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SequoiaGeneral discussion forum for the second generation 2008 and later Toyota Sequoia.
This is a discussion thread titled "08 Sequoia Questions", within the Sequoia forum, part of the SUV Forums category.
Just spent about 4 hours looking at the Platinum as a replacement for my wife's 07 MDX. The salesman was very patient with us, but not really up to speed on the 08's features, and totally lost when it came to the nav. I came away from the demo with a very favorable impression, but with some unanswered questions. I'm hoping that someone here can give me some insight.
1. Ride Height Control: We couldn't figure this one out at all. It's supposed to adjust the height of the vehicle 1.2 inches up or down from normal. We could hear the compressor working, but the height of the vehicle did not appear to change even slightly. We actually went so far as to look this up in the manual, but it was somewhat ambiguous regarding the ability to manually set and control this function.
2. Nav: The Accura will let you do anything (except certain setup options) with voice commands even while driving. It appeared to me that the Seq. nav's voice recognition was very limited. Can you actually use the nav to it's full capability with voice commands? Also, it appeared that you had to manually choose your "identity" on the nav screen. The Accura nav automatically recognizes which driver you are either by your key or by the chosen driver memory setting.
3. Driver Memory (Also relating to #2): It was not clear which vehicle settings are maintained in the driver memory settings. (The demo we were looking at belonged to the owner of the dealership, so we didn't want to change any of his settings to test this out.)
4. Can you control the rear DVD player from the front using the remote? (We play movies for my mother in law in the back seat, but she is not able to use the controls herself and we have to start and stop the movie for her.)
In my overnight session with a Platinum Seqouia, you will be tremendously disappointed in the Toyo Nav system and interface. Acura does nav systems very well.
We played with the height control and we thought we noticed some movement but it was difficult to tell. It is only 1 inch or so! Conversely, it was quite noticeable on a Mercedes GL450 that we test drove.
The platinum is overpriced. I prefer after market touch screen nav and aftermarket entertainment systems, it is more flexible, cost less, and better quality. Ride height was not an issue for my wife since it's mainly used for urban commutes. I had the kenwood dnx 7100 installed, which uses Garmin's nav interface. Acura uses Alpine's interface. I'm not sure if Alpine's system is there own proprietary system or if they use Garmin, Tom Tom... You'll spend less and be happier with after market installs. Platinum is only necessary if you really want Arctic White, Red Rock leather and cooling seats. Just my 2 cents.
The platinum is overpriced. I prefer after market touch screen nav and aftermarket entertainment systems, it is more flexible, cost less, and better quality. Ride height was not an issue for my wife since it's mainly used for urban commutes. I had the kenwood dnx 7100 installed, which uses Garmin's nav interface. Acura uses Alpine's interface. I'm not sure if Alpine's system is there own proprietary system or if they use Garmin, Tom Tom... You'll spend less and be happier with after market installs. Platinum is only necessary if you really want Arctic White, Red Rock leather and cooling seats. Just my 2 cents.
The driver adjustable suspension (H-TEMS) might also be another reason to get the Platinum since that's the only model its available on. Might make for a more comfortable ride when towing (or not) depending on the load and road conditions.
The H-TEMS is exactly why I bought the Platinum, for towing. It works well, I leave the suspension in soft mode normally, and put it in sport when towing. Haven't found much use for the middle setting yet.
The adjustable height is a joke, completely useless. You're not feeling it in the front seat because it only adjusts the rear suspension. The airbags are great when dealing with a load though, I can hook up a trailer with 500lbs tounge weight with zero sag, the compressor kicks in and levels everything right out. They say the raising of the rear end is for off roading and water crossing, because one inch on the rear half of the vehicle makes sooo much difference. Give me a break. Worse yet they say the lowering of the rear is to make loading the back of the vehicle easier. Gee, thanks Toyota, I used to have to lift my suitcase 36" to put it in the back, but after waiting a minute for the rear end to drop down to only 35" I find it much easier. Who the hell would use that?
The ride with the H-TEMS though, hard to ignore. Plenty of vehicles have airbags, but what people forget is that airbags increase spring rate on your suspension, and without an increase in damping to go along with it you end up with a really bouncy ride. I couldn't find any other way to deal with that issue but the H-TEMS so I spent the big bucks as ride is critical to me. As a matter of fact, I'm currently looking for some 18" take off wheels, I have no use for the harsher ride of 20" wheels.
The trim levels with the Sequoia this year are a little screwy, I have to think Toyota will address it next year. This year you can't get memory seats except in the Platinum. No joke, you have to spend over 50k to get memory seats, but I can't see spending 40k for a vehicle without memory seats. If you do get platinum then you do end up with driver memory for the seats as well as the nav connected to your key/remote. If you open the truck with your remote the seat/steering wheel/mirrors/nav is setup for you, if she opens it it's all setup for her. Pretty cool. Still, as others have said the factory nav sucks, I plan on replacing it in a year or two but even with after market nav systems they are all missing a feature I feel is critical, once someone has all of the features I want I'll upgrade.
Thanks for the replies everyone... And apologies for the long posting.
I'm replacing the MDX mostly because my wife keeps getting it stuck in our driveway. There is no locking center differential, so you never really have true 4 wheel drive. You have to turn the VSC off in order to charge the corner at the bottom of the driveway, otherwise it will shut down the engine if you start to spin even a little bit around the corner, and all your momentum is gone. With the VSC off, you've only got one wheel drive until you get one front wheel spinning about 10mph, then the limited slip center dif will finally pick up the rear, but by then you're in trouble, and of course the rear picks up at the same speed that the front is spinning and immediately just spins one wheel. If you leave the VSC on, it will eventually get all 4 spinning, but by then it's way too late and she's stuck. I can finesse it up the driveway without too much trouble, but for some reason she just doesn't get it, and it's really not her fault. (She can drive my Tundra up without any trouble.) As long as you can keep it moving, and keep the tires hooked up it's fine, but if you get stopped it's pretty much all over. Truth to tell... I never liked the MDX all that much, but it was the car she wanted, so I bought it for her. It's great on paper, lot's of features, but the execution of the whole as a package leaves a lot to be desired. Also... It is impossible for me to find a comfortable driving position, and though rated for 5000lbs, towing my boat is not fun. The MDX (like most Hondas) makes it power at high RPM, and low-end torque is almost non-existent. Another thing affecting my decision is an accident I came across on my way to work a few weeks ago. A little crossover SUV had spun out on the slick highway and had a head-on with a full size frame-on SUV. The crossover was totally destroyed... almost unrecognizable, but the full size was completely intact and still drivable.
The Platinum Seq. has almost everything in terms of features that the MDX does, with the added advantage of real 4WD. My wife can have all the "goodies" that she's become used to, and be safer, more comfortable, haul more stuff, and make it up the driveway in the snow. The stereo, though not nearly as terrific as the one in the MDX, is very good, and very "listenable". Playing a surround DVD in the rear player yielded a sound approaching that of the MDX system. (Another reason why I want to know if the remote works from the front seat.)
The H-TEMS really does work very well. The Platinum handles surprisingly well on the firm setting, (I had the salesman hanging on for dear life on some twisties), and really does smooth out the rough spots on the low setting.
OK... I guess I'll just take the ride height control for what it is... and I'll have to live with the funky nav. I know I'll miss the terrific nav of the MDX, but realistically speaking... We don't use the nav all that often anyway. Another thing I'll miss is the luxurious interior. The Seq. interior has to be about the ugliest I have EVER seen. Especially for a vehicle in this price range. What WERE they thinking?
Regardless... I think I'm going to start working on cutting a deal today. Anyone want to buy an almost brand new MDX?
I locked my center diff today and pulled our Honda minivan up the snow-covered driveway. The Honda could not get up by itself, but the Sequoia could get both up. No one was even in the Honda so the engine was off.
beckerg.......I'm not to trying to talk you out of a Sequoia, but have you considered the less expensive option of snow tires for your MDX? You could get a set of Nokian's and very likely be done with winter traction issues. Check out the aggressive Nokian Hakkapeliita SUV or less aggressive WR SUV.
Last edited by canddmeyer; 01-29-2008 at 06:13 AM.
beckerg.......I'm not to trying to talk you out of a Sequoia, but have you considered the less expensive option of snow tires for your MDX? You could get a set of Nokian's and very likely be done with winter traction issues. Check out the aggressive Nokian Hakkapeliita SUV or less aggressive WR SUV. If you are in the the Lewiston area give a call to Bruneel Tire Factory.
Hi canddmeyer,
Aggressive snow tires was of course my immediate move after she got stuck the first time. (I only look and sound stupid...) They helped of course, but you can't get around the lack of true 4 wheel drive and relatively low ground clearance. At the moment we have about 2 feet of snow. (Conservative estimate... I know we've got drifts of 3 feet or more.) OK... I know... I could spend a bit less money and buy a tractor to plow the driveway, and I did actually look into that, but then that means more work for me. Besides, I've always liked the challenge. We don't go off-road anymore, so this is our chance to play at 4 wheelin'. -- Long story as to how we got to the Accura, but for years her rig (and my toy) was a Jeep Wrangler Sahara with rear lockers. She LOVED that! She could just put it in low range and let it crawl itself up in any conditions.
4. Can you control the rear DVD player from the front using the remote? (We play movies for my mother in law in the back seat, but she is not able to use the controls herself and we have to start and stop the movie for her.)
TIA...
--JB
If you point the remote over your shoulder toward the back window it works.
Just spent about 4 hours looking at the Platinum as a replacement for my wife's 07 MDX. The salesman was very patient with us, but not really up to speed on the 08's features, and totally lost when it came to the nav. I came away from the demo with a very favorable impression, but with some unanswered questions. I'm hoping that someone here can give me some insight.
1. Ride Height Control: We couldn't figure this one out at all. It's supposed to adjust the height of the vehicle 1.2 inches up or down from normal. We could hear the compressor working, but the height of the vehicle did not appear to change even slightly. We actually went so far as to look this up in the manual, but it was somewhat ambiguous regarding the ability to manually set and control this function.
2. Nav: The Accura will let you do anything (except certain setup options) with voice commands even while driving. It appeared to me that the Seq. nav's voice recognition was very limited. Can you actually use the nav to it's full capability with voice commands? Also, it appeared that you had to manually choose your "identity" on the nav screen. The Accura nav automatically recognizes which driver you are either by your key or by the chosen driver memory setting.
3. Driver Memory (Also relating to #2): It was not clear which vehicle settings are maintained in the driver memory settings. (The demo we were looking at belonged to the owner of the dealership, so we didn't want to change any of his settings to test this out.)
4. Can you control the rear DVD player from the front using the remote? (We play movies for my mother in law in the back seat, but she is not able to use the controls herself and we have to start and stop the movie for her.)
TIA...
--JB
About the Navi system since it's the same one found on my friends 2007 Tundra crewmax based from Eclipse (JBL) .
The Acura Navigation is a better system then Toyota for Oem i know since my dad's 06 Accord is the same deal and I liked it better.Toyota still has a very long way's to go on this techlogy that's a given. The system does have user 1 and user 2 option which is included in the menu functions which you have to find.Yes Toyota system's are limited on voice commands My aftermarket on my Tundra Outperforms the factory on so many features it's sad Toyota can't get there act together and Build a better system with Hdd (harddrive like nissan and infiniti has).
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Sig gone so long
Last edited by Tundrav8yamaha; 02-03-2008 at 08:33 PM.
08 Sequoia Questions
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