Towing Vehicle

[morgro269]

We're in the market for a new SUV. We have a 2105 242LS. Our current vehicle is 2012 Jeep GC Overland with the 5.7l. It handles the towing duties well.
We are about to pull the trigger on a 2016 Tahoe LTZ. It has the 3.08 rear end. The dealer is willing to install the 3.42's to get the towing capacity up to 8400lbs from 6400. Here's the problem... I'm not real satisfied with the fit and finish on the Tahoe for as expensive as they are. The carpet is shit, there are bolt heads that stick through the carpet between the bucket seats in the back, the "wood" finish is cheap, etc - these are common problems we've seen on all of them.
I can get a 2016 BMW X5 for the same price and it is a much nicer vehicle. Also, the dealers treat you like a person, give loaner vehicles, clean the cars after service, etc. I'm a huge BMW fan. Anyway, has anyone towed the 24 footers with an X5? I'm considering the xDrive50i because of the extra power. The longest we ever tow is about 3 hours on the highway up to Champlain once a year.... and I don't even think that's going to happen anymore. So really, I'm towing on back roads occasionally for 30 minutes.

Thoughts? Experiences?

 

[swatski]

We're in the market for a new SUV. We have a 2105 242LS. Our current vehicle is 2012 Jeep GC Overland with the 5.7l. It handles the towing duties well.
We are about to pull the trigger on a 2016 Tahoe LTZ. It has the 3.08 rear end. The dealer is willing to install the 3.42's to get the towing capacity up to 8400lbs from 6400. Here's the problem... I'm not real satisfied with the fit and finish on the Tahoe for as expensive as they are. The carpet is shit, there are bolt heads that stick through the carpet between the bucket seats in the back, the "wood" finish is cheap, etc - these are common problems we've seen on all of them.
I can get a 2016 BMW X5 for the same price and it is a much nicer vehicle. Also, the dealers treat you like a person, give loaner vehicles, clean the cars after service, etc. I'm a huge BMW fan. Anyway, has anyone towed the 24 footers with an X5? I'm considering the xDrive50i because of the extra power. The longest we ever tow is about 3 hours on the highway up to Champlain once a year.... and I don't even think that's going to happen anymore. So really, I'm towing on back roads occasionally for 30 minutes.

Thoughts? Experiences?

There is a good thread by @Julian on his search for a new tow vehicle, if you are looking for ideas/opinions.
I'm in the same boat. Currently about to throw in the towel. We just started looking at toyota land cruisers, that's how desperate this got... But we do have four kids, and a 24' boat, lol, so only have ourselves to blame.
This is a tough topic. No large SUV with a diesel in US... or even one with the 3rd row, what can I say.

--

 

[Julian]

Yeah...this is a challenge! This is the thread on my hunt....which is still ongoing!

@swatski I looked at all the Toyota SUVs and they all looks so dated to me....they really need to update their line up! Would love a Tundra based SUV with good tech and updated for this century!!!

 

[morgro269]

We have the exact same want list.... thanks for sharing!

 

[Hector Leiva]

We're in the market for a new SUV. We have a 2105 242LS. Our current vehicle is 2012 Jeep GC Overland with the 5.7l. It handles the towing duties well.
We are about to pull the trigger on a 2016 Tahoe LTZ. It has the 3.08 rear end. The dealer is willing to install the 3.42's to get the towing capacity up to 8400lbs from 6400. Here's the problem... I'm not real satisfied with the fit and finish on the Tahoe for as expensive as they are. The carpet is shit, there are bolt heads that stick through the carpet between the bucket seats in the back, the "wood" finish is cheap, etc - these are common problems we've seen on all of them.
I can get a 2016 BMW X5 for the same price and it is a much nicer vehicle. Also, the dealers treat you like a person, give loaner vehicles, clean the cars after service, etc. I'm a huge BMW fan. Anyway, has anyone towed the 24 footers with an X5? I'm considering the xDrive50i because of the extra power. The longest we ever tow is about 3 hours on the highway up to Champlain once a year.... and I don't even think that's going to happen anymore. So really, I'm towing on back roads occasionally for 30 minutes.

Thoughts? Experiences?

Shoot me if you want, but I can’t say enough about the Ford F-150. Recently purchased a 2018 F150 Lariat and the quality, ride, fuel economy, features, and price blow the competition out of the water. Prior to pulling the trigger I spent close to a year doing comparisons and the competition does not even come close. No matter which truck manufacturer I looked at I would come back to the F150. Recommend you at least take a look.

 

[morgro269]

I agree... F150's are good.... I should've put more info in my original post... this is my wife's car... she will not drive a truck and wants 3rd row seating.... also, she'd like to have at least the options that the Jeep has.... I hate car shopping.

 

[M@__]

Lexus LX 570.
Same as or better than land cruiser and you get the Lexus service. Easier to park than a sequoia. Better off-road than almost anything.

 

[Mystic1906]

@morgro269 I've towed my boat a couple of times with my cousin's 06 Expedition. Tows fine with no issues. I am, however, in flat land Florida and so don't have to encounter issues with mountains or even hills for that matter. I say this to say that I looked hard at the 2017 Expedition's before pulling the trigger on my F150. I only carry the wife, 9 yo, and my 16 yo nephew with me most of the time. Everyone else I tell to meet me at the ramp.

The Ex's I looked at drove great and with the 3.73 axle ratio tow 9k. I am a Tahoe lover from way back when but I just can't spend that much on a vehicle to be honest. I looked for a Tahoe that I could afford but no luck. The Ex was comfortable, drove nice, and my wife loved it when we looked (she liked driving it better than her Toyota Rav4) . For me it came down to price at the end and I still ended up making the wrong choice but that is covered in another thread I started.

 

[seanmclean]

In that light then, if you were ready to spend Tahoe money, then take a look a the '18 Expedition.

 

[2kwik4u]

Durango R/T is the way I would go if I had to have a 3rd row and wanted to tow a 24ft'er

I was really close to getting one back in September or so. Finding them gently used with 40k or fewer miles for around $30k. Same 5.7L engine and chassis as your Jeep, but with a 3rd row of seating.

Mercedes has the same chassis with a deisel and 3rd row I think. They're out of my price bracket so I never looked real hard to confirm.

 

[Mainah]

Durango R/T is the way I would go if I had to have a 3rd row and wanted to tow a 24ft'er

I was really close to getting one back in September or so. Finding them gently used with 40k or fewer miles for around $30k. Same 5.7L engine and chassis as your Jeep, but with a 3rd row of seating.

Mercedes has the same chassis with a deisel and 3rd row I think. They're out of my price bracket so I never looked real hard to confirm.

I recently did the math on our R/T with tow vehicle and boat fully loaded for a trip to Bimini. The numbers work out every which way which surprised me. If the R/T is not your cup of tea then perhaps the Citadel would appeal. Here is where I posted the numbers and I have decided to trust the numbers.

https://jetboaters.net/threads/how-not-to-tow.16732/

 

[njmr2fan]

We just drove an 18 Expedition. What a rig! Fit and finish was surprisingly top notch, drive was solid, super silent.

 

[morgro269]

Wait! They brought the Excursion back!?

 

[BigAbe75]

I’ve been looking at used Yukon XL Denali’s. They have the 6.2 engine and most seem to come with the better tow packages over the Tahoe or Suburban.

Just hate to spend this much on a car. Even w/ 100,000 miles they’re still 30k. I think more like 45k with 50-60,000 miles. (If I remember right)

 

[H2OBoy]

My wife drives a 2017 X5 xDrive50i. I have not pulled the boat with it but I'm not sure I would want a 24' boat behind it. To me it does not feel heavy enough to be stable pulling a big boat.

 

[morgro269]

The X5 actually weighs as much as the Jeep... doesn't look it though.... I just got done test driving the X5 xDrive50i... That it an amazing machine. Lots of fun.

 

[morgro269]

Annnnddddd..... just drove a Yukon Denali. Much nicer than the Tahoe and a good towing capability. No where near x5 nice though.... but towing....

 

[MrMoose]

@morgro269, make sure that you check the specs on towing capacity for the options that you're looking at. My '12 Durango R/T towed my '15 AR240 well (two round trips from Houston to Ft. Lauderdale). My '17 Nissan Armada was a champ when I towed my boat from Houston, to Ft. Lauderdale, to Calgary. Not once did I ever feel that either vehicle was incapable of handling the towing, and I never had any mechanical problems with them while towing.
I think that both the Durango R/T and the Armada both have higher towing ratings than the X5.
When I was shopping for my Armada, I gave serious consideration to the Denali XL and the Cadillac, but I went for the Armada because of price/size/capability/value. The '17 Armada is new to North America, but it's a proven platform that has been used in Europe/Australia... for years as the Nissan Patrol. It seems big, but my Platinum edition has all of the electronics that enable you to get into and out of the tightest of spaces.
If you have the $$ go for the Cadi; if you're a value-oriented guy, consider the Armada.
Good luck.

 

[BigAbe75]

@MrMoose how much space is behind the 3rd row in the armada? We’re looking at the Yukon XL/Suburban because the Tahoe is just so short on storage space now that the 3rd row seats are in constant use.

 

[Julian]

@MrMoose how much space is behind the 3rd row in the armada? We’re looking at the Yukon XL/Suburban because the Tahoe is just so short on storage space now that the 3rd row seats are in constant use.

The Armada does look interesting. Will need to add it to my "go look at" list!

The space behind the 3rd row looks pretty limited Abe.