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

Just a few thoughts from someone w/ 4 kids who has towed with a few different SUV options.

I have no brand preferences, but the '05 Suburban was a huge upgrade from the '02 Durango in most every way. Much smoother, quieter, more comfortable, true 1/2 ton. The dimensions of the Durango might be 'full-size,' but the Suburban felt like a more capable vehicle in every way (save power from the Hemi, I suppose).

Watch out for Denali trim. The 6.0 is a bigger engine, sure, and has a little more power, but comes with full time AWD. You'll be lucky to break 15 mpg with that setup unloaded on the freeway, and despite having the bigger engine, the tow ratings are not higher. A loaded Chevy or non-Denali GMC w/ 5.3 can have all the comforts you'll need, w/o the economy penalty of the awd 6.0 setup.

I would seriously consider the Suburban or Expy EL over the short wheelbase cousins. The rear seat in the Tahoe is a joke IMO. Not comfortable to sit in, and absolutely no space behind it. The Expy for those years is at least a more comfortable seat, but still has no space behind it. Those I know with a short wb are constantly removing the seat, putting it back, etc. The longer wb will provide an actual, usable rear seat w/ a few feet of cargo space behind it. Other than the rear seat, the longer vehicles drive the same, cost the same, get same fuel economy, etc. Unless you really can't have the extra 18" in length, it is a no-brainer for me to go w/ the Suburban/Yukon XL/Expy EL.

The 6 spd is a huge upgrade from the 4 in our '05, well worth an extra bit of change IMO. Our '10 tows much better, drives nicer (the 4 had a huge gap between 2nd & 3rd, making the vehicle feel sluggish and unresponsive at certain speeds), gets about 20% better economy on the freeway than our '05 did. I like our '10 as much as any vehicle we've ever had - quite a pleasure to drive, towing or not.

When shopping used SUVs (at least luxury trim), do your homework and make sure it is set up to tow. When we bought our '10 a couple years ago on the used market, only about 1 in 20 had the gears, the optional cooling equipment, etc. that you'll want. This goes for Ford Expy ELs as well (we shopped both). I don't know if the lower trims have it or not -- we were only looking at trucks w/ leather and all the goodies -- but man, it was hard to find either model equipped to tow more than 5K lbs or so.

Related note -- do your own homework! The salesman will wander around and look at the receiver hitch or the tow/haul button on the shifter and tell you "yep, she has the tow package." Both had significant extra equipment as options that are necessary to reach the optimal tow ratings.

Good luck!

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.

The Durango Hemi 5-spd trans is not from Mercedes. It's their own. I don't like the gear ratios, but the engine power is great.

I highly recommend something with 6-spd trans. The Chrysler 5-spd is really a 4-spd with extra gear between a 4-spd 3-4. First gear is far taller than current 6-spds. 2007 Expy got the 6-spd 5.4L. Great combo. 2009 GM half tons got the 6-spd with 5.3L. Great combo. 2008 Toyota Sequoia 5.7L/6-spd is also good.

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

Durango is based on the dakota i believe. I would say its a half size smaller. Go with the one that suits your needs best. I think those years were the move to 6spd for some mfgs. Thatwould be more benefit than heated running boards or what have you.

Great post, you just described my wife. The only thing she knows about her car is it has 4 doors, a trunk, a/c and it's brown. I offered to buy her a new one last week and she said she's rather buy diesel. What a gal!!!
I have owned Ford, Chevy and Dodge through the years, and I agree with you, I like the Dodge, for whatever that's worth. Get the brand you like, the options she likes and get to rollin.