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2008 Toyota Sequoia

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Comments

  • buyer4suvbuyer4suv Member Posts: 26
    It is a ripoff but it's peanuts compared to all the other expenses in a car like this...I've heard some of the new 2009 models will offer bluetooth without an onstar requirement...financial liablility? maybe but they obvoiusly believe they don't lose many customers because of it or they would change....legal liability? nah..they can do what they want in terms of consumer conveniences, even at the expense of losing customers.
  • hanoverkenhanoverken Member Posts: 30
    I have heard the available Bluetooth connectivity mentioned as a plus for the vehicle more than once on the forums. Sadly, when I test drove it and tried to connect to it with my iphone - it didn't work. My wife's Razor did. I guess I'm stuck holding the phone to my ear just as if I drove a GM. Price to be paid for having the latest technology I guess. They do make aftermarket gadgets to allow for Bluetooth connectivity - not all that expensive either. An option if you go GM. As for Onstar, I have had it for 3 years on my current car for no charge as an incentive to get the vehicle selling (Saab 9-7X). The cell phone portion is actually great for backup on those days you forget your phone or the battery dies, etc. I would expect the emergency features are nice to have too - hopefully you'll never need them.

    Secondly, has anyone actually seen an '08 Sequoia on the road? I have seen one, and it belonged to the dealer down the street from my house and was on a test drive. I have four Toyota dealers within 15 miles of my home and I have yet to see even one on the road! Is it just me or are they not selling? Maybe that's why dealers have gone as low as $300 under invoice around here? Maybe Toyota will follow suit and add some incentives to get the vehicle moving. Perhaps our Toyota salespeople on the list here can give some insight on sales? Has Toyota released any sales figures?

    Finally, the dashboard...yes it's ugly. Something you would expect to see on a spaceship...or a pickup truck. Hard to see how Toyota missed the boat on that especially when they are trying to sell a $50k vehicle. They did a great job with the Landcruiser dash too. The Denali I looked at had the 3rd row seat thing so I guess they all have worts. Maybe it will grow on me once I get into it and start driving.

    Ken W.
  • 3rd4rnnr3rd4rnnr Member Posts: 67
    Yes the steering wheel moves out of the way when you turn off on the Platinum
  • 3rd4rnnr3rd4rnnr Member Posts: 67
    hdfatboy - you are 120% correct. I got my Seq through a big dealership here with all the awards, presidents club etc etc. The salesmen know very little about their vehicles and even less about the Seq. That surprised me since it would seem to me that a new model with a number of changes would be the first thing I would learn. I also went to GM and Lexus. GM knew everything, they also knew more about the Seq than the yota salespeople !! I should alos point out that Lexus salesperson was very proficient which was a little ironic as part of the yota family.
  • rtribblertribble Member Posts: 45
    OK, an update on my attempts to get Toyotas' 7year/100,000 mile extended warranty. To refresh for you what had transpired up to this point;

    My Dealership had sold me what I had thought was Toyotas best extended warranty for $2,213.00. Later I discovered it was an aftermarket warranty.
    I complained and they agreed to give me Toyotas' best warranty and send me a check for $413.00 which would give me the Toyota warranty for $1,800.00, $50.00 dollars less than retail for the warranty. They made a big deal about giving me the $50.00s off the retail price.

    Well yesterday the new Platinum warranty arrived and it was for 6years/100,000 miles which would result in the $1,800.00 I would be paying ending up over $100.00 above the retail price of the warranty.
    I discussed this with Troy Dietrich at Toyota of Greenfield and he recommended I cancel the warranty from my dealership and gave me a number to call Toyota to do this. Troy also offered to sell me the 7year/100,000 mile 0 deductible for $990.00.
    I called the number Troy gave me and they transferred me to a really nice lady named Becky who, after hearing what all had transpired with my dealership, said she would cancel my warranty and send the $2,213.00 to the bank who had a lein against my Sequoia to be applied toward the principle on the loan. We decided that I should void the check for $413.00 my dealership was sending me and return it with a letter of explanation that I had canceled the warranty.
    I contacted Troy and told him I would be very interested in his offer as soon as this was all worked out.
    For those who don't know, if you buy a Toyota extended warranty you can cancell it within 30 days for a full refund and prorated after the 30 days.
    It's pretty sad that some dealerships can't seem to operate within a decent code of ethics.
    Anyway I will certainly be glad when this is all finnaly worked out and we can enjoy our new Sequoia.
  • hdfatboyhdfatboy Member Posts: 324
    You're probably right on all accounts regarding the BT in GM vehicles. Just was a little POed that a brand I've supported for 33 years of driving would so ignore their customers. Is there really that much revenue they would lose by installing BT from the factory in addition to OnStar? They know there'll going to have to add it eventually so why delay? There's nothing to building it into the system from the factory as alot of dealers offer aftermarket kits as an alternative.

    Just hate to see GM lose customers by being behind the competition so far.
  • hdfatboyhdfatboy Member Posts: 324
    Rtribble.

    Good for you. That dealership sounds like they've been trying to pickpocket you from the beginning. Troy is definitely the guy you should be working with. You'll end up with a better Toyota policy and save $1200 in addition. Glad to hear Troy's taking care of you.
  • 3rd4rnnr3rd4rnnr Member Posts: 67
    Ken - I have had a 08 Seq Platinum for a couple weeks now. I didn't get too hung up on the dash when I got it because there was too many other things I liked about the vehicle. So I was initially pretty indifferent about the dash. But, using your words, I do have to say the dash did grow on me. The ride, power and space is so perfect and I am realizing how much thought went into the design. With that said, I am now liking how the dash (in the same way the grill) seems to add a spartan tougness to the overall package. Sort of like a subtle reminder that says "yea I am a big hulking family bus with some cushiness, but at heart I am a bad-[non-permissible content removed] !". Not sure if that is exactly what Toyota engineers were shooting for, but the whole thing really works for me and has exceeded my expectations. I have had all kinds of vehicles big and small, cheap and luxury and this has now become my all time favorite.
  • toddhmtoddhm Member Posts: 35
    Mack, when do you think we'll see a diesel engine option in the Sequoia? What about the Tundra? Any chance for 2009 or 2010? I have driven Toyota diesels overseas and they are outstanding.
  • mackabeemackabee Member Posts: 4,709
    You hit it right on the head. The design is "big and bold" and it has that "get out of my way" look.
  • hdfatboyhdfatboy Member Posts: 324
    "Sort of like a subtle reminder that says "yea I am a big hulking family bus with some cushiness, but at heart I am a bad-[non-permissible content removed] !".

    I like that...I think you just made some marketing/engineer team in Toyota quite proud as I think that was the exact messaging they had in mind. I was just hoping the dashboard and overall interior would have been ""yea I am a big hulking family bus with some cushiness, but at heart I am a bad-[non-permissible content removed] with class!".
  • wrxcstiwrxcsti Member Posts: 21
    "Secondly, has anyone actually seen an '08 Sequoia on the road? I have seen one, and it belonged to the dealer down the street from my house and was on a test drive."

    I'm in the SF Bay Area and have only seen one '08 Sequoia on the road in late Dec, it had a dealer license plate as well.

    I called several dealers here around Christmas time, most of them only had 1 in stock as their 1st one to show customers. I have not since checked with any of the dealers here but I doubt dealers here carry a lot of inventory on the new '08 Sequoia right now.
  • regrahamregraham Member Posts: 26
    Hi ganan
    Both of my local Toyota dealer's advise me that the 2008 Sequoia launch date including pricing, was moved from late January to Feb 21. One of them showed me their notification and there was no reason given for the postponement. Apparently there are models sitting at distribution locations awaiting the launch date, eg. in Edmonton, AB and no doubt at other major locations; so if you live near one of them, you might be able to sneak a peek.

    I am wondering if the delay is because they are trying to determine what pricing will be? I am interested in purchasing a Platinum model, but only if the pricing is relatively close to US pricing, now that our dollar is about par. I would urge all Canadians to hold off purchasing any new vehicles until the manufacturers price them comparably with US pricing. That is the only way we will get them in line.
  • gldwinggldwing Member Posts: 13
    I live in the Wash.DC/Maryland area and the only 08's I have seen are in dealer lots. Every time I go by- they seem to have the same inventory. When I talked to a salesman- he said he had sold a Plat. the day before- yet they were all there ( or at least same colors and options).
  • shark715shark715 Member Posts: 382
    I live in NJ, and I have seen a couple on the road, plus one in VT last weekend. As of about a month ago James Toyota in Flemington NJ had about a dozen on the lot (quite a selection, SR5's, Limiteds and Plats), and according to their website Caldwell Toyota has 8 in stock now. The dealer closest to my house (Crystal Toyota in Green Brook) had only one on the lot as of earlier this week, a Slate Limited with the more comprehensive "usual" option package shown on Toyota's ebrochure for NJ. It's been well publicized that gas prices and the overall economic conditions have been significantly hurting sales of full size SUV's for quite a while now...no reason to believe that the new Sequoia would be immune to this. Hopefully this means that the dealers will be more flexible pricing wise sooner than they otherwise would have been.
  • jd08limitedjd08limited Member Posts: 19
    Well, I guess I overpaid for my 7 year warranty. I know these are always big money makers, but my wife and I thought since it covered so much, it was still worth it-we paid $1195, it is the platinum level vs. the gold level and it is truly bumper to bumper. I guess they had to make some extra money on me somewhere.
  • jd08limitedjd08limited Member Posts: 19
    I live in CT and checked with a bunch of dealers, they all seemed to have just 2 per dealer. My local dealer had a limted and a platinum and they just sold the limited the week we were there. I have still yet to see one on the road though.
  • vernschillingevernschillinge Member Posts: 66
    Saw a white Limited on the road in Charlotte, NC this week. First one I've seen on the road.

    On an unrelated note, when does Toyota's model year changeover usually occur? Sept-Oct?
  • mackabeemackabee Member Posts: 4,709
    Toyota's model year change over varies by model. It's a trend they started in 1998 by introducing new models throughout the year.
    :shades:
  • nedzelnedzel Member Posts: 787
    No chance for 2009. 2010 is a possibility.
  • keg97keg97 Member Posts: 189
    So true! I know that this is what my wife is looking for- the tough guy but classy look, both inside and out.
  • shark715shark715 Member Posts: 382
    I'm curious, what's the source of your information.
  • keg97keg97 Member Posts: 189
    We should know sales within the next few days, but even that is going to be difficult to tell b/c the marketing types are going to put their spin (positive or negative) on it. Those sales folks are really the only ones who know how sales are going, since model availability for the new redesign is so fluid and different for each market.

    Interestingly, I just got an email today from my Infiniti dealer that Infiniti dropped their special APR a percent to 1.9 over 3 yrs or 2.9 over 5. I don't know what their rebate is. That will likely be very telling...whether Toyota puts any special APR/lease packages on the Sequoia.
  • mackabeemackabee Member Posts: 4,709
    oK, Keg,.There you go again. Let me repeat this. :)
    Toyota doesn't care what Infiniti does. They do care what GM, Ford and Chrysler do as far as incentives go. Sales have been slow this month but it's typical for January. February things pick up a bit then it just let's loose in March.
    :shades:
  • keg97keg97 Member Posts: 189
    Mack...please tell me where I said anything about Toyota caring what Infiniti is doing. Perhaps you misread what I wrote. ;)

    Interestingly, I just got an email today from my Infiniti dealer that Infiniti dropped their special APR a percent to 1.9 over 3 yrs or 2.9 over 5. I don't know what their rebate is. That will likely be very telling...whether Toyota puts any special APR/lease packages on the Sequoia

    Did you misread this? Is this what you are particularly commenting on?

    That will likely be very telling...whether Toyota puts any special APR/lease packages on the Sequoia

    My intent for this sentence was to simply state that whether Toyota put any incentives on the Sequoia would likely show whether sales of the Sequoia were meeting/missing expectations.
  • rtribblertribble Member Posts: 45
    You at least got a better deal than I did from my Dealership. They were charging me $1,800.00 for the 6year/100,000 mile.
    The retail on the 7year/100,000 mile 0 deductible would be $1,850.00 so your Dealership sold it to you at a $655.00 discount which isn't too bad.
    Troy Dietrich can save you about $200.00 more if you want to go through the trouble of canceling your current warranty. (You have to cancel within 30 days of purchase to get a 100% refund)
    You can contact Troy at: TDietrich@toyotaofgreenfield.com and he can give you the particulars.
  • mackabeemackabee Member Posts: 4,709
    "That will likely be very telling...whether Toyota puts any special APR/lease packages on the Sequoia"

    image
  • shark715shark715 Member Posts: 382
    Unless an alarming amount of unsold vehicles has built up in the pipeline, would you expect Toyota to offer any incentives at this point? Why would they? The few vehicles that everyone here seems to be seeing on dealer lots seems to be an indication that the "supply chain" is no where close to overstocked. The way the industry measures this is by calculating the number of days inventory of unsold units there are in the supply chain (that includes assembled units that have not left the factory yet all the way to units that the dealers may have deposits on but the final transaction has not taken place, divided by the project daily unit sales). No doubt they are closely watching what their competitors are doing, but unless excess inventories start to build up, I would not expect to see incentives so soon. On the other hand, none of us really know what's actually happening saleswise versus their plans. No doubt their product planners are closely watching. It could be that the pipeline is not full because they are building less Sequoias than originally planned because they aren't seeing the sales they originally projected. And it's likely they have adjusted their sales plans downward over the past year while they have watched full size SUV sales plummet due to the economic news and gas prices.
  • nedzelnedzel Member Posts: 787
    "I'm curious, what's the source of your information."

    http://forums.motortrend.com/70/6543162/the-general-forum/toyota-tundra-diesel-c- - onfirmed/index.html

    VW and Mercedes have a wealth of experience with clean diesels. And both are having one heck of a time getting their diesels to meet the Tier 2 Bin 5 standards. VW's date for reintroducing their diesels has been delayed several times. IMHO, I don't think Toyota can get a clean diesel here in time for the 2009 model year.
  • shark715shark715 Member Posts: 382
    Thanks Nedzel, excellent info.
  • mackabeemackabee Member Posts: 4,709
    What is the advantage of a diesel over a gas engine? Isn't diesel more expensive? doesn't diesel induce engine knock? Someone please tell me. I'm serious.
    Mack
  • shark715shark715 Member Posts: 382
    Significantly more fuel efficent (easily offsets the higher cost per gallon), much more torque at lower engine speeds (great for towing applications and normal driving) although less peak horsepower. Diesels "knock" by design (well, sort of), although modern diesel engines are generally much quieter in passenger car applications than just a few years ago. There is no spark plug. The fuel is injected at very high pressure into the cylinder which is already into the compression cycle, and the fuel ignites immediately as it is injected. Also, diesels have a reputation for much longer engine lives than gasoline engines. And there have been huge advances in emission control and visible (soot) pollution.
  • toddhmtoddhm Member Posts: 35
    Well put Shark. Also, diesel engines generally require less maintenance than gasoline engines and can go longer between oil changes.
  • shark715shark715 Member Posts: 382
    It's been well publicized that we will see many more diesel cars and light trucks offered here in the next few years. Right now they are far more prevelant in Europe versus here due to the high fuel costs there. When many Americans think of diesel cars they think of the noisy, dirty diesels from 10-20 years ago. That has changed so dramatically, and it's expected that many people will embrace diesels over the next few years like never before, especially because they have been radically improved and due to the rapid raise in fuel costs. One of my co-workers recently bought one of the new Mercedes Blue-Tec diesels...inside the car it's just about as quiet as the gasoline version of the same car.
  • mackabeemackabee Member Posts: 4,709
    Ok, thanks. I knew about the torque advantage but not the other things. I have had plenty of customers asking about a diesel Sequoia and Tundra. And I also noticed that anytime we get a Ford diesel in as trade it sells in less than a week.
    Mack
  • vernschillingevernschillinge Member Posts: 66
    What are the chances of Toyota redoing (or at least tweaking) the interior of the Sequioa in the 2009 model year? Does anyone have any information support or contrary to this?
  • hdfatboyhdfatboy Member Posts: 324
    I recently had an interesting diesel vs gas engine experience. Over the recent Christmas holiday my family and I went on a vacation to Costa Rica with another family. We had a total of 8 "kids" (15-23yrs old) and 4 adults and figured we'd need 2 rental cars for the vacation. We decided to get a dodge caravan gas/automatic and a Toyota 12 passenger diesel 5sp manual van http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_Hiace (Believe it or not you can actually get versions that handle 15 passengers) The Toyota had a 18.5 gal tank and the Caravan had a 20.5 gal tank. We wanted to have 2 vehicles for traveling long distances as well as a single vehicle that could take us all on local trips for dinner or the beach.

    I didn't take any real measurements so all of these remarks are simple observations.

    We both left the main city of San Jose to travel to Quepos with full tanks. Its about 120 miles but we probably did about 150 including a few sides trips. The distance took about 4 hrs due to mountain roads that are very poorly paved. By the time we got to Quepos, the Caravan was well under half full and the Toyota diesel had barely moved off of full. I figured it was just a bad gauge and would watch it closely.

    We ended up using the Toyota for almost all of our local driving, so it was driving all kinds of mtn roads for over a week. Most of the time it had all 12 of us on-board. (as an aside it was actually very comfortable for 12 with lots of luggage space to spare).The Caravan barely got used while we were in Quepos. I have no idea how many miles we traveled but I can tell you I never filled the diesel tank for the entire trip until just before I dropped the Toyota back at the airport and even then it still had a 1/4 tank to go. The dodge caravan needed to be filled 3 times during the same time and the Toyota was driven far more miles, maybe even 2x the miles.

    The toyota believe it or not was the vehicle that everyone fought over because they wanted to drive it. Torque and the 5sp made it a blast to drive. It just didn't have much guts as the rpms rose, but from a standstill it felt like a tractor even with a full load. There were actually alot of these Toyota HiAce's driven as cabs and limos that were supercharged (factory) versions of my rental.

    After that trip I have been really convinced on diesels but I don't think manufacturers are going to be successful anytime soon in meeting the particulate standards in the US. The stds are far higher in the US than they are in Europe or for that matter the rest of the world.

    I thought everyone might find this comparison of interest given the discussion on the diesel Sequoia. As an aside, Costa Rica was a real blast, Canopy zip line trips, whitewater rafting on rivers with crocodiles, horseback trips into the jungle, sunset sailing, fishing for Sailfish and Marlin (we caught a 90lb sail and 350lb marlin) and time at the beach. It was a great trip and the Toyota made it fun even when we were just driving around.
  • shark715shark715 Member Posts: 382
    I've never seen any vehicle manufacturer make a significant interior change as quickly as the second year of a model run other than colors. On the other hand (assuming your big concern is the dashboard design) 2009 will be more than the second year for the dashboard design in the Tundra. Given that the Sequoia shares the Tundra dash (at least that's what I've read on this forum) and the trucks are made on the same assembly line, I would guess that the Sequoia dash will change when the Tundra changes.
  • mackabeemackabee Member Posts: 4,709
    Maybe, but I've yet to see Toyota change a dashboard through a model's run. Only change I've seen was when the 4runner was introduced in 2003 and it had the ugly gray cladding on the fenders. There was an outroar of complaints from Toyota owners that in mid year they changed to the color keyed cladding on all models.
    :shades:
  • shark715shark715 Member Posts: 382
    Hdfatboy, I had a similar experience with a 12 passenger Fiat Ducato diesel van in Italy a year ago. The fuel mileage was impressive considering we drove on many steep mountain roads, and flat out on the Autostrada. And that's good given that the fuel price worked out to between $6 and $7 per gallon as I recall.

    You might be surprised how soon we will see more diesels here. The manufacturers are figuring out how to meet the emissions standards, even in states like CA. BMW recently announced that it will be selling 50 state legal 3 series, 5 series, and X5's here. I beleive I also read that the Mercedes BlueTec will be 50 state legal in 2009 if it's not already in 2008.
  • hdfatboyhdfatboy Member Posts: 324
    "BMW recently announced that it will be selling 50 state legal 3 series, 5 series, and X5's here. I beleive I also read that the Mercedes BlueTec will be 50 state legal in 2009 if it's not already in 2008."

    Unfortunately all I ever read is about how so&so manufacturer is going to have some new diesel technology sometime in the future. In the interim, VW drops its auto diesel. Are there any diesels available today in the US as a 2008 car model other than the E class MB? (Not an SUV or truck as they have a different standard.)
  • shark715shark715 Member Posts: 382
    I stand corrected. The 3 series and X5 diesels will be available in all 50 states this fall, but the 5 series diesel has not been announced for North America yet. Also Subaru has announced a diesel Forester for the 2009 model year.
  • mittie1mittie1 Member Posts: 11
    Three days ago I noticed that Toyota had redesigned their web site. When I click on the "build your Sequoia" (Arizona region 85002) they were listing Options A-J. Today they list Options A-G but with both sets of options the Moonroof is not listed. At first I thought that this must be a mistake and would be added, now I am begining to wonder?

    Although I have ordered a Sequoia without a Moonroof I was just wondering if the deletion of this option is on purpose?
  • gldwinggldwing Member Posts: 13
    I noticed that nothing has been posted for 2 days- very unusual. Is this site up and running?
  • shark715shark715 Member Posts: 382
    We've discussed every conceivable topic. There's nothing left to discuss. The forum is complete :)
  • hdfatboyhdfatboy Member Posts: 324
    Looks like Toyota finally updated their website to include the interior colors for the 08 Sequoia. They now show the Red Rock interior for the Platinum model. Interesting that the interior pictures show the dash without the red rock dash panels that have been shown in many of the interior pictures on the net.

    I wonder if they've dropped the accent panels from the dash or if the website simply doesn't depict the red rock platinum dash accurately.

    Has anyone taken deliver on a red rock platinum and did the dash have the lower knee panels the same color as the seat leather?

    http://www.toyota.com/byt/pub/setStartOptions.do?seriesCategory=13&zipHolder=&mo- delId=&zipEditInputTextField=&zipCode=08833#interior
  • vernschillingevernschillinge Member Posts: 66
    Looks like Toyota finally updated their website to include the interior colors for the 08 Sequoia. They now show the Red Rock interior for the Platinum model. Interesting that the interior pictures show the dash without the red rock dash panels that have been shown in many of the interior pictures on the net.

    I wonder if they've dropped the accent panels from the dash or if the website simply doesn't depict the red rock platinum dash accurately.

    Has anyone taken deliver on a red rock platinum and did the dash have the lower knee panels the same color as the seat leather?

    Would be huge (positive) in my book if they replace the lower dash panels with black panels. There was clearly a visible mismatch. I saw a Platinum (Silver/RR) on the local dealer lot and it looked like the lower panels had been painted with cans of spray paint. This is probably why the plastic trim around the seats is black in color. Had they been the same color as the leather (as in the tan and grey interior), the mismatch would be even more evident. I was even contemplating ordering the black lower panels from the tundra and replacing the RR panels as a measure of last resort.

    On an unrelated note, I test drove a Platinum with the tan interior and wood dash and was pleasantly surprised to see that the wood actually looks really nice with the tan. Given the size of the silver part of the dash, I figured the molded wood dash would looked garish....but surprisingly, it wasn't. In fact, the silver trim around the speed/tach etc. showing through the wood dash actually looked like the chrome trim rings seen around instrumentation in other vehicles.

    Can someone please comment on the difference in ride quality between the 18" wheels and the 20"s. I drove two separate vehicles on two separate occassions (a couple of weeks apart) and felt that the ride quality on the 18"s was markedly better. I also felt like I could feel a noticable vibration when riding on the 20s, similar to what one would feel when the tires are out of balance.
  • jd08limitedjd08limited Member Posts: 19
    We test drove a platinum with the 20s originally and when we ordered our vehicle(08 Limited), they tried to push the 20s on us, but we specifically opted for the 18s due to what we thought was a better ride. We have now had over vehicle for just over 2 weeks and love it-the ride is very smooth. Good luck,
  • shark715shark715 Member Posts: 382
    JD, how was the ride with the 20's? Was there a noticeable difference versus the 18's?
  • vernschillingevernschillinge Member Posts: 66
    ">Take a look at the pictures below (especially the side view) and you'll see the mismatch I'm referring to. Now imagine for a minute is the glove compartment door and drivers side lower dash panel were both black.
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