Best Diesel SUV Tow Vehicles?

Perrysburg Dodgeboy wrote:

FishOnOne wrote:

Perrysburg Dodgeboy wrote:
There not giving up on the Ecodiesel. The EPA has passed the 2017 engine but will not give FCA the cert to sell them until the 2014-2016 truck issues have been resolved. They had opened the order window for the 2017 for a week then closed it back down do to the Feds.

Don

Unbelievable... I guess the engine plant and the suppliers have shut down production? Either way this is not a good position to be in both financially and publicly.

LOL nope the engine plant is still running Fish. As you know the engine is manufactured by FCA/VM in Italy and they use this engine in a lot of other vehicles. This only affects vehicles sold in the USA.

Nice try though Troy and since FCA's has very little debt unlike GM and Ford they are not in any trouble. Look for a new partnership with BMW coming down the pike very soon. Hint think GM Ford partnership here.

Don

Nice try on what?

Assuming the OP gets a proper sized no sway WDH & is willing to take it maybe with someone experienced to a Tripple scale & fine tune the hitch with their wet TT. to get weight distribution between the drive, steer, & trailer axles reasonable they should have good experience with any of the 3 turbo diesel SUVs. Assuming the wet AS is kept at or below 6,500ish pounds. Rocket ship no but what most would consider reasonable.

My ED has a tune which I would highly recommend for the turbo brake more so than the power bump & other benefits. Makes coming down the grades safe comfortable & reassuring. Mine has taken an AS to that weight over the Eisenhower pass and would hold about 55. No rocket ship but reasonable & still passing semis. Generally as least as well as most naturally aspirated gas half tons or SUVs. Pretty much at the reasonable limit IMO. But a poor set up would not be safe or enjoyable. Good setup is key.

FishOnOne wrote:

Perrysburg Dodgeboy wrote:
There not giving up on the Ecodiesel. The EPA has passed the 2017 engine but will not give FCA the cert to sell them until the 2014-2016 truck issues have been resolved. They had opened the order window for the 2017 for a week then closed it back down do to the Feds.

Don

Unbelievable... I guess the engine plant and the suppliers have shut down production? Either way this is not a good position to be in both financially and publicly.

LOL nope the engine plant is still running Fish. As you know the engine is manufactured by FCA/VM in Italy and they use this engine in a lot of other vehicles. This only affects vehicles sold in the USA.

Nice try though Troy and since FCA's has very little debt unlike GM and Ford they are not in any trouble. Look for a new partnership with BMW coming down the pike very soon. Hint think GM Ford partnership here.

Don

Perrysburg Dodgeboy wrote:
There not giving up on the Ecodiesel. The EPA has passed the 2017 engine but will not give FCA the cert to sell them until the 2014-2016 truck issues have been resolved. They had opened the order window for the 2017 for a week then closed it back down do to the Feds.

Don

Unbelievable... I guess the engine plant and the suppliers have shut down production? Either way this is not a good position to be in both financially and publicly.

There not giving up on the Ecodiesel. The EPA has passed the 2017 engine but will not give FCA the cert to sell them until the 2014-2016 truck issues have been resolved. They had opened the order window for the 2017 for a week then closed it back down do to the Feds.

Don

The sprinter vans used the 3.0L CRD that was an option in the 2007/2008 Grand Cherokee.

We now have a 2014 ecodiesel and it sounds like FCA may be giving up on the ecodiesel. One forum poster indicated they couldn't even order a new engine for one that had major engine failure.

A large Mercedes based diesel motor home just pulled in next to us at the campground. It has dual rear wheels and presumably a heavy frame to go with them.

These rigs use a similar 3L V6 diesel as in the Mercedes SUVs but have the frame and running gear to haul around a home on wheels.

I tow a 23RLSW Jayco TT with my 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee Eco Diesel. Trailer weighs about 5700lbs loaded.

It's rated to tow 7200lbs. It tows this TT fine, plenty of power, good fuel mileage. I would not go any larger or heavier.

Loaded I'm within 80lbs of the rear axle weight rated. It handles well and I have a good WDH with sway control. I did a 5200 mile road trip out west last summer, a lot of mountains and hilly terrain.

Figured with pen I averaged 13.6 MPG towing.

1 tank I got 32.6 MPG driving around Yellowstone and eastern Wyoming
not towing of coarse.

A truck scale is a must to determine where you are with weighs and axle loading.

These diesel SUV's are good towing vehicles, comfortable, good fuel mileage as long as you tow within reason.

NinerBikes wrote:

Perrysburg Dodgeboy wrote:

horton333 wrote:
Here is a link to an older (less capable) GL towing a 30' Airstream.

Notice in the comments people using it to also tow in the mountains, and the one guy saying how it tows better than his 6.2L 2500 .....

Here is his video with high cross winds. Love is comment about the guy with a fiver tell him how bad it must be because his fiver is getting blown all over! LMAO got to love that fiver mentality :R

same GL in the wind enjoy all you naysayers!

That's all you need to know, told in that video, a quartering tail wind is not problematic. You don't know if the other driver in the 5th wheel was driving into a quartering HEADWIND, going the other direction, when he pulled in to fuel up also. Stupid video, without all the facts.

You might want to go back and try listening to the video without your prejudice. He said a guy with a fifth wheel came up to him and said "I don't know how you guys must be doing it you must be having a rough time. This wind, I'v got a fifth wheel and getting blown all over the road so it must be awful for you". @ 1:04 he is driving down the road a said "some quartering headwind mostly cross winds".

No we don't know in which direction the other driver is going. We know this, the other driver said he was getting blown all over the road and the video shows the GL is not so we do have that fact!

Keep these posts up and you will look like Fishy the spin doctor :W remember Fish I added the winky so it's all good.

Don

Perrysburg Dodgeboy wrote:

horton333 wrote:
Here is a link to an older (less capable) GL towing a 30' Airstream.

Notice in the comments people using it to also tow in the mountains, and the one guy saying how it tows better than his 6.2L 2500 .....

Here is his video with high cross winds. Love is comment about the guy with a fiver tell him how bad it must be because his fiver is getting blown all over! LMAO got to love that fiver mentality :R

same GL in the wind enjoy all you naysayers!

These videos were posted over six years ago. I would like to know how well the Merc has held up to tow duties over those years and how much towing was done per year.

I know even my much disrespected 6.0 PSD ran like new after 10 years and 115k miles with 80% of those miles being at 19K lbs GCW or better. It was on it's second set of batteries, third set of tires and second set of brakes with no chassis or steering issues.