Starting the search for a tow rig with 3rd seating

[Falko]

Our old Expy was the shorter wheel base model and the replacement Armada seems to have more room in the back with the seats up, not much more but a little. As far as room in the third row, my son is 6-4 and he can sit back there, but it is the height of the seat that gets him, his legs are pretty long. My wife is 6-0 and can sit back there, not comfy long distances but across town with a load of people isn't an issue. I think the third row in the Armada is as good as they get.

We have an Escalade in the fleet here at work, granted it is slightly older, '11 maybe. But I think it has the 6.2. Every time I drive it, it feels like it struggles. But you load it full of people for tailgating, and it feels exactly the same, so it has power no doubt. The Armada just feels much peppier for some reason. 

[Sixball]

I picked up a 2017 Navigator at the end of the year run and love it. I was going to get the 2018 but did not want to spend that much. My brother has been pulling with both the 2017 / 2018 Expedition  much the same as the Navigator  they are outstanding tow SUV's If space well using the teared row set is a must you will want to look at the extended version. Should be so 2017's showing up on resale the 2018's are selling very fast. Some must be trading in 2017's 2016's  

[jaciche]

I think the expedition EL with the 3.5 eco would be great for you. I like the interior on the GM SUV's more, but the 2018 expedition is still very nice. The 3.5 eco is a better engine for towing than the 5.3.  IMO. Again, In My Opinion

Edited June 8, 2018 by jaciche

[Norm02]

Denali XL.  Has the 6.2L and should be plenty of power.

[kstateskier1]

On ‎6‎/‎8‎/‎2018 at 11:55 AM, jaciche said:

I think the expedition EL with the 3.5 eco would be great for you. I like the interior on the GM SUV's more, but the 2018 expedition is still very nice. The 3.5 eco is a better engine for towing than the 5.3.  IMO. Again, In My Opinion

This is a great example of how different tastes can be.  I think the GM interiors are horrendous and I always wonder who would choose that over the Fords.  I'm still hung up on the column mounted shifter on a $80k SUV though....

[vanamp]

I'm definitely not opposed to used, are there any older SUVs built like trucks?  I like to hunt for a good deal.  We found our 2004 RAM in 2014 with under 60k miles priced the same as all the other '04s with 100k + miles.  We found our previous truck mis-marked as 2 wheel drive but it was 4 wheel. 

I did check out some newer trucks and the cab space is better and that may be the route to go. 

[RyanB]

If you are willing to look used and older-ish, you could search for a 2500 Burb with the 8.1. 

I had a 2003 that I used the first year I bought my Bu. It was a good tow vehicle, but IMO they are pretty dated interior wise and it is hard to find something lower miles and not beat. 

My wife never liked it which lead to us selling and purchasing a 2011 Yukon XL Denali (which I don’t like). 

[oldjeep]

7 hours ago, RyanB said:

If you are willing to look used and older-ish, you could search for a 2500 Burb with the 8.1. 

I had a 2003 that I used the first year I bought my Bu. It was a good tow vehicle, but IMO they are pretty dated interior wise and it is hard to find something lower miles and not beat. 

My wife never liked it which lead to us selling and purchasing a 2011 Yukon XL Denali (which I don’t like). 

Problem with an older suburban is that in MN they have all rusted to a pile of dust, might need to go down south to find one and then rust coat the heck out of it.  That generation doesn't survive well up here.

[oldjeep]

10 hours ago, vanamp said:

I'm definitely not opposed to used, are there any older SUVs built like trucks?  I like to hunt for a good deal.  We found our 2004 RAM in 2014 with under 60k miles priced the same as all the other '04s with 100k + miles.  We found our previous truck mis-marked as 2 wheel drive but it was 4 wheel. 

I did check out some newer trucks and the cab space is better and that may be the route to go. 

Depends on what you want for a good deal.  2009 and up Ram crew cabs will all have the same space, and there are plenty of them around here.  Take a look at Belzers used inventory. But honestly right now is the time to buy a new one - when they are selling for 15K under sticker with no negotiation.

Edited June 12, 2018 by oldjeep

[RyanB]

4 hours ago, oldjeep said:

Problem with an older suburban is that in MN they have all rusted to a pile of dust, might need to go down south to find one and then rust coat the heck out of it.  That generation doesn't survive well up here.

Honestly, I don’t think anything survives well in areas like yours. When I was looking a few years back I was close to buying a 2012ish Escalade until I looked underneath. Iowa car that had a ton of rust at 2 years old (granted nearly 100,000 miles)  

Search the west or the south for used vehicles.  I bought my 2003 out of Portland and the underside looked new. 

 Shipping is much cheaper than dealing with rust. 

[SoDakSooner]

Maybe a bit on the smallish size, but our 2014 durango pulls our 2003 vlx well.  I bit smaller than your Axis, but never had a power issue at all with the hemi.  The unibody isn't ideal, but the third row is not terrible.  I have pulled a few hours at a shot with no issues.  It is rated at 7100 or so.

[95echelon]

Did you pick anything yet?

I just picked up a Denali XL with the 6.2L and I LOVE it compared to my last gen suburban with the 5.3L. Whatever you do, don't get the 5.3. My other option was the new expedition (can't afford the Navigator) but it was too short for my great dane to lay down behind the third row. The suburbans or extended yukon / escalades have about 4x3 feet behind the third row and can fit a whole sheet of drywall inside the truck.

You won't go wrong with either option (ford or GM). As for the column mount shifter I love it because it's fast and effective, in the expedition the shifting wheel took up a whole lot of space that could have been storage.

Radar cruise and lane assist are awesome too, and after losing my mother in law to a freak collision with farm equipment two months ago, the front collision assist would have 100% saved her life (and saved my sister in law a whole lot of hospital bills).

[vanamp]

5 hours ago, 95echelon said:

Did you pick anything yet?

I just picked up a Denali XL with the 6.2L and I LOVE it compared to my last gen suburban with the 5.3L. Whatever you do, don't get the 5.3. My other option was the new expedition (can't afford the Navigator) but it was too short for my great dane to lay down behind the third row. The suburbans or extended yukon / escalades have about 4x3 feet behind the third row and can fit a whole sheet of drywall inside the truck.

You won't go wrong with either option (ford or GM). As for the column mount shifter I love it because it's fast and effective, in the expedition the shifting wheel took up a whole lot of space that could have been storage.

Radar cruise and lane assist are awesome too, and after losing my mother in law to a freak collision with farm equipment two months ago, the front collision assist would have 100% saved her life (and saved my sister in law a whole lot of hospital bills).

Not yet but it takes us forever to make big purchases.  That one is definitely on our short list.  We are debating getting a lift at the cabin and towing less and that may push us away from another RAM.  

[kstateskier1]

On ‎6‎/‎29‎/‎2018 at 3:27 PM, 95echelon said:

Did you pick anything yet?

I just picked up a Denali XL with the 6.2L and I LOVE it compared to my last gen suburban with the 5.3L. Whatever you do, don't get the 5.3. My other option was the new expedition (can't afford the Navigator) but it was too short for my great dane to lay down behind the third row. The suburbans or extended yukon / escalades have about 4x3 feet behind the third row and can fit a whole sheet of drywall inside the truck.

You won't go wrong with either option (ford or GM). As for the column mount shifter I love it because it's fast and effective, in the expedition the shifting wheel took up a whole lot of space that could have been storage.

Radar cruise and lane assist are awesome too, and after losing my mother in law to a freak collision with farm equipment two months ago, the front collision assist would have 100% saved her life (and saved my sister in law a whole lot of hospital bills).

Did you look at the regular Expedition or the MAX.  The MAX seems to have almost identical specs to the Yukon XL online, though I haven't personally shopped.  

[95echelon]

 

1 hour ago, kstateskier1 said:

Did you look at the regular Expedition or the MAX.  The MAX seems to have almost identical specs to the Yukon XL online, though I haven't personally shopped.  

The MAX. It has much less storage behind the rear seat than a Suburban / Yukon XL. The one I rented had a lot of bells and whistles but not the cruise control that would brake for cars in front of you. I liked the ride of it, louder than the yukon but felt sportier on the road (I could see benefits of sporty vs soft suspension either way). After towing with the same Expedition engine in an F150 I can say the ford engines seem to tow a bit better than the 6.2L but not insanely different. The new Denali has the 10 speed auto too in order to match the ford, I have not driven the new Denali.

The max gives the third row about 6 more inches of legroom but takes it from the rear cargo. When I have a 160 pound great dane back there I need the room for him. Most folks would want the legroom! The ford has an independent rear suspension that gives it the ability to move the third row back.

Edit: I am guessing the Navigator competes more with the Denali and Escalade so cabin noise is not likely a fair comparison. I would guess the Navigator has more sound deadening.

On 6/29/2018 at 9:42 PM, vanamp said:

Not yet but it takes us forever to make big purchases.  That one is definitely on our short list.  We are debating getting a lift at the cabin and towing less and that may push us away from another RAM.  

If my current vehicle ran well I would buy the lift first. Good luck!

Edited July 2, 2018 by 95echelon

[kstateskier1]

26 minutes ago, 95echelon said:

 

The MAX. It has much less storage behind the rear seat than a Suburban / Yukon XL. The one I rented had a lot of bells and whistles but not the cruise control that would brake for cars in front of you. I liked the ride of it, louder than the yukon but felt sportier on the road (I could see benefits of sporty vs soft suspension either way). After towing with the same Expedition engine in an F150 I can say the ford engines seem to tow a bit better than the 6.2L but not insanely different. The new Denali has the 10 speed auto too in order to match the ford, I have not driven the new Denali.

The max gives the third row about 6 more inches of legroom but takes it from the rear cargo. When I have a 160 pound great dane back there I need the room for him. Most folks would want the legroom! The ford has an independent rear suspension that gives it the ability to move the third row back.

Edit: I am guessing the Navigator competes more with the Denali and Escalade so cabin noise is not likely a fair comparison. I would guess the Navigator has more sound deadening.

 

Good to know.  Thinking about this as a possible upgrade for my wife next time around.  We are coming up on 3 kids under 4 and our lab only weighs 80lbs. so the extra seat room may actually be good in our case.  

[Sixball]

The Expedition and Navigator have two sizes, Std, and E  E= extended.  As for cruse each have two levels standard cruse or Adaptive. Adaptive will keep a set distance from a vehicle or object in front. Will speed up slow down stop and resume as traffic requires. I am quit sure you can put a 4X8 sheet of plywood flat on the extended floor, second row seats folded down!     

[95echelon]

On 6/7/2018 at 7:12 PM, AzAxisA22 said:

I was looking at Sequoias and Yukon XL Denalis/Escalade ESVs for the same use.  We ended up with a 2015 GM because very few of the Sequoias have bucket seats in the middle row.  The Quad seating makes it much easier for people to get in and out of the 3rd row.  Also, more cargo space in the XL/ESV with the 3rd row in use.

I've towed with the Denali a few times.  It gets the job done but my Tundra tows significantly better despite having less power and less torque.  

A bit off topic but does your Denali have the 6 or 8 speed tranny?

[AzAxisA22]

On 7/3/2018 at 8:24 AM, 95echelon said:

A bit off topic but does your Denali have the 6 or 8 speed tranny?

The 6 speed.  Very few 2015's have the 6, but mine is one of them.  I think they transitioned to the 8 speed around November of 2014.  If you're looking, an easy way to tell is the 6 speed has a dipstick under the hood and the 8 speed doesn't.