Is a 100 series the right vehicle for me?

ATL Jack

New member
Hi! I stumbled across this site a few weeks ago and am loving the wealth of information.

I grew up doing a lot of backpacking, fishing, rock climbing, etc. My wife likes camping as long as the car is within sight. Therefore, I am trying to figure out a way to take the family camping but still appease my sense of adventure by getting off the beaten path. I have very little experience off road but get excited at the prospect of back county exploration. We have 3 boys ages 6, 5, and 2. I feel that the youngest is now old enough for us to have some back country adventure and explore the nation. Our current kid hauler is a 2wd expedition. Its big, heavy, and the lack of 4wd doesnt give me a lot of confidence. A couple weeks ago it struggled on occasion with traction on some dirt roads with steep inclines in the smokey mountains. Truth be told that 2wd would be perfectly adequate for the type of off-road exploration we want to do as a family, but I do want the added confidence that 4wd and a winch provides so that if I do get in over my head I have some options. My intention is to start slow by taking the family on weekend trips in here in the southeast, but my goal is to eventually take multiple 2-4 week trips to explore the nation (maybe starting in 2016).

I know that the Land Cruiser is more than adequate for the type of conditions I envision, but my real question is: Is it big enough? I have read a lot of threads here and I see many instances where families of 3 or 4 explore in a land cruiser. It seems that families larger than 4 tend to be in full size trucks (sequoias, suburbans, etc.) I am hoping some of you have experience with this and can provide some insight. I am sure its fine for a weekend, but is it big enough for a 2-4 week trip? Will we be miserable in a Land Cruiser? (I should mention there is no way I can get my wife to camp for 4 weeks straight. In reality it would be a few nights camping followed by a couple nights in a cabin followed by a couple night at a dude ranch followed by a few night camping etc...). I'd rather not use a trailer but am wiling to spend some money on a quality roof rack.

I will also mention that we will probably keep the wifes expedition. I am ready for a new daily driver and have a budget of ~$25k. One option is for me to get the lowest mileage 100 series cruiser I can find and outfit it the way I want for $25k to use as my daily driver. The other option is for me to spend $5-7k on a Isuzu Trooper as a weekend toy and buy used sedan as my dd.
 

Abe Froman

Adventurer
Minivan is always the answer when you have three kids.
Sienna comes in AWD
It has magic slidey doors.
Way better MPG
 

Rallyroo

Expedition Leader
I have an 80 series and it was a tight fit for a total of 5 people plus camping gear. Gear was stacked to the ceiling and I do not have a roof rack. Having a roof rack would have helped me by taking the load of some bags and items like sleeping bags and chairs. But I made do for that particular trip since I don't normally have a full compliment of passengers.

Find someone who has a 100 series that you can load up or at least see in person. Seeing is a lot easier than going by numbers for dimensions/capacity.
 

AndrewP

Explorer
80 or 100 is too small for 5, especially loaded up. 4 is doable, so if your wife stays at the spa, it might work.

If you really want to take everyone, buy a decent daily driver and a used Suburban to haul the family.

If you stay on the pavement, I second the idea of a Sienna. We've owned 2, and they have been great. You don't need the AWD either, the FWD with traction control is pretty excellent in all but extreme conditions.
 
These are just some of my casual observations, and please note that I don't have a 100 series cruiser, but have a moderate level of experience when it comes to camping with a large family. (I was the oldest of 5 kids, so I was always the one that helped my parents get everything prepped for any sort of adventures)

The 100 series will provide you with ample seating room for the 5 of you, though that seating room will naturally diminish as the kids grow up. Obviously, a 16 year old takes up much more room than 10 year old that hasn't hit puberty. So, seating room for now isn't an issue. In the future, moving a kid back to the rear seats will obviously reduce the amount of rear cargo space.

The problem you run into with a larger family is cargo space, and determining how much equipment you plan on taking. What equipment I may deem more than sufficient may be far from acceptable to others, and it goes the other way around. If you plan on using a Roof Top Tent, that reduces the amount of cargo that you could store on the roof rack (not merely spacewise, but weight as well. You want to avoid becoming too top heavy/tipsy). So you might want to get a list together that includes any camping/expedition equipment that you determine to be necessary as a base, and then add any "luxuries" on top of that. Take into account whether or not you want to use the additional seating, and if you have all of the space on a roof rack to use in addition to rear cargo space. I don't have any measurements or even rough estimates as to how much will fit in the back of a 100 series, but I'm sure you could find some great examples and rough ideas by browsing through some threads, as you've already done.

As for the Isuzu Trooper, I own one and have been very impressed by the amount of space that it provides. For its size, it is astonishing how much stuff I can fit in the rear. I'm able to fit everything I need in the rear, in addition to my storage/sleeping platform that I've built for it that allows me to sleep in the back (though I have to move things such as coolers to the outside of the vehicle to sleep in it). However, that being said, I don't have any experience camping with it with a large family. But I'm about 6' 2", and I fit in the rear seats fine without hitting my knees, so 3 small kids shouldn't be an issue. But it's a solid platform for building a camping rig, and it is pretty capable in stock form.

So there's some advice and some observations for you to consider.
 

Sacmaster

Member
Minivan is always the answer when you have three kids.
Sienna comes in AWD
It has magic slidey doors.
Way better MPG

As the former owner of a 100 and the current owner of a Sienna and a Tundra, this post is truth. But it hurts to acknowledge. I loved my 100 more than is healthy for a vehicle relationship. But I sold it when the mileage got up around 220k and bought a crew cab Tundra with 100k less miles on it for essentially an even trade. The 100 is a fantastic vehicle, but it would be cramped with 5 people and luggage. I took mine on a 5 week trip around the country with 3 friends, and we were maxed out on space. It wasn't uncomfortable, but it was snug. The Sienna is a great vehicle, but it isnt in the same league. It's loud and the transmission has weird programming, but it's spacious and comfortable. The Tundra (04) reminds me a lot of the 100 with a cheaper interior. It's essentially a sequoia witha bed instead of a 3rd row. Very comfortable and reliable so far. Never had any problems with any of them. I miss my 100.
 

ChuckB

Expedition Leader
I have three kids as well, although all younger than yours and still in car seats. The youngest is 6 months old. I absolutely love my 100. However, I feel it is getting to small for our growing family. As much as it pains me to say it, I'm thinking about selling it, and getting something bigger. I'm thinking that in the future, for parental sanity, that the kids are going to need to be separated by captain chairs in the 2nd row necessitating a true third row.
This decision literally keeps me up at night. I know know... its just a car, but absolutely love everything about Land Cruisers. A minivan is pretty much not an option as neither my wife nor I want to drive one. Although they are probably the right tool 98% of the time. I'm thinking about Excursions, Sequoias or even a converted 4x4 E350 van at this point. I just haven't made a solid determination on selling the 100 yet...
 
Last edited:

krazytoy

Adventurer
I've had them all and I have three kids right about your age. Honestly my vote would be for a 1/2 ton 4 door chevy with a mild torsion bar lift and some 32's. The 5.3L is an excellent engine with plenty of power, they ride nice on the highway, you can daily drive them and they get decent mileage. There are plenty of aftermarket parts available for the few weak links it has (steering). Plenty of room in the cab and same with the bed. My problem was I wanted to go places that was a little to extreme for the rig.
 

Power Wagon Family

I Hate Off Camber
Never had a 100, shopping for one now though. We did just buy a 2013 sequoia as my wife's daily driver and I love it! We have two kids 9 and a 5 month old. The vehicle I think is nicer then my parents Cadillac Escalade. If she would let me take it on our camping expeditions I would mod the sequoia and call it a day but she does not want her DD messed with lol. So I have decided to get a 100 as a weekend toy and do what I want to it. I could not do a minivan just one of those things I can't get past. Good luck on your search.
 

CYK

Adventurer
Minivans are definitely not the coolest image to convey, but functionally, for family/people hauling which is what 99% of what most people do, it's simply amazing. I just drove an Odyssey around this weekend and the comfort/function absolutely kills my Land Cruiser.

If I had a family, I'd def get a minivan and then a mint 80 to tinker around with.
 

Yuman Desert Rat

Expedition Leader
Sportsmobile..... Those kids aren't ever going to shrink or get smaller.....
I love my 100 but if I had rugrats there's NO way my setup would work.
 

BigSwede

The Credible Hulk
To my eyeball estimation, the interior of a 100 isn't any bigger than a Trooper, even though the vehicle is 9" longer. I like to sleep in side my Trooper, and was considering moving to a 100 until if figured out I wasn't gaining any room. That, and the lack of headroom because close to 100% of all LCs come with a sunroof.

To the original question, running greater than 4 persons would be a trial on a long trip...seems like a recipe for lots of squabbling in the back seat.
 

Philthyphil

Observer
Is a Sequoia really that much bigger than a 100/200? I always considered the Sequoia a cheap 100 or a Tundra as a wagon. Surely the crew cap Tundra is but it's also got to be a lot bigger/longer overall. I'm sure someone will google the specs and compare cubic feet but looking in one, then the other side by side, I don't know that I would see it. I guess maybe it could be a little bigger but not that much. I'd go trailer or Sportsmobile/Sprinter (starting with a base model and slowly building it up). Trailer would be nice because it would enable you to leave all the crap in camp and explore during the day. If you get one of the xventure trailers or similar you could have hot water (shower) and a stove/sink (kitchen) and maybe slowly start to convert your wife into a "glamper". My wifes a camper but so is our Great Dane and Rotwieller so with the 2 kids plus two dogs the crap all rides on top for now. Hoping to move into an xventure trailer soon.
 

Forum statistics

Threads
185,529
Messages
2,875,555
Members
224,922
Latest member
Randy Towles
Top