SUV for towing trailer

krobbe wrote:
...Well, maybe not down the Teton Pass, but what would?

A 1-ton diesel with engine breaking. I did Teton Pass 2 years ago towing a 8700 lbs TT with a family of 4, bikes/kayaks loaded in/on the truck and was completely fine.

But, I do understand that not everyone can have a 1-ton.

I just purchased a 02 suburban 2500 with the 8.1L and just got back from a short 60 mile test drive with the trailer hooked up and so far I think this was a great change from my 1/2 ton Silverado. Did manage to stop by the grain scale and trailer weighed in at about 6200 lbs.
Also another great feature is the lift gate on the suburban clears my electric tongue jack, couldn't drop the pick up tailgate before.

It was a very smooth ride with plenty of power, my 5.3L did alright on the flats but really struggled to pull up a hill. Was able to use the cruise with the suburban never could with the pickup (it was always looking for a gear).

The suburban also has a great ride while not towing which for a 3/4 ton vehicle is almost unheard of they ride like old farm wagons unless hauling a load.

The search for the suburban was a bit daunting though. Its a tough find, there are plenty out there but you will find that they are really beat up or have 200k+ miles on them.

Can't hardly wait for a real camping trip but will have to wait till 4th of July for a real test but so far everything seems great.

All of those options would work well IMHO...

As a 2 time owner of a Ford Excursion I'll chime in.

First of all, the Ford Excursion is a FANTASTIC combination of people hauler and tow vehicle. You have the 3/4 ton suspension with a lot of leg room inside. As long as you don't find one of the rare 5.4L Triton models, you will have plenty of power from either the 10 Cylinder Triton gas model or the 7.3L or 6.0 L PSD.

Just a note though, Ford had a myriad of issues with the 6.0L PSD, so I would be very careful before buying one. Secondly, as mentioned above, the 7.3L PSD Excursion is a rare find and finding one in nice condition with relatively low miles is probably going to be difficult to do...and you're going to PAY big time for those models. I don't know if it will be worth it in the end honestly, but that's up to you. They are GREAT vehicles, I had them both. I loved my 7.3L PSD Excursion. I still miss it today. We sold it back in 2010 to a guy who actually flew up from Georgia, because even 5 years ago they were getting more and more rare. I could only imagine how hard it would be to find one these days (keep in mind that 2006 was the last year IIRC). We just wanted a truck, since our kids were getting older and not all camp anymore and we don't need as much people room.

IMHO finding a nice gas V10 Excursion would do you very well...if you can find one.

Good Luck

My vote is for the 2500 Burb with the 8.1L. ;)
I couldn't be happier with the towing performance in our TT weight range. It's a nice, stable, relaxed tow even thru the mountains. Well, maybe not down the Teton Pass, but what would?

Here is a link to search for:
2500 Suburban or YukonXL with the 8.1L engine

Excursions with the Powerstroke command a premium that, IMHO, is not worth it.

The 2003-2006 Suburban 2500s were absolute beasts - huge payload and huge towing - but the 8.1 models are hard to find, and tend to be a bit pricey relative to blue book price. This is probably your best choice.

The 2007-2013 Suburban is great, but it's hamstrung by the weak receiver, and relatively low GCWR. My receiver is rated at 500dw/1000wd lbs of tongue weight, And with a curb weight of 6500 lbs, that 14,000-lb GCWR looks pretty small.

Now, that being said, we took my '08 out to the Grand Canyon and Colorado, including a drive through the Eisenhower Tunnel. Our trailer is ~6500 lbs, and I have a family of 5 which includes three teenagers. My family weighs ~900 lbs.

The Suburban pulls it just fine, and I'm always relaxed behind the wheel. We towed over 5000 miles in two and a half weeks.

You can click the link in my sig to see our rig.

Here's the weigh slip from that trip - note that I'm right at my 8600 GVWR limit, and I'm over on my GCWR:

2500 suburban are popular. You might also look at E250/350 Ford vans. Usually cheaper than the other two you mentioned.

They're all fine in my opinion. The Excursion seemed to me to have the most usable cargo space