Looking for a good MID SIZED SUV tow vehicle

[jbres]

So my Brother and Sister-in-law are in the market for a hybrid camper, and used tow vehicle. They don't want a truck, but more looking towards a good mid size suv in the 2010-2015 year range. Want something with decent tow capacity, probably around 5k. Any recommendations?

[Grit_dog]

Talking previous gen for both vehicles, but I was surprised when I asked my boss whether he liked towing his boat (about 6klb) better with his Tahoe or Durango.
He said the Durango smoked the Chebby for towing.

[bailer6334]

Consider the Dodge Durango. The 3.6L tows 6200lbs and the 5.7L Hemi tows 7200-7400lbs. I tow a 5500lb trailer with the 5.7 and it does fantastic. I towed from Phoenix to San Diego in November averaged over 13MPG and going thru the mountains never exceeded 3500RPM. What surprised me most was the Durango has more GVWR, Payload and GCWR than all the 1500 Ram Trucks I looked at. The only down side is you need to use 3rd party mirror extensions when towing.

[mtofell1]

The Durango or Jeep Cherokee sure seem to pack a lot of towing punch for their size. I don't know a lot about the VW Toureag but the diesel thing is sure nice.

[Grit_dog]

coolmom42 wrote:
Look at Toyota Sequoia. Towing capacity is more than adequate, but do check the cargo capacity and compare it to a load, including the tongue weight of the trailer and the hitch.

Not a midsize. Thanks for playing...

[72cougarxr7]

I know it not really mid size, but a Chevy Tahoe makes a nice tow rig and there plenty of clean used ones to be had.

[jerem0621]

Depending on what you are looking for the Kia Sorento is a great tow vehicle.

The AWD Kia Sorento has a 5,000 lb tow rating with the V6 and a 3500 lb tow rating with the Turbo 4 cyl.

The 4 cyl Should be a beast with its Turbo. If the 3500lb tow rating will work the turbo 4cyl is a great choice. It makes peak tq of 260 lb ft at only 1450 rpm..

I towed a lot with our 2013 Kia Sorento 4cyl with a 1850 lb tow rating and it did fantastic.

BOF ain't what its cracked up to be. That little SUV was a beast and did everything I wanted it too. Mine was FWD only too. Did great.

Thanks!

Jeremiah

[marquette]

This is kind of a chicken or egg first type question. Which ever they buy first camper or TV determines the other. My wife and I were faced with the same type question a while back and we decided on the camper first and then the TV to handle it. If we had already owned the TV then it would have been fit the camper to the TV. It's hard to bring too much TV to the road so if the TV has to be the first choice I would buy the biggest most powerful TV I could comfortably drive and afford because bigger heavier campers are cheaper than smaller lightweight ones. I own a Jeep Grand Cherokee as a daily driver and a Surburban as a TV. The JGC has the power to tow but the short wheelbase and small cargo area make it a so-so TV. Pulling a small 14 ft camper the JGC will get pushed in the corners a bit because of the short WB. It also will pitch on a road with rough frost joints. I don't have a brake controller on the JGC but it's 4 wheel disk brakes are strong and stop the trailer with ease. JGC's are comfortable vehicles but the Durango shares a lot of the same drive train with a longer WB. I know they are a little older than the OP suggested but don't overlook the 2004-7 Tahoes. The 5.3 is strong the trucks are nimble and easy to drive and they are the last years before GM put the fuel management system on to drop cylinders as not needed. A good system now but had a few problems early on.

[PAThwacker]

Is there even a mid sized SUV 2010 to Present? Real transfer case, off-road attribute, towing and hauling.

[PAThwacker]

X2

Not to mention camping gear needed to be carried in tow vehicle.

[bikendan]

jbres wrote:
So my Brother and Sister-in-law are in the market for a hybrid camper, and used tow vehicle. They don't want a truck, but more looking towards a good mid size suv in the 2010-2015 year range. Want something with decent tow capacity, probably around 5k. Any recommendations?

Unless they're getting one of the smaller hybrids, a 5000lbs towing capacity isn't enough.

Our Roo 23SS weighs over 5000lbs, loaded for camping. And that's just for the two of us.

I recommend a Tahoe, Suburban oe Expedition. Since 2007, they all can get 20mpg on the highway.

[jalichty]

We just bought a Volkswagen Touareg, V-6 gas engine with eight-speed transmission and it is rated to tow 7,700 pounds with a 10-year/100,000 drive-train warranty. Supposed to get about 20 MPG overall which is pretty standard for the size vehicle you are looking for.

[jbres]

great ideas so far. Didn't even think about Jeep Grand Cherokee

[rexlion]

Bionic Man wrote:
Jeep Grand Cherokee or Dodge Durango would both fit the bill.

I agree, these are capable tow vehicles. Especially with the V8!

They could also consider the Toyota Highlander, 2008+. 5K tow rating. I've towed well over 100K miles with my '08, including a 7' wide TT (about 2700 lbs) that I towed through the Rockies a couple of times.

[Bionic_Man]

Jeep Grand Cherokee or Dodge Durango would both fit the bill.