Wife looking at a new vehicle

So after getting my Tundra, the wife feels left out in her 2019 VW Atlas. She drove the truck a few days ago and won't let up about loving every second of driving it. So she's eyeing a 2018 Sequoia Limited, since it's pretty much the same thing as the Tundra but with a third row for the kids.

Anyone have any advice on looking at the Sequoia's? Or since it's practically a Tundra do the same rules apply? Any and all feedback is welcome.

 

@texasrho83 might be able to give you some ideas? I remember him mentioning his wife has one, wasn't sure if he's the one that had an older one that traded-in for the latest gen but it is Friday morning and lack of coffee and work piling up is getting on my nerves and I can't think straight.... Need that Cuban coffee right now....

 

We have a 2015 SR5 Sequoia with leather & entertainment package. It has the 2nd row bench (vs some that have the buckets) which was necessary due to the toddler.

Any questions, fire away!

 

Haha, careful, she's got lots.

It's got the same 5.7 as the Tundra right?
How do you like it, any issues or complaints?
She's got her heart set on the captain's chairs for the second row like she has in the Atlas. Does the bench impede getting to the third row at all? Can a carseat not go in the buckets?


Now that there is the "Grand Highlander" she's looking at that, too. Looks like I've got a lot of research and negotiating to do.

 

A 4.0 powered 4Runner here. Another great choice for a quality vehicle for the wife and kids. At least I urge you to drive one for a bit and let the wife drive both. I know the quality of my 4Runner is superior to that of my Tundra in many ways. Good luck with your search!

 

I have yet to see a Grand Highlander in person, so can't comment, but if this link is anything to refer to, it looks very similar to the new gen Sequoia?
https://acceleride.sterlingmccalltoyota.com/express/5TDAAAA55RS001138?unlock=1

 

Yes, 5.7 is the same as the Tundra. Plenty of power and reliability. Unfortunately, they only have the 26 gal fuel tanks. My Tundra has a 38 gal tank. That being said, we take road trips fully loaded down and it gets about 21 mpg on the highway (2WD helps).

We like the child seat in the middle but sure you could put it in the buckets. You can get to the 3rd row by folding either door seat down and it'll scoot forward. Or you can access from the cargo area which is usually what my kids do.

 

SWAT team style?

 

Snack stash

 

I find women tend to do less damage in smaller vehicles.

 

Negative, they can and will cause just as much if not more damages, regardless size of vehicle involved on either end.

 

Yes. BRAT team style.

 

We looked for a sequoia with captains chairs for a few months without any luck. We ended up “settling” on a LandCruiser instead. Wife wasn’t interested in the LC until she got inside for the first time.

 

If I ever needed more room for more kids, I'd get a Sequoia. Good Momma's vehicle.

That said, the cargo space on them seems to be significantly lacking. And the price is a bit ridiculous compared to a Tundra.

 

2024 Land Cruiser! Be the tundras.com Guinea pig!

 

I must get really excited about that Land Cruiser. That’s a lot of exclamation points..

 

I felt the newer gen is way smaller than the last one, no like....

 

When I see it - I see a 1988 Cherokee.

 

Uh....no.

 

Yep, they aren't suburbans.

That being said, the newest Sequoia took what cargo space there was and halved it. We bought a cargo holder that is easily placed up top on the luggage rack then taken down and folded away when at our destination. Greatly improves interior room when all 5 of us and the dog is on a trip.

 

I have a 2003 4Runner SR5, love the thing to death and still looks brand new after 340k miles. Borrowed my neighbor's 2019 and wasn't impressed, felt like they cheaped out on everything and the ride was way more rough than I was expecting. When equipped with a 3rd row it's also super tight back there.

I didn't even know this thing existed until she mentioned it.

Mine has the 38gal tank as well and I love it, but for what she'd need it for that shouldn't be an issue and she's getting about 18-22mpg in the Atlas as it stands so that's about right. I'd definitely want her to have the 2WD, less things for her to break and less cost up front. Two transfer cases in a Jeep Commander taught me 4WD is not her friend.

I used to unfortunately do that for a living. Luckily when we had kids I decided to retire early.

There are a few within 20 miles of us, we may go take a look this weekend. I didn't even think of the Land Cruiser...what'd she like about it over the Sequoia?

Yeah I'm not one to buy new release vehicles...let other people test stuff and I'll jump in the mix after they fix all the problems.

 

Depending on what happens this weekend I might need a link to that.

 

We have a Sequoia also. The Sequoia is great, especially if you need the space. We actually owned 2 of them. The first one was a limited model with bench seat in 2nd row. We had for a few years but decided want to "upgrade" to a different vehicle. We looked at land cruiser and LX570. For us the 3rd row in Sequoia was more useful. But don't get me wrong, the Land Cruiser are very nice but just didn't have as much room as the Sequoia. We tend to overpack for trips. We took a road trip from Texas to Colorado and had plenty space. After much debate and wanting a LC...we decide on another Sequoia. But this time we went with a Platinum model with 2nd row captain chairs, it also has the red rock interior. The kids like to jump into the 3rd row from the rear cargo area.

The 2018+ is a good choice. They have the "refreshed" updated LED headlights. The Sequoia TRD models look very nice also.

 

Never saw that photo before. Yikes.

And I don’t know what’s with this new boxy look companies are going after. Maybe they thought that because the bronco was squared off and sold well that their model would too? Maybe it’s just me but the new wagoneer and grand wagoneer are butt ugly. This LC isn’t far behind if that’s what it ends up looking like..

 

Everything - slightly smaller size makes it much easier to maneuver and park, 360* cameras, black headliner, leather is way nicer than anything I’ve seen in a Sequoia or Tundra, an 8th seatbelt that we’ve never had due to captains chairs… the ride is amazingly smooth. We’ve had it a year and don’t regret it at all. We ended up with a 2017 LC for the price of a higher trim 2020 or 2021 Sequoia…

 

I actually prefer the box look vs bubble corners.

 

to each their own

 

Agree on the Wagoneers. I also didn’t realize how ugly the Rivian SUVs are until I was inside my buddy’s the other day. These “new” styles are like the revival of the Isuzu trooper.