So, I got Sequoia. Some of you know my initial question about it:
I was trying to figure out some alternatives due to gas consumption, but with 3rd kid on the way and the fact we need clearance, a capable vehicle (nothing dramatic) minivan was out of the question.
I checked some Expeditions and Tahoe's, but I am not willing to chance it with those transmissions and lifter issues. Armada was out of question, too small.
I found one in Indianapolis with 64,000+ miles. These things are expensive!!! I found one for $39k, and it seems the more problems the current Sequoia/Tundra has, the more the price of the old one is going up.
I flew to Indianapolis on Friday. The ticket prices were absolutely ridiculous, so I used my United points. Hotels were pricey too. Now, I know Indianapolis is not some tourist mecca, so it was surprising. I decided to come there, get a car, and just drive toward St. Louis and crash somewhere cheaper.
Well, at ORD I find out Taylor Swift is 3 nights in Indianapolis. I mean, the flight, the airport was absolute circus. UAL flight had all female cockpit crew, and captain told passengers that since flight is short, they should use small window of opportunity and "shake it off" in the lavatory. I thought that was funny.
Anyway, on my way to the dealer, I checked hotel prices, and I guess they dropped prices bcs. they did not sell some rooms. So, decided to stay there and get myself some Portillo's Italian beef dipped with hot peppers.
Picked up car, went to the hotel, ate dinner, crashed, woke up, Portillo's again (When I travel to Europe, I try to book flights through ORD with enough window time to go out and get Portillo's, so don't judge
).
So, I hit the road after Italian beef for breakfast (again, don't judge). First impressions about car after some 1,200 miles:
Good:
Obviously, we got this because of space. It has ample amounts, and considering our road trip habits, huge armrests can serve as tables for some lunch. The middle seat backrest can be lowered for kids to use as a table. The seats are big, wide, good support, nothing like Sienna I had or new Sienna or Grand Highlander. They are not as good as my E90 BMW seats, but very few are. JBL sound system is good, but since it is 2018 there is no Apple CarPlay. So, I will have to replace that as my wife is adamant to have that. I am thrilled about the real 4WD, 4LO and center locker. I would prefer rear locker, but it is what it is. My buddy has a big off-road shop and is a Toyota expert, so I might see with him about some aftermarket options later. I like all the physical buttons. No nonsense. Now, I can see why people like those electric trunk window. SInce I love driving with windows down, or sunroof open, this thing lets air in, but with much less noise and wind.
So So:
Well, cabin is wide and sometimes is hard to reach some buttons and knobs. But, not big deal. The driving dynamic is well, that of a truck, and this thing packs 400lbs more over Tundra. I think Limited, one I got, is just 30lbs short of 6,000, while Platinum goes over 6,000. The brakes are, well, Toyota. They are mushy and don't inspire absolutely any confidence. But they do OK. The dealership installed brand new rotors and pads, so I won't do any monkey business with that until they vibrate (I am expecting that) or the pads need to be changed.
Bad:
OK, gas consumption is bad, but not as bad as I thought. Based on reviews, I was expecting on HWY 14-15mpg, but to my surprise, at one point, the computer was showing 19.4mpg!!! One tank I manage to get 18.9mpg, generally driving around 7-9mph over speed limit. The consumption did get bad in Kansas as I was gaining altitude and had a fairly strong headwind, ending up at 15.4mpg on one tank, doing maybe 82mph on cruise control. I will see around Colorado Springs, but not too concerned as BMW is daily. I was wondering how consumption is going to be considering I do drive aggressively. But car, regardless that it has ample of power, is lazy! It is a truck, and unlike that BMW X7 that I rented, which "tells you" when you sit: "buckle up and hit it," this vehicle is very lazy and definitely does not inspire aggressive and fast driving. I was expecting though that it will "struggle" keeping 80-85mph. The reason is that the Honda Pilot and Sienna always had a kind of need to be pushed to stay at 80-85mph. It's like they are out of their comfort zone there. All Euro cars I had, I had to watch not to go over, as they wanted to go faster. I found out that most Japanese cars need to "push" at higher speeds as if they were out of their comfort zone there. This one actually does not have that problem.
Steering wheel feedback is absolutely horrid! I mean for the love of God WHY? I get the desire to have a light steering wheel in the city, but this thing is ridiculous. Especially driving BMW and then this. I found myself going from center to lock so fast that I could hear the steering rack bumping to the limit.
So there it is. I will use this in the mountains when skiing with kids (I use BMW when skiing alone, which is 90% of time), but considering weight, I am not expecting it to be that good. I know it will go forward good, but my definition of vehicle being good in snow is how it handles and brakes (of course, snow tires will be installed. Regular size is 275/55 R20, but I will get 18" wheels and install snow tires 255/70 R18).
Absolutely love this practical, physical button set up. But it is definitely blast from the past. One thing is that 4WD knob is too similar and too close to others.
Not bad:
There was Atlas in front of Portillo's next to Sequoia. I thought it was not that big of a difference in size. Well, I realized it is once I parked in the garage.
I found this small cup holder, in addition to two big ones, very convenient for my quad espresso. Very European!
I was trying to figure out some alternatives due to gas consumption, but with 3rd kid on the way and the fact we need clearance, a capable vehicle (nothing dramatic) minivan was out of the question.
I checked some Expeditions and Tahoe's, but I am not willing to chance it with those transmissions and lifter issues. Armada was out of question, too small.
I found one in Indianapolis with 64,000+ miles. These things are expensive!!! I found one for $39k, and it seems the more problems the current Sequoia/Tundra has, the more the price of the old one is going up.
I flew to Indianapolis on Friday. The ticket prices were absolutely ridiculous, so I used my United points. Hotels were pricey too. Now, I know Indianapolis is not some tourist mecca, so it was surprising. I decided to come there, get a car, and just drive toward St. Louis and crash somewhere cheaper.
Well, at ORD I find out Taylor Swift is 3 nights in Indianapolis. I mean, the flight, the airport was absolute circus. UAL flight had all female cockpit crew, and captain told passengers that since flight is short, they should use small window of opportunity and "shake it off" in the lavatory. I thought that was funny.
Anyway, on my way to the dealer, I checked hotel prices, and I guess they dropped prices bcs. they did not sell some rooms. So, decided to stay there and get myself some Portillo's Italian beef dipped with hot peppers.
Picked up car, went to the hotel, ate dinner, crashed, woke up, Portillo's again (When I travel to Europe, I try to book flights through ORD with enough window time to go out and get Portillo's, so don't judge
).So, I hit the road after Italian beef for breakfast (again, don't judge). First impressions about car after some 1,200 miles:
Good:
Obviously, we got this because of space. It has ample amounts, and considering our road trip habits, huge armrests can serve as tables for some lunch. The middle seat backrest can be lowered for kids to use as a table. The seats are big, wide, good support, nothing like Sienna I had or new Sienna or Grand Highlander. They are not as good as my E90 BMW seats, but very few are. JBL sound system is good, but since it is 2018 there is no Apple CarPlay. So, I will have to replace that as my wife is adamant to have that. I am thrilled about the real 4WD, 4LO and center locker. I would prefer rear locker, but it is what it is. My buddy has a big off-road shop and is a Toyota expert, so I might see with him about some aftermarket options later. I like all the physical buttons. No nonsense. Now, I can see why people like those electric trunk window. SInce I love driving with windows down, or sunroof open, this thing lets air in, but with much less noise and wind.
So So:
Well, cabin is wide and sometimes is hard to reach some buttons and knobs. But, not big deal. The driving dynamic is well, that of a truck, and this thing packs 400lbs more over Tundra. I think Limited, one I got, is just 30lbs short of 6,000, while Platinum goes over 6,000. The brakes are, well, Toyota. They are mushy and don't inspire absolutely any confidence. But they do OK. The dealership installed brand new rotors and pads, so I won't do any monkey business with that until they vibrate (I am expecting that) or the pads need to be changed.
Bad:
OK, gas consumption is bad, but not as bad as I thought. Based on reviews, I was expecting on HWY 14-15mpg, but to my surprise, at one point, the computer was showing 19.4mpg!!! One tank I manage to get 18.9mpg, generally driving around 7-9mph over speed limit. The consumption did get bad in Kansas as I was gaining altitude and had a fairly strong headwind, ending up at 15.4mpg on one tank, doing maybe 82mph on cruise control. I will see around Colorado Springs, but not too concerned as BMW is daily. I was wondering how consumption is going to be considering I do drive aggressively. But car, regardless that it has ample of power, is lazy! It is a truck, and unlike that BMW X7 that I rented, which "tells you" when you sit: "buckle up and hit it," this vehicle is very lazy and definitely does not inspire aggressive and fast driving. I was expecting though that it will "struggle" keeping 80-85mph. The reason is that the Honda Pilot and Sienna always had a kind of need to be pushed to stay at 80-85mph. It's like they are out of their comfort zone there. All Euro cars I had, I had to watch not to go over, as they wanted to go faster. I found out that most Japanese cars need to "push" at higher speeds as if they were out of their comfort zone there. This one actually does not have that problem.
Steering wheel feedback is absolutely horrid! I mean for the love of God WHY? I get the desire to have a light steering wheel in the city, but this thing is ridiculous. Especially driving BMW and then this. I found myself going from center to lock so fast that I could hear the steering rack bumping to the limit.
So there it is. I will use this in the mountains when skiing with kids (I use BMW when skiing alone, which is 90% of time), but considering weight, I am not expecting it to be that good. I know it will go forward good, but my definition of vehicle being good in snow is how it handles and brakes (of course, snow tires will be installed. Regular size is 275/55 R20, but I will get 18" wheels and install snow tires 255/70 R18).
Absolutely love this practical, physical button set up. But it is definitely blast from the past. One thing is that 4WD knob is too similar and too close to others.
Not bad:
There was Atlas in front of Portillo's next to Sequoia. I thought it was not that big of a difference in size. Well, I realized it is once I parked in the garage.
I found this small cup holder, in addition to two big ones, very convenient for my quad espresso. Very European!
Last edited:
