Anyone buy a Tundra as a family vehicle?

There is one time and one time only where I thought it would be nice to have an SUV over my Crewmax, that was carting some stuff for my mother in law up from Florida in the back of the truck and finding it a struggle to get it arranged so I could close the bed cover and feel OK stopping at a hotel over night. A few of the most valuable things we didn't need in the room ended up getting carted inside over night to make space for the bed cover to lock down and keep the interior clear. I only have one 4 year old so normally the enclosed bed is enough to handle all our stuff. For that one trip I felt like Having more lockable cargo space would have been nice.

But it also would have been easily solved by a CAP. And the pitfall if I had an SUV is the dirty or bulkier hauling I've done would have been harder or impossible.

 

Had a Sequoia, got it for carrying multiple bigger (teens before they could drive) kids to sports...but that rarely happened. Now I have a Tundra, partly because the Sequoia was basically never updated. I liked the Sequoia's 3rd seat for my Lab. Other than that it's a wash kid-wise -- I have 2 kids, not 3 tho.

 

Family of 3 here...we actually liked having SUVs.

We did a lot of road trips and they were more convenient from a storage perspective. Your stuff is inside the car out of weather and away from thieves.

However the Tundra CM has proven extremely versatile and we don't miss the SUV as much. And you can haul larger size things if needed.

We gave up a third row but gained versatility.

I think if you do lots of long road trips and people hauling, the Sequoia makes more sense.

However if you haul dirty, smelly (dogs, gas cans, engine parts, trash), or large dimension items even a few times a year the CM is the only way to go.

Another option for you: Get the sequoia and then a beater taco for hauling crap.

 

Specifically bought a CrewMax Tundra for the space and road-trip capability with family (3yo and baby on the way). It's be best thing I ever purchased.

 

I did. It fills that role nicely imo.

 

I agree and if I could only have one vehicle for family with young kids it would be the Sienna. Thank God I'm able to have more.

CM didn't do so well as family vehicle for us because my kids and wife get car sick. Even when stock it's a truck and especially the back seats have bed bounce. Sienna rides incredibly smooth even with the run flats.

Sienna - Had a 2006 awd limited when the kids were newborn and 4 yrs old. in 2017, we bought a 17 awd premium limited. very good in snow and bad weather. even car camping was great when they were small. remove the second row seat, stow the rears and push the front seats forward....viola...small camper. throw a storage shell on top and we could fit everything, bags, firewood, tables, etc etc. coming out of the grocery store carrying one child and pushing the cart, hands full...you can hit all the remote buttons and rear hatch, side doors all open. everyone has a captains chair! Run flats have saved my wife also. Got a flat but able to drive safely off highway and get to a tire shop where I can meet her. Never stranded. I could go on.

Buy a toyota for every occasion? I know, not practical and dumb.

 

We have both. My wife’s an 08 sequoia and loves it!!!!! I have a 18 Tundra. Wife will not trade it in for anything. Great power and can pack ton of stuff in it.

 

We wanted to love the Sequoia, but we couldn’t get over how little cargo space there is when the 3rd row is in use. It’s a real head scratcher for me. So, we grabbed a Yukon XL for my wife. Usually, our 3 kids are in the second row. Sometimes we space them out more. Also, we can fit all our bikes inside with the 3rd row flat. Or put 2nd & 3rd rows down and haul a stack of plywood with the lift gate closed. It’s insane. My wife LOVES it. 128k on the clock, zero issues.

But if Toyota ever made a “Sequoia XL” (a Sequoia the length of a Suburban), we’d sell the GMC in a heartbeat.

 

To maintain my recent contrarian attitude, I'm going to suggest one of those "unpopular opinions".

If your current daily driver is a Pilot, then a Tundra OR a Sequoia is going to be a big f'ing surprise for you regards gasoline mileage. There is no way I would consider using my Tundra (or a Sequoia) as a daily driver or for long distance travel, unless I was supplied the gasoline free, or at least, wholesale prices. Unless you have a genuine frequent need for a truck (you do indicate desire for the occasional convenience) or you plan to go camping or off roading frequently, Tundra or Sequoia will be bad choices for you as a sole family daily driver IMO.

In your place, I would consider the Honda Odessey van for running the family around town or travel. You can get some pretty big stuff in a van. A van won't handle bulk materials like top soil or gravel very well, but you can rent a trailer for that.

I have a Tundra, and I love the truck. I drive it around town occasionally. I need a bed to haul things and to be able to tow things when needed. I average less than 1700 miles a year on my Tundra in those activities. The poor gas mileage is expected and acceptable. I average 15.5 mpg with a 4.6L, and that engine isn't even available anymore. If I were younger and driving to work everyday while making big bucks, then maybe a Tundra would be acceptable as my only vehicle. My wife has a Honda Insight hybrid that gets 44 mpg...that's our retired get-around car.

 

I don't actually necessarily disagree. I personally use my Tundra as a DD simply because I live in the country and my daily drive is either

a) 0 miles round trip (WFH due to COVID-19) or
b) 20 miles.

As such, gas mileage isn't much of a concern for me - though strangely, I average 16.5MPG with a 5.7L. *shrug*

Maybe in 15-20 years when I retire, I might get something with better mileage for longer drives.

 

There is no version of this universe that has me owning a minivan. I get the practicality. I hate the handling, or lack thereof and I find them exceedingly uncomfortable. I also can't stand the looks which is shallow, but if I need to stare at something in my driveway I want to enjoy looking at it. Minivans also don't have the ground clearance needed where I live that gets heavy snowfall and has poor plowing. The Woman has also vetoed ever having a minivan, so there's that too.

We will always have a truck in the driveway. That's a fact. Right now our second vehicle is a Corolla S. Great for half the year, lousy the other half. It's replacement will eventually be a Rav4. If I need more space than my '05 Tundra provides, I'll buy a newer Tundra with the CrewMax.

 

I don't mind our Corolla in the winter with "decent" snow tires (my wife wouldn't spring for "good" ones) but we live in the city and they do a good job of plowing our streets.

 

We put studded Nokian Hakkapellita tires on it and it made a lot of difference. They don't plow our streets well, especially the side streets. Even in summer, our roads are trash. Massive potholes, steep and poorly maintained entrances to parking lots etc. The front end of this poor car takes a beating.

 

I have some no name brand of studded tires on my other car that did pretty well when they were newer. I would have gone for Michelin X Ice on the Corolla but I think my wife got Bridgestone or Goodyear (before we were engaged so I didn't get a say).

 

Well nice try I guess but the thing is that it does not matter in any way what anyone else uses the truck for or not.

We each need what we need.

I only use mine for long road trips really and I do not pay for the gas either,I could drive anything I want as long as it works for what I need and my Van does not.
I prefer the comfort and room to stretch out while driving the truck and I need to tow beyond the Vans capabilities much of the time.

I use the Van or my Element mostly when not on the road because those work better for me at that time.

Also the Sienna AWD are INSANE in the snow and in a good way! They are not an off road vehicle but are amazingly capable in snow anyway.

 

My boys love our double cab!

 

Can't go wrong with a CrewMax for a family vehicle.

 

You wasted money off your only driving 1700/yr. Lol just buy a trailer if you're only hauling stuff. I'm sure your pilot can pull it.

I seriously don't get people who buy trucks and complain about gas mileages. SMH

 

I don't have a Pilot. The OP has a Pilot. My other car is a Honda Insight hybrid. I've never seen a hybrid pulling a trailer, and I doubt that it's possible. If I need to rent a tractor with a backhoe, the Insight is not going to get the job done. I have a genuine need for a real truck, just infrequently.

And, I am not complaining about the mileage. I lived through an age when 15 mpg wasn't actually bad mileage, and 20 mpg was damn bragging good. When I have a truck job to do, I accept that it takes truck gas mileage to get the job done. But, for running kids to school activities (not me, the OP) and grocery getting, using a truck and getting truck gas mileage is an un-necessary expense imo. It makes no sense to me. But...If you got a truck idea, and you can't let go...then get a truck. It's your money.

I also don't set off on any long trips in my Tundra unless there is truck work to be done. We have the Insight for fuel efficiency.

 

almost totally agree. if you have family that gets car sick there are much better family oriented vehicles that fit the bill than a tundra/truck imo. don't get me wrong, owner for 12yrs so def a fan boy but it's not great when you have to pull over on tight roads because not one but two kids hurl. trucks definitely ride rougher in the back given no weight than say a sequoia or a minivan. or unless you have a topper or other weight in the rear.

i think most of us here never ride in the back and may not realize how rough it could be in the rear. i know im never back there. always driver.

 

That’s interesting. My oldest is fairly prone to getting car sick, but is fine in the Tundra. It’s the back of the Odyssey with my wife driving like she still has her Mazdaspeed that gets my oldest turning green the worst. I usually drive like a Grandpa.

 

it's the height to ground ratio, things move a lot quicker closer to the ground, some are prone to motion movement others are to motion and some are both! motion sickness is no joke.

 

I never had anything that got good gas mileage!! Maybe when I was in height school but my trucks was still mod out. I never look at the gas mileage. It’s the price you pay to have a big motor

 

Not sure I’m understanding you here. Given a set center of gravity, things move in rotation faster the farther away from that center. Example: if you twist your wrist while holding the end of a long stick, the opposite end moves faster than the end you’re holding. Same idea behind wheel speed...the outside of the wheel is moving much faster than the hub as it travels much farther through space to make one rotation in the same amount of time that the wheel hub makes the same rotation. I’m not saying the end of the stick you’re holding or the wheel hub are the respective centers of gravity for the stick or the wheel, but rotational forces acting upon a vehicle as the driver enters a turn too quickly or engages in an evasive maneuver to avoid an accident operate the same way...if the vehicle leans all of a sudden, the top of that vehicle has moved at a faster speed than the bottom of the vehicle...it would follow then that the taller the vehicle, the faster the top of that vehicle moves through space if it leans at the same angle as a shorter vehicle in a turn.

This is overly simplistic for sure. Someone who studied math and physics more recently than myself, please feel free to chime in!

Regarding car sickness in a Tundra vs a Sienna, it seems there would be several factors at play...driving habits of the Tundra driver vs his wife in the Sienna, the larger mass of the Tundra vs the Sienna, each vehicle’s suspension, and—this is key—the carsick-prone passenger’s location in the vehicle. Sitting in the 3rd row of ANY front-engine vehicle will give a passenger more jolts, bumps, sways, etc...it moves a lot more as there just isn’t nearly the mass over the rear axle (fuel tank, spare tire?) as there is over the front/middle (engine/trans) to help the suspension absorb energy.

 

If you want to survive the apocalypse buy a Corolla, because it will.

 

Honestly, that's a big reason we bought it. Reliability and fuel economy. We bought it used and around 5 years old but it was virtually brand new due to stupid low kilometers. Like..in the 5 years it only had a few more clicks on it than I put on my truck in 1 year. The F&I guy at the dealership went through his spiel and we declined the extended warranty. As is normal he goes "Ok. No problem. May I ask why?". I looked at him and went "Two words. Toyota. Corolla." He laughed and said he totally understood.

 

we've gotten a bit off topic OP sorry and let's not over complicate it. straight up, my kids and wife get sick in the tundra not the sienna. that's my experience; everyone else's mileage may vary and that's cool.

same driver (me) and seat positions for everyone, etc in both vehicles. wife rides shotgun, kids directly behind
in the sienna everyone has a solo seat fully recline-able to laying down with enough room to put their feet up - they all sleep comfortably on long drivers
ours has split video with wireless headphones so each kid can watch something different
115v inverter built into the rear

for me hands down sienna is the better family vehicle, then i'd prob rock a sequoia and truck last, unless i had a regular need for the bed. btw, in the sienna pull out the second row seats and stow the 3rd row seat and i have as big a cargo space as my CM bed. can fit full sheets of plywood, small motorcycle, etc.

 

Fortunately I haven’t experienced the car sickness issue with my family, but agree 1000% with the rest of this.

There’s tons of people around me that drive a Pilot, but won’t be caught dead in an Odyssey. They’re practically the same vehicle and the van is so much better for families with 3 or more kids. I don’t get it. Note these people don’t need ground clearance or AWD. Those are the only real functional benefits I can see a Pilot offers.

 

Just get both....?