Need a new Tow Vehicle as Audi will be buying back my Q7 TDI --what do you have?

[Julian]

Since Audi will be buying back my Q7 TDI in the May-July timeframe, I have some time to shop for a new tow vehicle (an SUV...I'm not a truck guy). Here is a list of my top contenders, now I just need to determine if I buy new or gently used and which years have what I want!

Here is a list of top tow rated SUVs and my comments:

• Ford Expedition - 9,200 lbs.-sorry...not a Ford guy--had one as a rental didn't like it.
• Lincoln Navigator - 9,000 lbs. (same as above)
• Nissan Armada - 9,000 lbs. (know nothing about it-its an option)
• Chevrolet Tahoe - 8,600 lbs. (an option)
• Infiniti QX80 - 8,500 lbs. (an option if I can get past the way it looks)
• Cadillac Escalade - 8,300 lbs. (an option)
• Chevrolet Suburban – 8,300 lbs. (perhaps)
• Toyota Land Cruiser -8,000 lbs-- an option
• Land Rover Range Rover – 7,700 lbs. (not keen on the maintenance costs)
• Audi Q7 -- 7700 lbs --love the tech packages(does all of the below and adds FLIR)
• Toyota Sequoia - 7,400 - an option - getting close to the bottom of tow capacity
• Lexus LX 570 - - 7000 lbs --an option-but way expensive for what you get and marginal on towing

What I'd like as options (which will likely force particular years/brands):

• Adaptive cruise control
• Auto leveling headlights
• Auto leveling suspension
• Front collision avoidance/braking
• Lane departure warning and lane keeping
• Blind spot warning
• 3 rows of seats
• bluetooth music and hands free phone operation (must work well!)

So if you have an Armarda, Tahoe, QX80, Escalade, Suburban, Sequoia/Land Cruiser.....does it have all of the above, if so what year is it, and are you happy with its towing capability?

 

[RightStuff]

All really good options, good luck on the search. Only thing I would add is if you are looking at the Tahoe/Suburban, don't forget to at least look at the GMC equivalents (Yukon/Yukon XL). Same vehicles, just a bit different looks, interior styling, some additional options, and a bit higher re-sale value too.

 

[Shuck Water]

Forgetting one

 

[Shuck Water]

Or perhaps this one?

 

[Thom]

How about a Jeep Grand Cherokee Ecodiesel, if it becomes available again? Or even the V-8, if you're not keen on another oil-burner? Mercedes GLS could be another option. I believe they have similar tow ratings.

I had an 07 Suburban with the 5.3 before my SuperDuty. It was a great rig for towing a boat, but it couldn't handle my travel trailer. If you go the GM full size SUV route I'd suggest the Denali or Escalade with the 6.2, rather than the 5.3. The engine is worth the small premium, and is more likely to have the extra options you're looking for.

 

[Julian]

@Shuck Water The Dodge is on the low end of the towing scale at 7,400...but an option....do you like how it tows? Does it have all the options available?
@Thom I'd consider the Cherokee Ecodiesel if it was available. Not a fan of Mercedes....expensive on the repair side (I learned that from Audi!!). Definitely will look at all the GMCs....in fact the first site I dug through was the GMC site...specifically looking at the Denali.

I wonder how long I have to give the Audi back? I should tow to Ft. Lauderdale AND Shelbyville before I give it back.....get all that wear in (although I know there is a mileage factor I'll have to watch out for)....wonder if @veedubtek knows what the calculation is on the payback on them?

 

[Shuck Water]

@Julian I've had a Yukon XL and a Lincoln Navigator and personally the Durango has had the best pulling power out of any of them. Obviously the Dodge isn't as heavy as some of the full size SUV's, so you will feel the boat behind you, but I can't imagine it would be much different than the Audi by comparison. Optioned out with the technology & tow package, you will have everything you name on the list. I went with the R/T version which sits 2" lower and has the heavy duty brakes and it's a blast to drive while not towing. Most of those SUV's you listed above will drive like you are sitting on couch going down the highway, numb and boring.

Of course, this fall Dodge is releasing a SRT version of the Durango that will bump the towing capacity to 8,600 lbs with a 6.4L V8 producing 475 horsepower and a 0-60 in 4.4 seconds.

 

[Bruce]

@Julian, I like the 6.2 liter Yukon, Yukon XL, Tahoe, Suburban, Escalade platform. I prefer the Denali for a little less showy version compared to the Escalade.

My 6.2 liter Sierra Denali has, towed tractors, small backhoes, 10,000 pound excavators, a 13,000 pound trailer of brick, huge amounts of lumber, built a house, towed the boat more than 15,000 miles at up to 92 mph, seen lots of off road use on our farms and is still going strong at 175,000 miles.

The hard part is finding a newer 6.2 with all the EPA regulations the 5.3 has taken over.

 

[Julian]

The hard part is finding a newer 6.2 with all the EPA regulations the 5.3 has taken over.

Is the 5.3 not enough for towing the boat? I won't be towing anything larger that the boat....

 

[Shuck Water]

5.3 is awful. It's technically enough, but it's not enough.

 

[MrMoose]

@Julian, my Durango R/T is shares the same platform as one of the Mercedes SUVs because it was developed while Mercedes owned Chrysler, but you don't pay Mercedes maintenance on it. I've towed from Houston to Ft. Lauderdale and back with it twice. No concerns or issues. It has more than enough power and torque for the job and is so smooth that a few times I found myself going with the flow of traffic in the passing lane doing 85 mph with a 24 foot boat in tow. I'm at 73000 miles on my 2012 (same as current platform). The factory rubber lasted 30K miles, but I'm still on the original brakes. Dealership checked them a month ago, and said that they're no where near needing replacement, but I'm due for tires again. The R/T's transmission has a built-in cooler from the factory, so if you want to tow, you only need to get the wiring harness and the hitch installed.
In the 5 years that I've owned my Durango, my expenses have been: two sets of spark plugs (16 plugs each time), regular oil changes, 2 air filters, transmission flush, added a tow pkg, and replaced an engine mount. The Hemi uses 2 plugs per cylinder and the dealership charges $500 for the job. Some Hemis are really hard to change the plugs on, but the 5.7 in the Durango is a breeze (easier than my AR240), so I did the second plug change myself. The engine mount failure was the only thing that was a surprise expense as it was not covered under the drivetrain warranty; it happened after the 3 year bumper to bumper warranty had passed.
Although I enjoyed my Jeep Wrangler prior to my Durango, I'm not a truck guy and one of the things that I really liked about the Durango was the low entry height that the crossover platform gives you. Although it's much larger than it's Jeep Grand Cherokee counterpart, and it does a good job with seating 7 and still giving some room for a couple full size suit cases, it looks ridiculously small when you park it beside an Infinity QX80.
As with all vehicles, you'll never get the published fuel consumption rates in real life. My Durango got 10-12 mpg during my tow to/from Ft. Lauderdale, so you might not like that part, BUT, there's so much power that you never ever have to push the foot pedal past 3/4, so you get the feeling that you're not stressing the drivetrain. I get an easy 17 mpg in the city when I'm not suffering from road rage. Drivers in Houston are the worst in North America. Just this morning, a woman pulled forward from a red light (looking to make a right turn) while looking at her cell phone and almost t-boned my boat/trailer in tow. I was doing 45 mph. She started to pull forward just as I got to her with the Durango, so I got on the horn as I flew by her. I'm not exaggerating when I say that she stopped about 2 inches from hitting the trailer.
The current platform has been around since 2011 and should be due for a major overhaul soon, so if you like to be driving the "current" model, you might not want to get a Durango at this time.
I'm glad that you posted this because I'm shopping for my next SUV too. I'm leaning toward a lease return right now.

 

[Bruce]

Many are happy with them but I would not buy a 5.3. They are solid, they are fuel efficient but they provide minimal towing capacity. I would prefer to lose a few MPG and and almost double the tow capacity.

I have a friend who is in the excavating equipment sales business. He bought a very nice 2015 5.3 and loved the 20 or so MPG on the highway. Then one day he bought a tractor a few hours away and discovered that his truck was not rated to tow it home. He also had to borrow a truck to tow trailers of sod.

In previous generations the Denali and Escalade trims always had the big engines. I know that most Denalis are 5.3s now. They also lost the AWD which is one of the reasons I am hanging on to mine for so long. AWD is awesome for highway towing.

 

[Julian]

@Bruce When I go to the GMC site it only lists the 6.2 for the Yukon Denali....

 

[robert843]

@Shuck Water The Dodge is on the low end of the towing scale at 7,400...but an option....do you like how it tows? Does it have all the options available?
@Thom I'd consider the Cherokee Ecodiesel if it was available. Not a fan of Mercedes....expensive on the repair side (I learned that from Audi!!). Definitely will look at all the GMCs....in fact the first site I dug through was the GMC site...specifically looking at the Denali.

I wonder how long I have to give the Audi back? I should tow to Ft. Lauderdale AND Shelbyville before I give it back.....get all that wear in (although I know there is a mileage factor I'll have to watch out for)....wonder if @veedubtek knows what the calculation is on the payback on them?

@Julian here is the mileage table. Do you need the actual buy back table as well? I have it also.

https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/documents/cases/2843_-_3.0l_order_-_attachment_5b.pdf

 

[RightStuff]

Is the 5.3 not enough for towing the boat? I won't be towing anything larger that the boat....

The 5.3L with the 8 speed will be more than enough for your boat (and then some). I have this setup in my Sierra and really enjoy it, granted it's not as fast as the 6.2L, but I wasn't looking for that in a tow vehicle. If you are looking at them, drive them both to compare, you'll notice the extra hp and torque, you gain about 65HP and 75lb-ft. You are correct in the Yukon you have to get the Denali trim level to get the 6.2L option.

 

[Julian]

@Julian here is the mileage table.

Cool....looks like I'll be getting even MO money as my 2011 only has 47k miles!

 

[robert843]

My tow vehicle is a 2015 Lincoln Navigator L I love the space and the ride the towing capacity is great. I have also had the normal sized version and will never go back I will only buy the extended L versions going forward.

• Adaptive cruise control- yes
• Auto leveling headlights- yes
• Auto leveling suspension- yes
• Front collision avoidance/braking - mine doesn't so not sure of course it does start beeping at me if I get to close to something.
• Lane departure warning and lane keeping- mine doesn't so not sure
• Blind spot warning-yes
• 3 rows of seats-yes probably the best third row set up of any full size SUV out there.
• bluetooth music and hands free phone operation (must work well!) - yes

 

[Bruce]

@Bruce When I go to the GMC site it only lists the 6.2 for the Yukon Denali....

Must be that 5.3 vs 6.2 is a only an option on Sierra Denali or perhaps that was only an issue with previous year models of the current generation.

I would be interested if you discover that AWD is available. I believe they did away with it.

Do you have to sell your Q7 back or is there an option to keep it?

 

[Julian]

Must be that 5.3 vs 6.2 is a only an option on Sierra Denali or perhaps that was only an issue with previous year models of the current generation.

I would be interested if you discover that AWD is available. I believe they did away with it.

Do you have to sell your Q7 back or is there an option to keep it?

There is an option to keep it, but the financial equation looks to be better if they buy it back.....plus it is unclear what will happen to the car's power after the "fix".....and who knows what will happen to their resale value.

Looks like both 4 and 2 wheel drive are available.

 

[Bruce]

Looks like both 4 and 2 wheel drive are available.

4WD (Z71) is a classic 4WD system. The AWD drive was an always on system that distributed to power to the wheels that had the most grip. 4WD should not be used on normal roads. AWD is awesome for cornering faster and never spinning a tire, especially when towing.