Which SUVs to consider....your opinions please!

[stormpeakco]

Originally Posted by Redtail Cruiser

Hi John, because you want to pull your 3023 thru mountain passes, I wouldn't get a vehicle that has a V6, unless it is turbocharged. A V8 will get the job done, because it will have the HP and torque you'll need.

8 speed tranny makes a world of difference while towing w/ V6 in Rockies (but we're retired, allergic to cities and we're not speeders by any stretch).

[Padgett]

+1 nothing wrong with a properly balanced V6 in the 3-4 liter range and VVT i&e.

Travelling up steep passes is a small fraction of your total travel (speaking as someone who travelled all around the Rockies and Cascades in a single port VW Westphalia wirh an RVEECO cooler on the side - that teaches you patience).

Also where you go is important: if you plan on a lot of Forest Service and "unimproved" roads then a 4x4 with a low range transfer case is going to be important. Personally have never needed more than posi.

Have mixed emotions about lotsa gears (more than 5 or 6) and an engine with a very wide torque band (90% of peak from 1800 to 6400 rpm) negates the need for 8 or 9 gears unless it skips a lot. (My Crossfire has a 6 speed with trerrible ratios: Granny, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, Direct, OD fwith the first good for mall crawling, slow parages, and going stright up the side of a wall. I still enjoy it just usually start in 2 and winds higher than I like on the Interstate).

However am one of the strange people who looks at a plot of torque vs rpm vs speed in gears. Also need to consider that taking a grade a 4,000 rpm is about like 3000 with a V8 or 2500 with a diesel.

For me the total cost of ownership is better with my Pentastar than anything else and the only time an archaeic V8 would be noticed is a very small percentage of actual driving but the lower MPG is forever. Further the additional initial cost of a turbo diesel plus the higher cost of diesel fuel make it a non-started and I like diesels just not this century.

Can say that vehicles of this decade are much improved over all earlier.

Finally when I bought my jeep, I considered used ones first but the difference between a used one with 12k miles and a new one with the towing package and 15 miles/full warrenty on the dealer's lot was less than $1k. A no braner for me.

[tentcamper]

We went to a Toyota Highlander with tow package. I think 2008 and later are all ratted at 5K with the tow prep package (trans cooler, larger radiator, oil cooler and faster elec cooling fans)

On our 3K trip down and around the right side of the country we had no issues keeping it at 65 MPH in the mountains with 6+% grades, with the 285 HP engine. It did a little shifting and RPM's went from 2.2k to 4.3K on the worst grade. Factory tow trans cooler is a huge double stacked cooler. I did go with the factory hitch to give it about 2.5" more receiver tube to ground clearance and 14 bolts vs 6 that the after market has. We also use a WDH to take up most of the 2-3" rear drop.

[stormpeakco]

Originally Posted by TexasCamper

Hey everyone,
I'm entering the shopping market for a SUV. I'd like the tow capacity to be north of 5,000 lbs. so I can have more flexibility with packing my 3023 and traveling more Rocky Mountain passes and higher elevations.

I've noticed that the current batch of mid-size SUVs (like Ford Explorer, Toyota Highlander, and Chevy Traverse) quote a standard 2,000 lb tow capacity but a 5,000 lb tow capacity with their tow package. I'm skeptical on how a tow package can more than double the tow capacity. Your thoughts?

So I'm looking at larger SUVs such as Ford Expedition, Chevy Tahoe, GMC Yukon. These are in the 6,000-9,000 lb tow capacity.

So what SUVs do you suggest I look at?
(p.s., considering used vehicles say 2010-2014 vintage due to sticker shock of some of these 2015 models!)

Thanks,
John

Still wonder if a non-extended Sprinter-dually might be an ultimate TM tow vehicle (blue-tec and the amenities for the ideal day mover-some folks in our household would like a porta potty and having a mini dining table and long seat for an occasional nap might be sweet but spendy too. violates my criteria for daily use vehicle but if $ and garaging was no option?).

[Bailey'sMom]

Originally Posted by klpauba

I tow my '05 2720SL with a 2012 Traverse. The tow package gives you a heavy-duty radiator and a transmission cooler to provide the 5200 lb towing capacity. Additionally, there's a special "tow" switch that alters the behavior of the transmission shifting patterns.

I'm very happy using it for towing and not having to purchase a new vehicle just to enjoy the TM.

Count me as #3

But.....I don't tow in mountains so no idea about that. Still miss things about my minivan though.

[TexasCamper]

Thanks for the great feedback so far everyone. As usual, this forum's participation is awesome.

To Padgett, I have ruled out pick-ups and minivans so SUV it is. Good Q on 2WD vs. 4WD; I will have to decide.

Current minivan has Chrysler factory bumper-to-bumper lifetime warranty. But warranty is only as good as your local dealership's service center. For me, warranty has become worthless. Durango is off shopping list for that same reason (sorry stormpeakco....p.s., avatar photo is at Grand Tetons NP).

Thanks for sharing things to look for on engines & trannies.

Let me throw out another question, and I know it is highly subjective....when buying a used car, how old/many miles is your cutoff? (I just looked at a 2004 Ford Expedition Eddie Bauer 4.6L/2WD but no tow package, 150,000 miles but maintained well by a single owner that I know. It looks attractive, but man lots of miles! How many more until it needs to retire?)

[Padgett]

I find that after 10 years/150k things start to become expensive. I have a lot of old cars but also have many tools, instruments, and a lift at home.

My TV is a '12 mainly because there have been many improvements in the last decade. That I have a 290hp DOHC 6 with VVT i&e says part of it. Factory tow package is also important since it includes much more than just a hitch and my factory receiver withsttod a rear end impact that totalled the full sized Ford truck and I drove away with only cosmetic damage.

Typically a factory package will include the receiver, wiring, larger alternator, larger battery, heavy duty radiator, oil cooler, trans cooler. heavy duty axle, load levelling suspension and generally everything is a bit stronger than stock unless it starts out that way.

Despite all of that my towing package was only a $500 option and does not add much to a used value.

For example on a hot Florida day and after an hour at 65 on cruise (turnpike going south is over 100 mles with one exit) my coolant is usually in the 199-203F range, oil temp is 194F, trans temp is 170F (lockups run cooler than non). I know because all can be read from the dash.

One thing you do not need is to be concerned about a TV on a trip

I also tend to keep cars I like for decades (more than one has been around since the last century) and the Jeep was so superior to anything else then available that it was really a no-braner.

Perhaps we should begin with what you are able to spend for a TV but because you need to be more concerned about reliability than anything else since are liable to be far from civilization when things happen, it need to be held to a more strict criteria

I did pay for a lifetime warrenty but it is a Chrysler "Lifetime MaxCare" which is backed by Chrysler and not any dealer. It is the only one I would consider.

So an Expedition with a 4.6 232 hp V8 and at 5000 lbs curb weght is going to be straining a bit particularly with that many miles & a 4-speed automagic. Do you really want something that large ? If you do I'd suggest finding one with the 5.4l 260 hp engine but will mention that my TV is 600 lbs lighter and has 30 more hp.

[rickst29]

Originally Posted by TexasCamper

Hey everyone,
I'm entering the shopping market for a SUV. I'd like the tow capacity to be north of 5,000 lbs. so I can have more flexibility with packing my 3023 and traveling more Rocky Mountain passes and higher elevations.

I've noticed that the current batch of mid-size SUVs (like Ford Explorer, Toyota Highlander, and Chevy Traverse) quote a standard 2,000 lb tow capacity but a 5,000 lb tow capacity with their tow package. I'm skeptical on how a tow package can more than double the tow capacity. Your thoughts?
John

I'm looking directly at the Toyota Highlander when I say "I've got bad feelings about a unibody vehicle towing a 5K trailer on a significant grade." But Highlander, Traverse, and similar vehicles are stiffened with "sub-frame connectors" and foam, which might be more capable than my prejudice understands.

My own vehicle, the 4R, has a slightly lower "tow rating" than the Highlander- but it's built on a frame, like a truck. And my trailer is lighter than yours (although it was built with your axle and running gear, to allow for really heavy loading). We've been up the Beartooth Highway with no problem - but that's less than 11K, not like going up Mt Evans). And we've been up (definitely not down ) Sonora pass from the Nevada side, which presents some pretty extreme grades (at its worst, it reaches 26%). But not a lot of altitude, topping out at only 9624.

And incidentally, I've owned this vehicle in both V6 and V8 versions (both Gen-3): The Toyota V6 engine is noisier than the V8, and needs to run at higher RPMs on steeper grade, but I gave up nothing significant by making the switch. I don't merely "accept" the V6, I prefer it.

I think that a couple of driving 'skills' can be a bigger factor than the inherent capability of the vehicle. There is a foot technique which you can use to encourage a transmission to "lock" its clutch plates, and you should definitely do that on uphill grades. ("Locking" the transmission in a lower gear, rather than allowing it to "hunt" between gears, or run unlocked.) Be sure to get both 4WD (part-time via "selector" button or dial is fine, doesn't have to be full-time.) And be sure to look for a feature with a name like "downhill assist control", because you're going to want that, too.

My feelings might be un-founded, but there they are.

[rickst29]

Originally Posted by Redtail Cruiser

Hi John, because you want to pull your 3023 thru mountain passes, I wouldn't get a vehicle that has a V6, unless it is turbocharged. A V8 will get the job done, because it will have the HP and torque you'll need.

I disagree; our 4R with Toyota V6 and 5-AT (no blower) has been really great. Other V6 engines (such as our Subaru) are much less capable, but I think that you're painting with too broad a brush (IMO, of course).

[stormpeakco]

Originally Posted by TexasCamper

Thanks for the great feedback so far everyone. As usual, this forum's participation is awesome.

To Padgett, I have ruled out pick-ups and minivans so SUV it is. Good Q on 2WD vs. 4WD; I will have to decide.

Current minivan has Chrysler factory bumper-to-bumper lifetime warranty. But warranty is only as good as your local dealership's service center. For me, warranty has become worthless. Durango is off shopping list for that same reason (sorry stormpeakco....p.s., avatar photo is at Grand Tetons NP).

Thanks for sharing things to look for on engines & trannies.

Let me throw out another question, and I know it is highly subjective....when buying a used car, how old/many miles is your cutoff? (I just looked at a 2004 Ford Expedition Eddie Bauer 4.6L/2WD but no tow package, 150,000 miles but maintained well by a single owner that I know. It looks attractive, but man lots of miles! How many more until it needs to retire?)

GTNP-one our very favorites. We stayed in the Colter Bay Cabins last autumn.