Tow vehicle opinions

[Joel B.]

Looking for a tow vehicle that can also hold 6+ people. Interested in Tahoe, Suburban and Expedition. Am I correct that the Expedition has a third seat? How many people can these trucks carry? Any opinions on each? I'll be towing a 1750 Crestliner Sportfish.

Thanks to all for any information,

Joel B.

[Tom]

just my opinion but i would consider the Tahoe, mine rides likes a caddy and gets great gas milage, i pull a 17 ft smokercraft with 2 motors and all the goodys and you don,t even know its back there, scary sometimes when you catch yourself doing 90 with a boat on the back, the expidition has the room but dosn,t ride as nice and the gas milage isn,t near as good, just you cover all the bases it dosn,t cost anything to test drive them all than you,ll get a better feel for what you want.




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[ANXIOUS]

WHAT ABOUT THE EXCURSION WITH THE POWERSTROKE? I HAVE A CREW CAB F-350 WITH THE POWERSTROKE AND I LOVE IT. WHEN IM CRUISING 70MPH WITH THE 1900 MR.WALLEYE BEHIND ME AND I HIT A GOOD SIZE HILL,SHE JUST WHINES AND AWAY WE GO!! GOD BLESS TURBO DIESELS!

[Esoxrox]

I own a 97 Burb with the vortec 350, you can comfortably fit 6 6' people inside. Plus you still have space behind the seat for some luggage. You can remove the 3rd seat, fold the middle seats flat and haul full size sheets of plywood or drywall if needed. Pulls my 18' Nitro easily and with the extra length and weight of the truck it is very stable down the highway.

[GR8WTHUNTER]

Any of these should pull your baot well, but 6 in a 1750. Sounds like you need a bigger boat lol.

[Robertp]

For your size of boat I would say any tow vehicle of 6cyl or more will do the job fine. You are not towing enough weight to be concerned about the vehicle. If you are looking to carry 6+ passengers in your vehicle you probably want to add a third row seat. Many offer you that opportunity. Tahoe, Suburban, Expedition, Explorer, Excursion and, I believe, Durango in the SUV market. There are also many Vans and you may want to look at them as well because seating would be more comfortable. If you choose a SUV, by adding a third seat, you will severely limit your storage area. Personally, I would NOT choose Tahoe. As another post pointed out, it does ride well but I have a 2001, 5.3V8 and have been very disappopinted with it. It burns a qt of oil every 1,000 mi, which GM says is completely within Spec., it has poor fit and finish and is simply not a quality vehicle. Frankly, no SUV gets good gas mileage, so don't expect it. Don't know about the vans, but suspect they are not much better.

[ETT]

Go with the longer wheel base (suburban). Does alot for you when towing.

[Hogslammer]

I agree, go with the suburban. Even though the others have an optional 3rd seat, you won't have any extra room for gear and luggage for 6 people.

[marcbodi]

Hi,
I went from a Pickup to a Fullsize ford Van then I started seeing Chevy Astro and Gmac Vans with hitches so I went to the dealer and found out you can tow 5000 lbs with them.They have rear wheel drive and mine has a 6 vertex fi engine.I pull 19 ft I.O.with it and I love it.

[Schnauzer]

All are fine vehicles. I bought a new Expedition when they first came out in '97. 101,000 miles later, it has been to the shop only once for non routine oil changes/maint. It has been an excellent vehicle in every way. However, regarding the third seat - it is big enough for children or adults on short trips but it is not great for adults on a longer trip. If your need for room for six people extends beyond kids or short trips, I'd go with the Suburban. The Suburban has much more room behind the third seat too. We've loved the third seat when we've had guests in town and we want to keep everyone in one vehicle for trips to the restaurant, zoo, etc. It's good for that type of application.

[WI2KY]

Go with the Suburban. They have been perfecting it for about 50 years. I have one that I have pulled moving trailers, campers, and boats with - NO PROBLEMS! Extra length is great for hunting and fishing gear and dog. I have 60/40 split bench in front so if I need to, I can fit 9 in. 6 will be living in luxury. For the heck of it, I test drove the Excursion - go with the Chevy.

[Lunch_Box]

I have a 00' Tahoe with 3.73 gears and 5.3L engine. I tow a 2100# boat (including motor) on a single axle trailer. Because of the single axle and short wheel base on the Tahoe, it fish tales a little in the wind. If high winds are present, like we've been having for several weeks, it can be real work to keep in the lane. A longer wheel base like that found on the Suburban would probably fix this problem. An anti sway hitch might help but may also have an adverse effect on the brake actuator in the trailer.

Not trying to stir the pot here but I agree with the poster above, my Tahoe (and my friends Expedition) are poor fit finish and reliability. Have you considered a Toyota Sequoia? The V8 in that truck is awesome and if it is like their other products, you won't have to worry about it making it 100,000 miles without draining your wallet.

What ever you get, make sure it has limited slip and 3.73 or better gears in the rear end.

[rogerm52]

If you will be traveling any great distances, go with a Suburban/Yukon XL or Excursion. The extra room for 3rd seat occupants and gear will be much appreciated.

I don't know much about the Excursion, so I will make my recommendation the Suburban/Yukon XL. The standard 1/2 ton Suburban comes with the 5.3L V8. I have this engine in my 1/2ton Sierra and it is a great engine. However, I think I would want something bigger if I will be pulling a boat with a vehicle loaded with 6 people and gear. The 5.3L will get the job done, no doubt. But I would prefer to have the extra power when and if needed.

The 6.0L V8 is available in the Suburban/Yukon XL if you purchase the Denali option with the Yukon XL(very, very plush) or go with a 3/4 ton model from either Chevy or GMC. The 8.1L V8 is available in the 3/4 ton Suburban/Yukon XL, but I feel this would be much overkill for you application.

My recommendation then is a Suburban/Yukon XL with the 6.0L V8.

[Skis]

Have a '99 Suburban pulling my boat (Magnum 175 CS) and have no complaints. Plenty of room for everyone. I've had 9 people in my Suburban plus snow skiing gear for everyone. It was tight, but what other vehicle could you even attempt that?

Don't have any problems going down the road with the boat. Set the cruise at 75 going down the interstate and she won't even downshift going up hills.

[seamonster]

Chevy trailblazer is coming out with an extended version
that will be 10 inches longer and have a 3rd seat.
Tow rating will easily pull your boat.
check it out at www.chevrolet.com.

[Northman]

I agree with most of the posts so far as to buying a Suburban. I have a 95 burb and am looking to get a newer model. I test drove an Excursion. Lots of room but talk about a monster vehicle. I think you would run over a Geo and never notice it. I thought I would have to get a back brace after riding in it because it rode so rough. I don't know if they are all that rough riding. Is was about 20 below when I test drove it so maybe the cold contributed to the rough ride. With the V-10 in the Excursion, I think you could pull a couple of boats and a house trailer at the same time.
Northman

[SDMIKE]

Another option not discussed is the F-150 Super Crew. Seats six ok and you still have the option to carry luggage or even a sheet of plywood when you need to. The 17" tires make for a smooth ride for both leasure and towing. I currently have it with the 5.4L engine and get about 17 to 18 mpg and it drops to 12mpg pulling a 20' Lund with a 200hp Merc. The other item that I like over the Suburbans,Tahoes, Expeditions is the visibility. There is very few blind spots on it and you don't get the feeling your looking through a culvert when your looking in your rear view mirror. For you guys that hunt remember ground clearance, especially out west. The new Chevy's ground clearence is designed for traversing the mall parking lot (sorry I had to get one dig in, and you can beat me up for it). Take one for a ride, you'll like the ride and the view.

[ufda]

I tow my 1750 Sportfish behind a 2001 Toyota Sequoia V8 that I purchased after I dumped my 98 Tahoe. I think the Sequoia is far and away a better tow vehicle and it seats 7 comfortably with fully removable and yet very comfortable 3rd seat.
Just my 2 cents worth........actually 2 cents times 1,850,000 :-)

[hgf]

You really going to be hauling 6 people, with luggage and gear, a lot? Or just a few times? Is money a big concern?? If six people, with gear and junk, and if money is not a big issue,,then go with the suburban/ excursion. The above posts are right, those are the big monsters with the most room and power and the smaller ones are not big enough, unless its just a few miles to the lake. 6 people have a lot of junk to haul around on vacation or a fishing trip, and it can get mighty crowded back there for an 8 hour trip.
If money is tighter, and you don't absolutely need 4x4 in the snow, ever think of a Club Wagon full size van with a 5.4 or V-10? Cheaper to buy used, still hold all those people and their fishing stuff, cheaper to run, and can still pull the boat.

[ebexp2000]

I've driven both the tahoe with the 5.3 V8 and the Expedition with the 5.4. The chevy 5.3 didn't have the low-end torque that the Ford 5.4 did, and this was noticable. It felt like the chevy was waiting for something when I stepped on the gas, and then at 3500 rpm did I feel the engine start producing power. The Ford produced much more power at the tap of the gas pedal, and this really wins me over in a vehicle, especially for hauling or towing.

I'm not sure if you're looking at the current Expeditions, or looking at the specs on the '03 Expedition, which has rear independant suspension, and a fold-flat rear seat. An updated engine will be available (this is predicted) in the middle of the model year, which produces even more power and torque. It looks to be a pretty nice SUV.