4Runner -- traveling with kids

Unfortunately, it may be time to sell off my F150. The truck is too big with my wife's new van in the garage. Not much room to maneuver her van in and out, so we're thinking of trading the F150 for a 4Runner. Slightly narrower width will help, but the much shorter length will make a big difference, as our garage is side entry. She's doing those Goldmember 37 pt turns to get the van in the garage.

Anyway, the only thing that concerns us is outings with kids. We've got 2 with one on the way. One will be in a booster soon, and the other will be in a child seat for a little while longer. Is this going to be too crowded for a mid-size SUV? If I get one, I plan to immediately get a proper roof rack (like a Frontrunner). Hopefully that takes care of our cargo needs. Trailer is not an option, as my house just doesn't have the room.

For day to day stuff, they'll be in the wife's van, so not a big issue. I'm just concerned the 4-10 hr drives may be a bit much with them so close together. If any of you have been in a similar situation, I'd love some input.

Thanks.

I went with the Sequioa when we replaced the van, I needed the 3rd row for kid number 4. I don't know why they make kids seats as wide as a 300lb person but they seem to. The booster does help with space, the rear facing may help also, so the kid in the middle doesn't feel so claustrophobic. I'd try and stick the 3 car seats in the back before you buy just to make sure things fit. I know I had 2 in car seats and 1 in a booster in my Sequoia and it fit but I think it's a few inches wider. Arrangement that worked best was the booster in the middle and car seats on each end. Some of this depends on what year 4runner you're talking about, a 2005+ looks larger than the earlier versions.

The 4th gen 4Runner isn't as small as earlier ones, but you can find them with 3rd row. Which you're going to want, because I think three kids will be too much for one bench seat.

What about an 80 or 100 series Landcruiser? You can find them with 3rd row too. They'll be a little smaller than the F150 anyway.

Thanks for the responses. Yeah, my F150 has a ton of room. It will be missed.

I've thought about a Land Cruiser as well, but:
* 95% of the time, it will be just me driving around in it, other than taking the kids to school in the morning on my way to work.
* MPG is noticeably worse than the 4Runner.
* Mods seem to be 2x the cost (?).
* Purchase price seems to be 20-30% higher as well, although the older you go, the narrower the gap becomes.

I thought a later gen 4Runner would be good enough, but who knows. Looking at ~'10-11 4Runners. I've seen ones with 3rd row, but for camping trips, I'll need all the cargo room I can get, so I don't know if they'll be beneficial. It looks like they eat up into the cargo room as well.

It's been mentioned before in other threads, but check out the GX 470 and GX 460. V8 with the 3rd row.

What generation 4runner? If you're talking new (5th gen) they aren't that much smaller than your F150. I pulled my expedition ('15) up to my cousins 5th gen and its actually almost as wide and its actually longer, and the expedition is only about 6in shorter than a super crew 5.5 foot bed.

I considered the GX, and have spent some time in them, as a couple of friends have them. They're really nice, and wouldn't mind getting one. But I prefer the better MPG and slightly more nimble feel of the 4Runner more. And I like the hatch door (w/ the window that rolls down) vs the barn door set up, personally.

Regarding the size, the 4Runner ('10+) is quite a bit smaller. Width is only 4-5" narrower, but the length:
F150 - 230"
4Runner - 191"

That's over 3 feet.

With that said, I know sometimes what's on paper doesn't necessarily directly translate to real life. Maybe I'll have to see if I can get one to the house to test fit before spending all this effort looking for one.

We have a '97 4Runner that my wife drove full time with 2 toddlers for 8 months. The backseat is definitely cramped with 2 huge car-seats. 3 large boosters would be nearly impossible.

The 4th and 5th gen are much larger inside, the 4th is a blast with the V8. No 4Runner has a backseat comparable to the newer F150's.

The aftermarket is not super strong for the Sequoia but that may be a good option, I'd look for a 2005+.

Since you already have the minivan I think a 2010+ 4Runner would fill the void of the F150 for hitting the dirt. They wont be in car-seats forever! Either way I would head to the dealership with all 3 seats/boosters and make sure you can access the LATCH or seatbelts.

We take a 2hr drive a couple times a month in our 3rd gen with an 80lb retriever, load of tools, pelican case, food and 3 duffel bags. While it is pretty full inside we've only HAD to use the rack once.

The idea of third row seating in the 4Runner is appealing but for trips it seriously reduces the cargo space.

A 4WD Sienna with 33's would accommodate 98% of our needs/wants.

What minivan did you go with?

If you give up fitting into a 4runner, the Sequoia really isn't that bad. It's got lots of room, the 4.7 is reliable, plenty of space for 3 car seats across, pull the rear seats or fold them forward and you have way more space than the 4runner. They are kind of low, a small lift would help offroad clearance. Getting my wife to go with the lift is my issue. Turning radius is great, it handles well.

My big complaint with mine is the rear hatch goes out on occasion, I end up buying the latch/cable assembly off Amazon for around $100 and spending a half hour every couple years replacing it then I'm good for a couple years. Maintenance has been just oil changes, the front brakes, and the timing belt/water pump when it's recommended. I didn't have any history on mine so I replaced it at 140k miles, it was January and cold so called around and got the Carl Malone dealer to replace the timing belt/water pump and a new chipped key for under $500. My parts cost for the waterpump/timing belt if I picked up parts local was close to $300 and the chipped key and programming would have been about $100+ so it was an easy choice.

Thanks. Sequoia's would definitely work, and maybe it'll come to that. A friend of mine had an 05, which we took on road trips. It was very roomy and comfy. But I'm hoping the 4Runner will work, because it'll give the wife that much more buffer room.

The van is a Sienna AWD. Road tripping machine.