"Sequoia verses Suburban"

Wait...I thought...Oh, never mind:

I grew up in a Suburban family, and have taken countless road trips / hunting trips in them, from 80s models forward. Big/long and roomy, and with the rear AC quite comfy.

There isn't much else to choose from in that size. Toyota has never made one big enough.

Chevy, or Ford. That's pretty much it, unless you're the van/minivan sort. (shudder)

Suburbans are awesome. I've never owned one, but my buddy had one has a rental once for a road trip up to jackson hole and then Big Sky, and we could fit six people with all of our ski gear and luggage and still had room left over. Even had a full cooler full of beer..err, I mean sodas...for the drive.

Super comfortable and handled the snowy roads with no problems.

I was at the same place deciding between Sequoia vs Suburban 5 years ago. I choose the Suburban and it was the right decision for my family and I. I rear space was the biggest seller, I coach the boys soccer teams so with 2 duffle bags, goals, and all the accoutrements that went with their season it fit perfectly. We just got back from a 1400 mile - 2 weeks road trip with 4 adults and 3 kids, and it was great. The luggage fit, the extra stuff we bought along the way had room, and everyone was comfortable.

As far as maintenance: oil change, tranny oil change, breaks and that's it. I did notice a crack in the dash recently but I suspect a little glue will work .

The suburban has been a joy to our family...I am trading in my 2012 for a newer model (not brand new...never).

With 3 kids, and all in different activities it has worked out perfectly. Case in point: we had taekwondo competitions the same weekend as soccer soccer games and archery practice...6 duffels, bows, arrows fit perfectly!

Your mileage may very but it worked for us. If you have questions you can email me at david@mimisjewelryinc.com

I was disappointed. I opened this thread expecting to read about an SUV that crashed into a Giant Redwood tree and fared badly.

flashguy

I would definately go with the Suburban. I have 2, a 2002 with 260,000 miles & a 2013 with 80,000 miles. Both have been extremely reliable with no issues at all. You cannot beat the space, towability, reliability of a suburban. I towed a 2 horse trailer for many years with the 2002 when my daughter was actively riding, never had any transmission issues, the Sequoia does not have the wheelbase to handle that.

quote:

Originally posted by flashguy:
I was disappointed. I opened this thread expecting to read about an SUV that crashed into a Giant Redwood tree and fared badly.

flashguy

Look at the top of this page.

I did read through the entire first page before posting, but I missed the post by mitchbSC as well as that one. Obviously, great minds think alike.

flashguy

Having never owned a Toyota, I can't speak for the quality. That being said, I currently drive a 96 Tahoe with 240K on the odo.

Haven't had a serious issue with the truck since I bought it with 3200 miles on it.

If I were looking to upgrade to a larger vehicle, a Suburban would be at the top of my list.

quote:

Originally posted by stickman428:
...
I had planned on upgrading to a Sequoia around this time but my wife ABSOLUTELY loves the space behind the third row on a Suburban. She does have a point, while the Sequoia is big it suffers in regards to storage when the third row is used compared to a Suburban.

My main concern is reliability and longevity. I have had excellent luck with Toyotas and feel like a Sequoia would be a better overall SUV even though it would be slightly smaller. How good are the 2012 and newer Suburbans?

Would you buy a Suburban over a Sequoia?

This is not a choice between a Sequoia and a Suburban. It's a choice between the priorities your wife has, versus you.

There is no question the Suburban has a lot of space, more than the Sequoia.

There is also no question (at least in my mind) that the Sequoia will be more reliable, have few repairs, and better longevity.

And undoubtedly be worth more when you are done with it. Unless you just run into the ground. A used Toyota vs a used Chevy value is like night and day.

quote:

Originally posted by old rugged cross:
And undoubtedly be worth more when you are done with it. Unless you just run into the ground. A used Toyota vs a used Chevy value is like night and day.

Great point, and quite valid. I have sold several of my used Toyota and Lexus vehicles and have been shocked at how much I have been able to get for them.

 
I would go with the Sequoia. My wife has a 2003, and I've been underneath it a bit. It has many (most) of the drive components of the older FJ series of LandCruisers. (Same transfer case, for example, same seals, gaskets, etc.). It is an IFS, rather than a solid front axle, but you will find that in any modern 4WD. It handles very well off-road. The Sequoia is a marveless beast. Not quite as much length as a Suburban, but about the same as a Tahoe or Yukon.
 

This message has been edited. Last edited by: henryaz, August 27, 2017 10:03 AM

Suburban all the way, The extra space is amazing. We have 280K on our 2008 LTZ and its had no major issues other than normal wear and tear.

We had a Tahoe for a while as my wife wanted the shorter vehicle and we only kept it for about a year and went back to suburbans as the space behind the back seat was really missed.

Recently went through this. Bought a 2016 sequoia. Took the wife to drive them both, back to back. Easy to do at carmax. Third row in a suburban is really tiny. If you NEED full size third row, neither is perfect.

2nd row seating is better in the Sequioa. I think the Burb gets better mileage. Sequioa has better resale.

Both are nice. I put 200k on a 98 Suburban. I like them both, but after shopping for used Sequioa, it seems that they hold value longer.

Either would be a good choice. I just happened to find a good deal on a Toyota and jumped on it.

quote:

Originally posted by newtoSig765:
"Sequoia verses Suburban"

Wait...I thought...Oh, never mind:

Not to pick nits, but that is a eucalyptus, not a redwood.

ETA: We've been really happy with our '02 Sequoia. We bought it new after driving it and a Tahoe. There was just no comparison. If we needed a bigger vehicle, I'm not sure what we'd have done.

I just bought a used 2008 Sequoia (well, the Lexus branded version). While technically it does have a third row of seats, it's probably limited to small kids or very short rides. I'm not familiar with suburban's but it seems like a people mover on streets would be better suited to a minivan like a sienna than a Sequoia.

That being said, it's a very smooth ride. Maybe smoother than my GS (although it does have aftermarket springs and the dampers are almost 20 years old).

quote:

Originally posted by slosig:

quote:

Originally posted by newtoSig765:
"Sequoia verses Suburban"

Wait...I thought...Oh, never mind:

Not to pick nits, but that is a eucalyptus, not a redwood.

Not to pick nits, but the word in the thread title should be "versus", not "verses" (not your problem).

flashguy

I have a 2003 suburban. It has 326,000 miles on it, with the original motor and trans. I'd jump in it today and drive to California. It doesn't get much more reliable than that.

It also gets 18mpg highway, which IMO is pretty darn good for a truck that size. Our old minivan only did a few mpg better, and it was one maintenance headache after another. Repairs on the suburban have been few, simple, and far between.

Sequoia all day every day over a Suburban IMO.

I drove a Suburban for 3 months for work purposes and various interior trim pieces were always either falling off or just looked old very quickly.

My family would definitely own a Sequoia if they were in our price range.
Currently own a Toyota Highlander and we have been very happy with it thus far.