Tahoe vs Yukon Denali

"You may want to consider an Excursion for your family"

But, Thom, the newest Excursion is 12 years old...and beat to heck.

If you have a family of 5+, go for the Suburban/Yukon XL. 3rd row seat is usable plus storage behind the 3rd row. I recommend captain chairs in second row for easier access to the third row by children. The 5.3L/6-spd/3.42 is good for towing. While the 6.2L offers more power, it is not necessary for mountain towing and recommends mid+ octane for towing conditions. Make sure the vehicle you select has the 3.42 and HD Trailering equipment. This can be confirmed by the option codes GU6 and Z82 on the RPO sticker in the glove box. Many full sized GM SUVs are made without these which affect tow ratings as well as real world towing experience for RVs.

Black Eagle wrote:
We have a 23 ft Jayco Jayfeather dry weight #4100. Current TV is our Honda Pilot touring which lags a little on steep hills but transmission stays nice and cool.
Looking for a larger SUV for and am comparing Chevy Tahoe vs Yukon Denali. I've got a family of 5 plus large dog and not sure if the 5.3L Tahoe can handle the Rockies or if I need the larger 6.2L in the Denali. I don't expect to be getting a larger trailer in future but you know how that goes. Need SUV for family seating arrangement, trucks are out.

Thanks

You don't indicate what year Tahoe you're looking at, but I can give you some perspective as an owner of a 2003 Tahoe with the 5.3L w/tow package and a 25ft Keystone Outback that, fully loaded is ~6000lbs. (See siggy below). The big difference is that I have only 2 people on board, have removed the 3rd row seating, and carry minimal equipment in the Tahoe. Combined weight recommendation max per the owners manual is 13400, my combo scale weighs at 11700 as I recall.

So...can it handle the Rockies? Short answer, yes. And in most situations, with the load I have it does the job. Slowly. You will not win any races up the mountains of Colorado. Just returned from a trip up to Estes Park via US34, no real problems there, but heading out of Estes Park on a road with some 10-12% grades, the 'hoe was struggling a bit, dropped down to 25mph in a couple of places, and in second gear with an occasional drop to first gear.

I would be concerned with a family of 5, a large dog, and the attendant payload limits of the Tahoe. Yes, the newer ones have more oomph, but still, that's a lot to ask of a Tahoe. And on some highways, particularly concrete with expansion strips, there's a lot of "porpoising" due to the short wheelbase of the Tahoe. On a long drive, that gets tiresome very quick.

You may want to consider an Excursion for your family and it's far greater towing capacity and comfort level.

You can get the 6.2 in the Suburban and Yukon XL. If you want to be creative, there is a Suburban 2500 with 3/4 ton suspension, but it is for protective work and is aimed at armoring not towing, so it has a ridiculous 3000 pound or something tow rating.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chevrolet_Suburban#2500HD_and_3500HD_Suburban

Tahoe will do just fine in the Rockies wth that TT but for a family of your size, I'd get the extra 18 inches in the Suburban or XL.