New to us TV, Tahoe vs. Expedition vs. Durango?

jerem0621 wrote:
Hello, there is one thing that a lot of rv'ers do and you have a chance to avoid their costly mistake. I have been there I went through this as well. That is the upgrade bug. Here's what happens. The children get a little older and they start wanting to bring friends along with them. The next thing you know the camper is too small. So now you're looking at upgrading to a much bigger camper. Maybe you're looking for bunks. Maybe looking for rear living. But inevitably most people do upgrade to a larger trailer at some point in their experience.

Right now you have the opportunity to find a 2500 suburban or a very nice Ford Excursion. These two SUV's will give you plenty of capacity to carry people, gear, and larger trailers in the future.

That said. Any of the halfton suv's will pull your current trailer. I am a huge fan of longer wheelbase for towing a trailer. So I would lean more towards a suburban then I would say Durango or Tahoe, the Expedition EL would be a good choice.

Thanks, Jeremiah

APT wrote:

wintersun wrote:
...Toyota Sequoia. Toyota builds them better and they are more reliable

Oh really? Do you have any documents to support that?

GM sells the most full sized half ton SUVs by a wide margin, about 15 times the amount as Sequoias each year. That does not mean it is the best for every person/situation. But if quality were so poor, sales would not be so high.

modern family wrote:

PUCampin wrote:
We LOVE our 07 Expy EL, and our Pioneer 180CK (younger sibling to your TT).

Here are the features we like so much about the Expy EL

1/2 Ton payload king. Our EL XLT 4x4 with leather, rear air and sunroof has 1672lbs payload. Other 1/2 SUV are less, some A LOT less. BE SURE to check the yellow sticker on the door sill of any SUV you look at. It will state exactly how much payload that vehicle with it's factory options can handle.

07 was first year for the EL, and also included the 6spd. EL comes with 3.73 gears standard, coupled with 4.17 first for an overall low of 15.55 That is lower than the old 4 speed with even 4.56!! It has no issue getting anything moving. The shifter allows locking into 1st, 2nd or 3rd. And yes, if you put in 3rd, it will stay in 3rd, even from a stop. In D the transmission will use 1-6, the OD button locks out 5th and 6th. 4th is actually a slight underdrive of 1.1:1, which gives a final ratio of 4.1. Yep, the same as towing in "direct" with the 4spd and 4.1 axle gears. A LOT of thought was put into the ratios for this transmission.

The 5.4 while maybe not the most powerfull, is still 305/385 and is proven. I get 12-13mpg around town and 17mpg highway crusing. About 9mpg towing. 33.5 gallon gas tank means range is decent.

As a family hauler the EL is awsome! Our 3 kids are all still in massive Britax carseats, all 3 fit snugly across the middle seat. A double and single B.O.B. live in the back of the EL with plenty of room for whatever else. The 3rd row is a 60/40 split. In about 2 minutes I can fold up the 40 section, move 1 carseat to the back, and have a spot for adult in the 2nd row with easy access to the carseat in 3rd row, with the 60 section still down I don't lose much cargo space.

Thanks in part to the fully independant suspension the ride is smooth, luxury car smooth. And very quiet. With good tires there is very little noise inside, and you really only hear the engine when you get on it.

The EL 3rd row has nearly as much legroom and seat height as the 2nd row. No complaints from 3rd row passengers. Even with 3rd row up we have room for 2 jogging strollers and several overnight bags. We took 8 people including our 3 kids and all our stuff to Vegas for a weekend. A bit tight but we made it.

Fold down the 3rd row (you do NOT HAVE TO REMOVE IT like GM) and you have just over 5ft of floor and a full 4ft between the sides. Fold down the middle row (again, does not have to be removed) and you have just over 8 feet. I have brought home all kinds of sheet goods and lumber from Home Depot. I have also brought home a full size reclining sofa!

Like said before, be sure you get the towing package. On the Expy EL this includes a bigger trans cooler, HD radiator, HD flashers, wiring for brake controller. For the Expy quick way to tell if has towing package is to look for the 7 pin plug on the back. If it is there, it has tow package, if just the 4 pin, no tow package.

I believe for at least the 2007-2010 timeframe the Expy EL was the best of the bunch.

Let me know if there is anything else you want to know about the EL. Good luck in your search!

X3 for all this.. Our 2008 EXPY did very well for our first TT and the 5.4 is still running strong. Very important to find that tow package (FACTORY 7 pin in the back) the sales men don't usually know that kind of stuff. The fords are easy to look up the window sticker with all the options with the VIN if you really want to make sure of options.

I would try to avoid the Ford air suspension as most have failed ( as did mine ) if it does fail, just bypass the air and replace with factory shocks, much cheaper and dependable

S'more campers wrote:
Wow guys, that's good info right there. Thanks for clearing the merc trans issue for me APT, I got that info from a dealer service manager believe it or not (to be fair maybe there was a misunderstanding).

I was unaware the Ford had a 6 speed, that changes the game dramatically. My 2012 GMC Savanna service truck has 6 speed and 5.3L, it's a rocket rolling over the road at 8000Lbs. Unfortunately the GMs in that year will be way out of our price range. The Dodge may be based on the Dakota, but the 2004 to 09 is considered full size, it's within an inch or two of the tahoe in all dimensions.

The Ford looks to be the one to beat.