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Comments
On the flip side when a vehicle that had severe complaints or was below average shows improvements the response would be very positive since people had low expecations regarding the vehicle.
If you don't care about the sunroof then when did you want to pay $810 for one. The sunroof again seems to be called an option when Toyota includes it as a standard feature on most Limited and SR5's which only to increases the price of the car.
This extra $1000 could have easily been spent on memory seats and keyless ignition which everyone seems to have wished was inclulded with the Sequoia or at least as an option on the Limited.
I don't agree that options that are always included should be built into the base price (from a business point of view). Manufacturers do that on purpose so that they can advertise a lower standard price. Let me give you another example... on Friday I bought my son an Estes 'complete' rocket kit. It had the rocket, launcher, launch pad, etc. It did not include the engines or wading. I could see it not include the engines, but why did it not include the paper wading? Wading is just toilet paper which they spray fire-proof chemicals on and sell for $6 extra so they can sell the kit for $20 and then make another $6 on the wading. It was deliberate, and Toyota does the same thing. It makes sense for them to do that so they can claim a $35,000 base price in their ads. No one will ever buy the 4.7 engine either. Every one comes with the 5.7.
The alternative is they claim a $40,000 MSRP base price and include the 5.7/6-speed/cold kit, etc. That makes fewer people go to the showroom to consider it. Lots of people need an upsell it seems.
It does make you wonder though if Toyota has grown a bit too fast too quickly and is cutting corners on quality control or design/research. They established a very good reputation over the years bc of many excellent and reliable products. People likely do have very high expectations buying a Toyota compared to a Kia or Hyundai. Not meeting those expectations can be troublesome since you'd rather have a customer's expectations exceeded, rather than not met.
I would also imagine that the first run of Sequoias off of the assembly line was kept simple. Mack can probably address this better, but it seems that all of the Platinums that we saw all carried the same options. That might be just a regional thing though.
The last thought is this....you do have the option of ordering your custom vehicle and just waiting for it. The question becomes whether the principle of not buying what you don't want/need and/or the saved $$$ is worth the wait for that custom vehicle. We have always purchased our vehicles out of "want" rather than "need", so we're able to pick and choose what we want and when we get it. We'll wait a month or two to get exactly what we want.
However if we were ever in a situation where we had to pick something up quickly, I highly doubt that a $200 cold weather package would influence a purchase on a 50-60K vehicle.
Now reading the reviews of the Malibu, if I were in the market for a 4 door family sedan, I would definitely go check it out. It would need to do "more" to convince me to buy it rather than an Accord/Altima/Camry, but I would at least look at it and consider it.
I'm not sure what all the fuss is about with respect to options on the Sequoias that are arriving on dealer's lots. There's only 4 factory options to even choose from for the Platinum.
Laser Cruise
Cold Kit
DRL on/off
Rear Entertainment
I think its reasonable thinking on the dealer's part to anticipate that the "Platinum buyer" wants a fully loaded vehicle, therefore he orders his Plats with all available options. If a buyer must have a "stripped" Platinum, he can always place an order.
Same thinking applies with the Limiteds. The dealer is trying to acommodate what he thinks is the "average" buyer for a Limited. My guess is that more folks want a sunroof on their Limited than those buyers that don't want one. That makes a sunroof a good decision for the dealer to add on a Limited's option list.
The likelihood is that the Limited buyer that is in a hurry and wants a Limited but doesn't want the sunroof, will utlimately take the sunroof resulting in a few more $s in the dealer's pocket. If you really don't want a particular option, place an order for the vehicle the way you "have to have it" and you'll get exactly what you want.
I am still anxiously waiting for your pictures to see if you indeed were able to get a black Platinum with the sand beige interior. It seems that in some areas, including Canada, sand beige is n/a with black exterior on the Platinum.
I am 6'1"; will I have enough head room? Sequoias won't be out until about Feb 25 in Canada, so still haven't seen one and no pricing until then.
Theorathically speaking. We really don't order from the factory. The distributors do and they load them up with every available option. For example, I tried preferencing (term used by Toyota to order vehicles) an Avalon in Mag grey with Ivory interior and I would get a flag saying "This configuration is not normally ordered for your area" I've yet to see the car and consequently lost a customer over it.
So you may be able to get a Platinum without the cold pack, laser cruise, drl's, and entertaintment system but you will be waiting a while.
Mack
I am 6'4" and with a sunroof there is NO headroom and I have to lean the seat way back. So I guess that Toyota is BRAINDEAD as you put it.
I have ordered a Limited without a sunroof.
That was my point. If time is not an issue you can order the vehicle with just about any set of option combinations that are listed as available on the Toyota website...once again, so long as time of delivery is not an issue.
For example, I ordered a Black Platinum with Red Rock interior and the Cold Kit, DRL on/off and the Rear Entertainment options but without the Laser Cruise option. The order was placed before Christmas. It is scheduled for production on Feb 20 with delivery in mid-March.
If time is of no issue, order it exactly the way you want it. If you're in a hurry, you'll have to live with the builds the dealer ordered or the factory sent. Relatively simple choice. The only option not available is getting "exactly" what you want in a hurry, unless its already on the showroom floor.
I note the height of the 08 vehicle has increased over last year. Part of this may be due to a slightly larger diameter wheel/tire, but I am surprised to note that while the overall height has increased, the headroom has decreased.
Does anybody know the cause of this ? Is the floor of the vehicle higher and is the windshield more raked to give a different profile for the roof line?
Also, I have sat in a Tundra and felt quite high off the ground (significantly more so than my 08 Limited). Does the 08 Sequoia have the same feeling ? e.g. Do you feel higher from the ground while sitting in it compared to the previous years?
Your vehicle was probably already in the pipeline as the Limiteds are being shipped with those options and some with the Laser cruise also.
BTW, the option that appears to have resulted in the greatest delay for me was ordering the Red Rock interior vs any of the other options available on a Platinum..
I believe that the problem is that you can adjust the seat height. If you set it up too high your head will hit. It happens frequently with my avalon. If I drive after she has finished her drive my head hits the roof. I have to bring the seat down.
The comments here indicate that some very tall people have no problems while other have their head touching the roof. My guess is that the seat height needs to be adjusted.
That does not mean if you actually tried it it would work.
I have to agree as I'm 6'4" and was able to adjust the seat to a proper driving position without difficulty. I will say that the opening to get into the driver's seat of the Sequoia is a lower opening compared to my Denali as I recall slightly bumping my head as I was getting seated in a Platinum for a test drive. Just a matter of getting used to a new vehicle's dimensions in my opining. However once I was seated and the seat was adjusted for my normal driving position, the headroom was fine for my needs.
More headroom is always better but not if the overall height of the vehicle needed to be raised since that would have caused more issues with low ceilings in some parking garages. I suspect the design of the seats ended up taking away some of the headroom of the previous model.
Please tell me which combination of options (or lack of options) you believe can't be ordered on a Sequoia?
Please tell me which combination of options (or lack of options) you believe can't be ordered on a Sequoia?'
Your dealer might be correct. I am just saying he could also just be wrong. I have seen it many times. My dealer was wrong on many things about my Sequoia. He even said it was going to have a black interior and it came with Red Rock.
The Toyota brochure says that some combinations of options are not available.
My guess is you probably can get what you want or very close to it. But you never know until you try.
If I lived in South Florida I would certainly want the cold kit. Why not want a higher amp battery? Batteries never die in Florida?
Why not want headlight washers? No mud in Florida? $200 is not much.
For Trunk Space (2nd and 3rd down/3rd down/3rd up) :
2007 Sequoia - 128.1/65.3/26.6
2008 Sequoia from Toyota e-brochure - 120.8/79.4/28.4
2008 Sequoia from Edmunds full test - 120.1/66.6/18.9
Who is correct ?
I would like to believe that the 3rd-row-up space to be 28.4 as provided by Toyota.
Since it’s difficult to understand that with the bigger exterior/interior dimensions and the rear independent suspension, 2008 Sequoia ends up with a smaller trunk space (18.9) than 2007’s (26.6).
THX !
Agreed.....I tried and ordered exactly what I wanted and in fact considered several combinations prior to my final order. The Toyota system would have accepted any of the combinations I was interested in on the 08 Sequoia.
Until someone suggests they tried a combination and it wasn't accepted by the system, I think its fair to say that any combination of options available at the Toyota website can be placed on the Sequoia. The only limitation is likely to be how long you're willing to wait.
Obviously there are some options that cannot be combined because they are replacements for one another. You can't get the 6cd changer with the rear entertainment because the JBL system that goes with the rear entertainment already has a 4cd changer. Other than this example I'm not aware of any options listed as available at the Toyota website than cannot be combined.
In reality, there aren't even that many 08 Sequoia options to consider compared to a Chevy Suburban or Yukon XL. http://www.toyota.com/sequoia/options.html
http://www.chevrolet.com/suburban/features/
Anyone have a current 08 Sequoia that could post the floor dimensions from their vehicle? Take the shortest point between the wheelwells and from front to back with the hatch closed and seats down as if the object were lying flat on the floor and only an inch or 2 high.
Thanks again to this forum for helping us work a good fair deal.
Just waiting for some more snow here in CT to really put it to work!
Your 2001 vs. your new 2008.
THX !
The cool thing(which you probably know), is that you can fold the 2nd row flat as well and on the back of the 2nd row seats, there is a flap that extends to meet up with the 3rd row to cover the gap that would normally be left in between. Makes it very usable.
Someone asked about plywood earlier and it would not fit as it is only 42.5 inches wide.
Are you in the process of purchasing an 08?
Yes, I am planning to replace our 02 Odyssey for a bigger and more capable vehicle. The ground clearance of Odyssey is terrible.
We have 4 kids, so the 3rd row will be up all the time.
Therefore the trunk space is a critical factor.
I really don’t want to go for Sienna or GM’s XL SUV.
Mack
Hope this clears it up.
Mack
I doubt the dealership was lying. Maybe just the dealership you work for is more limiting to its customers. As you can see from this dealership's website, they can and do put together the options the customer wants. I met with the dealer to put my order together and there was no combination I asked for that couldn't be built into their ordering system (granted I didn't test every imaginable combination but enough combinations for me to take them at their word).
Here's the website and you're welcome to see how any combination can be put together.
http://www.caldwelltoyota.com/new/index.cfm?go=build&get=Veh&sEDYear=2008&sEDMak- e=Toyota&sEDModel=Sequoia&iEDID=USB80TOS132D0&tab=overview&CFID=19400849&CFTOKEN- =88202262
Mack
Here's what I mean:link title
As you appropriately noted the Toyota system did not say you couldn't place the order, it just stated that it was "not normally ordered". The dealership I worked with made the same reference and essentially said that different combinations can be ordered however they may take longer.
As originally stated, you can combine any set of options listed as available from the factory however some may take longer if they are not common combinations.
Could it possibly be that some dealerships prefer that customers stick to the most common combinations since that's what's most likely to already be on the dealership's showroom floor, while other dealership's place a greater emphasis on meeting the customer's needs.
Sounds like your dealership is far less interested in helping a customer purchase what they want and instead would prefer that they stick to what their dealership has on the floor or already on order. Interesting approach to giving the customer what they want. I'm glad I purchased from a dealership that was more interested in finding ways to meet my needs versus their own.