Purchase ?

You need to look at the towing capcity too.

The Honda Pilot has 3rd row seating, but only 4500 lb towing capcity.

The GMC Yukon has 3rd row seating and over 8000 lb towing capcity.

The Hummer H1 I think meets your specs, too.

IF I WERE YOU I WOULD BUY A SUBURBAN BECAUSE WE HAVE ONE AND IT IS VERY COMFORTABLE AND IT COULD TOW A LOT OF WEIGHT AND LOOKS NICE AND THE RIDE QUALITY IS EXCELLENT WELL DEPENDING ON HOW MUCH MONEY YOU ARE WILLING TO SPEND I WOULD GET A 4*4 BUT IF U GET A 4*2 MAKE SURE YOU GET THE STABILITY TRACK ANOTHER THING IS IT COULD SMOKE ALOT OF THE SUVS ON YOUR LIST CONSUMER REPORTS TESTED IT AND IT RAN 0-60 IN ONLY 7.6 SECONDS ON ONLY 8 CYLINDERS UNLIKE THE 0-60 IN 10+ SECONDS FOR THE V10 (10 CYLINDERS) OR THE EXPEDITION (TO SMALL) OR EXCURSION (TO BIG) ,DURANGO (UGLY) I WOULD NARROW IT DOWN TO SUBURBAN (YES) OR THE LAND CRUISER (DAMN)

It sounds like you already have the trailer. Rather than focusing on brand names, with a trailer that size your focus needs to be GVWR and GCWR.

It's really scary how many people exceed their weight ratios with either indifference or ignorance.

John wrote:

My dad has a Durango with a 5.9L engine and 3.92 axle ratio, it won't tow the weight you want to tow. He's actually out as I type looking at pickups to tow his 28 foot trailer, to add to the stable, not replace any vehicle completely. He's not comfortable towing the trailer in the mtns. with his current rig but he loves the truck. If you're looking at the 2004 Durango, not the first-gen one, it may be capable. Of the trucks you listed, the Suburban, Excursion and Expedition may tow the load you want, with a 3/4 ton Suburban, not a

1/2 ton. As others said, look at tow capacity, not just number of seating rows, and to add to the list of 3-row SUVs that can't handle that load, the Buick Rondezvous.

Suburban or Excursion. You need a vehicle of substantial weight to pull a trailer of substantial weight on a regular basis in order to avoid problems. It's not only a wear issue, but a safety issue. You can put all the power you want in a small-midsize SUV, but if things get squirly while pulling that trailer the power is not going to do you any good.

Assuming that 3 rows of seats means you're going to be taking passengers (family perhaps?) on these trips, look VERY closely at the safety factor. In other words, get a truck that is fully capable of pulling that trailer.

- Andy

Like others said, you're going to want a vehicle with bulk as well as power. With that large of a crew, I'd go for a Suburban. I've owned mostly Toyota's all my life, but my father is a big GM fan. He's very meticulous with his maintenance and has had very good luck with GM full size trucks.

Heck - for what a LandCruiser costs nowadays, you can buy 2 suburbans, and just keep one as a spare if the other one breaks down ;-)

If I were YOU I'd buy a keyboard that lets you type in lower case letters too!

Blue Bird, Collins, International and Thomas all have adequate seating. Around here I see a lot of Suburbans towing some heavy stuff .

Bill

Guys this is a Yota forum -- the Sequoia or the V8 4Runner will meet his towing and seating needs --- both now have a third row seat (seat 7 - 8 may be a squeeze).

Both flip right over too.

Don't forget, there are different varieties of Suburbans, some of which are heavier duty (with greater towing capacity) than others. There are also full size passenger vans built on similar truck chassis that can handle heavy towing, but have more interior room (these also come in different varieties, some with more towing capacity than others).

lists towing capacities and other informationfor various vehicles.

Everything will flip over idiot!

Forget the SUV. Get a 1969 Chevrolet Kingswood station wagon. 454, M-22, Moser 12 bolt. Paint it two-tone, white top and big-chunk metal flake green. Dog-dishes and steelies, Flowmonsters and green-tinted glass. Trade your current trailer on one of those big silver AirStreams. Everytime you pull up to a stoplight, alternate between quoting Brady Bunch episodes and screaming that you're "Oh, oh, oh, oh, stayin alive! Stayin alive!"

Sorry for the smartass post, but the idea hit me and wouldn't go away. In fact, where'd I put my AutoTrader...

Why do you say the Expedition is too small? If you only occasionally need to haul 8 people, the Expedition has plenty of seating room. If you need to take long trips with 8 people and need lots of cargo room, then the Excursion is far better than the Suburban. If seems to me that the Suburban is just the wrong size - too big if you don't need 8 seats for long trips and too small if you do. I suppose if you are drag racing, then the Suburban with the big gas V-8 is a good truck to own, but if you are towing something heavy, the Excursion with the PSD is far better. BTW, the Excursion with the V-10 made it to 60 in 9.7 seconds in the Consumer Reports tests and the Suburban took 8.6 seconds despite being the light duty model. The Land Cruiser is a an old design with a ridiculously high price. It has no advantages compared to any of the bigger US designed SUVs that it competes with. It is testament to the loyalty (or gullibility) of Toyota owners that they can give them away. If I was in Africa, the Land Crusier would be a good choice, but in the US it is a non-starter. Even the mediocre Sequoia is a better choice here.

Regards,

Ed White

EPSYCHOBOB wrote:

It sounds like you're not going to tow very often. You might consider buying a regular passenger vehicle (such as a minivan) and then renting a big SUV for the camping trips. You'd save a lot on gas, the purchase price will be lower for a minivan than for a big SUV, and you'd avoid the problems (such as safety problems like rollover) that are common to SUVs.

Suggest you go to library and look at April issues of Consumer Reports, which will give you brief reviews of almost all passenger vehicles on the US market, reliability ratings, and references to full reviews in CR. Also look at the latest issue of CR for the index at the back to see if there are any reviews since April that could be useful to you.

But overall, if you only need an SUV for occasional use, I suggest you buy a vehicle (such as a minivan) that will haul people, groceries, etc. (which is what I assume you need to do most of the time), and then rent a big SUV only when you need it. Then you won't have to drag the big SUV around all the time and you'll avoid the typical SUV hassles.

It's not the people. It's the trailer. A 7000 lb travel trailer is in the 26' - 29' range. A long trailer behind a short wheelbase towcar down a mountain grade or in gusty winds is a guaranteed "E" ride.

Which brings to mind a point to consider. Unless there has been some recent engineering breakthrough, it is my understanding that electric brake controllers and ABS are incompatible. I believe trailer surge brakes are required when towing with an ABS vehicle.

Well then the Excursion is by far the best choice.

Ed