New Tow Vehicle TIme - Sequoia or Tahoe or Denali?

[jetskipro550]

Sorry FlatH2O going to have to disagree. Sequoia gutless..really? With the 5.7 the Sequoia is just shy of 400hp. I have the Tundra wtih a 5.7 and a few mods so I am at 440 hp and it is nothing shy of a rocket ship. I would not hesiste to take the Sequoia for a test drive and see what you think..the Denali is also a sweet ride. What about resale...Toyota could do better that the north american vehicles? Good luck

He is probably talking about an older Sequia. I drove an 03 Sequia over 2000 miles on a week long trip down to California years ago. It was gutless! When we faced severe head winds just North of Palm Springs (where all the windmills are) and we couldn't keep it at 70MPH on the freeway. Nice ride, but terrible power.

Toyota should have named the Tundra and Sequia new names when they re-did them because the first generations were so weak it gives the new ones a bad rap.

[DUKENO1]

He is probably talking about an older Sequia. I drove an 03 Sequia over 2000 miles on a week long trip down to California years ago. It was gutless! When we faced severe head winds just North of Palm Springs (where all the windmills are) and we couldn't keep it at 70MPH on the freeway. Nice ride, but terrible power.

Toyota should have named the Tundra and Sequia new names when they re-did them because the first generations were so weak it gives the new ones a bad rap.

I have an 01 Tundra, and while I love the power of the new engines (friend has 5.7l in an 07), I have never felt mine was gutless. It has had plenty of power for me

and the only time I have wished for more power is towing my boat up steep grades. (and right after driving my friend's 07 ) When I get rid of this one I will most likely buy another....truck has been

awesome for 225k and still runs and drives great. I have only done oil changes/fluids and timing belts and batteries....and front brakes. That is my only complaint with this truck is the front brake

calipers and rotors ARE gutless! They only became an issue when I started towing this heavy boat though....Seems to have been addressed on the new ones.

[Levi900RR]

I have an 01 Tundra, and while I love the power of the new engines (friend has 5.7l in an 07), I have never felt mine was gutless. It has had plenty of power for me

and the only time I have wished for more power is towing my boat up steep grades. (and right after driving my friend's 07 ) When I get rid of this one I will most likely buy another....truck has been

awesome for 225k and still runs and drives great. I have only done oil changes/fluids and timing belts and batteries....and front brakes. That is my only complaint with this truck is the front brake

calipers and rotors ARE gutless! They only became an issue when I started towing this heavy boat though....Seems to have been addressed on the new ones.

Mine is an 06 on everything you said. The thing hammers until you hook something to the back of it. Good thing I only tow the Skier a few miles on a regular basis.

[jetskipro550]

My wife's uncle just hit 350k on his 04 Tundra. He drives a lot for work. No towing. Just freeway driving. Engine is original, but on his 2nd transmission.

[UWSkier]

94k on the Titan here. Differential getting noisy and I had to replace a U joint, and axle seal, and a bearing. Not great, not bad. Love the engine though. Tows like it's much bigger than a 5.6L. Absolutely demolishes my dad's 5.3 and my uncle's 5.4 Chev and Ford respectively.

That said, I probably wouldn't buy a Titan or Armada right now. They're due for a refresh, including extra gears, more power, etc. QX56 is an amazing animal though.

[Lance B. Johnson]

94k on the Titan here. Differential getting noisy and I had to replace a U joint, and axle seal, and a bearing. Not great, not bad. Love the engine though. Tows like it's much bigger than a 5.6L. Absolutely demolishes my dad's 5.3 and my uncle's 5.4 Chev and Ford respectively.

That said, I probably wouldn't buy a Titan or Armada right now. They're due for a refresh, including extra gears, more power, etc. QX56 is an amazing animal though.

Supposedly they have those issues fixed....we'll see. Your right they are due for a refresh but there are good things about that. First the kinks are worked out, second the prices are reasonable. I have 2010 LE with Max utility and Technology Package. I couldn't get the other dealers to work with me the way Nissan would. All I can say is that it can tows just fine. Your right the engine/ trans seem very strong.

[BorderBoarder]

I vote Toyota Landcruiser.

Nothing like a Sequia inside. It's not much more than a Denali, you get the 5.7 v8 and more comfort and luxury than needed (not to mention the legendary Landcruiser reliability and durability). It will tow your boat no problem and full time 4wd. The newer ones, '08+ are pretty much the same size as a Tahoe and feel just as roomy inside.

my .02..

[NewMalibu]

Went to the car show this weekend and was looking at the Sequoia again. looks like for 2011, the Platinum has air ride suspension.....though you should have seen how many sales people it took to figure out what the 2 buttons on the dash were for when i pointed them out.

Electronically Modulated Air Suspension

There’s more to towing and hauling than just a powerful engine.

Maintaining ride height is especially important when the vehicle is

carrying a lot of passengers or cargo weight. That’s why Sequoia

Platinum features Electronically Modulated Air Suspension. It allows

the driver to adjust ride height to compensate for changes in

load. So Sequoia’s ride is always the same: smooth.

They were trying to tell me that the buttons were JUST for lowering the back end of the rig when hooking up the trailer, and that when you put it back into drive, the suspension would return to 'normal', which included any sagging from the trailer load. they could not fathom the fact that maybe the system was actually designed to level the back end!!

[RTS]

I vote Toyota Landcruiser.

Nothing like a Sequia inside. It's not much more than a Denali, you get the 5.7 v8 and more comfort and luxury than needed (not to mention the legendary Landcruiser reliability and durability). It will tow your boat no problem and full time 4wd. The newer ones, '08+ are pretty much the same size as a Tahoe and feel just as roomy inside.

my .02..

Denalis are $75,000???....when did that happen? (I know that includes the $6000.00 package, but you can not find a new LandCruiser without it.) And there is little to no room to negotiate on these vehicles. They seem to sell on the way to the dealership....rebates,special financing, etc. do not happen on the LandCruisers.

Edited November 15, 2010 by RTS

[srock]

Sorry FlatH2O going to have to disagree. Sequoia gutless..really? With the 5.7 the Sequoia is just shy of 400hp. I have the Tundra wtih a 5.7 and a few mods so I am at 440 hp and it is nothing shy of a rocket ship. I would not hesiste to take the Sequoia for a test drive and see what you think..the Denali is also a sweet ride. What about resale...Toyota could do better that the north american vehicles? Good luck

My 08 Sequoia with the 5.7 is no slouch on towing. I paid 46,500 for a loaded limited 4x4 with navigation, entertainment system and 20" wheels. After 67,000 it has yet to see the service dept for anything other than oil and tires. No complaints here. My guess is the resale will be better than the other choices.

[mac19]

My 08 Sequoia with the 5.7 is no slouch on towing. I paid 46,500 for a loaded limited 4x4 with navigation, entertainment system and 20" wheels. After 67,000 it has yet to see the service dept for anything other than oil and tires. No complaints here. My guess is the resale will be better than the other choices.

I will be towing with an 08 Sequoia with the Platinum package and I'd agree with the above two comments.

[jeremyk]

Denalis are $75,000???....when did that happen? (I know that includes the $6000.00 package, but you can not find a new LandCruiser without it.) And there is little to no room to negotiate on these vehicles. They seem to sell on the way to the dealership....rebates,special financing, etc. do not happen on the LandCruisers.

Who pays $75k for a Denali? I just talked to the dealer in Kirkland and am looking at $55 for the fully loaded (minus the different packages with the 22" wheels). Where in the world did $75k come from? Sticker is only $63k.

[RTS]

Who pays $75k for a Denali? I just talked to the dealer in Kirkland and am looking at $55 for the fully loaded (minus the different packages with the 22" wheels). Where in the world did $75k come from? Sticker is only $63k.

That came from the poster that I quoted who said Landcruisers are 'not much more' than a Denali.

$75K is what you will pay for a LandCruiser.

I know Denalis are are not $75K...please re-read my post...paying particular attention to the multiple question marks.

[jeremyk]

That came from the poster that I quoted who said Landcruisers are 'not much more' than a Denali.

$75K is what you will pay for a LandCruiser.

I know Denalis are are not $75K...please re-read my post...paying particular attention to the multiple question marks.

Sorry. Didn't realize that you were questioning the earlier comment.

[theaslip]

I vote Toyota Landcruiser.

Nothing like a Sequia inside. It's not much more than a Denali, you get the 5.7 v8 and more comfort and luxury than needed (not to mention the legendary Landcruiser reliability and durability). It will tow your boat no problem and full time 4wd. The newer ones, '08+ are pretty much the same size as a Tahoe and feel just as roomy inside.

my .02..

Actually, I just bought a new Sequoia Platinum - and test drove the Land Cruiser before buying it. Very small differences. My $0.02

Sequoia Advantages over Land Cruiser

-Price

-Much more user friendly console area, storage

-Power Fold-Flat 3rd row seats (that clinched it for me) as opposed to the Land Cruisers that fold into the side taking-up room (they suck almost as bad as the GM 3rd Row in Denalis/Yukons, Suburbans, and Tahoes)

-Bigger dimensions (Wider, Longer)

-Better 2nd row with Platinum Package (2nd Row Captains Chairs with center console)

Land Cruiser Advantages

-Refrigerated Center cooling box under front arm rest (that would be nice!)

-Crawl Control (sounds appealing for serious off-roading - that will never be me, at least by choice)

-Kinetic Suspension )I've heard it's very nice

-Limited Slip Diff (Nice if you need it)

-Rain Sense Wipers (I had them in my Denali - I had to turn the feature off, living in Florida when the bugs hit the windshield the wipers went on.....)

All in all, I am so much happier with my Sequoia Platinum than my 2007 Denali. Just so much smoother, Higher quality everything - inside and out. Quieter, Less road noise

Sequoia Advantages over my Denali:

-Wind noise around mirrors at Highway speed

-Road noise in General

-Antique Live Rear Axle in the Denali (I know - seems unimaginable in 2010) vs. Independent Rear Suspension

-Because of Live Rear Axle, 3rd Row seats do not fold flat into the floor. They are crap to sit in, very heavy and awkward to remove. And they are vinyl in the denali vs. leather for the Sequioa.

-Cheap hard plastics everywhere in the Denali!

-Stalk mounted shifter in the Denali with manumatic gear selector on the STALK. Floor mounted gear shifter and manumatic on the Sequoia so much more comfortable and intuitive to operate - especially while engine braking with the boat in tow coming off an off-ramp....

-Denali makes very poor use of the interior space. Poor center console design. Not much room for "stuff." Car & Driver said that inside the Escalade - Never has a car felt so big outside and so small inside....I agree.

-2nd row Captains Seats are much more comfortable and higher quality in the Sequoia

-Much better Nav/Bluetooth/IPod interface and USB connection in the Sequoia

-Personal preference - but I think the JBL Synthesis system in the Sequoia sounds better than the Bose (and I had 3 Bose head units replaced under warranty in the Denali). They told me they go for over $2k when warranty is up - I was scared!

-The Denali has a couple more H.P. on paper, but I swear the Sequoia feels much more powerful, and certainly feels torquier. The engine certainly works less and pulls with lower RPM

-Manual control of rear air suspension (leave it on auto or manual override)

-I like that the rear window goes up and down, rather than manually flips up

-Sequoia is W I D E R

-I miss the room in back of my Denali XL, but one 21 Cu. Foot Thule Box took care of that

-Always squeaky belts in my Denali

-2 fuel pumps in 30k miles in the Denali

-Extremely cheap leather came apart at the seems and needed to be replaced twice on two different seats (Toyota Leather is so much nicer and higher quality)

-Finally (and reason I drove to the Toyota lot) - Denali engine liked to "quit" on several occasions with no warning, and no sign of trouble (and unfortunately no registered code to figure out the problem). Although I couldn't figure out the problem, I figured out a solution - bye-bye GM!

Indmar is the last GM product in my garage............

[srock]

Sequoia Advantages

-Power Fold-Flat 3rd row seats (that clinched it for me) as opposed to the Land Cruisers that fold into the side taking-up room (they suck almost as bad as the GM 3rd Row in Denalis/Yukons, Suburbans, and Tahoes)

-Much better Nav/Bluetooth/IPod interface and USB connection in the Sequoia

Your spot on on everything especially the larger interior feel of the Sequoia but I'll disagree with the aforementioned two items. The rear fold down seats take up a ton of storage space and limits the vertical clearance. Even more annoying is the sloping rear deck. I've had so much stuff roll out the back onto the ground. I wish I could remove the third row and store them, like you can with the landcruiser since I've only used the them twice in 65000 miles.

The navigation system in my Toyota is terrible. The prompts are drawn out, I rarely get accurate addresses and the nanny keeps you from working on the fly. I compare that to my 05 Acura or iphone which are much much better at finding addresses.

[theaslip]

I totally agree with you regarding Honda/Toyota Navi. It is best in class, and can be operated on the move. My opinion is that as good as Honda's system is, Toyota's is still light years ahead of the GM Nav in terms of interface, features, quality, and intuitiveness.

With 4 kids my 3rd row is always engaged.

[KokaneeKonsumer]

Have they since lowered the seat frame on the Sequoia? When this newest generation came out I went to drive one and was stymied the moment I sat in it - I'm 6'3" and my head hit the interior/sunroof frame and yes, adjusted the seat every way possible. It looked like a very easy and no brainer production fix to revise the entire seating substructure/frame to drop it an inch or two.

[srock]

I totally agree with you regarding Honda/Toyota Navi. It is best in class, and can be operated on the move. My opinion is that as good as Honda's system is, Toyota's is still light years ahead of the GM Nav in terms of interface, features, quality, and intuitiveness.

With 4 kids my 3rd row is always engaged.

Overall in my opinion it is still a much better SUV. I'm surprised it doesn't get a closer look by more people.

[stumpf101]

I totally agree with you regarding Honda/Toyota Navi. It is best in class, and can be operated on the move. My opinion is that as good as Honda's system is, Toyota's is still light years ahead of the GM Nav in terms of interface, features, quality, and intuitiveness.

With 4 kids my 3rd row is always engaged.

Edited November 17, 2010 by stumpf101

[Huelsmma]

Thats why u integrate an aftermarket nav/stereo/tv screens never bought a car for its stereo bc i always know that i will want something better. Gm stereoes/speakers were a joke. My system i installed still cost less than most factory add ons would and i retain all controls.

[srock]

That's what I am doing next time.

[85 Barefoot]

As a former Land Cruiser owner (2004), that ownership expense was far from justified. OK, so now they have a bigger engine, whoop de doo. At a starting price of 67k, that's absurd, as was the price paid for our 2004, which was justified at the time by everyone telling us how great landcruisers are blah blah blah. The only thing I came away impressed with, was that Toyota continues to coax people to think that truck is worth the price they ask. Oh did I mention the problems that multiple dealers disagreed as to what the problem even was, one of which quoted me $6,000 for a nav/stereo issue! At least with GM you're getting component parts that are not quite as specialized (expensive) should there be a problem.....oh and the cruiser (with nittos) got stuck far more than the wife's previous Denali (with OEM michelins)...I need to stop typing now.

As for using aftermarket stereos, I agree unless factory unit is reasonably priced. I don't like thief magnets in my dash if avoidable. In my current Dodge, for $1k I stepped up to 40 gig internal, nav (which I give a B), DVD, perfect i pod control and an 11 speaker alpine system. By far the best factory system I've heard....and no one trying to break in to steal it (yet). We need a knock on wood emoticon.

[bigwheels]

Sequoia Limited here and never a problem towing or with the truck. When shopping I looked at all the offerings in the class and the toyota seemed like the best value to me (not the cheapest, but the best value).

[InvisibleMask]

I own a Denali and a Tahoe.

Denali is a 2001 and has never had 1 single problem. I towed boats and really heavy toy haulers with it all winter, maxed out the capacity + some. Never an issue, its built for towing which is why it came with extras like the transmission temp guage, cooler, bigger alternator, self leveling, etc.

Tahoe is a 2008 and not as much power but my favorite vehicle to date. Tows the boat no problem but don't just look at HP and torque. A vette has lots of HP and torque but you don't want to tow with it.

I love the tahoe for many other reasons and the towing is only like 10% of it.

I've never been a big toyota fan, they are just too small and overpriced in my opinion. I like Lexus, not toyotas. Nothing against them, just never saw or rode in one that I loved.