The ideal other Toyota for a family of five?

Sequoia is larger than the LC or the Lexus LX and the GX. Lexus has a few more bells and whistles, but it is hard to beat a Gen 2 Sequoia.

Currently in the market for a Sequoia and playing the waiting game for the right Platinum to come up. Wouldn't mind a Limited but prefer the Platinum coming from a 1794 Tundra.

 

Someone may have already said this, but I think the non-hybrid Sienna is way more versatile than the hybrid - not because of the drivetrain, but because of design/layout choices they made. Circa 2008 Sienna is prob the most versatile of all, back before they put the middle row seats on tracks. But you’re asking for a family of five situation, so I’ll go with the generation right before the hybrid came out. We have a 2015 XLE AWD and I think that thing is just awesome. Tons of room, very comfortable for driver and passengers, plenty of power, the usual toyota reliability/durability, and now you can start getting that generation pretty inexpensively. Also, for even more adventure-ability, there is a decent lift kit available for these vans.

 

He's talking about the Sequoia, not the Tundra.

 

I had the same thinking as you: if you can turn it to 2Hi, it's not full time 4WD. However, the consensus on the forum seems to be that if you can run it in 4Hi all the time due to the centre diff, you call it full time 4WD.

 

I don't think the GX or 4R are anywhere near big enough for a family of 5 without a rooftop cargo carrier or other external storage. 4, maybe.

 

Dang, poll closed today. I was going to see if anyone is changing their vote as gas prices continue their steady free-climb.

Just when I was getting really close to trying to convince my wife to get into a 2G Sequoia...

I'm trying to do the sensible thing and have only one guzzler, lol.

 

In case it's not too late

Buy your wife what she wants.

Nothing Toyota makes will come close to her Yukon XL.

As to reliability, the secret to the Chevy experience is to trade in every few years into a new vehicle with a new warranty. You just have to eat it. Either that or be one of those people that lucks into one that lasts forever. The good news is their full size SUVs hold value unlike the rest of the lineup.

 

Sounds like you love your Sequoia like I love my Tundra.

My wife and I both drive a lot. She drives fewer miles per year than I do but still lands at 12-15k. We're fine with being able to afford it, but when gas prices are such that each of those miles driven costs us just under 30 cents, I begin to wonder if it's just more prudent to get into at least one vehicle that is more efficient.

I'm the very last person who wants to trade depreciating assets every few years. And she has lost a lot of love for her YXL because it has stranded her a few times. Maybe it's because I've always come to rescue her in a Toyota lol, but she's into switching it up and becoming an all Toyota family.

 

The more demand cools for a 2G Sequoia due to fuel prices, the more we’re leaning that way. It just seems like an absolute tank. Part Tundra & part Land Cruiser with a unique and versatile transfer case.

 

We just learned that we're going to be in a similar situation soon and I'm debating what to do. Current stable looks like:

2020 Tundra - for towing and hauling duties, including camping and other family trips
2013 Corolla - wife's daily and for short (i.e day/in town) family trips where we don't have a ton of gear
2012 Kia Forte Koup - my daily and for running around town by myself to save fuel and wear and tear on the truck

Realistically, I'm thinking that the Kia should go, I should daily the Corolla and we should get either a Highlander or a Sienna for my wife to ferry kids around town and keep the truck for truck duty. I'm struggling between Highlander and Sienna as I know the van is more practical and it's also a bit cheaper, especially if we don't opt for AWD, but my wife hates the idea of driving a minivan. I'm not a huge fan of the idea either but a Highlander is essentially a minivan in my opinion anyway.

Another option would be to sell both the Kia and the Tundra, I daily the Corolla and get a 2nd Gen Sequoia for all hauling duties, family and otherwise. I'm not really keen on this though as I can't imagine losing the space and functionality of the truck and the fuel bill from the way my wife stomps on the gas would be astronomical. I'd also have to get the towing mirrors and sway bar off the truck and onto the Sequoia. Not sure how much payload I would lose or how the tree would tow our 25' travel trailer.

 

That knocks that option off the table for me. Our travel trailer is probably about 6500 lbs loaded.

 

Air Lift 1000 Air Suspension Kit 60826

$129 Air Lift 1000 Air Suspension Kit 60826

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005NPCXUW

That solved my Sequoia’s squatting problem permanently. Even inflated to 20 psi, I was able to carry around 600 pounds of cargo in the back comfortably with no visible squat (that translates to 6000 pound trailer with 10% tongue weight?).
My Sequoia is Limited also, and I believe the suspension has softer springs for dirt roads.

 

How about 2” lifted Sienna with 17 inch Method wheels and AT tires?
https://www.journeysoffroad.com/2021-4th-gen-sienna-lift-kits.html
Not quite a full blown 4WD adventure van, but beats a Highlander in versatility. The 3 inch lift kit makes it look like a mobility van in my opinion, but the 2 inch should be a good compromise.

 

I think the Sienna is out of the running at this point.

Still thinking prices will come down more in the next few months.

It’s either a 2G Sequoia, LX 570, or AWD Highlander w/ center diff lock.

I’m half-tempted to get a Highlander just to force us to pack lighter on long road trips.

 

Remind me why the Sienna is out for you. Just because of the minivan stigma for your wife?

 

We’re in this exact same position right now. My wife is HARD against the sienna (all minivans) but is hot on the suburban.. we’ve driven them as rentals on the last couple of trips we’ve made and I’ve actually enjoyed them much to my surprise. She’s not against the 2nd gen sequoia (3rd is hard out of the picture, too small) so I’m hoping she won’t get too hung up on the space difference

 

This is what you see at a kid drop off area - all cool moms are driving Suburbans/Yukon XLs, cool dads are driving half tons. Nobody wants to be an invisible minivan parent.

 

How long can you hold out before you have to get a new one? Can you limp until the 4Runner refresh?

 

Our YXL is my wife’s second suburban-sized vehicle. I’m over maintaining them. Loads of utility, but it is essentially another half-ton truck, and in my experience, they’re just buggy. Lots of little issues. Both of them have stranded her multiple times.

Maybe, but I’m salty enough at aspects of the Tundra and Sequoia redesigns that I’m not really interested in waiting for the 4Runner. The new generation of Toyota trucks and SUVs might be pulling too far away from what drew me to Toyota in the first place.

 

That's understandable. NGL, I kinda skimmed the thread. Do you need her rig to be off road beast mode, or does it just need to handle dirt roads and winter? With the van in the mix I figured even a watered down next gen 4Runner might check the boxes.

If moving away from Toyota is an option, have you looked at the Kia Telluride? By all accounts it's got a stellar 3rd row and the luxury for the price is hard to beat. It'll never be fast, and IDK about reliability, but there's a loooong warranty for that.

 

I don’t need it to be crazy capable. I want her to have something she wants. She likes the Sequoia and the AWD Highlander. She has never sat in a Lexus 570, so she has no opinion on it. I might try to get her some seat time in one before making a decision.

I did look at the rest of the 3-row segment, and I’m not really interested in anything. A warranty is nice, but I still don’t want to buy anything that will more than likely require me to go try to get a dealer service center to actually take care of a warranty claim. Any time spent at a dealership is time I don’t want to spend. Give me simple and extremely dependable. A 2G Sequoia Limited is in the lead at this point. Most of them around me are coming down a bit, but sitting on inflated prices still. Probably because the dealer gave more on trade-in than it is currently worth. Waiting for the market to squeeze them a bit more. Either way, I’ll probably buy in the next few months.

 

Yea I’d say it’s about 70% hating the looks of a minivan lol but also the overwhelming size and space of the suburbans (and Yxls) that for multiple trips have handled all of our stuff (family of 6 with a dog) so well and not needing a rooftop cargo box. We’ve tried the minivan (rental) and just ended up running out of space and needing a rooftop cargo box. We’re also with the in-laws quite a bit so the extra room has been key for reducing complaining from the IL’s. She surprisingly conceded with me that the newer siennas actually don’t look that bad lol

yea that’s what I’m worried about. Going to go look at the sequoias though (2nd gen)

 

A 2nd gen Sequoia with a supercharger can be a surprisingly fun vehicle to drive. Just don’t expect it to stop on a dime, and everyone is safe. Also, adding a trans cooler seems like a good idea in a long run.

 

I know the OP is not interested in non-Toyota vehicles, but I consider something like this in the future for myself: a low roof 4x4 Sprinter with 5 seats (2 rows) and enough cargo space for luggage and dogs.

 

I try to work that front every day, and I won’t stop until it happens Love those.

One of my neighbors has one and has been working on it for months, it looks great. I got to dig around inside and it’s just perfect. Obviously I’m biased lol

 

OMG . . . if Toyota made a long wheelbase, full-sized SUV