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Nice SUV tow


Soon2BV

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We are looking for a nice suv as a primary vehicle with lots of longer road trips to and from the lake.  Boat is on a lift, so Only tow the boat 2 times a year, so towing important but not critical.  I think just a 5 passenger.   Not interested in a Tahoe / Yukon. Boat is a 21’ LSV - not a huge load

What are some recommendations From the crew 

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2 hours ago, Cole2001 said:

Volkswagen Touareg would be my choice, highest row rating for small suv. Tried and proven, just can’t get new ones anymore. 

Not great reliability ratings though.

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Ford or Lincoln Expedition or Navigator  both come in long or short versos if extra hauling is needed. The Eco is just fun to drive. If you need to pull its as good as a big block V8 no better and close to a diesel. Go take one for a ride see if you are not grinning. Pulling trailers is no issue.       

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Strangely a Durango (5.7 or 6.4)L) turns out to be a pretty awesome tow rig, along with the JGC w/ the quadralift.  I'd also look at a Q7 or Cayenne v(with air suspension package)  All of those would do great if you want something that isn't huge.

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35 minutes ago, Eagleboy99 said:

Not great reliability ratings though.

Yeah I suppose. Either big repairs or last forever like the typical Volkswagen.

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19 minutes ago, Cole2001 said:

Yeah I suppose. Either big repairs or last forever like the typical Volkswagen.

i'd ignore the ratings a bit.  2004 were terrible. sku'ed the results.  I owned a 2008 V10TDI Touareg for almost 10 years and it was nothing short of amazing. I had not issues, by far the best tow vehicle and vehicle period I have ever owned and likely will ever own.  The 1st gen Touareg was something special (except 2004 MY)   I really don't think we will ever see a vehicle like that ever again (at least in the US market... ROW gets the current generation Touareg w/ the V8TDI and that is simply amazing...but "no Touareg for the you" to the American market... instead we get the 5000 pounds of beige soccer mom Atlas :-/. (with is a defeatured Q7)

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If you are really only once in, once out a year. I would rent a truck or borrow one for those two days and get a more comfortable suv for the rest of the time. If you want it to tow, that will substantially decrease options. Since you didn’t give a price range, I would get the MB GLE 63 AMG. It can tow the two days a year you need it to, Fun daily driver the rest. Can haul five people in a hurry! 

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4 hours ago, Pnwrider said:

If you are really only once in, once out a year. I would rent a truck or borrow one for those two days and get a more comfortable suv for the rest of the time. If you want it to tow, that will substantially decrease options. Since you didn’t give a price range, I would get the MB GLE 63 AMG. It can tow the two days a year you need it to, Fun daily driver the rest. Can haul five people in a hurry! 

agree with this.  your daily driver doesnt need to do your twice yearly task. borrow a truck on those days. your options for getting a small SUV are endless if you are not asking it to tow heavy loads.

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14 hours ago, Soon2BV said:

 I think just a 5 passenger. 

What are some recommendations From the crew 

My wife downsized from a '05 Sequoia to a 5 seat Benz ML400 (which I now believe is designated as a GLE).  Its got a 7K+ tow rating and tows things under capacity like a champ (its a much better tow vehicle than the pre-07 refresh Sequoia).  It looks like you can pick up a good slightly used German SUV for a pretty good price right now.  

A properly equipped Benz GLS (used to be GL), Touareg, Q7, Cayenne, X5, or if you want to stay Amercian, the Durango or Grand Cherokee are also good mid-size SUV tow vehicles.  

 

 

Edited by jjackkrash
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8 hours ago, Pnwrider said:

Since you didn’t give a price range, I would get the MB GLE 63 AMG. 

Who wouldn't want to tow with a German Supercar. :)

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17 minutes ago, jjackkrash said:

My wife downsized from a '05 Sequoia to a 5 seat Benz ML400 (which I now believe is designated as a GLE).  Its got a 7K+ tow rating and tows things under capacity like a champ (its a much better tow vehicle than the pre-07 refresh Sequoia).  It looks like you can pick up a good slightly used German SUV for a pretty good price right now.  

A properly equipped Benz GLS (used to be GL), Touareg, Q7, Cayenne, X5, or if you want to stay Amercian, the Durango or Grand Cherokee are also good mid-size SUV tow vehicles.  

 

 

And the main reason the JGC and Durango (current models) are decent at towing is because the came out of the era of Daimler and therefore share the same platform as the ML.

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33 minutes ago, gregtay said:

And the main reason the JGC and Durango (current models) are decent at towing is because the came out of the era of Daimler and therefore share the same platform as the ML.

It is heartwarming when a couple of good kids overcome the odds and emerge successful from a brutal and dysfunctional marriage.  :)  

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46 minutes ago, jjackkrash said:

It is heartwarming when a couple of good kids overcome the odds and emerge successful from a brutal and dysfunctional marriage.  :)  

And what a dysfunctional family it is.  A Dodge Journey, Demon, Caravan and a Viper all show up at the Thanksgiving table together :-O

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Thanks all. I am checking out the gls, Q7 and X5.  Borrowing / renting is an option also for towing but I would prefer to have that capability if I can.   Quick checks on line show some nice low mileage options from 2017-2018. 

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Been enjoying driving my older X5 V8 Sport recently since putting summer tires back on. Buy a new/er one and sell it before all the little issues pop up. Mine's got 156k on it and I've run into just about every little issue the internet says to watch for. I DIY and the parts aren't too expensive but labor $$ would be a killer. 

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14 hours ago, gregtay said:

Strangely a Durango (5.7 or 6.4)L) turns out to be a pretty awesome tow rig, along with the JGC w/ the quadralift.  I'd also look at a Q7 or Cayenne v(with air suspension package)  All of those would do great if you want something that isn't huge.

Take a look at these suggestions. My brother has the SRT Durango and it is a great vehicle. My 2014 Grand Cherokee EcoDiesel may be my favorite all around vehicle I’ve ever had. And it tows my LSV just as stable as my old Yukon XL. 
 

If you want something bigger, I’d go Navigator or Expedition. I towed the LSV with my Ex for the first time this weekend. Very good towing manors and a comfortable quiet ride. 
 

 

D79E0116-CFB4-4692-8077-A9EA4D6F24A1.jpeg

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On 5/23/2020 at 4:55 PM, Cole2001 said:

Volkswagen Touareg would be my choice, highest row rating for small suv. Tried and proven, just can’t get new ones anymore. 

Technically the Durango SRT has the highest tow rating for non-full sized SUVs at 8700. The Germans all cap at 7700 (3500kg)

Edited by gregtay
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3 hours ago, gregtay said:

Technically the Durango SRT has the highest tow rating for non-full sized SUVs at 8700. The Germans all cap at 7700 (3500kg)

Oh I didn’t realize the new srt was that high. I just remember the previous ones topping out at 7400. 

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On 5/24/2020 at 12:23 PM, RyanB said:

Take a look at these suggestions. My brother has the SRT Durango and it is a great vehicle. My 2014 Grand Cherokee EcoDiesel may be my favorite all around vehicle I’ve ever had. And it tows my LSV just as stable as my old Yukon XL. 
 

If you want something bigger, I’d go Navigator or Expedition. I towed the LSV with my Ex for the first time this weekend. Very good towing manors and a comfortable quiet ride. 
 

 

D79E0116-CFB4-4692-8077-A9EA4D6F24A1.jpeg

I have towed with a 14 Grand with the ecodiesel summit package, air suspension and torque for days makes a pretty decent tow vehicle.

 

I currently tow with an 18 Durango SRT and it is an amazing tow vehicle.  power is great, but between the tight suspension (hydrodynamic fluid damping) and the big Brembo brakes, it simply feels more incontrol than any other tow vehicle I have had short of 3/4 ton truck.  Even then, this things is so much more comfortable with a trailer.  It is also the only SUV I looked at that could tow the boat and hold the gear within the overall GCVWR.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Does anyone have experience with the Touareg TDI for towing a 23LSV? I’m thinking the boat/trailer weigh around 7,000 with some gas and all that in it. I am buying this vehicle as a secondary vehicle primarily for towing, so i want to buy something used. Seems to me to be the best of all worlds, I have done research on the common reliability concerns and didn’t find anything to scare me away. Any thoughts? 

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