Sequoia vs GX460 vs....?

[DocTorres112]

My wife is ready to be rid of her 2011 Toyota Sienna and we are in the market for a new family hauler. We have 4 kiddos, ages 8, 5, 3, & 1. All boys.

I have a '17 T4R TRD, she likes the specs/build of my 4runner and is happy to stay in the Toyota family.

We want something w/ room for the kids, has the ability to be modified, is capable off road, and comfortable on road. We are likely getting turtleback trailer, or equivalent in the next 2-3 years.

We would prefer body on frame.

Anyone have personal experiences w/ either of the vehicles listed, or are there other suggestions that we haven't considered?

We are willing to spend up to $65K.

Thanks,
-Chris

 

[ChuckB]

200 Series Land Cruiser or 100 Series if you want to spend less!


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[[DO]Ron]

I think the Sequoia has some decent seats in the back.. a GX or a 200/100 series has less I think.. No idea how long you are planning to keep the rig but when the kids grow older I think they will thank you for some leg room.

If you are getting a new rig before they get to old it doesn't matter as much.

 

[Mike474]

You should look at Suburbans lots of room and trust me with four kids you'll need it, plenty of seat room as they grow. Thats what I got when my kids out grew the extended cab pickup. We put 4 kids all of our gear and traveled and camped, I was glad to have the bigger vehicle. Put over 200,000 miles on it with no issues.

 

[DocTorres112]

200 Series Land Cruiser or 100 Series if you want to spend less!


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I'd love that vehicle for myself, but the wife would like something more modern.
Thanks for the reply!!

-Chris

 

[DocTorres112]

I think the Sequoia has some decent seats in the back.. a GX or a 200/100 series has less I think.. No idea how long you are planning to keep the rig but when the kids grow older I think they will thank you for some leg room.

If you are getting a new rig before they get to old it doesn't matter as much.

This will be the family outdoor vehicle for a while, I think the Sequoia is winning right now, not to mention there are some people out there modifying the second GENs.

-Chris

 

[DocTorres112]

You should look at Suburbans lots of room and trust me with four kids you'll need it, plenty of seat room as they grow. Thats what I got when my kids out grew the extended cab pickup. We put 4 kids all of our gear and traveled and camped, I was glad to have the bigger vehicle. Put over 200,000 miles on it with no issues.

We looked at those, but we really like the Toyota brand, although the in car tech is better (IMO) w/ the Chevy/GMCs currently. For some reason, Toyota hasn't spent a lot of time on the "ICE" for the Sequoia for some time.

We are also looking at the new LR Discovery, though w/ it being so new, reliability concerns me.

-Chris

 

[PolarExpress]

We've got a GX460 that I had originally planned to make our overlander. It doesn't have Crawl Control, but it's got the KDSS suspension, center locker, and decent control.. the thing is a beast. Low range and locked it'll go anywhere the lower suspension will allow. The down side is that it's relatively tight inside, it's sister the 4Runner has much more room do to the body layout. Also it's been damned near impossible to find any sort of a lift system for it so I can throw on some larger tires.
I'd probably go with the Sequoia.

EDITED for 3rd row seat info- it sucks. it's ok for toddlers, but it cannot be removed without extensive modifications. Also if you accidentally bump the switch that's located right next to the damn cargo door be ready to search for the cause of a barely audible "beeeeeeeeeeeeeep" that won't stop until you hit the switch to full stow the seat back.

 

[Boort]

@DocTorres112

My wife is ready to be rid of her 2011 Toyota Sienna and we are in the market for a new family hauler. We have 4 kiddos, ages 8, 5, 3, & 1. All boys. Anyone have personal experiences w/ either of the vehicles listed, or are there other suggestions that we haven't considered?
We are willing to spend up to $65K.

My Folks have a Sequoia, 2004 I think. It has gone anywhere we've pointed it in stock form. Granted that is been mostly forest service roads around Colorado and Wyoming. we've done a number of long trips up to Yellowstone and Montana. For 4 adults (3 photographers, camp gear, and big cooler) the space fills up remarkably fast. We pull the 3rd row seat, put the cooler up against the 2nd row seats, and then fill the back past the bottom of the back window. As an adult I can say that the first and 2nd row seats are very comfortable, but I would not want to be on a long trip in the 3rd row. This seat has the least cushioning and very little leg room. The kids will likely be comfortable until they grow up to 13-15 ish.

Earlier this year I had the opportunity to drive / ride in both a Lexus 470 and 1999 Landcruiser off road through Southern Utah. Both fantastic off road and on. Can't speak to the 3rd row seats but 2nd row seats on both were as good or better than the Sequoia. I'd say that both of these were smaller than the Sequoia inside. The LC had a rocket box and the Drivers rear seat pulled so that we could fit 3 photographers and full camp gear (2 coolers, 3 tents/EZ-up canopy, camera gear...) again full up midway up the back window.

Growing up we were a Ford family and my folks still have a ford E150 van with the small v8 (previous one had the Triton V8 which was MUCH better in the mountains and towing). It worked well for a family of 4 + 2 Newfoundland dogs (read large dogs). I'm not much a fan of Ford as even well cared for Fords don't seem to last 120k miles. (this van needed a new Tranny this summer after our eclipse trip to Wy. at only ~60k miles) With new tranny installed and wallet lightened about $3500, it carried us to Black Canyon NP 2 weekends ago.

Either the 4.7L Sequoia, or the Ford E150 will happily tow our Chalet A-Frame Popup through the mountains of Colorado.

Boort

 

[PetfishEric]

With 4 kids I would recommend the Sequoia. the extra inches will make all the difference in the world for extended trips and the 5.6 motor will pull anything you want. The GX470 is a great ride for the road with a lot of nice bits and pieces but the Sequoia will almost match it.

 

[Sparky]

If I may, why not use your 4Runner as the adventure rig and get something dedicated for kid hauling at home? With that many little ones I'd rule the GX out (as much as I love them) but that's me. Used 200 Series Cruisers can be had for $65k, probably looking at 40-50k miles on the odometer. The LX570 drops in price quicker than the Cruisers do around here so that could be an option too. I'd just really want more room, considering sports equipment and all your kids' friends who may be along for the ride as well.

Check the new Nissan Armada. It's aptly named, I call it the land yacht. Very comfortable and good visibility, it's like driving a 747. It's based on the international Patrol platform so it has the offroad chops and is priced competitively.

I test drove the new Discovery and found the cockpit cramped. I'm only 5'11" and both my knees rested on hard plastic at the same time while driving.

Sequoia and Suburban seem appropriate. I believe Jeep is supposed to reintroduce the Grand Wagoneer on the Ram chassis but it's still a year or two out. Looks like you have some test driving to do!

 

[DocTorres112]

If I may, why not use your 4Runner as the adventure rig and get something dedicated for kid hauling at home? With that many little ones I'd rule the GX out (as much as I love them) but that's me. Used 200 Series Cruisers can be had for $65k, probably looking at 40-50k miles on the odometer. The LX570 drops in price quicker than the Cruisers do around here so that could be an option too. I'd just really want more room, considering sports equipment and all your kids' friends who may be along for the ride as well.

Check the new Nissan Armada. It's aptly named, I call it the land yacht. Very comfortable and good visibility, it's like driving a 747. It's based on the international Patrol platform so it has the offroad chops and is priced competitively.

I test drove the new Discovery and found the cockpit cramped. I'm only 5'11" and both my knees rested on hard plastic at the same time while driving.

Sequoia and Suburban seem appropriate. I believe Jeep is supposed to reintroduce the Grand Wagoneer on the Ram chassis but it's still a year or two out. Looks like you have some test driving to do!

Thanks for the detailed response! We haven't checked the Armada, for some reason I was sure it wasn't body on frame. We just got done driving a 2015 Sequoia for the last few days, borrowing it from the local dealership.

I like the 200 series LC, though the back hatch is not power, and that is something the wife insists upon.

The T4R is not 3 rows, so it's my DD, and adventure rig for myself and my older kids.

She REALLY likes the new Disco, but I'm thinking it's way smaller than the Sequoia.

I'll certainly go check the new Armada based on your recommendation.

-Chris

 

[Sparky]

Awesome, it's always worth a look so I'm glad I could help. The Armada is large, on-par with the Sequoia. I agree the Rover is super nice and clearly very capable, but it is smaller depending on your needs. Per Wiki the new Discovery's wheelbase is about 7-inches shorter than the Sequoia, that's substantial in my book.

 

[American Overlanders]

I am biased...but I have six kids and do significant off-roading with the Sequoia. Very capable!

 

[Sparky]

I saw a lifted sequoia in town yesterday, it looked good.

 

[Suburban_Overland]

I second the Suburban recommendation. The 2500 would be the one to get though, much stronger and more reliable drivetrain. The 5.3l, 6.0l, 6.2l chevy motors are bullet proof and rival the Toyotas in reliability. highly recommended

 

[CampWithChin]

I have a 2nd gen Sequoia. It's capable for offroad travel and very comfort for onroad travel. It's all depend on your need. I don't rock crawling my sequoia, but I do long distance travel with it. For me, Sequoia is a not LC200. It has more room than LC200, but less offroad capable. If you need to mod, the aftermarket part for Gen 2 sequoia support is minimal. LC200 has better aftermarket support. 65k can get you fully decked out 2018 Toyota Sequoia TRD, but still 20k away from 2018 Toyota Landcruiser. The 5.7l 3URFE engine is proven for years. It has plenty of power to tow off-road trailer. The only drawback is the engine is thirsty. For long distance and remote travel, fuel capacity is crucial.

As for GX460, this is a capable SUV. It's not as roomy as LC200 or Sequoia. It's a Land Cruiser too (aka Prado, LC150). Offroad capable is better than Sequoia. Aftermarket parts support is plenty and continue to grow. 65k can get you a fully equipped GX460.

Between a Sequoia or GX460, I would choose GX if I sacrifice space and towing capacity. You gained better offroad capability, luxury comfort and aftermarket support. I would choose Sequoia I need the extra room and towing capacity.

 

[Craig M]

Just a warning on the Armada, if you are looking at new ones.. I bought a 2006 new from the dealer and loved it for the first 6 months but it didn't take much longer than that to start having buyers remorse. Luckily it was only a 3 year lease and it went back as soon as I could get rid of it. The build quality just isn't there and although people put them in the same class as Toyota and Honda, they are not, IMO. In fact, I would prefer a GM or Ford over Nissan any day. My son has had a Sentra since new, for 5-6 years, and has had all sorts of issues with that. Granted they are on the low end, but most of it pertaining to body parts, plastics, headlights, etc. His mother (my ex) had a Leaf, and had a issues with that too.

I won't buy another Nissan..

 

[James Deaton]

Ford Expedition, short version. Our 2003 seats 7 comfortably, and is great on and offroad. We did a 2” lift in the back, and 2.75” in the front, and now the ground clearance is great. I have a family of 5 and wouldn’t own anything else. The full size american vehicles are extremely roomy inside, and are very capable. I fired General Motors a long time ago, and am really enjoying my Fords... i love Toyotas also, but i chose this instead because of the room, great 5.4 engine, and it’s built like a beast... very truck like in its capability...

James

 

[DocTorres112]

Thanks for all the responses. My wife drove the 200 series and loved it.

We found a used 2016, 36k miles for just under $64K and pulled the trigger. Just put some KO2s on it today and the front runner roof rack is soon to follow. I'll post pics soon!

-Chris