In need of a new SUV

[WillCO]

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That is a 4Runner. I did the Google "Reverse Image Search" to be sure. You can do it easily with a right-click on the image.

 

[Big Mama]

As all stated test drive test drive. Do some downtown driving do some parallel parking hook up your trailer if you can and watch the butt end squat. See if the vehicle responds. If no trailer drive in towing mode. Do all the things you normally do. A GM car and a GM truck are very different animals. Mileage will be comperable. If you plan to customize in any way check the aftermarket. Personally I'm a GM guy for reasons like Dub. I have an 07 Denali that I use like you boat included and it's been awesome though not everyone has been as fortunate.

 

[Burby]

The vehicle was a non-starter for me because I didn't want to stare at all that hard, gray plastic whenever I drove it..

Exactly this. I happily sold my 2008 4runner due to the cold grey interior. Got into a newer 2010 and again, cold and nasty. Something about the 4runners and Sequoias that are really depressing inside the cabin for me.

The interior of the 2016 burban sold me.

 

[Shadow17]

For those of you recommending a later model GM model, we had a 2003 Tahoe Z71 and it was a bigger POS than our Denali. In three years of ownership the drivers side seat controls stopped working, the rear window defroster broke, the front section a/c had to be recharged annually, and that is all I can remember right now. Oh yeah, the 4 speed transmission was horrible when towing.
We traded it for a Buick Enclave which was so much better built it was unbelievable.

 

[JayceeP]

I'm in the same boat as some of the others. I currently drive a 2012 4Runner Limited and it drives just like the day I bought it. There is no denying the 4Runner's legendary reliability. I find on this forum the reasons for purchase are more ideological whereas on the t4r.org forums the rationales are data driven.


Either way.... we rented a 2016 Yukon SLT in Florida for 2 weeks in March. It had the stock wheels but my family and I really enjoyed driving this vehicle especially with a car seat, stroller, and 14 year old. The interior was super nice. I did notice the car seat didn't fit very well behind the front seats but it was awesome in the middle. Adults could sit in the 2nd row on each side of the car seat with no issues.

The 3rd row is basically more useless than the 3rd row in the 4Runner. The interior specs in the Sequoia are better than the Yukon but, as mentioned, it is a dated design and not so exciting interior. For those reasons, getting an XL or Suburban is probably the better bet but the SLT midpoint trim is nicer than the LT (no fog lights on models under LTZ???).

Anyway just thought I would post my feedback on the rental. It only had a few miles on it when we picked it up and we put hundreds on it. The fuel economy was pretty good and as good or better than the 4Runner. Mind you the SLT was 2wd with no 4wd and the 4Runner is full-time. Awesome ride and giving serious consideration to picking on up this year.

 

[Glocksub]

I'm in the same boat as some of the others. I currently drive a 2012 4Runner Limited and it drives just like the day I bought it. There is no denying the 4Runner's legendary reliability. I find on this forum the reasons for purchase are more ideological whereas on the t4r.org forums the rationales are data driven.


Either way.... we rented a 2016 Yukon SLT in Florida for 2 weeks in March. It had the stock wheels but my family and I really enjoyed driving this vehicle especially with a car seat, stroller, and 14 year old. The interior was super nice. I did notice the car seat didn't fit very well behind the front seats but it was awesome in the middle. Adults could sit in the 2nd row on each side of the car seat with no issues.

The 3rd row is basically more useless than the 3rd row in the 4Runner. The interior specs in the Sequoia are better than the Yukon but, as mentioned, it is a dated design and not so exciting interior. For those reasons, getting an XL or Suburban is probably the better bet but the SLT midpoint trim is nicer than the LT (no fog lights on models under LTZ???).

Anyway just thought I would post my feedback on the rental. It only had a few miles on it when we picked it up and we put hundreds on it. The fuel economy was pretty good and as good or better than the 4Runner. Mind you the SLT was 2wd with no 4wd and the 4Runner is full-time. Awesome ride and giving serious consideration to picking on up this year.

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Nice review and write up. I'm slightly partial to the exterior looks of the GMC over the Chevy but if I decide to purchase one, I'll likely end up with the Chevy since a close friend of mine owns a dealership, which is fine by me. GMC SLE and SLT trims do in fact come with a few more standard things than the Tahoe LS/LT trims, but if you shop around, you can find the GMC's competitively priced.

Interesting observation you made about the car seat behind the front seats....my daughter is in a car seat and my current truck (2500) has ample room for her to sit behind the driver, but would certainly have even more space in the middle. I think I must be one of the few who prefer the bench seat in the second row. It is extremely rare here that you find an LT on a dealer lot with the bench seat, so there's a chance I may have to go with an LS and have leather installed at purchase. You're correct about the 3rd row being useless in the Tahoe/Yukon if you are bringing any cargo along though. I'd actually prefer the XL/suburban just for the added cargo space and useable 3rd row, but garage limitations at my house have basically all but pointed me towards the shorter wheelbase. By the way, do you have any idea if the Yukon you rented had a 3.08 or 3.42 rear end?

I don't know much about the 4Runner and Sequoia, although I'm familiar with the reliability factor of Toyota SUV's. I'd agree that their interiors are too bland for my taste. I'm coming out of years of driving 1500/2500 4wd pickups as a daily and going to an SUV later this year. I've gotten to the point where being able to garage my vehicle, get kids/gear in and out easier and have the ability to store cargo out of the weather are more important than ever, more important than the infrequent hauling of anything that won't fit in a Tahoe.

 

[chicagofan00]

I have the two captains chairs in my Tahoe for the second row and each seat has a car seat in it and I find no issues with the fit along with having ample room up front for myself and any passengers. One car seat is forward facing while the other is still rear facing.

 

[JayceeP]

Nice review and write up..........

Interesting observation you made about the car seat behind the front seats....my daughter is in a car seat and my current truck (2500) has ample room for her to sit behind the driver, but would certainly have even more space in the middle. I think I must be one of the few who prefer the bench seat in the second row. It is extremely rare here that you find an LT on a dealer lot with the bench seat, so there's a chance I may have to go with an LS and have leather installed at purchase. You're correct about the 3rd row being useless in the Tahoe/Yukon if you are bringing any cargo along though. I'd actually prefer the XL/suburban just for the added cargo space and useable 3rd row, but garage limitations at my house have basically all but pointed me towards the shorter wheelbase. By the way, do you have any idea if the Yukon you rented had a 3.08 or 3.42 rear end?

I don't know much about the 4Runner and Sequoia, although I'm familiar with the reliability factor of Toyota SUV's. I'd agree that their interiors are too bland for my taste. I'm coming out of years of driving 1500/2500 4wd pickups as a daily and going to an SUV later this year. I've gotten to the point where being able to garage my vehicle, get kids/gear in and out easier and have the ability to store cargo out of the weather are more important than ever, more important than the infrequent hauling of anything that won't fit in a Tahoe.

I don't think it had a hitch so I will assume it didn't have the tow package and therefore had 3.08 gears. I've read that 3.42 make a huge difference.

I agree with you on everything. Garage is super important for me too and the XL/Suburban's 19 feet of length would take up almost all of my 21' x 21' double garage. I would have to get rid of storage racks or mount shelving high up (fortunately the design of my house means I have a very tall garage so this could actually work). Door placements, garage sinks, and garage stairs will all make for a tight fit.

As for the car seat- you're probably right. I should have clarified that this was for an infant rear-facing seat. When we left FLL airport, I was pretty crammed in the driver seat because we had the 2nd row seat down on the passenger side. I was actually surprised at how tight it was. But, again, the middle it was amazing. I could have the driver seat all the way back with no issues and passengers could sit on both sides of the car seat. I understand the XL has slightly better 2nd row leg room too.

I live in Nova Scotia so sales tax is 15% and my purchase price is higher (sticker is $70k+ on an SLT) but you can get 2016 SLT Yukon/XL with dealers asking under $60k with less than 15-25,000 miles so this is probably the route I will go. I expect a purchase price under $55k pre-tax and hopefully closer to $50k. My trade on the 4Runner is worth about $30k but I might even try to sell in in the North East because the Canadian dollar is such crap right now.

I have the two captains chairs in my Tahoe for the second row and each seat has a car seat in it and I find no issues with the fit along with having ample room up front for myself and any passengers. One car seat is forward facing while the other is still rear facing.

Yeah- I had the rear-facing infant seat behind the driver seat and it was way too tight and cramped for me as I needed to have the driver seat all the way back. Once we got all of our luggages, stroller, and golf clubs out, I moved the car seat to the middle and had no issues.

 

[K2 Kaiju]

Look, gm sells a ton more full size suvs than toy. Every former toy/honda owner combs through them looking for anything to ***** about, where they blissfully ignored the issues they had with their underequipped toy to enforced the reliability mantra (honda guys are really bad about this). A true comparison is an LS or SLE with leather seat upgrade - there you will have a toy comparison. I went the other way with an MDX and found all sorts of issues to "report." I do think you may have more issues on average with gm than japenese import (though fewer than euro), but you will have more American creature comforts, and a better dealer experience. EVERY TIME I took in an Acura or Toy, the dealer would try to unload some sort of guilt crap on you to help enforced their supposed impeccable reliability, and the seats were full of owners who probably never signed in to an online toyota forum. Chevy dealer (been a while for me) would give me loaner and get me in and out asap. I buy gm trucks because they have never left me stranded like the mdx did. Tired of people acting like their totota dealer had a dark dusty service departmwnt with just an oil change stall...

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[Glocksub]

I don't think it had a hitch so I will assume it didn't have the tow package and therefore had 3.08 gears. I've read that 3.42 make a huge difference.

I agree with you on everything. Garage is super important for me too and the XL/Suburban's 19 feet of length would take up almost all of my 21' x 21' double garage. I would have to get rid of storage racks or mount shelving high up (fortunately the design of my house means I have a very tall garage so this could actually work). Door placements, garage sinks, and garage stairs will all make for a tight fit.

As for the car seat- you're probably right. I should have clarified that this was for an infant rear-facing seat. When we left FLL airport, I was pretty crammed in the driver seat because we had the 2nd row seat down on the passenger side. I was actually surprised at how tight it was. But, again, the middle it was amazing. I could have the driver seat all the way back with no issues and passengers could sit on both sides of the car seat. I understand the XL has slightly better 2nd row leg room too.

I live in Nova Scotia so sales tax is 15% and my purchase price is higher (sticker is $70k+ on an SLT) but you can get 2016 SLT Yukon/XL with dealers asking under $60k with less than 15-25,000 miles so this is probably the route I will go. I expect a purchase price under $55k pre-tax and hopefully closer to $50k. My trade on the 4Runner is worth about $30k but I might even try to sell in in the North East because the Canadian dollar is such crap right now.


Yeah- I had the rear-facing infant seat behind the driver seat and it was way too tight and cramped for me as I needed to have the driver seat all the way back. Once we got all of our luggages, stroller, and golf clubs out, I moved the car seat to the middle and had no issues.

I've not driven either wheelbase with a 3.08 yet, but I can say that the 3.42 fits well with the 5.3 and 6sp auto. I believe others have reported slightly better fuel mileage with the 3.08 but not enough for me personally to go with it if given the choice.

Yes, the garage issue has become a bigger deal for me than I would have ever imagined years ago. I am finished with parking outside at home. It is also noticeably more difficult to keep a vehicle that is not garage kept clean for any length of time. I've noticed this over and over again with my wife's SUV vs my pickup, both which are driven on average the same amount of commuting miles each day.