Anyone using LC200 with a family of 5? (1 Viewer)

[82SC]

Looking to get a new vehicle.
I’ve had a xterra prox4 but now with 3 kiddos need a bigger 2nd row

bouncing between 4r TRD Premium and 2016+ LC200.

price is about the same. ~45-50k

I’ve lurked and read about the pluses and minuses.

My kids are 2 5 8. So I think I could swing the 4runner for now. But will probably need to upgrade in 3-4 years.

What are people’s experiences?

We are a big camping family. Would like to get into some light over landing. Not really looking to rock crawl.

will be my daily driver but commute is only 10 miles each way.

We currently pack up the rear of the car. And have the big cargo box on top. And use a tray in the trailer hitch. I could pack lighter and more efficient.
For the future considering roof top tent...off road trailer...

I test drove both. 4Runner prob more familiar to me as very simple and spartan like my xterra. LC200 felt awesome but I love/hate all the electronics and power this and power that.

just wanted to get some experiences of people who have hauled a family of 5 in and LC.

 

[Madtiger]

I am family of 5. Ages 12, 10, 7. They love my LC. Good enough room.

I have this setup for them on trips:BFG KO2 in STOCK size & my MODs/trips thread

 

[fireball]

No way on the 4R. For what you do and the amount of gear it sounds like you want to take, a Sequoia is probably the best option.

 

[Sandroad]

My son‘s family of 5 borrows my LC every vacation precisely because it’s so great for their camping trips. They also borrow my big Thule roof box and Waeco fridge. The kids are 2 middle-schoolers a a high schooler. They pop their iPads into the headrest holders and entertain themselves on the trip. The LC comes back to me a complete mess inside and out. I love it because that’s what Land Cruisers are made for.....to get families to interesting places and back safely. Far better than sitting in the garage!

Edit....I should mention I put only one third row seat in when they use it.

 

[08720]

Im running a family of 6 no problems. I have a RTT so once the fridge is in the back there is limited storage when taking the entire family. It isn't as convenient as my wife's Sienna for everyday use but they love my truck. Ages 12, 9, 6, & 5 - oldest three are girls and youngest is my boy.

 

[liv2bike]

Family of 6 here. My kiddos are 12, 10 and 8 yr old twins. Before we got our Land Cruiser, we looked hard at the sequoia. However it really didn’t afford any more space behind the third row than the LC. We didn’t even consider the 4 Runner. I owned one several years ago.

The LC is in a different class. Soon as my wife got in one and compared it back to back with the sequoia (and other big people movers) she knew it was the one.

We have a Yakima box on the roof for when we travel. We definitely have to prioritize and leave the kitchen sink at home. But if you pull a camper or small off road trailer you’ll be fine and space won’t be as tight. Either way, you’ll have way more room than the T4R.

Get a 200.

 

[empty80]

I would recommend taking your family and car/booster seats to a dealership and installing it all in a T4R before asking a pack of 200-series owners for their confirmation bias. I do love the T4Rs, but they just don’t seem to use the space as intelligently at the 200. Also, having second and third row overhead air vents is a pretty darn good feature to have.

I have one kid, and a week long trip with the 200 was tight on space. There’s no was way we could have done it with the T4R I owned prior to the 200.

Also, if you ever feel like you are settling for something less, you will never be satisfied with it. I wanted a land cruiser. I bought a T4R, and honed in on all the things I wasn’t happy with until I bought a 200.

 

[fireball]

The Sequoia didn't afford more space in the back than the LC? Are you kidding me?

The Sequoia has a lot bigger interior and allows for a lot more cargo than the LC. See the attached information, specs taken from Toyota. The 2nd and 3rd row seats are much roomier in the Sequoia and there's 60% more cargo space behind the 2nd row seats.

We love our 2016 LC and it's a great truck and better built than the our Sequoia. But the OP likes to go camping, light overlanding, and takes a lot of gear. I'd strongly encourage them to investigate the Sequoia.

 

[CharlieS]

I think it depends on how far you're traveling and how big the family members are. The third row works on short trips or for smaller stature people. The middle row can easily fit three people, especially smaller stature people. I've had three adults in the second row and they were comfortable, but I don't think they have enjoyed it as much if we were traveling for several hours or more.

The 200 is a great size for my family of four. We've done tent camping, rooftop tent camping and now we have a very small camper with a rooftop tent that is terrific.

Removing the rear seats makes a ton of extra room in the cargo area, but since your kids are still young, that may not be a great option. They don't come out and go back in as easily as the 80 and 100 series, they need to be unbolted.

We had a 4Runner and it was fine for our family size wise. The longest journey we took on it was a 24 hour trip (straight through, except quick stops for food and bio breaks). The land cruiser is much more comfortable...

I've never owned a sequoia, but a good friend has one. His has captains chair type seating, so isn't as efficient use of space as the 200.

I highly recommend a rooftop box like another poster above mentioned. We have a large one, and it is great for trips (if you aren't using the rack for a tent or other large attachments). We use ours a lot for skis and snowboards, but it is also a great way to haul more stuff than you can fit in the cargo area. The Thule we have clamps on the factory bars, as well as on load bars.

 

[liv2bike]

The Sequoia didn't afford more space in the back than the LC? Are you kidding me?

The Sequoia has a lot bigger interior and allows for a lot more cargo than the LC. See the attached information, specs taken from Toyota. The 2nd and 3rd row seats are much roomier in the Sequoia and there's 60% more cargo space behind the 2nd row seats.

We love our 2016 LC and it's a great truck and better built than the our Sequoia. But the OP likes to go camping, light overlanding, and takes a lot of gear. I'd strongly encourage them to investigate the Sequoia.

View attachment 2144981

I should have been more specific. I was only talking about space behind the third row. And I said it really didn’t have much more space than the LC. A few cu ft isn’t that much more space. But that’s just my opinion. It’s not an order of magnitude different. Approx. 2 cu ft isn’t that much more space when you’re talking about hauling gear.

We get by ok in our 200. And I’ve got 4 kids.

 

[tbizzle]

family of 5 here - kids are 10, 8, and 5. the two oldest are still in booster seats, with the 5 year old still in a 4-pt harness seat. takes up a lot of room. we are actually on the road this week for thanksgiving, it's tight in the back with all of our stuff for a 10-day trip but it works just fine.

we have the oldest in the third row, and one on each outboard seat in the second row. don't fold the seat to get the oldest in the back, he still hops over the center seat section - it stays folded down. i meant to put a piece of plywood or poly down to keep him from ruining the carpet but of course i never got around to it. over time (3 years) he has cracked the top of the center section - i just plan to replace that piece when we get the middle son out of his booster seat and we can fold/tumble the second row as designed.

it's definitely not ideal for 3rd row access with kids in car seats in the second row - but if you want a land cruiser, get a land cruiser and you can make it work. we down-sized from an escalade XL - and trust me, there is a LOT of space in those vehicles - but we wouldn't go back.

our typical configuration is the driver's side third row deployed for the 10 year old and the passenger side stowed and their daily "stuff" - gym bags, sports gear, karate, etc etc is usually thrown in the rear passenger side.

when we take bigger trips (beach, camping, etc) we usually load up the hitch carrier with bulky items.

i have taken the rear seats out a few times for different reasons, but too much trouble to leave them out all the time. have also run with just one in the third row but didn't like the thought of being that much off vs the factory specs for rear weight distribution side-to-side.

it's my wife's daily driver, she loves it and wouldn't have anything else. just turned 60k miles on this trip. we put a set of toyo open country AT2s (stock size) at around 50k miles. had it up at our farm on the pipeline road, creeks, etc on terrain that some of my family doesn't take their side-by-sides and ATVs. we love the capability and versatility of this vehicle. we were laughing about how we were wading through axle-deep mud on Sunday morning and then on the interstate cruising at 80 later that afternoon. its hilarious how versatile the vehicle really is.

like i said - if you want a land cruiser, get one. you can fit 5 kids easy. it gets easier when they get out of car seats and booster seats. but you can make it work. and you won't regret it.

10 days of stuff packed in the below pic...

 

[Rigger]

We’ve made several long trips in our 200 with 6 of us; Rhonda and I, and 4 children, ages 15, 13, 11 & 9. Used a rooftop carrier and tried not to bring too much unnecessary stuff. We also tried to break frequently to stretch our legs. No problem.

 

[82SC]

Cool. Thanks for all the insight.
You can compare specs and numbers all night but I think these narrative experiences are 1000x more useful. Pure number wise the 4r and LC cargo space don’t differ much but 100% of people who’ve owned both says the LC swallows their gear better then their 4r did. And read threads where 4r guys swear they can manage 3 older kids in their 2nd row but just doesn’t compute when you look at cars side by side.

Went to a dealership and while we didn’t move the seats over clearly the 4r could manage 3 small kids but felt they’d quickly grow out of that space in few years.

yup we have a cargo box already. But would have to sacrifice that if going to RTT. But good first world problems to have.

Thanks fellas. Will keep looking for a 200
Hope you had a good turkey day.

 

[slipkid13]

Currently drive a 2013 LX, previous vehicle was a 2017 4Runner and even with 2 kids I would not even bother with the 4Runner. First time we went camping I realized the back does not have a lot of room (I can't imagine how cramped a 3rd row on the Limited it) The 2nd row in the LX has was more room. Not to mention the ancient 5 speed and V6 combo in the 4R will frustrate the daylights out of you. The6sp and V8 is an awesome combo and mileage is not really much worse than the 4R.

Pick the LC, you won't regret it.

 

[SQRRRL]

A couple ways I set up my rig for winter/summer adventures . 3 kids 3,5,6. 3 adults and a dog.
One of the little guys goes in the 3rd row with the dog. Works great!
Had a Gen. 3 4Runner that was way to small for us. Was looking at the New 4R for a moment and never thought I made the wrong decision with the LC.

 

[PhiloCruiser]

Yep...14, 12, 9 and everyone loves it. Through Canada and down to Texas from the Midwest...we love it. Comfort and room...we use the roof rack for a large Yakima box and have never needed more room. Used to have a Suburban and won’t ever got that way again.

 

[PhuckItImDone]

About to be a family of 3, shes due in March, but with 2, ages 4 and 1, it's been amazing. With the new one almost here bbn I imagine the LC will continue to shine.

 

[18Cruiser]

Family of 5. Kids 20, 18 and 13 now. One Labrador and a little mut dog.

We have used the 200 for camping, hunting, ski trips to Colorado from TX and lake runs. As well as, taking the oldest to college.

Longer trips we us the Yakima Roof Skybox and the hitch haul. Third row is a subject of negotiations as to who gets it. Everyone wants it because then they have it all to themselves.

 

[grinchy]

2 adults, 3 kids. LX570 here. Use one of the 3rd row seats occasionally. They mainly prefer to sit three across in the 2nd row. One teen, two adolescents. One backed booster seat. We will use a huge roofbox if we need to, but most of the time don't.

Our other car is a minivan.

I encourage anyone with kids younger than six or so to get a minivan; it is built for hauling young children and their paraphernalia around, and much easier to access the 3rd row and the various car seats with captain chairs, low entry, and the center aisle.

 

[fireball]

The TRD pro and platinum sequoia have captains chairs in the second row, and a powered rear hatch. Third row access is pretty darn good, and you don’t need to buy a minivan!

My point of view is with three small kids all with car seats. Perhaps when they are older I’ll feel differently.

I’ll shut up about the sequoia now!