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Tow Rig ??


babybu

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Going out to kick tires for a vehicle to use as our "going to the lake" and tow car. Most of our towing will be less than a mile to the launch ramp. However, we will have to tow home from Lake Havasu to Orange County once or twice a year.

We have checked out some used Land Rovers with a tow capacity of 7700 pounds. Any opinions on this car as a tow vehicle for our 23LSV?

Thanks in advance for any advice.

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The land rovers are GREAT vehicles. All-around. We tow our VTX only 4 times a year for 1hr in our LR3 with the 217 hp v6. We also launch on a steep gravel ramp and the LR3 doesn't skip a beat pulling the boat out of the water. If I were towing regularly I'd opt for the V-8, but the v6 has never had trouble with our VTX.

As for the rest of the vehicle. Ours had only been used for off-roading for 2 years before we bought it and we have had zero problems with it. The quality of materials, ride and comfort are second to none, and this is on the rugged LR3 SUV. The range-rovers will have you second guessing flagship luxury sedans for comfort and ergonomics.

Don't hesitate with any of the Land-Rovers (except LR2) for an all-around vehicle or tow vehicle. I would stick with any v-8 model (which is standard on all LR4 (replacement of LR3) and Range-Rover models) to tow your LSV with.

For the record the Range-Rover sport is the LR4 Chassis with a look alike Range rover body. If you just want a good quality tow vehicle get an LR4, if you want the cats a**, than jump straight to the Range Rover (not sport).

Just my $0.02.

Good luck.

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I 2nd the LR3 (i have an 06 V8 LR3) and it tows our malibu vride with ease. Ive even towed my fathers boat that weighs 5800 through mountain passes. I racked up 35k miles last yr. Be sure to buy one with a warranty though (recommend extended warranty). With a suv that has so much going on electric wise it has a mind of its own at times.

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I 2nd the LR3 (i have an 06 V8 LR3) and it tows our malibu vride with ease. Ive even towed my fathers boat that weighs 5800 through mountain passes. I racked up 35k miles last yr. Be sure to buy one with a warranty though (recommend extended warranty). With a suv that has so much going on electric wise it has a mind of its own at times.

vride_thumb.jpg

Edited by Huelsmma
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Going out to kick tires for a vehicle to use as our "going to the lake" and tow car. Most of our towing will be less than a mile to the launch ramp. However, we will have to tow home from Lake Havasu to Orange County once or twice a year.

We have checked out some used Land Rovers with a tow capacity of 7700 pounds. Any opinions on this car as a tow vehicle for our 23LSV?

Thanks in advance for any advice.

We have an '07 Suburban and love it. 5.3L, trailer tow pack, 2WD. We opted for the 5.3L vs the bigger 6.0L because of cylinder deactivation for fuel economy. When towing it rarely if ever runs in 4 cyl mode, but when not towing, the thing gets ridiculous economy on the highway for how huge it is. Round trip from Cincy to Indy last week got 21.6 MPG. We have the 23 XTI, so it probably is close to the same size as your 23 LSV.

We also have 3 kids and a dog, so we use the Suburban space daily. I also like the simplicity of the GM truck drivetrain. Cheap service, cheap parts, etc. We're trying to get 10 yrs out of it to get all the kids thru high school and plan to beat the crap out of it. So far so good! :-)

-- Mike

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....... got 21.6 MPG.

I drive an 05 Avalanche, same chassis as the Suburban, just missing some sheetmetal & interior in the back. It has the 5.3 too. 21.6 is great mileage for that truck. And as long as I keep the freeway speeds under about 55 or 60 mph, the Av will get that kind of mileage without the cylinder deactivation.

One thing about them too, they are available with a variety of gears. I have the 4.10s, which are better for towing. 3.73s are also OK for towing. Anything else is going to make that 5.3 liter work too hard & your not going to be happy towing with it.

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I just traded-in my 2007 SuburbanLTZ 5.3 for a brand-new Toyota Sequoia Platinum. I will miss the space in the Suburban a bit (we have 4 kids)....but....I absolutely cannot believe how much better the Sequoia drives and tows compared with the Suburban. My 2007 had an ancient 4-SPeed tranny, and it always seem to be working way too hard when towing. Even with just me in the Suburban and a lightly loaded boat in tow. The fit, finish, drivetrain, and engine are just years ahead of the Chevy. The tow package components are so overbuilt in the Toyota (compared with my Chevy) - Tranny cooler, Aux Oil Cooler (Chevy didn't have one), trailer sway control, radiator size, alternator, etc.

One recommendation I would make (and one that I will never live without - as long as I own a boat) - Get auto-leveling (air) suspension. I've had it with an Armada, Suburban, and now my Sequoia. If you loa-up the boat and truck - it is so nice to have. Good luck!

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I just traded-in my 2007 SuburbanLTZ 5.3 for a brand-new Toyota Sequoia Platinum. I will miss the space in the Suburban a bit (we have 4 kids)....but....I absolutely cannot believe how much better the Sequoia drives and tows compared with the Suburban. My 2007 had an ancient 4-SPeed tranny, and it always seem to be working way too hard when towing. Even with just me in the Suburban and a lightly loaded boat in tow. The fit, finish, drivetrain, and engine are just years ahead of the Chevy. The tow package components are so overbuilt in the Toyota (compared with my Chevy) - Tranny cooler, Aux Oil Cooler (Chevy didn't have one), trailer sway control, radiator size, alternator, etc.

One recommendation I would make (and one that I will never live without - as long as I own a boat) - Get auto-leveling (air) suspension. I've had it with an Armada, Suburban, and now my Sequoia. If you loa-up the boat and truck - it is so nice to have. Good luck!

What year is your Yoda?

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