Toyota shows off Tundra and Sequoia TRD Sport, RAV4 Adventure models in Chicago

The newer Tacoma has been getting all the attention lately, particularly in TRD Pro guise, but at the Chicago Auto Show the company is hoping to put the spotlight back on the Tundra and Sequoia models with a new TRD Sport trim. The ever-popular RAV4 is also getting a new version, known as the Adventure.

The 2018 Tundra in general gets a few updates for the new model year, most notably the addition of standard Toyota Safety Sense-P – a package that includes a bunch of active safety features, like pre-collision with pedestrian detection, lane departure alert, auto high-beams, and dynamic radar cruise control. The Sequoia gets the same active safety suite. In addition, '18 Tundras will get new mesh grilles on some trims, and billet on the 1794 Edition and Limited. Upper trim levels also get LED headlights and daytime running lights.

The Tundra TRD Sport is a more pavement-oriented package than the Tundra TRD Pro package, featuring TRD anti-sway bars and a set of specially-tuned Bilstein shocks. How exactly they're tuned is at the moment a mystery we'll solve when we drive one, but the cosmetic changes aren't. The Tundra TRD Sport gets color-keyed elements like mirrors and the hood scoop, 20-inch alloy wheels, a mesh grille, and black-bezeled headlights. There's also an obligatory bedside "TRD" graphic, a TRD shift knob, and TRD Sport floormats.

Now, onto the Sequoia, which for the first time gets a real TRD trim level – we're discounting the supercharger that TRD slapped onto the Sequoia a few years ago as a dealer-installed option. Like the Tundra, it's a street-oriented Sport package, and the dynamic highlight is the set of Bilstein shocks. The rest, like the Tundra, is mainly stylistic. The Sequoia TRD Sport's exclusive bits include a similar interior and exterior treatment to the Tundra TRD Sport, although the alloys are an inch larger and it also gets TRD-branded sill protectors.

The RAV4 Adventure is basically a weekend warrior build. It is available with AWD or FWD, but comes standard with the tow package (for hauling small toys around), overfenders for a rough-and-ready look, lower body guards, blacked out lights, and 18-inch black wheels. Inside, there's some functional outdoorsy stuff: all-weather mats with Adventure logos, a 120V outlet in the cargo area. There are also some standard special-edition bits, like some unique trim panels and Adventure logo sill protectors. The RAV4 Adventure is available in September. Pricing for all vehicles, and availability for the TRD Sport models, is to be determined.

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