Tow Vehicles - SUV's

[85 Barefoot]

Nothing wrong with a high end LTZ Tahoe either. You won't get that high end expensive luxury look but you will get nearly all of the same comforts.

But no 6.2 and to my knowledge no magneto suspension. Wife just got a 15 denali XL. The 6.2 is freshened up over the old 6.2 and its the most unbelievable power plant I've ever driven in an SUV. and fuel economy is actually decent especially on the highway. If your wife drove one, I think she'd be shocked how small they drive with the power and handling. Give it a try!

[dlb]

http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/2015-gmc-yukon-xl-denali-4wd-long-term-wrap-review

Here is Car and Driver's 40k mile report.

I plan on keeping my '08 but this looks very nice.

[Tags]

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...

i'm driving an A4 at the moment primarily because of the work commute from Pleasanton to Silicon Valley. I would take the SUV and get the wife somthing smaller if i didn't have to drive 50-60 miles a day.

The more i think about it i think the Lexus GX460 makes the most sense.

[Tags]

But no 6.2 and to my knowledge no magneto suspension. Wife just got a 15 denali XL. The 6.2 is freshened up over the old 6.2 and its the most unbelievable power plant I've ever driven in an SUV. and fuel economy is actually decent especially on the highway. If your wife drove one, I think she'd be shocked how small they drive with the power and handling. Give it a try!

i'll suggest it and see what she says. The new Yukon looks great.

[jetskipro550]

I didn't read the whole thread, but I wouldn't want to tow anything bigger than a jetski with our 2011 MDX.

My SUV of choice for hauling a boat would be a Sequoia...but that's just cause I love my Tundra

[IXFE]

i'll suggest it and see what she says. The new Yukon looks great.

We just bought a 2015 Yukon Denali. On our first road trip to Cali we averaged 20 mpg at 71mph. Not too shabby considering all the grades in southern Oregon. Once we got into California and the trip flattened out we were consistently getting 23 mpg. Not bad for a 6.2L V8, eh?

Honestly, forget everything you think you dont like about GM utes and go test drive one of these rigs. They are amazing and it's easy to see why GM dominates the full size SUV market.

The Tahoes LTZ is nice enough, but super spendy for a rig that has the 5.3L. For just a couple G's more you can slip into the Denali and get the beast motor. The Escalade is $10k more than the Denali for the same power train. That's cooky talk! The Denali is just as good and just as nice, imho.

[Slayer]

We just bought a 2015 Yukon Denali. On our first road trip to Cali we averaged 20 mpg at 71mph. Not too shabby considering all the grades in southern Oregon. Once we got into California and the trip flattened out we were consistently getting 23 mpg. Not bad for a 6.2L V8, eh?

Honestly, forget everything you think you dont like about GM utes and go test drive one of these rigs. They are amazing and it's easy to see why GM dominates the full size SUV market.

The Tahoes LTZ is nice enough, but super spendy for a rig that has the 5.3L. For just a couple G's more you can slip into the Denali and get the beast motor. The Escalade is $10k more than the Denali for the same power train. That's cooky talk! The Denali is just as good and just as nice, imho.

I agree with this completely. There is another member here who works for GM. He brought a brand new Escalade over the house this summer and I commented about it and his sentiment was the same as yours.....get a Yukon Denali over the Escalade. They really are fantastic vehicles. No comparison in the market place, really.

[dlb]

We have been towing with our Denali for 7 years, excellent vehicle. Planning on keeping it as long as possible. It has about 100K, thinking of getting a nice sedan to be the around town car for my wife to save the miles on the Denali. She is thinking that an M4 will be about right......

[nyryan2001]

And the Ford Expedition with the 3.5 Eco as low as $45k comes in even cheaper than a $50k Denali?

[nyryan2001]

Correction.... Easily had under $40k!

2016 Expedition, 3.5 Eco, 4x4

[Pnwrider]

And the Ford Expedition with the 3.5 Eco as low as $45k comes in even cheaper than a $50k Denali?

Can you really get a Denali for 50k?

[Slayer]

Admittedly, I'm a Ford guy. We had an Expedition and it was nowhere near the vehicle that a Denali is.

All that said, the 3.5 ecoboost is a hell of an engine but not without its unique issues.

Edited November 27, 2015 by inlandlaker

[RyanB]

My only comparisons is what I have rented (3.5 EB Expedition EL, and a couple of new body style Burbs and Yukon XL). The Ford should be $10k less than the GM's because they are not nearly as refined.

[nyryan2001]

Can you really get a Denali for 50k?

Ya.... I'm seeing them high 50s.

You can get the 6.2L crew cab 4x4 Silverados and Sierras for 42-46 range.

Edited November 28, 2015 by nyryan2001

[IXFE]

Ya.... I'm seeing them high 50s.

You can get the 6.2L crew cab 4x4 Silverados and Sierras for 42-46 range.

So now $50k = $59k.

$59k is not easily had. That would be about $11k off a moderatley equipped one. I got $11.5k off ours but that was only after Employee pricing (not easy to get), factory rebate, and a financing rebate. Dillon GMC in Idaho offers them for probably cheaper than anywhere in the country, but getting to Idaho isn't exactly easy, especially if you have a trade.

And the new Denali is 10x the vehicle the dated Expedition is.

Trust me, I wanted to like the Expedition. But I just couldn't do it. Other than the Ecoboost, which I've owned and liked, the rest of that rig feels like it hasn't changed since 2003.

Edited November 28, 2015 by IXFE

[Slayer]

So now $50k = $59k.

$59k is not easily had. That would be about $11k off a moderatley equipped one. I got $11.5k off ours but that was only after Employee pricing (not easy to get), factory rebate, and a financing rebate. Dillon GMC in Idaho offers them for probably cheaper than anywhere in the country, but getting to Idaho isn't exactly easy, especially if you have a trade.

And the new Denali is 10x the vehicle the dated Expedition is.

Trust me, I wanted to like the Expedition. But I just couldn't do it. Other than the Ecoboost, which I've owned and liked, the rest of that rig feels like it hasn't changed since 2003.

^^^^^Could not agree more. It's a turd by comparison.

[nyryan2001]

Still waiting for the 2016 Nissan Titan XD Cummins to arrive.... But in the meantime... Look at the prices on the 2015 Titans, prices have dropped.

2015 Titan Crew Cab 4x4 5.6L... Well equipped at $29-32k. Tracking it's an outdated line... But against all the other current offerings at $40k+ for the big engines... Good value for a rock solid tow vehicle that has good or better QAQC than the big 3.

[oldjeep]

You can easily buy a new hemi crew cab ram slt for low 30's

[nyryan2001]

Yep, and bump it up a notch you are into a RAM 2500 6.4L 4x4 SLT crew starting around $38k.

Haven't seen a lot of feedback on the 6.4L, and its durability.

Edited November 29, 2015 by nyryan2001

[oldjeep]

Yep, and bump it up a notch you are into a RAM 2500 6.4L 4x4 SLT crew starting around $38k.

Haven't seen a lot of feedback on the 6.4L, and its durability.

No idea how common they are. I know at least a dozen guys with ram 2500's and they are all diesels.

[RyanB]

Lots of people on the RV forums have been pulling with the 6.4. I honestly don't think I have seen a negative review of them.

[Falko]

I've seen some of the guys do a real world pull test with the 6.4 vs the Cummins. Very little difference in acceleration times. You have to rev the 6.4 to get the power, but overall seems comparable. I don't think you can get the 6.4 with the Aisin transmission though, but not sure it is needed. Some of the farmers/ranchers prefer the 6.4 gas because it is lighter and doesn't sink the front as easily.

[pihlstrom]

We had a GL350 and traded it for a Dodge Durango. It's not a Lexus but has lots nice features and is a lot less money. It's the same frame and size as the GL. My wife didn't want a larger suv like Tahoe. Our Durango has the Hemi and tows way better than GL350.

[all2matt]

agreed on the durango. I have a G23 and use a WDH and am right at (maybe over) my limit. with the WDH it tows great but Im also in a fairly flat area and NO traffic basiclly ever (north dakota) so its working great for me now. Its bigger than the midsize SUV but not overly large like suburban, has good power with the V8 hemi, plus has a usable enough 3rd row. I would suggest it as an option. for note I towed my old '10 Tige Z1 with out a WDH and the durango pulls straighter/better with the G23 and a WDH. So I would suggest a WDH for longer hauls because it definilty makes things better.

[85 Barefoot]

Ya.... I'm seeing them high 50s.

You can get the 6.2L crew cab 4x4 Silverados and Sierras for 42-46 range.

So now $50k = $59k.

$59k is not easily had. That would be about $11k off a moderatley equipped one. I got $11.5k off ours but that was only after Employee pricing (not easy to get), factory rebate, and a financing rebate. Dillon GMC in Idaho offers them for probably cheaper than anywhere in the country, but getting to Idaho isn't exactly easy, especially if you have a trade.

And the new Denali is 10x the vehicle the dated Expedition is.

Trust me, I wanted to like the Expedition. But I just couldn't do it. Other than the Ecoboost, which I've owned and liked, the rest of that rig feels like it hasn't changed since 2003.

You talking about a sierra denali? or yukon denali? Easily a 10-15k difference. Sticker on my buddy's yukon XL denali was 76k. Getting into a new YUKON denali (add 3,500 for XL) for under 60 is darn near impossible unless its a 15 leftover. Factory has had no incentives since their release. We drove a platinum expedition before buying our denali. Sticker was mid 60s. Makes the denali look like a bargain, actually.

Ryan the point is not lost that you CAN get into a new tow rig for much less, but personally, if I'm spending a lot of money on a vehicle, I don't mind paying for premium features. In that way I guess we're the opposite as it comes to boats. You find value in the G series and enjoy the refinement and features it provides. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that. But there's a lot of people who don't mind (prefer) that premium on their vehicles.