2026 Toyota Sequoia Capstone vs Dodge Durango: What $90K and a Brand Crisis Do to 5-Year Depreciation

You're cross-shopping full-size SUVs. The 2026 Toyota Sequoia Capstone is sitting at $90,245. The Dodge Durango R/T AWD is $54,990 — $35,000 cheaper, more power, and arguably more character.

Then two things happen in the same week.

The Drive publishes a hands-on review calling the Sequoia Capstone a "terrible use of $90,000," citing unfriendly ergonomics and deeply questionable overall value. And Carscoops reports that Stellantis just drew a hard line around the brands that actually matter to its future — and Dodge didn't make the list.

Now you're sitting there wondering: which of these vehicles is going to bleed me dry over the next five years?

That's not a question a review article can answer. It depends on your mileage, your zip code, your insurance tier, your loan rate, and how much further Dodge's brand uncertainty worsens before your trade-in. But we can build a realistic worked example — and then show you exactly where your numbers might diverge from ours.

The $90,000 Problem: Sequoia Capstone Depreciation

The 2026 Sequoia Capstone starts at roughly $90,000. For that, you get a twin-turbocharged V6 hybrid making 457 horsepower, seating for eight, and genuinely premium finishes. What you don't get, per The Drive's review, is particularly good ergonomics or commensurate value.

Full-size luxury SUVs are historically brutal depreciators. Even Toyota's reputation for holding value doesn't fully insulate a $90,000 vehicle from gravity. Based on historical Sequoia depreciation curves and current used-market dynamics for large hybrids:

• Estimated 5-year depreciation: 38% of MSRP
• Dollar loss: $34,200
• Estimated residual value after 5 years: ~$55,800

That's $570 per month in value loss — before you touch insurance, fuel, or loan interest.

Add the rest of the picture:

• Financing (6.5% APR, 10% down, 60-month loan on $81,000): $14,040 in total interest
• Insurance: Full-size luxury SUV in a moderate metro area runs roughly $2,400/year — $12,000 over 5 years
• Fuel: The Sequoia's hybrid powertrain delivers around 21 MPG combined. At 15,000 miles/year and $3.80/gallon, that's $2,713/year — $13,565 over 5 years
• Maintenance: Toyota hybrid reliability genuinely helps here. Estimate $5,500 over 5 years, with the first two years largely covered under warranty

5-Year Total Cost of Ownership (Sequoia Capstone): $79,305

That's $1,322 per month in total costs — depreciation, interest, insurance, fuel, and maintenance combined — to own a vehicle a major automotive outlet just flagged as poor value.

The Stellantis Wild Card: What Brand Uncertainty Does to Your Durango's Resale

The 2026 Dodge Durango R/T AWD is a compelling alternative on paper. At ~$55,000, it's dramatically cheaper and delivers 370 horsepower from its 5.7L HEMI V8. But the Carscoops report on Stellantis's brand strategy introduces a variable that most TCO calculators don't have a field for: brand survival risk.

When a parent company signals that a nameplate isn't among its core priorities, it typically means reduced marketing, fewer model updates, and eventually slower dealer networks. All of that flows downhill into resale value. Used-car buyers are rational — they pay less for vehicles whose future parts availability, dealer support, and brand cachet are in question.

Historically, Dodge already depreciates faster than Toyota. The Durango has typically lost 45–50% of its value over five years in a neutral environment. With elevated brand uncertainty, that number could push toward 55% in a pessimistic scenario.

Base case (47% depreciation):

• Dollar loss: $25,850
• Residual value: ~$29,150

Elevated risk case (55% depreciation):

• Dollar loss: $30,250
• Residual value: ~$24,750

Add the rest:

• Financing (same 6.5% APR, 10% down on $49,500): ~$8,580 in total interest
• Insurance: ~$9,500 over 5 years ($1,900/year for a V8 muscle-SUV)
• Fuel: The HEMI V8 returns around 19 MPG combined. At 15,000 miles/year: $14,990 over 5 years — ironically worse than the hybrid Sequoia
• Maintenance: Stellantis vehicles historically run higher maintenance costs than Toyota. Estimate $7,000 over 5 years

5-Year TCO at base case: $65,920 ($1,099/month) 5-Year TCO at elevated depreciation risk: $70,320 ($1,172/month)

Side-by-Side: Where Your Money Actually Goes

Cost Category	Sequoia Capstone	Durango R/T (Base)	Durango R/T (Risk Case)
Purchase Price	$90,000	$55,000	$55,000
5-Year Depreciation	$34,200 (38%)	$25,850 (47%)	$30,250 (55%)
Financing Interest	$14,040	$8,580	$8,580
Insurance (5yr)	$12,000	$9,500	$9,500
Fuel (5yr)	$13,565	$14,990	$14,990
Maintenance (5yr)	$5,500	$7,000	$7,000
5-Year TCO	$79,305	$65,920	$70,320
Monthly cost	$1,322	$1,099	$1,172
Residual Value	~$55,800	~$29,150	~$24,750

This is the kind of line-by-line breakdown DriveDecision builds for your specific inputs — so you're not guessing which cells to trust.

The Durango wins on pure 5-year cost by $13,385 in the base case. But that gap shrinks to $8,985 if Stellantis brand uncertainty pushes Dodge depreciation toward the pessimistic scenario. And the residual value story flips dramatically: the Sequoia gives you back a car worth $55,800 at trade-in vs roughly $29,150 for the Durango.

Neither number is good. But they're very different kinds of bad.

The Market Distortion No One Is Calculating Into Your Deal

Here's something that doesn't appear in any of these TCO figures, but quietly shapes the entire pricing environment you're shopping in.

Carscoops also reported this week that Buick's new Electra E7 — a plug-in hybrid SUV with a rear refrigerator, a ceiling entertainment screen, and 20-speaker audio — pulled 10,000 orders in 90 minutes at a starting price under $23,000. It's not available in the United States.

Simultaneously, Volvo's parent company Geely revealed the Galaxy A7 — a full EV sedan with up to 342 miles of range — starting at roughly $14,000. Also not available here.

And Nissan North America's leadership told The Drive that the next GT-R is in regulatory limbo, with its development timeline hostage to post-2028 political uncertainty around emissions rules.

The throughline: American buyers are making $90,000 decisions in a market that's systematically insulated from the competitive pricing that exists in virtually every other major auto market. The pressure that would normally keep a $90K SUV honest — comparable features at $40K or $23K — simply doesn't exist at your local dealer.

That's not a reason to feel cheated. It's a reason to be more rigorous about your own numbers, not less. The market won't do the discipline for you.

If you want to see how brand stability plays out across a similar high-dollar SUV matchup, our analysis of the 2026 Nissan Armada NISMO vs Toyota Sequoia Platinum walks through exactly how a single badge decision translates into real 5-year cost differences.

The Variable That Changes Everything: How Fast Brand Risk Hits Resale

We modeled Dodge depreciation at 47% base case and 55% elevated risk. Which one applies to your specific Durango purchase?

That depends on factors no single article can resolve for you:

• Your hold period. Selling in year 2, before brand uncertainty fully materializes in used-car asking prices, carries lower risk than holding through year 5.
• Your trim level. SRT and Limited trims have historically held value differently than base R/T models — and may carry different exposure to brand perception shifts.
• Your geography. Dodge trucks and performance-oriented vehicles depreciate very differently in Phoenix vs. Portland.
• What Stellantis actually does. A clear investment commitment to new Durango model years stabilizes resale quickly. Continued strategic ambiguity accelerates the slide.

Toyota's depreciation is more predictable — the Sequoia's used market is deep, liquid, and well-understood. But "more predictable" at 38% on $90,000 still means $34,200 disappearing from your balance sheet.

For a real-world parallel on what happens when a brand pivot hits fast and hard, our breakdown of the Honda Prologue discontinuation and Lucid Gravity's $46,000 price drop shows exactly how quickly resale values crater when corporate strategy shifts under an existing owner's feet. The pattern applies beyond EVs.

You can model how hold period and depreciation sensitivity interact for your specific situation at DriveDecision.

Who Wins — And Why the Answer Depends on You

Based on our worked example:

On 5-year total cost, the Durango wins by $13,385. Even accounting for worse fuel economy and higher maintenance costs, its $35,000 lower purchase price more than compensates for a worse depreciation rate. The math favors the Dodge on monthly cost.

On residual value, the Sequoia wins decisively. You walk away with roughly $55,800 in trade-in equity vs $29,150 for the Durango — a $26,650 difference at the point of sale. If your next vehicle purchase depends on that trade-in check, this matters enormously.

On brand stability and depreciation predictability, the Sequoia wins. Toyota's used-car market is among the deepest and most forecastable in the industry. Dodge's near-term future carries real uncertainty that existing Durango owners will feel when they go to sell.

But here's the thing our worked example can't resolve for you: we assumed 15,000 miles/year, a 6.5% loan rate, a moderate-metro insurance tier, and $3.80 average gas prices. If you're driving 22,000 miles annually, the Sequoia's hybrid advantage in fuel costs starts to meaningfully shift the comparison. If your credit earns you a 4.9% rate, every interest figure above changes. If you're in a high-insurance zip code, the Durango's lower declared value softens your premium.

The worked example is a map, not the territory. Your mileage, your zip code, your hold period, and your financing terms determine which of these vehicles is actually the right call for your financial situation.

Run your numbers before you sign anything.

Sources

• The Next Nissan GT-R Is Being Held Up by America’s Politics — The Drive
• 2026 Toyota Sequoia Capstone Review: Terrible Use of $90,000 — The Drive
• Buick’s New $23K Plug-In SUV Pulls 10,000 Orders In 90 Minutes, None From America — Carscoops
• Stellantis Just Decided Which Four Brands Actually Matter And Dodge Isn’t One — Carscoops
• Volvo’s Chinese Parent Built A $14K Sedan Americans Can’t Touch — Carscoops