My bad…Early Armada uses diff from 350z apparently…for better or worse.
2024 GX/Prado Release and Discussion (8 Viewers)
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Tigerstripe40
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Since 2016, the Nissan Armada is built on the same platform as the 6th gen Y62 Patrol. (and the Infinity QX60 and QX80 since 2010)
LX 600 is more round and feels tighter inside compared to 200 series lx/LC.
You think 200 series is big.. after driving my 23 Escalade ESV, my 200 series feels compact suv
Being a member of a couple Y62 and Armada Groups, all in all the Y62 seems to be fairly robust. Anecdotally, working in the middle east, there are a ton of them running around here and if they can do well out here, that goes along way to for their reputation. I think the most surprising aspect of the Y62 is the seats, they remind me of my old 2001 Suburban, or my grandfather's 80's Cadillac., damn they are ridiculously comfortable to the point that they make my GMC 2500 and last sequoias seats feel like they were pulled from a JLTV or HMMV., just terrible.
All in all, i think its an exciting time to be in the market for a new vehicle.
LX 600 is more round and feels tighter inside compared to 200 series lx/LC.
You think 200 series is big.. after driving my 23 Escalade ESV, my 200 series feels compact suv
I feel the same way about driving my wife's Armada after driving my 2500 every day, The Armada feels like a go cart.
Tigerstripe40
SILVER Star
A Y62 Armada is actually a consideration for when I retire my Tacoma in 4 years....
Armada is nearly identical in size to a 2nd gen Sequoia. I don't hate it, just not sure it's really a LC competitor in the sense of being a midsize vs a full size. Just a lot bigger vehicle. If Toyota had kept IRS in the new Sequoia along with the multimode transfer case it would be very comparable again. And the Sequoia now has a rear locker that the Armada lacks and more offroad tech. I'm not sure I totally understand why land cruiser buyers would look to the Armada to replace the LC vs the Sequoia that's basically a full size LC300, with the exception of the awd transfer case. I can certainly see the value proposition - it's a lot cheaper than a comparably equipped Sequoia. And you can probably actually go buy one if you wanted it vs waiting for a year. Just curious if there are other reasons why you'd go Armada vs Sequoia.
I think it really comes down to application and practicality. While I think there is a natural inclination to have the most capable vehicle possible, one has to ask how much of that capability are they actually going to use vs what will work.
Considering we have seen everything from Kia Sorrento's to Porsche cayenne's, to stock F250's successfully navigate stuff like Hells Gate, I am personally not sure how much lockers would benefit me in Va/WV vs say appropriate tires.
I love the concept of the full size LC300, BUT, its terribly executed. The LX600 /Armada, is really about the smallest I would want to go of those two options, The LX which is a more capable vehicle is carrying a substantial premium and doesn't offer 2nd row captain's chairs for under 130k and its still going to require new wheels and tires to actually utilize that capability, No, I just can't.
I think that in the Middle East and Australia, The Y62 compares very favorably to the LC. I think that the Armada's main drawback of not having a locker can be overcome far easier via aftermarket lockers than the Sequioa can overcome its terrible cargo area, the LX's Absurd price or Toyotas arbitrary decision to not sell me LC300.
Did I go into the Armada, with the idea that its just as good as the LC, of course not, but, after joining a few groups, and seeing the aftermarket support, and putting some miles on ours. I sort of came to the conclusion that you know what... This will work.
I’ve spent a fair amount of time driving a new TRD Sequoia. I would buy an Armada over the Sequoia, and i have been driving Toyotas / Land Cruisers since 1987. The Sequoia has a big battery in the cargo area. No AWD. No tow hooks. Cheap interior plastics. Gas mileage was about the same as my V8 powered 200. And it is about $30k too expensive for what it is. People complained that the LC200 was overpriced at USD$85k. The new Sequoia is way overpriced compared to that. Especially with all the additional junk Toyota thinks their average purchaser will pay pay for.
Armada is a lot cheaper, feels much better screwed together, and still has a simple and proven V8.
Of course, just my opinions. I am sure lots of people will love the Sequoia. It’s just not for me.
Overpriced?!? It's an affordable family wagon from Toyota!
Also - JFC it's overpriced. (You can pick up a new Platinum AWD Armada for $59k - Could almost buy two of them for the price of a new Sequoia - could literally buy an Armada AND a base model Tundra for the price of one sequoia.)
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Tigerstripe40
SILVER Star
Overpriced?!? It's an affordable family wagon from Toyota!
Also - JFC it's overpriced.
I drove the TRD Pro Sequoia at the Auto show a few months back and actually really liked it. It was cool, but it was not $80k cool....
That was how I felt about the new Tundra. Had one come at the dealer that they held for me and I went to buy it. After looking it over and test driving, I bought a clean used gen2 tundra. It wasn't good enough for $70k. Fit and finish were poor. Paint quality was terrible - TBH it had to be a respray or something because the orange peel didn't match between the bed and cab. Interior was nice, but the fit was poor. Seat leather had wrinkles where it's not supposed to have wrinkles because either the foam was too small or the cover was too much material and it didn't fit tightly. And I didn't like the poor visibility and general ergonomics of the new cabin despite the much improved tech and materials. Overall it just wasn't good enough. Not for the price. It sold immediately, so I guess there's plenty of willing buyers. But it was quite disappointing considering I was planning to drive it home and it was bad enough to change my mind.
I bought a Heritage Edition 2020 in April of 2020 for 82k and I wish I had bought 3. No chance I pay for a Sequoia. I'd buy a used LX570 or new LX600.
Fit and finish on the Tundra is disappointing.
I also cannot sit straight up in the back seats without hitting my head.
Dealer wanted 60k plus, definitely not worth the price.
Overpriced?!? It's an affordable family wagon from Toyota!
Also - JFC it's overpriced. (You can pick up a new Platinum AWD Armada for $59k - Could almost buy two of them for the price of a new Sequoia - could literally buy an Armada AND a base model Tundra for the price of one sequoia.)
Wow,
I know there is a market adjustment added but this is absurd and the reason why stuff that may have not been viable in the past, is now viable. As much as I want to support Toyota, Base 4WD SR5 Sequoias are basically in the same price range as the GMC Yukon Denalli give or take a few grand.
It goes back to value proposition. I think that when you compared the 80 and 100 series to its peers, they outclassed the competition in terms of capability and reliability. As cars got more expensive, The 200 series while a bit pricey were brick s***houses its only downfall was pegging it to the price of the upscaled LX and competing it against other vehicles that were just better tools for 95 percent of the population.
Today, Since everything has gone bizzarro world in terms of pricing, I think the end user is sort of forced to pick their poison. Do you want an adventure rig that you might take a couple miles to work each day or do you want a people mover that may hit some old logging roads ever few months or so?
For community and day to day stuff, The Toyota vehicle that checks the most boxes for me is the LX600, BUT, since its entry price is basically 105k, and with 2nd row captain's chairs is pushing 140k. You can get a Deneil ultimate with super cruise and a diesel that gets you 28Mpg for the mid 90's. For about 10 more grand than the ultra-luxury you can get a ****ing G Wagon. I know that Lexus is selling them like hot cakes, but the value is just not there for me.
For adventure-based options we have two and four door jeeps, offer very capable, turnkey solutions for 50 to 60 grand. The 4Runner is included in this segment but just like the Jeep and Bronco, are a bit small as I am 6'3 and my wife is 5'10 and the boys are growing like weeds
Its in the area in between, that I think the Armada, becomes viable, It has a solid, proven drive train, good clearance, can accept 34 inch tires with no lift, it has a good aftermarket support in terms of lockers, lifts, super chargers, bumpers, and snorkels. Offers better cargo and interior room than the midsize options, dedicated adventure rigs. For 60k plus maybe 5 or 6 grand, in aftermarket support, you have something that will bridge the gap between dedicate people mover and adventure rig.
Thats disappointing, i wanted to check out the new tundra the last time i was back in the US but didn't get the chance.
What trim level was it?
As much as I like the higher level trims, part of me is serious considering just getting a work truck trim variant of the GMC 2500, It may have a s*** turning radius, ride and mpg's BUT it does have an old school 6.6L V8 with no active fuel management bull**** and an Allison transmission so there is really not much that can go wrong on it. Its the essenence of what drew me to toyota for all those years.
Throw a 2 inch lift on it and add 35's, and its done.
This was a Platinum trim level, and I really wanted to like it.
In my opinion, the older model TRDs are nicer.
desmocruiser
SILVER Star
We saw this ~25 years ago during major decontenting in the Automotive industry.
Every new design in the late 90’s and later had less (features and quality) than their predecessors, due to both increasing costs but largely investment that had to be made in other areas to meet new requirements in both safety and EPA.
Fast forward 25 years and once again manufacturers are investing Billions in electrification and even more stringent EPA requirements. The result to earn that capital required, increased pricing and likely diminished quality in every new vehicle, but the higher end models will likely share a higher % of the increase.
Toyota can increase the price of a Sequoia $10k and the Lexus 600 $20k and that is felt much less than increasing 10 corollas $1k each or 10 hybrid RX’s $2k each!
And yes there is FAR more competition today than ever before. All manufacturers seem to be building decent vehicles and bending metal in ways we like!
Every new design in the late 90’s and later had less (features and quality) than their predecessors, due to both increasing costs but largely investment that had to be made in other areas to meet new requirements in both safety and EPA.
Fast forward 25 years and once again manufacturers are investing Billions in electrification and even more stringent EPA requirements. The result to earn that capital required, increased pricing and likely diminished quality in every new vehicle, but the higher end models will likely share a higher % of the increase.
Toyota can increase the price of a Sequoia $10k and the Lexus 600 $20k and that is felt much less than increasing 10 corollas $1k each or 10 hybrid RX’s $2k each!
And yes there is FAR more competition today than ever before. All manufacturers seem to be building decent vehicles and bending metal in ways we like!
When did you check out this Tundra? I was at the dealer for an oil change a couple weeks ago and they had a new '23 Platinum fully optioned on the showroom floor. I poked around inside and out and walked away thinking it was a really nice truck. I did not care for the view from the drivers seat or just how big it has become (same can be said for all of it's full size competitors)
I am fully aware of all of the issues reported on the '22s. Most of which were fit and finish related and it felt to me like this '23 example had many of those ironed out. If I needed a truck it seemed like it would be a good value at or below MSRP which was $68k.
It was April or early May of 2022. Not the first run, but relatively early in the new model. But I don't give Toyota any slack on this. They had 15 years to prepare a new model. And it was mostly underwhelming. The cabin got smaller, the bed got significantly smaller (it's 7 inches narrower inside and a bit shorter and shallower) while the length got longer. All of that and the actual mpg is only marginally better.
It's not a terrible truck. Some things are much improved. The seats are great. The dash layout and infotainment is good. Interior is quiet. And power delivery is really good. Steering is also better and the lane center is nice. It's a better truck than the outgoing model in many ways.
IMO it's not nearly the same value as the old model. Even if they clean up all of the fit and finish. It's just overpriced at $60-80k a 16mpg half ton that still needs $10k in aftermarket add ons to be ready for fire roads. It's a hard pass for me until they start knocking $10k off MSRP. I think that's about a year away after the new wears off.
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