Anyone buy a Tundra as a family vehicle?

My wife and I can't decide whether to buy a tundra or a sequoia as our family vehicle. Currently, we have a Honda Pilot that we wanted to trade in (and the reason we're trading it in is b/c we're taking more stuff for the kids and the space isn't cutting it for us).

My kids are 2 and 9 months. We've been taking more stuff with us. Our stroller already takes up half the trunk space. Originally, we were eyeing the sequoia but we thought about how if the kids get older, if we take bikes and more equipment, it might make sense to get a Tundra CrewMax. It'd also be helpful to have a truck in general since there were multiple times we couldn't buy something/bring something simply because we didn't have quick access to a truck.

I guess my question is if anyone has used their Tundra as a family vehicle? I know any vehicle can be used as a family vehicle but is there much difference for kids sitting in a full sized SUV or a full sized truck?

I apologize if this has been asked before. I've read some responses and they seem pretty split. I'm wondering if anyone has regretted getting the Tundra as a family vehicle?

EDIT: My wife and I have talked about having a 3rd kid. Even then, is the truck bed bigger than the cargo space of a sequoia?

 

I'm single, so I can't speak toward the family thing, but the big question would be whether or not your family is going to grow. If you guys have a couple more kids, then the Sequoia is the better choice. If you've been clipped and that's not a concern, then there is very little advantage to a Sequoia. The only thing it really has going for it is the extra row of seats.

 

Good point. I should add that we've talked about having 1 more kid, but not for at least 2 years. I know it's still big enough for 3. I can't imagine us having more than 3.

 

Been asked, and answered:

https://www.tundras.com/threads/tundra-as-a-family-car-does-it-make-sense.61841/

I have 3 kids and the crew max is a great family car. Comfortably fits everyone in the cab, and the back carries all the strollers, bikes, etc for our trips or outings.. Also have the Sequoia which is usually the go to for longer trips or vacations especially with other people as the 3rd row comes in handy for carting friends/family around and only being in 1 vehicle. You won’t regret either

 

I read through that

 

We have a 1.5 year old and 2 big dogs. We decided on the crewmax to be our reliable family vehicle. So far we love it. So nice to have space for a car seat and a bunch of gear or dogs in the back seat. Also really nice for adults to have so much space back there if needed.

We ended up buying a leer topper to have the option of transporting more covered/lockable gear or have the dogs back there too.

If you don’t need the 3rd row of seating I would go for the tundra. On the other hand if you don’t need the option of an open bed, maybe the sequoia would be a nicer fit. From what I can see, tundras are cheaper and easier to find used. If you’re buying new, maybe that doesn’t mater to you.

If you have specific questions feel free to PM me or comment here.

 

Family of 5 with the double cab. We all fit fine, kids are 10, 10 and 5, still use a booster For the youngest and they Are all fine in the back. At one point I had 2 boosters and a rear facing car seat, so with the crew max you’ll be fine

 

Tundra..More room by far

 

It’s my family of 5 car: SR5 crewmax 2wd with front bench seats so it can fit 6 easily. Only once did I regret not Paying extra $2k for 4x4. Otherwise we love the room and it can carry anything vs Sequoia.

 

We also have both a Sequoia and a Tundra. Both are great family vehicles. The Sequoia does have a tighter turning radius, so it is easier to navigate the tight parking lots. It drives much smaller than it feels. The Tundra is more difficult to navigate and park. My wife always grabs the Sequoia over the Tundra. It is the go to vehicle for longer trips. Dogs go in the back and bikes go on a hitch mount. It is weird but it is more convenient than the Tundra most of the time. I'm assuming your wife will drive it the majority of the time? Have her test drive both and see which one is the easiest for her.

 

2 teenage boys, 70lb dog, wife and me

Family vehicle for us. Love it, no regrets.

We came from a family van Sienna.

 

The CM has always been a great family vehicle for us. The large back seat area really helps to make the kids comfortable. I have a truck 'cause I'm a contractor. I have a Tundra 'cause I don't like being stranded by break downs. I have a CM 'cause it's great for my 2 daughters.

 

My wife and I are planning to have two kids so the fact that a Tundra is cheaper and more capable than a Sequoia means it makes more sense for me personally. But everyone's situation is different.

 

The answer is yes for me. We have 5 yrs old and 4 months old and my wife like to sit in the back as well and it’s pretty comfortable and spacious in a crew max. Stroller and other stuffs in the bed with tonneau cover. I’m their Uber driver. Lol

 

My wife and I only have 1 child but I definitely like taking this truck places more than I do her RAV4, unless it’s long distance for the gas mileage. I have a cover on the back of the truck and we stick all of our bags back there. I fold the larger portion of the back seat up and let the dogs get in there and put my son in his car seat. I also got the one with the fold up armrest in the front so we can fit one extra person if needed. This truck holds more than her RAV4 does.

 

I bought a Tundra for my 4 dogs....and 3 are under 10 lbs the other 30......spoiled....

 

I have the crew max and two kids and we use it on the weekends and when we go on our trips to the lakes in the summer. Before my tundra I had a Yukon and I can tell you hands down I enjoy the crewmax over the Yukon just for the cargo space if nothing else plus the backseat of a CrewMax has more room than you'll get in any SUV. I would say by the CrewMax and get a shell then it's like having a crew cab SUV. Lol

 

family vehicle and getter of things that don't fit in other vehicles. Love the CM.

 

The CM Tundra is a great family vehicle. We use ours exclusively over the wife's Lexus RX350. Way more leg room front and back. If you need more space that a tonneau cover offers, add a topper.

Just test drove a new GMC 2500HD diesel crew yesterday with the family. Was very surprised at how much more interior space the Tundra had. Especially the rear leg room. Tundra had an extra min 5 inches more leg room (in the back) with the seats all the way back. Shocked me for considering the 2500HD was marked as a $70K vehicle.

 

2 kids and a dog, CM is a great family vehicle

 

I do. It works great, lots of room, plenty of bed space for shopping. I use tonneau cover.

I prefer this over my wife's 2019 Subaru ascent 8 passenger.

 

There is lots of room in a crewmax, i was blown away on how much room, but its a little heavy on gas if you don't mind spending that.

 

Agreed. Kind of like take your pick....price of gas or truck reliability. Am getting tired of waiting for Toyota to come out with a diesel.

 

Only problem I see for us in the crew max is open bed. Get the cargo area covered and organized and you’ll be golden. We do grab the Honda Pilot on longer trips that don’t involve camping. More minivan like and convenient. Also 26mpg which you aren’t going to get in a truck based suv or truck. I only have one kid at this point though.
So my vote is truck and car based suv.
If you only can have one the sequoia will probably be better for the fam.

 

We use our CM for road trips just because of how much interior space there is over the Highlander. But if it's your wife's primary mode of transportation and she's anything like mine, I'm sure she'd rather drive a Sequoia than a big ass truck all the time. That said, I love using the Tundra when space is a concern, even despite the MPG.

 

We have a Yukon and Tundra and they are both great. We like the versatility of both.

 

We have a Sienna for our main family vehicle, but if we go somewhere and need more space / payload we use the Tundra with camper shell. It's nice to have all the space for coolers, the dog, gear etc. I'm also 6'4" so it's nice to have legit leg room behind me when driving. We could also do a Sequoia, but with the truck if it gets dirty in the back I can hose it out.

 

Honestly, my kids miss my LR3 on long road trips. But I wouldn't trade my CM for anything. It's loud, doesn't ride as smoothly as my LR3, and keeping stuff dry in the bed is an issue. But I don't care. It does 0-60 in 4 sec. Nuff said.

 

Yeah kind of depends on if your going to hall around more people like extended family and the your kids friends.