Road Garage help us put the truck together, and where we were sitting that day—was worth every moment.

OFF TO STRAYA

After that rush wore off, we discovered that, from all of our adventuring, we were dangerously close to running out of gas. Ricky took the wheel and hypermiled us back toward civilization. We breathed a sigh of relief once the Turn 14 Distribution x SuperPro Sequoia TRD Pro got a quick spray down, a well-deserved drink, and our nod of approval that every component still looked as good as new.

At the start of this article, I mentioned that the #TRDSuperPro Sequoia would be adventure-bound in 2025. The truck will be headed overseas to SuperPro’s home turf, Australia, and join its staff at the National 4×4 Show in Brisbane between March 14 and 16. After that show, the Sequoia will traverse the wild landscape down under; all of the off-road-ready components will be tried against the outback’s challenges on Bribie Island and the Glasshouse Mountains.

Thank you to all of our partners for helping us build a truck that could face these challenges head-on. The Turn 14 Distribution x SuperPro Sequoia TRD Pro proved that it wasn’t just an ambitious idea for the SEMA show floor; it’s a formidable rig that any truck enthusiast can rely on for exciting adventures and storylines around the world.

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