SEQUOIA: If you could do it all over again,, What Did you learn? (1 Viewer)

[M RED]

With 4 kiddos now my 5th gen 4Runner is officially too small for us. I need a vehicle with real 3rd row back seats, and stoarage when those are deployed..

Thus, I see a Sequoia in the future for me... My end goal is a decently capable off-roader that can bring my family on camp/climb/bike/ski adventures. Some of the trips we take were definitely the type of roads that require 4 low, decent clearance,,, and the occasional locked rear diff in a 4Runner, so what kind of path am I headed down to make a big Sequoia equally capable?

What have you guys/girls learned about this platform that you wished you learn sooner?
What mods would you have done sooner?
Which would you go back in time for to avoid?

Feel free to share any thing!

 

[Jgrauman]

With 4 kiddos now my 5th gen 4Runner is officially too small for us. I need a vehicle with real 3rd row back seats, and stoarage when those are deployed..

Thus, I see a Sequoia in the future for me... My end goal is a decently capable off-roader that can bring my family on camp/climb/bike/ski adventures. Some of the trips we take were definitely the type of roads that require 4 low, decent clearance,,, and the occasional locked rear diff in a 4Runner, so what kind of path am I headed down to make a big Sequoia equally capable?

What have you guys/girls learned about this platform that you wished you learn sooner?
What mods would you have done sooner?
Which would you go back in time for to avoid?

Feel free to share any thing!

I was in the same boat, 4 kids and a 3rd gen 4runner. Convinced my wife I needed an 80 for more room.... Lots of time and money later and it burned... So up to a Sequoia and I love it. Tons of room for us all and plenty of room for storage. Hauls our camping trailer no problem and sleeps 3 in the back if a monsoon comes while your hammock camping with the girls. Check out my thread for ideas. Only thing I would do differently is upgrade the calipers when I did the brakes. I will be doing that at the next rotation. I warped the z36 rotors in under 20k miles. Was not impressed with the rotors "heavy duty" claim. Other than that, I have been completely satisfied with its capabilities. I did some pretty steep climbs and descents with just 4 hi and the center diff lock when wheeling with my buddy (on 39s) . The atrac did wonders. The 4.7 has been a beast. I have the 5.7 in the Tundra and love it as well, would probably do a 2nd gen next as the mileage on the first gens is getting hard to find under 100k, but the cargo room is so small in the 2nd. My buddy has the 2nd on 35s and it's mean looking. The 2nd is definitely a smoother ride with the independent rear. Some have complained of towing with it as well, but to each his own. Have a friend whos wife has an 07 and she hates the way it drives. I told her it's a truck with a back seat. That didn't seem to help. She was coming from an odyssey and just doesn't like the handling of the solid axle and not used to rear wheel drive. Good luck with the search.

 

[mtoddsolomon]

I like the 1st gen over the second. I feel like the dimensions are better for any kind of trail riding, and the solid rear make me feel like it does better off road and towing. The technology is practically the same in my 02 as a 21 sequoia so moving up to a 2nd gen doesn't really gain you anything. My only lessons learned were trying to cheap out on replacing ignition coils with cheap amazon coils. ended up having to replace them all with denso anyway. Its a great vehicle that I'm sure I'll have no problem getting another 200k miles out of.

 

[Hillbilly Deluxe]

We had a 2011 Platinum. Not sure if it was just ours, or this year era, but the driver's seat would not go back far enough for me. I'm not that tall.... I sat in a new 2019 Platinum in the showroom and magically, the seat went far enough and more back.

There were two quirks with our 2011 - the driver's seat would move forward after putting it in park about 1-1/2" from the preset memory position. I'd have to simply hit the button down on the seat and move it back. Second, the DRL quit working. No, it wasn't a fuse. The DRL fuse was fine. Mind you, they only worked in Auto mode, but nothing was on in Auto mode.

Other than that, it began to drink oil like an alcoholic drinking Early Times. No offence to Early Times drinkers... I suspect the first 60k miles of ownership/service wasn't all what it was documented as being.

The ride was pretty rough IMO, even on Comfort setting. I hated the fact that it had the electronic struts, it made it to where I couldn't put better aftermarket struts on without a whole lotta hassle.

Other than that, it was a nice vehicle for family/traveling. We traded it for a new Highlander, which I gladly unloaded in Nov 2021 for exactly what we paid for it to Carvana and bought a nice, clean, lovely 2013 LX570. My wife loves it.

Four people in an LX would be the max I'd do with traveling. That back area will get tight and full in a hurry with 4 suitcases and other crap....


Bottom line, I would have NO quandry buying a gently used, well-maintained 2018+ Sequoia.

 

[M RED]

but the cargo room is so small in the 2nd.

I haven't been able to get a 1st gen and 2nd gen next to each other.. Are you saying the cargo room behind 3rd row seat is much smaller with a 2nd gen? Are we talking 1 or 2 inches, or something significant?

 

[phens82]

I've had both generations of Sequoia ('04 before family, and '21 now). I have four kids (age 7 and under). In addition, I had an Odyssey minivan (which, although it's an un-cool minivan, could truly hold all people and all gear comfortably). The specs I could find online list a 2nd Gen @ 19 cu ft with all rows up/not folded and a 1st Gen at 26.6 cu ft with all rows up/not folded. Both are big vehicles that hold a lot. But if your family is like mine, I see a hitch-mount cargo carrier in my future for any kind of road/camping trip either way.

My suggestion is go sit in both and bring everyone with you if you can!

 

[krice118]

get a suburban, level it....... most have the G80 auto locker rear. 4 kids and gear is alot of stuff

 

[Farnsrocket]

so moving up to a 2nd gen doesn't really gain you anything.

Really? The 5.7 engine is a huge improvement! When I had an 02' I always wanted a 2nd Gen just for the more updated styling but wasn't going to pay for a new vehicle. Finally bought a used 14' a couple of years ago and couldn't be happier.......I miss nothing about the 02'.

We had a 2011 Platinum. Not sure if it was just ours, or this year era, but the driver's seat would not go back far enough for me. I'm not that tall.... I sat in a new 2019 Platinum in the showroom and magically, the seat went far enough and more back.
There were two quirks with our 2011 - the driver's seat would move forward after putting it in park about 1-1/2" from the preset memory position. I'd have to simply hit the button down on the seat and move it back. Second, the DRL quit working. No, it wasn't a fuse. The DRL fuse was fine. Mind you, they only worked in Auto mode, but nothing was on in Auto mode.
Other than that, it began to drink oil like an alcoholic drinking Early Times. No offence to Early Times drinkers... I suspect the first 60k miles of ownership/service wasn't all what it was documented as being.
The ride was pretty rough IMO, even on Comfort setting. I hated the fact that it had the electronic struts, it made it to where I couldn't put better aftermarket struts on without a whole lotta hassle.
Other than that, it was a nice vehicle for family/traveling. We traded it for a new Highlander, which I gladly unloaded in Nov 2021 for exactly what we paid for it to Carvana and bought a nice, clean, lovely 2013 LX570. My wife loves it.
Four people in an LX would be the max I'd do with traveling. That back area will get tight and full in a hurry with 4 suitcases and other crap....
Bottom line, I would have NO quandry buying a gently used, well-maintained 2018+ Sequoia.

That is weird.....how tall are you? I am 6' and can put the seat back too far in my 14' Limited. Sounds like you had a lemon with the oil burning.
I never considered a Platinum just due to all the extra luxury features that could be problematic (more stuff that would need fixing) and especially since the rear suspension couldn't be upgraded without the hassle. Everyone's opinion on ride quality is going to vary, personally I like to feel the road and don't want a super cushy ride.

get a suburban, level it....... most have the G80 auto locker rear. 4 kids and gear is alot of stuff

I considered a Suburban before we got our Sequoia but just read too many reports of problems with everything and worse reliability than the Toyota. I also read great stories about Suburbans as well but in the end chose the Sequoia for it's overall better reliability.

so what kind of path am I headed down to make a big Sequoia equally capable?

I would say the Sequoia is pretty capable as is with a locking center diff and 4LO......not sure what kind of off roading you are doing with your whole family, but I think the Sequoia will do pretty much anything you need it to do.

 

[MagmaFJ]

I have frequently had my 2nd Gen on trails that left a wheel (or two) HIGH in the air and I have always been able to get through with nothing but the center locked. I would love lockers but I can't say I need them. I have bene places where they would've helped, but I did not NEED them. The Sequoia with any sort of lift has amazing clearance. It will compare very favorably with the 4 runner. My other machine is a FJ which is the same as the 4 runner but a tiny bit shorter. The Sequoia can get most of the places the FJ can. Not with the same lines, and not into really tight places, but the Seq can sail over things the FJ has to go around. It is just very different but similarly capable.

With 4 kids and a dog the 2nd gen is super nice on long trips.

 

[M RED]

I'm really leaning towards a 2nd Gen now, there seems to be a pretty good growing network of aftermarket parts for these, time to really start the search..

 

[Farnsrocket]

I'm really leaning towards a 2nd Gen now, there seems to be a pretty good growing network of aftermarket parts for these, time to really start the search..

Good luck, I think the biggest issue will be dealing with crazy prices all vehicles are experiencing now.
If you are on Facebook, join this group, Toyota Sequoia 2nd Generation. Lot's of info and quick replies to questions, problem solving, maintenance etc.

 

[M RED]

My new Truck looks like it way too much at Thanksgiving dinner... Or it literally ate my old one...
Now to figure out why it has a little shake on the interstate... I hope it is just wheel balance and not something worse...

Before:

After:

 

[Stickgunner]

Its an older thread, but for anyone else looking for the same question, here are my thoughts. The main thing I learned about our Sequoia, is that we didn't buy it soon enough. Our Gen one has 240-260ishK on it, and our Gen two has 99K. We went with a limited for our first, and the basic SR5 for the second. The limited is obviously nicer in every way, but the comfort of the SR5 is still seriously enjoyable. The seats are wonderful.

The vehicles are incredibly reliable, and don't get much worse mileage than a 4runner. However, the interior is incredibly better on the Sequoia. There is so much more room I'm not sure how the 4runner is so popular.

Take some time in a Sequoia before you decide on making upgrades. It is a pretty capable beast in its stock form. The primary thing I would be looking at it tires, and that it obviously going to be a case by case decision based on where you drive and where you go.

 

[Jetboy]

I'm not sure how the 4runner is so popular.

$25k difference in price is probably the biggest reason. And the 4Runner is much easier to live with in the city. But I found with 2 kids + dog it was just too small for us. So we bought a Tundra Crewmax, although a Sequoia was also a consideration. I just tow a lot and was also selling my F250 so I decided to go for a Tundra over the Sequoia. Sequoia would pull any of my trailers, but the Tundra I think does so a bit more comfortably. Especially the cargo trailer that pushes 1k lb of tongue weight depending on the load. Anyway - if I didn't have kids I'd rather have a 4 Runner for daily driver use and offroad duty.

What absolutely blows my mind: The 2023 Sequoia has LESS cargo space than a 5th gen 4Runner. Even the 3 row 4Runner has more cargo volume with the seats down than the new Sequoia. Old one was around 120cf. New one is about 80cf. I didn't go with a new tundra after driving one that I was intending to buy and went and bought the cleanest 2nd gen I could find. I was hoping to love the new sequoia, but less interior volume than a 4Runner - WTH Toyota? I think a lot of 2nd gen sequoia owners are going to be pretty disappointed when they think they'll fit nicely in a 3rd gen and find out that it's so much smaller inside - it's bigger IIRC on the outside.

 

[Eliseq]

I was in the same boat, 4 kids and a 3rd gen 4runner. Convinced my wife I needed an 80 for more room.... Lots of time and money later and it burned... So up to a Sequoia and I love it. Tons of room for us all and plenty of room for storage. Hauls our camping trailer no problem and sleeps 3 in the back if a monsoon comes while your hammock camping with the girls. Check out my thread for ideas. Only thing I would do differently is upgrade the calipers when I did the brakes. I will be doing that at the next rotation. I warped the z36 rotors in under 20k miles. Was not impressed with the rotors "heavy duty" claim. Other than that, I have been completely satisfied with its capabilities. I did some pretty steep climbs and descents with just 4 hi and the center diff lock when wheeling with my buddy (on 39s) . The atrac did wonders. The 4.7 has been a beast. I have the 5.7 in the Tundra and love it as well, would probably do a 2nd gen next as the mileage on the first gens is getting hard to find under 100k, but the cargo room is so small in the 2nd. My buddy has the 2nd on 35s and it's mean looking. The 2nd is definitely a smoother ride with the independent rear. Some have complained of towing with it as well, but to each his own. Have a friend whos wife has an 07 and she hates the way it drives. I told her it's a truck with a back seat. That didn't seem to help. She was coming from an odyssey and just doesn't like the handling of the solid axle and not used to rear wheel drive. Good luck with the search.

The cargo room in the 2nd Gen Sequoia is way bigger than the 1st Gen in every measurable way.

 

[Eliseq]

Sorry, meant to say it feels bigger in every way.

 

[Jgrauman]

The cargo room in the 2nd Gen Sequoia is way bigger than the 1st Gen in every measurable way.

When you say every measurable way, do you mean like with measurements? The 1st gen has 8 cubic feet more cargo room with the seats in use. It's got that much more with the seats down as well.

 

[Jgrauman]

Sorry, meant to say it feels bigger in every way.

Mine feels way bigger than the second gen as well, I get the feeling when I can put a lot more stuff in the back of the first gen then I can in the second gen

 

[joseywales]

The seats in my 2003 SR5 are more comfortable than in my 2019 Crewmax Platinum. On longer drives it’s very noticeable.

 

[Diddly]

For 2nd Gen:

With second and third rows folded, you can get a 4x8’ between rear wheel wells. (Not exactly flat. The tumble and fold seats don’t make for 100% flat base.) So interior space is still functional for the home do it your selfer .

The turning radius is VERY good, like maybe only 3’ wider radius than 4Runner. City driving is not a problem.

Second row leg room is amazing. If you ever wonder why third cargo room couldn’t be better, it’s because the second row is so generous.

The third row seats (at least in platinum) have electric RECLINE. Third row comfort is as good or better than the second row of my 2005 Suburban Z71.

Gas mileage stinks, but the 5.7 power is very good. Even with stock gearing and 34s, it has much more power than my BILs Wrangler with stock tires and gearing. I did notice a drop in power and mileage going from 255/55/20 to 34s, but it still has way more power than V6 wrangler..

Towing is amazing with the 5.7 and airbag rear suspension. Look at Tandem Offroad products. They sell an airbag spacer lift and claim longer wheel travel with the airbag and spacer than with coil spring. The airbag probably isn’t the limiting factor we all once thought it was.. (More expensive to replace, yes.)

By removing the front wheel splash spats, and trimming a few inches off the front skid plate, you can fit 275/65/20 (34.1) tires without rubbing. The ‘skid’ plate is more for looks and should be replaced if you were serious about off-roading. Trimming a few inches took 10 minutes, you’ll never see it and didn’t change any actual protection.
There’s a tire size more in the 34.8” diameter that would fit, but it was ~$300 more per set.
It’s cheaper to go to 35s..

Someone mentioned earlier the ground clearance is very good. Thats because the rear independent suspension clearance, even with stock tires, is so much better than live axle. It doesn’t flex well, but it does have ground clearance.

The front suspension is almost 100% identical to Tundras, so parts and aftermarket support is very good. The one thing to keep in mind is the Sequoia came about an inch lower and with smaller tires so the bump stops are shorter. Durobumps pointed out the shorter bump stops allowed for more wheel travel on the Sequoia than Tundra, and could fit up to 35s before running into tire contact problems with the upper fender well. Once you go to 37s on Sequoia, you probably have to move to longer Tundra bump stops on front and back.