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Tow Vehicles - SUV's


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All,

We'll be selling/trading my wifes Mercedes GL450 at the end of the year. Its been a great tow vehicle but its at the age where maintenance becomes frequent and expensive. My wife would also like something slightly smaller but still with 3rd row.

We want to look at the following:

2015 Lexus GX460

2015 Infiniti QX60

2015 Accura MDX

I know the lexus is a great tow vehicle but i haven't heard anything about how the others might tow a boat the same/similar size to our iRide.

The infiniti and accura can tow 5000lbs with their respective tow package. Has anyone towed with or known anyone to tow with either the accura or infiniti?

Any info is appreciated.

Thanks.

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remember that those tow ratings are developed for pulling around flat areas at sea level. So if you were just towing around the central valley/delta you'd be fine. But if you plan to pull to the mountain lakes at altitude, you are going to want to increase your tow rating by .5 again. Also... third row... does this mean you'll be towing with kids / a big crew? The MDX's 5000 lb tow rating declines with passengers and gear, as explained quite well in the Acura owner's manual:

Screen%20Shot%202015-11-10%20at%205.34.0

Having done the tows around the mountain lakes and over Donner with an SUV full of kids, I wouldn't want anything smaller than a full sized SUV, though I'll admit to being intrigued by a Q7 tdi.

Edited by shawndoggy
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I towed my VTX back to ohio from Norris lake in TN with my dads 2015 MDX. 6 hrs and you pass through smokey mountains. No problems at all. Handled the boat fine. Not as well as my Sierra, I felt the boat swaying alittle at speeds over 75 not much. But had no problem at all from a power perspective.

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Wow, color me impressed. Never would have thought about towing my wakeboat around with an Acura MDX. My neighbor has one across the street and they just don't look that large/capable. Better hide this info from my wife....or she'll want to upgrade the F-150!

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GX460 tows great, better with the air suspension. My dad had a GX470 and then a GX460, a real truck with a real frame. Only thing I've towed with his is a 3000lb pontoon, which is worse to tow than my VTX in terms of the sway and wind resistance.

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Good call getting away from the Benz. Every little thing that malfunctions on one of those is a major repair bill. I can say that the Lexus is the only one I have any experience with and it is capable and very reliable. The Lexus LX 570 would be on my radar as well if you can handle the price jump or go with a slightly used one.

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great info. thanks!

The Q7 TDi would be the vehicle of choice but the new model doesn't arrive until April and with craziness that goes on when a new Audi comes out it would likely be mid year before we took possession.

We will definitely do trips away, quite regularly actually. Regular destinations would be Shasta and Tahoe. When we do the long trips it would just be our family of 4. 3rd row use would only be around town and without the boat on the back.

I towed my VTX back to ohio from Norris lake in TN with my dads 2015 MDX. 6 hrs and you pass through smokey mountains. No problems at all. Handled the boat fine. Not as well as my Sierra, I felt the boat swaying alittle at speeds over 75 not much. But had no problem at all from a power perspective.

The VTX would be a similar weight to an iRide i'm guessing.....maybe even a little heavier than the iRide.

Anyone towed with a QX60?

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Wow, color me impressed. Never would have thought about towing my wakeboat around with an Acura MDX. My neighbor has one across the street and they just don't look that large/capable. Better hide this info from my wife....or she'll want to upgrade the F-150!

My dad is on his second MdX first one was a 2005. He has been trailering his 22 ft cuddy cabin with these and i think that boat weighs around 1000lbs more than my VTX.

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Good call getting away from the Benz. Every little thing that malfunctions on one of those is a major repair bill. I can say that the Lexus is the only one I have any experience with and it is capable and very reliable. The Lexus LX 570 would be on my radar as well if you can handle the price jump or go with a slightly used one.

Yep. The benz is an awesome tow vehicle but after seeing the $2490 bill from the dealer last week we're done with it.

The LX570 is just too many monies in my opinion. Its 20k more than the price of a new GL450 and its definitely not that much more of an SUV

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We will definitely do trips away, quite regularly actually. Regular destinations would be Shasta and Tahoe. When we do the long trips it would just be our family of 4. 3rd row use would only be around town and without the boat on the back.

I don't know how old your kids are, but I will say that some of the best times on our boat have been when our kids have brought their friends along. No way on God's green earth would I be driving an excursion if it weren't for the times that I've wanted to be able to drag six kids (my two and their friends) to the lake. I didn't know it at the time but the trips my wife and I did to shasta with the kids and their friends are likely to go down as the best vacations of my life.

Especially if you *have* the third row it will be a real bummer to not be able to use it because the vehicle can't handle the boat and the occupants.

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I don't know how old your kids are, but I will say that some of the best times on our boat have been when our kids have brought their friends along. No way on God's green earth would I be driving an excursion if it weren't for the times that I've wanted to be able to drag six kids (my two and their friends) to the lake. I didn't know it at the time but the trips my wife and I did to shasta with the kids and their friends are likely to go down as the best vacations of my life.

Especially if you *have* the third row it will be a real bummer to not be able to use it because the vehicle can't handle the boat and the occupants.

you make a good point. Maybe we need to go with the GX460 then......i just really dislike the swing out rear door.

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Agreed with above, I had an M-class Benz and at 100,000 miles repairs got expensive, quickly.

My wife had an MDX, and we never dared to tow with that. I really liked the vehicle otherwise, but figured my boat is probably right at that 5000# mark, and didn't want to be stuck on a boat ramp some rainy afternoon. On a side note I'm impressed with how quickly Shawndoggy came up with that image from the owners manual!

I am currently in the GX 460 and don't have any issues towing. We don't use our 3rd row much, but it's nice to have if needed. The rear door does swing out sideways instead of up like most SUVs, but you get used to it. Just have to be more cautious when the boat is attached so you don't ding the door up. I have the package with the air suspension, and it's nice because it automatically adjusts itself when the boat is hooked up.

I don't know much about the Infinity, but they do look nice. Good luck!

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you make a good point. Maybe we need to go with the GX460 then......i just really dislike the swing out rear door.

+1 ... be careful opening if on a slight incline. Have a nice little dent from the nose of the boat.

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3.0L diesel discovery 4? Twin turbo, air suspension standard plus drives and tows beautifully. Plus 3rd row that adults can sit in without being cramped with rear AC as well

.

Edited by brad72
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I've had my 2.7L D4 for 5 years now and love it. Only maintenance issue I have had is a kinked heated hose. Great for off roading, leather,sat nav, diff lock etc and tows the Sunsetter fine. Brother has the 3,0L Range Rover Sport and the 3.0L tows better.

What I love is the even at 6' tall I can sit in the 3rd row seats without my head hitting the roof or my knees hitting the seat in front. Also love how quiet the cabin is and the sir suspension is 1st class. Even fully loaded it doesn't wallow. My only suggestion if you do get one is to get front arm rests and rear air conditioning.

Edited by brad72
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I am not normally a GM person, but if I were looking for a SUV with a 3rd row that would be used to tow a boat, the Escalade would be very high on my list. It just won a MotorTrend luxury SUV square off by a long shot. Likely more luxury than anything you are considering, and certainly would be the bet tow vehicle. Just my $0.02.

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i would move to a Yukon Denali or Escalade in a heartbeat but my wife refuses to even entertain the idea.

What YOU driving Tags? Maybe time for you to drive the tow rig and the Mrs. can have her cute ute? Hahaha I've been down that road myself already...

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