Sequoia?

[Larryjb]

At the moment we are using either our 2002 5.3L Tahoe or 2008 4.6L Explorer. The Explorer does better at towing thanks to VVT and a 6 speed transmission, but both vehicles have been great at towing. However, all great things will have to come to an end sometime and we will eventually have to replace these two great towing vehicles.

Ever since GM starting using displacement on demand, and Ford went to Ecoboost, and started plugging up the vehicles with way too much tech, I'm starting to look elsewhere for a future replacement vehicle. That brings me to the Sequoia. Their V8 (up to 2021?) still is pretty old but proven technology. When I searched this forum, I don't see many people posting about the Sequoia (or the close cousin Tundra). Is there anyone using the Sequoia? How do you find it?

As for Chevy's DOD, it seems to be great as long as it works, but when it fails repairs are complicated and expensive. Same for Ford's Ecoboost. I like to do as much maintenance, and tend to drive 10 year old or older vehicles because I'm not made of money. This means that any used DOD or Ecoboose will need repairs sooner or later, and they will be more complicated.

[ShrimpBurrito]

We’ve been pulling our TM with our 2005 Sequoia for nearly 15 years and it’s been fantastic. I have zero complaints. We’ve pulled it for probably close to 50,000 miles, including several cross country trips and many steep grades (up to around 10,000 feet), and have also had many hard stops in LA traffic. Whenever it comes time to replace it, and thankfully I see no signs of having to do that anytime soon, we likely will get another Sequoia. I think 2022 will be a redesign of the platform.

Dave

[Larryjb]

I'm glad to hear that the 2005 Sequoia does so well. I believe that was still the 4.7L? Makes me want to upgrade now! My Tahoe is doing well and is reliable for now. Rust will probably claim it eventually. The two big things I had to do on it were the rear main seal and I had a cracked head. The cracked head issue is the one common issue in that era. GM seems to have dropped the ball when it comes to DOD.

[ShrimpBurrito]

Yep, it’s a 4.7. I personally don’t like the interior layout of the newer platform that came out around 07-08....I consider it a downgrade from the one we have. So I’m hopeful the redesign will be a badly needed improvement. They’re still solid performers though, just a poorly laid out dash and console.

Dave

[CelNArt]

The Toyota Tundra will NOT get a V8 in their latest upgrade coming in April 2022 per the Toyota Chula Vista, CA New Car Sales Manager. First cousin Sequoia?

Archie of "CelNArt"

2002 2619
2005 Toyota Tundra
2016 Kia Sorrento

[Outthewazoo]

I used a 2008 Sequoia SR5 with the 5.7L v8 and factory tow package to pull a 2006 2720 for two years over 15k. Never had any towing related issue and it towed great in the mountains of Tennessee and North Carolina. Turning radius is pretty tight at 39ft, tighter than a short bed Tundra. Averaged about 14.5 mpg, which is close to “normal” highway mileage. I added Bilstein rear shocks and air bags to the coil springs. It is a very good tow vehicle, except for the gas mileage and small gas tank of 26.9 gals. It’s tow rated at 10,000lbs, but load capacity is light at 1,350 lbs. With “tow/haul” engaged, I could accelerate as if the TM wasn’t there.

BTW, that’s with ~180k+....fantastic reliablity. I would not hesitate to buy this version of a used Sequoia again. The 2022 will have a 3.5L twin turbo....I’d wait for a few years on that to see if the new engine will be trouble free like the 5.7L v8.

[Larryjb]

Thanks for the comments. My Tahoe is currently 20 years old and still has life in it. It's very old school which I like, although VVT and 6 speed transmissions really help out a lot (our 2008 Explorer tows better even though it has a smaller displacement V8).

By the time I'm ready to buy, I probably won't be able to afford one of the newer Sequoias anyway.