I'm winding down my annual OBX trip and wanted to do a quick update on the Sequoia. I ended up with a Rhino Rack Pioneer rack, a Thule Force XT box, and an ARB 2500 awning. I also pulled off the 20" TRD PRO rims and put on a set of 18" wheels with Yokohama Geolander G015 AT tires. The 20" tires were a 55 profile and the 18" tires are a 65 profile - I wanted more sidewall for when I aired down.
Across the flat states of Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio I was getting 17.5 mpg - very similar to the 4Runner. Once I hit the hills of West Virginia and Virginia I dropped down to 16.5 mpg. Even loaded up, the big V8 pulled hills much better than the 4Runner did.
The radar cruise control worked much nicer than expected and I was very happy with it. It made the two-lane US-35 between Point Pleasant and (close to Charleston) much easier. The Lane Departure is IMO too sensitive and feels like it alerts before you cross the line. Maybe that's the way it's designed but I don't like it.
I was worried about the bigger and heavier Sequoia having trouble in the sand but there was no need to worry. Airing down to 20 psi gave the 275-width tires a nice wide footprint and I was able to go through the very soft sand with no issue. I got about 14 mpg while I was at Hatteras Island. That includes driving Hwy 12 with tires @ 20psi and a lot of 4x4.
I knew I made a right decision with the tires when I was at the far north end of ramp 43 (by the light house) and the F150 next to me was stuck to the axles. I was able to drive the Sequoia right through with no issues. I helped the Ford dig out and loaned him my traction boards.
So while the Sequoia looks no where as cool as the 4Runner and there aren't any cool Sequoia forums, it's got a great ride and as long as you don't ask too much, it can go off road.
Quote:
Originally Posted by WindyCity4Runner
I traded in my 2016 4Runner Trail Premium for a 2019 Sequoia 2 or 3 weeks ago. It's my wife and I and two 50 pound dogs. Off-roading is mainly the beaches of the Outer Banks once a year, some gravel roads 2-3 times/year, and driving in fields/pastures 2-3 times a year. So about 99% on-road.
The 4Runner handled all that with ease, I never worried about getting stuck at the beach and one year pulled a stuck Tahoe out of trouble. Gas mileage was consistently in the 18-20mpg range. Snow tires in the winter meant the 4Runner was a total beast in the snow/ice. 16 hour drives were not painful but not pleasant.
The 4Runner did fill up fast when packing for a 2 week beach vacation. And the headlights suck. LED bulbs helped but still not great.
I've only put 800 miles on the Sequoia but I got 19mpg this weekend on a Chicago-St Louis trip. So I'm saying it's getting similar mileage as the 4Runner but with 381HP I have about 100 more than the 4Runner. It's still no speed demon but that's not it's purpose in life. It's just nice to pull hills without excessive downshifting. the on-road ride is also FAR superior to the 4Runner. No nose-diving while braking!
The interior is huge. I have the TRD Sport so 2nd row captain chairs and power folding 3rd row. I'm not expecting to have to take my Thule box to the beach this year. Headlights are LED and are wonderful. They are such a massive improvement over the 4Runner.
I also got radar pacing Cruise control, blind-spot monitoring, lane departure, rear-cross traffic, etc. I don't know if the 4Runner comes with that but the only one I really love is the radar guided cruise.
There's not a whole lot on the Sequoia I don't like at this point but the thing I hate the most is that there's no forum like this for the Sequoia. This place is awesome and while there are the occasional dumb fights, I honestly think anyone hear would give another member the shirt off their back.
I know we all have different use cases, different financial situations, and different wants. For me the Sequoia checked all the boxes and will be a great car. I'm going to miss the security of the rear locker and crawl control when I'm at the beach but I honestly never needed to use it.
Also - I traded in the 4Runner at 3 years with 49k miles. Ended up getting $5k less than I paid for it. And the Sequoia was $12k off sticker.
And one more thing - the Sequoia has a center differential that can be locked. The 4Runner's transfer case is always locked. When driving in the snow if I came to a plowed section of road I had to put the 4Runner in 2wd or I'd get binding in the driveline. I can keep the Sequoia in 4wd with the center diff unlocked even on dry roads.
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