Car search advices

[yeahman]

The 5.3 4x4 is rated at 22mpg highway with RUG, which tops GX, 4R and all other full-size competitors besides €€€ diesels. We are still GX shopping because of the size and the lack of miles I plan to put on it, but the the performance, reliability and value of the Tahoe is pretty impossible to beat.

I'm a fan. I've had a 4Runner and I would put the 4WD performance of a Tahoe right up there with it. My last Tahoe was a 2004 which I bought with 110k and sold with 328k (replaced the trans at about 200k). Current Tahoe is a 2012 that I bought with 130k and now it's at 165k running strong. Those engines don't quit. If this one ends up needing a trans I think it's worth the investment (about 6k). But I fully expect to get over 300k miles out of the vehicle.

[Touring_Sedan]

The 5.3 4x4 is rated at 22mpg highway with RUG, which tops GX, 4R and all other full-size competitors besides €€€ diesels. We are still GX shopping because of the size and the lack of miles I plan to put on it, but the the performance, reliability and value of the Tahoe is pretty impossible to beat.

FWIW, you're not going to get 22mpg in a Tahoe. It's just not going to happen.

[Name Redacted]

MPG is such a funny thing to focus on when buying an expensive large SUV and thinking about towing. I would put it at the bottom of the list of priorities. Do the math on a used gas guzzler that'll haul whatever the fuck you want it to vs a newer hybrid that gets 5mpg better. I bet you might save $1000 a year on gas, but pay at least $10-15k more for the hybrid (not to mention sales tax and insurance).

YMMV of course

My FIL bought a F150 Ecoboost and towed a 21' trailer around with it. Gas and performance was great at first. Now it has been in the shop constantly and the gas mileage is shitty compared to when it was new.

[Foggy_Goggles]

Sounds like a great whip, where can I get one...oh wait.

Dollars per mile bounced against the intangibles like, fun, image, comfort

Once you get West of c470, no body gives the side eye for the ESG score of your vehicle

Towing at limit in the mountains is sketchy and is about the hardest thing you can do to your outfit. One round trip through the tunnel equals a year of front range commuting.

What is the reality of renting a tow vehicle as needed?

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[El Chupacabra]

3/4-ton and up tend to lose less MPG when towing vs when not - I think it's because they're just big heavy beasts all the time. Anecdote time again: my experience, with gas engine HD trucks, had been a drop of around 2-3 mpg (so, from maybe 13-14 empty, to 10-11 towing). Friends with 1/2 tons and similar travel trailers say they see their mpg drop closer to in half - so maybe 17-18 empty, to 9-10 towing.

All turbo Ford gas trucks get great mpg if you stay off the boost and never haul or tow anything. That's a significant "if."

It doesn't sound like OP wants a dedicated vehicle solely for towing and off-road. If he did, the recommendations would be a lot different.

[Name Redacted]

All that said, get a used sequoia (poor mans LC/GX). Mine is a 2001. Love it. If my wife hadn't crashed her new RAV4 hybrid I'd be driving it all the time. ugh. It say it gets 18mpg, not sure I believe that.

[Foggy_Goggles]

Put a Highlander on F250 running gear, do an LS swap and slap a hybrid sticker on it?

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[El Chupacabra]

All that said, get a used sequoia (poor mans LC/GX). Mine is a 2001. Love it. If my wife hadn't crashed her new RAV4 hybrid I'd be driving it all the time. ugh. It say it gets 18mpg, not sure I believe that.

Sequioa is an excellent choice for OP stated needs. Basically a Tundra with a Tahoe/Yukon sized body on it.

[MakersTeleMark]

Put a Highlander on F250 running gear, do an LS swap and slap a hybrid sticker on it?

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Might as well ton it.

[El Chupacabra]

Might as well ton it.

Might as well dually it.

[riser4]

Put a Highlander on F250 running gear, do an LS swap and slap a hybrid sticker on it?

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Giggle.

[Foggy_Goggles]

So this is obviously a desired vehicle. To me, it seems like pick the V6 unibody SUV of your choice and go on with your life.

What is the budget?

What is the weight of the hypothetical trailers and the payload of the towing vehicle?

I assume you live somewhere mountainous?

None for the every now and then draggin a trailer crowd really ever listen to the tow all the time crowd but that's normal. Usually, in Colorado atleast, people come around.

At over 50% of the tow capacity. Trailers start to feel heavy. So then you have to start driving like a trucker. You gotta watch your temps, buy expensive tires, driving more slowly, plan ahead and so on.

In my opinion, tow rating have gone way up without an real change to the vehicles. Do you have trailer brake, do you know how to set them up and use them?

So here is your test. Do it in your mind if that is the only option. Fill you trailer and vehicle up to what you think the max weigh is including your family. Drive drive Floyd hill at whatever speed you think you'll be driving and panic stop/lane change.

And if you don't think you'll need to do that or it scared you or its a risk you are willing to take, that's the game you are playing. I just think its insane how much import people place on safety right up until they hook on to a trailer. The chances of something bad happening increase exponentially.

[stupendous man]

We did like our pilot. We towed our full raft trailer and our full pop-up camper all over the place. Many times up over I-70.

As my kids turn to teens, I was thinking we'd move from the pop-up to a lite travel trailer. I was reading those could be in 2500- 3500 category, but then we'd have bikes, camping gear, 4 people.

But more often the car is being driven around town, including downtown boulder inside a parking garage. So a beast or pickup won't do. And I was hoping for a nice ride.

I'm so outed as someone who knows nothing. I definitely felt the Pilot suffer on I-70 at times but no bad results. I had been thinking that the 4runner can tow more (and it can - the pilot was only rated at 4500 lbs). I was wrong and so now and debating stepping up to the sequoia lx or tahoe but then I'll really be pushing my luck around town and will get shitty mileage.

So ideally I would think from experience that an SUV that could get me to 6000 lbs would be ideal. Sadly that doesn't seem to exist.

[adrenalated]

Obviously you need this



No this won't fit in the parking garage, you park on the front lawn, duh.

[AK47bp]

We did like our pilot. We towed our full raft trailer and our full pop-up camper all over the place. Many times up over I-70.

As my kids turn to teens, I was thinking we'd move from the pop-up to a lite travel trailer. I was reading those could be in 2500- 3500 category, but then we'd have bikes, camping gear, 4 people.

But more often the car is being driven around town, including downtown boulder inside a parking garage. So a beast or pickup won't do. And I was hoping for a nice ride.

I'm so outed as someone who knows nothing. I definitely felt the Pilot suffer on I-70 at times but no bad results. I had been thinking that the 4runner can tow more (and it can - the pilot was only rated at 4500 lbs). I was wrong and so now and debating stepping up to the sequoia lx or tahoe but then I'll really be pushing my luck around town and will get shitty mileage.

So ideally I would think from experience that an SUV that could get me to 6000 lbs would be ideal. Sadly that doesn't seem to exist.

Grand Cherokee

Dodge Durango

[El Chupacabra]

If small parking garage is a significant concern, and you were satisfied with the size of a 4Runner, then why not a used Lexus GX? V8 (more towing ability), same basic size as a 4Runner.

Note that the Lexus LX is equivalent to a Toyota Land Cruiser. Very different in size and cost, compared to a GX / 4Runner. There is no Lexus badged version of the Sequoia.

Some midsized pickups would more or less fit the parking garage issue, offer enough passenger space (but no 3rd row) + bed space for camping gear, bicycles, etc., and meet the towing criteria. Think Nissan Frontier, Toyota Tacoma, GM/Chevy Canyon/Colorado.

[yeahman]

We did like our pilot. We towed our full raft trailer and our full pop-up camper all over the place. Many times up over I-70.

As my kids turn to teens, I was thinking we'd move from the pop-up to a lite travel trailer. I was reading those could be in 2500- 3500 category, but then we'd have bikes, camping gear, 4 people.

But more often the car is being driven around town, including downtown boulder inside a parking garage. So a beast or pickup won't do. And I was hoping for a nice ride.

I'm so outed as someone who knows nothing. I definitely felt the Pilot suffer on I-70 at times but no bad results. I had been thinking that the 4runner can tow more (and it can - the pilot was only rated at 4500 lbs). I was wrong and so now and debating stepping up to the sequoia lx or tahoe but then I'll really be pushing my luck around town and will get shitty mileage.

So ideally I would think from experience that an SUV that could get me to 6000 lbs would be ideal. Sadly that doesn't seem to exist.

You're going to get much better mileage with a Tahoe than you'll ever get with a 4Runner. Can't speak to whether it will fit in the parking garage, but I've had mine in a few. Just don't try it with a ski rack on.

Our Keystone Hideout 175bh trailer weighs 3,300 pds without water (I try to drive it "dry" if there will be a water source where I'm going). I feel that weight is well within the safety margin of towing with a Tahoe, even with kids and gear. I have trailer brakes and an equalizer tow hitch, and recommend both for extra safety. This model Hideout was about as small and lightweight as I could find for something with two bunks and a queen bed.

Our family of 4 (two teens) has been camping in it for 5-6 years and it's comfortable enough. The kids' bunks are small so if you've got a 6 ft. teenager it might be tight. One other caveat: once kids get into their teens and have jobs/sports/girlfriends and boyfriends, the opportunities for family camping trips decrease considerably. That may or may not factor into your decision making. It's still worth getting out a few times a summer, even if you need to twist their arms a little.

[Foggy_Goggles]

So, let say the outfit was a 2021 Highlander pulling a Wolf Pup 16. The GVWR of the trailer is 3877 and the tow rating of the vehicle is 5k, so you are good there. The payload capacity of the truck is about 1500 - the 377 tongue weight. So thats 1100ish for the the people and the cargo. I think it would make it as defined by the ratings. Put you'd be pulling heavy in a mid size SUV.

It is what it is. Legal...probably. Sketchy...maybe. Beating the fuck outta the vehicle...yep. Would a bigger whip do it better...of coarse. Will you be the only one poking up Floyd Hill doing it...nope.

[carlh]

The answer is the euros but you will pay in maintenance. A 2nd gen q7 can tow 7700lbs as can a cayenne. The x5/7 and benzs are similar.
We towed an escape 21 (fiberglass about 4000lbs empty) with a 1st gen q7 with no issues over passes in wa and Oregon. I have friends with a newer one and it pulls well.
I totaled the q7, bought a pilot and we downsized to a popup for storage reasons. If we still had the escape I would have bought another q7. The pilot is fine with the popup but add some bikes on the trailer roof and gas mileage plummets quickly and I’m worried about blowing the transmission.

I will also plug the escapes if you want a hardside, build quality and resale blow all the stick built trailers out of the water.

We did like our pilot. We towed our full raft trailer and our full pop-up camper all over the place. Many times up over I-70.

As my kids turn to teens, I was thinking we'd move from the pop-up to a lite travel trailer. I was reading those could be in 2500- 3500 category, but then we'd have bikes, camping gear, 4 people.

But more often the car is being driven around town, including downtown boulder inside a parking garage. So a beast or pickup won't do. And I was hoping for a nice ride.

I'm so outed as someone who knows nothing. I definitely felt the Pilot suffer on I-70 at times but no bad results. I had been thinking that the 4runner can tow more (and it can - the pilot was only rated at 4500 lbs). I was wrong and so now and debating stepping up to the sequoia lx or tahoe but then I'll really be pushing my luck around town and will get shitty mileage.

So ideally I would think from experience that an SUV that could get me to 6000 lbs would be ideal. Sadly that doesn't seem to exist.

[Foggy_Goggles]

Super rare "I used to be a baller" reverse flex.

[MakersTeleMark]

The honest truth is a volvo wagon with snows would suffice for all of maybe 9 days a year. But unicorn hunting is too damn much fun to not try.

[gravitylover]

Another vote for Grand Cherokee or Durango.

[stupendous man]

The honest truth is a volvo wagon with snows would suffice for all of maybe 9 days a year. But unicorn hunting is too damn much fun to not try.

good to hear from you either way

[Timberridge]

Instead of worrying about towing and carrying all your stuff around on vacation and the plebian transportation suggestions offered in this thread, why not buy an AMG E63 Wagon and take the family to the Broadmoor instead? They have valet parking. Additionally, the 4.0L V8 Biturbo will sound glorious in the confines of a Boulder parking garage, just roll down the windows and giv'er a few blips on the way out.

[Foggy_Goggles]

Shit talking aside, I'm surprised there are not better options for renting a tow vehicle. This is many outdoorsy families challenge now that people don't really sleep in tents.

How many days a year, about would you be camping with the travel trailer? I'm assuming you are not paying to store that. What would it be worth to you to rents, say, a Suburban?