edge04

I tow my C6 in a late 90's 24' PACAM enclosed trailer. Figure total weight with car inside is just north of 7k

I tow it today with a 2003 GMC duramax. It of course tows fine but I'm ready for a new truck. I used my friends 2015 GMC 1500 gasser and it towed just fine, albeit not far and not many elevation changes, so I want to go with a gasser this time as the winter is brutal with a diesel.

I really like the new pick ups but I am thinking I may want to buy something that I can also haul my dogs around in and take them with me....No they can't ride in the bed! They would need room to move around and lay down and are bigger dogs. Would be nice to open the rear door and set up a ramp or stairs for easy in and out.

So was thinking suburban, Tahoe, denali, expedition...or? Who is using something other than a pick up for towing and how do you like it? What is gas mileage like? Ups and downs?

I will be buying something no more than 2 years old and will probably be brand new. doesn't have to be domestic either. Any information would be appreciated. Thanks

Scooter70

I tow my 24' enclosed trailer with a 2013 F150 crew cab with the 3.5L EcoBoost and it tows great. Even up and down the hills heading to NCM in Kentucky I've never had any issues. The same powertrain is available in the Expedition. Looking at the specs (http://www.ford.com/suvs/expedition/...ations/towing/), with the Heavy Duty Tow package it's rated for a maximum trailer weight of 9200lbs. With an 8k # trailer, that leaves you some room for gear and passengers.

edge04

those ecoboost's are impressive and I do like the expeditions. had a 99 that I put 240k miles on

StreetSpeed

why is the winter brutal with a diesel? I have 2014 2500 with a diesel and haven't had any problems in the winter.

edge04

I'm in the Midwest where below zero is common during the winter. I also commute to work via train so my truck can sit outside for 10-12 hours. So I've had my share of gelling diesel and no starts...sucks! I do use additive and have other mods but when its -30 w/o the wind chill there is nothing that helps. Not to mention that my commute to the train is only 12 miles, truck is barley warm by the time I get home

C5 Hardtop

Its amazing, super-plush diesel trucks sell for $60k and do not have a heater. Why is that?

edge04

Most do but where rhe heck do you plug it in when not at home. My farage is heated so no issues in the morning, just after sitting outside all day.

I've done every mod out there to help speed up the time to warm up the engine but like i said none of it works in the extreme cold. Few years back coming home from vacation all the service vechicles were gelled up frozen at O'hare airport. We had to leave our luggage there becausw they couldn't unload it. Imagine leaving your truck outside for multiple days of that ****.

gaspeddleZ07

I went with a short wheel base 2010 Expedition so it will fit in my garage... the interior is very versatile as the third row (50/50 split) folds flat into the floor and the second row (40/20/40) drops down about 6"... much better than the Chev set up. It will tow around 9,000lbs (properly equipped), super easy to park as the front steering geometry was set up for a longer wheelbase vehicle, and I've towed around 6.000lbs with no issues. 2015+ EcoBoost should be an improvement over the V8 with the extra torque, but haven't driven one to know first hand. I had also looked at the Nissan Armada, but the Expedition was much cheaper and parts even more so.

As far as gas mileage goes, the diesels vehicles are a lot more money so I can burn a lot of gasoline with the $5,000+ I didn't spend for a diesel truck or Touareg. On relatively flat terrain towing 6,000lbs open trailer at around 70 mph, I got about 14 mpg.

JerryTX

Side note: I tow with an Ecoboost and I have to keep it to just under 70mph (and run 93 octane and lock out 6th gear).. then it gets 7.8-8.3 mpg.. this is towing an 8' tall 30' aluminum enclosed. When its not loaded I run 87 octane and get 14ish mpg.

Charley Hoyt

I have owned two different Suburban's to tow my Race car (in a 20' enclosed trailer). My first Suburban was a 2007 1500, and my second is a 2012 2500 Suburban. The 1500 did the job but the suspension really wasn't stiff enough and hitting bumps in the road would cause some exciting bucking... Also the brakes were not beefy enough to handle long down hill grades. The 2500 is a solid tow vehicle and does the job MUCH better than the 1500. It has ample power and is very comfortable. The only issue with the Suburban is that the gas mileage isn't very good. I get around 15 mpg on the freeway, about 11 mpg around town and about 7.5 to 8.5 mpg towing. Since I only tow about once per month the Suburban is an excellent solution... If I were towing a lot more I might consider a diesel. Also I should mention that my race car only weighs 1300 pounds, but I would think it would handle a heavier load also.

Scooter70

Expedition or pickup? With my 4x4 crew cab EcoBoost F150, I get 17mpg daily driving and 9-11mpg towing my 24' enclosed with my C5 inside at 70-75mph. Towing mpg is very dependent on whether or not I'm following other trailers or leading the pack.

Don't lock out 6th gear. Use Tow/Haul mode and let the trans do it's own shifting. There's no need to fear high gear when towing like in the old days.

edge04

I'll start looking at suburban and expeditions. Will also look at the denali's which I think are the same only more plush.

Any foreign SUV's that would do the job?

Scooter70

No.

Let me know if could use a Ford X-plan PIN # to get our "Friends and Neighbors" discount.

Supercharged111

I'd be looking at a Chevy 1500 with the tow package. Gets you 3.73s, 9.5" diff, locker, tow mirrors, integrated brake controller, but not necessarily the 6.2. You have to spec that as well. I test drove a 2013 Denali truck, it was 6.2/3.42/9.5", but not the rest of the tow package. It had a surprising amount of torque. Not like a diesel, but way better than the anemic 5.3s. The halfers do come with boxed frames now (albeit still weaker than the HD frames) and the brakes and whatnot are lightyears ahead of what they used to be. If you're staying under 10,000# I think it'd be a great solution much like, as much as I hate to admit it, the Ecoboost. As long as you don't expect V6 economy then there's nothing to dislike about that powertrain.