Tahoe, Yukon, Expedition, or Armada to pull 32' TT

[chrisclash]

Hello all, newbie here.

I just bought a Wildwood 27DBK TT (new layout for 2017) and am looking for an SUV to pull it. The trailer is about 32' long ball to bumper and 6400 lbs. dry. The wife wants an SUV with three rows of seats rather than a truck to pull it because the family is soon going to be spending a lot of time in our towing vehicle. So a nice strong truck isn't an option for me, unfortunately. She also doesn't like the bulk of the Suburban and similar vehicles. She also refuses to buy a Toyota or Honda.

So I've been looking at Tahoes, Yukons, Expeditions, and Armadas. After reading quite a few stories around the net, I have found very few trailer owners that can vouch for a Tahoe, Yukon, or Expedition pulling this sort of trailer, even though the trailer is lighter than the 8000-9000 lbs tow rating of these vehicles (properly equipped). Yet, I can find quite a few good testimonials for the Armada. Even though consumer rating services would put the Armada at the bottom of this list (based on comfort, alloy wheel brightness, blah blah blah), is it true that the Armada would be the best tow vehicle of these four vehicles? Or could it just be that Armada owners are more optimistic about their experience than Tahoe / Yukon / Expedition owners for some reason? Is there a physical reason that the Armada would be better (vehicle weight, engine torque, wheelbase dimensions, lube coolers, axle ratio...)?

Thanks for any help you might be able to offer.

[DarkSkySeeker]

Given all the replies so far, I will add this. I bought a 27' Wildwood (longer bumper to hitch) and decided to get a Dodge Ram 2500 4WD 4 Door to pull it.

Was told by others that "I would not even feel the trailer" since the truck was so beefy.

I can feel the trailer. I am sure the truck is adequate for towing the TT but watch out for what people say about the impact of the trailer on the tow vehicle.

[austingta]

You can buy a 2500 series Suburban HD, but it's sold through fleet sales only, so you need a friendly dealer or a connection that actually buys fleet cars and is willing to help you. Interestingly, it's only rated to tow 3000 pounds, buts that's total BS that I would not hesitate to challenge. I see your wife says it's too long, but it's only 10 inches longer than a Tahoe.

http://www.gmfleet.com/chevrolet/suburban-hd-heavy-duty-suv.html

[K_Charles]

We pulled a TT about that size with an Excursion and it worked fine,BUT. The tongue weight was so high there wasn't much left for cargo. You will have a choice, pull the TT or have six passengers, not both.

[fx2tom]

I would fully disagree that you need a 2500 long bed truck to tow that trailer. I have a friend who has one very very similar that tows it with a Durango - also extreme.

I think the new Armada would do okay but something like the Suburban or Expedition EL would be a better fit.

[chrisclash]

donn0128 wrote:
You are really asking for trouble towing that big of a sail with so little vehicle.

Thanks for your reply. That's sort of what I thought, and I think most of the Tahoe / Expedition stories out there match your wisdom. But I have read about a lot of people happily towing pretty big trailers with Armadas for some reason. Here is an example of one thread: http://www.clubarmada.com/forums/showthread.php?t=16644

[Tyler0215]

You need a Suburban to tow that size trailer with a family. All of the SUV'S you mention will run out of load capacity real quick. You probably know that, if you have spent any time on this forum looking around at similar questions.

[donn0128]

You are really asking for trouble towing that big of a sail with so little vehicle. Regardless of weight you really need at minimum a 2500 series long bed truck. Maybe,just maybe a 2500 Suburban could work. All those short wheel vehicles you mentioned will get you into serious trouble real quick.