All,

I have not been nearly as active on the forums as I used to be in past years - things have been really busy here. That said, it appears the forums have changed around quite a bit and the towing section has been reorganized. In any event, I hope this thread is being posted in an appropriate area.

We are looking for an SUV as an additional vehicle that is capable of towing. Long story short, my truck is down. We have been using a Mitsubish Outlander for a bit, but it is very "light" all the way around - vehicle and towing capacity. The issue we're running in to mostly is the alignment on the rear end. It has AWD and independent swing arm suspension. The alignment got so bad we burned out a set of tires. Now we're doing alignments every oil change.

What we would like to find is an SUV that has a minimum of 5000lbs tow rating and has a solid rear axle, not swing arm suspension. The idea is the alleviate the rear end alignment issues. However, that is turning in to the proverbial "needle in a haystack". My other half likes the Jeep Grand Cherokees. She likes the "smaller SUV". However, I see it has swing arm suspension in the rear. They do rate the V6 over 6000lbs and V8 over 7000lbs for towing, though - which is higher than our 5000 minimum. So that is a plus. I did call a service center to discuss the alignment concerns with a service manager. I don't know whether to believe him or not, but they supposedly have not seen any issues with repetitive alignments.

What thoughts does the group have on options out there? - If you have real world experience with them if you can share that also it would be very helpful.

I will say, I have pulled some janky loads in my time on the road - with everything from small SUV's to semis (top heavy structural steel to empty curtain sides). What I don't like the most about SUVs is how soft they are and the short wheel base. That can be a very delicate "balance" when heavy and to that very point - aside from the alignment fight that is the biggest issue I have with the Outlander. We need something heavier and more stable, within reason (IE - we're not getting an Excursion or Yukon XL). What is good "middle ground"?

 

There are several guys on here pulling with Expeditions, and they are up to the job if they're equipped with the tow package (though you'll need mirror extensions as their mirrors are pretty tight to the body).

I don't think there is a 'midsize' (Grand Cherokee size) with a solid rear axle anymore, and the only 'fullsize' with a solid rear axle MIGHT be the Tahoe/Yukon/Suburban, but I don't know if even that still has a solid rear axle. Leaning toward probably not since they're driven more by passenger comfort.

For towing, longer wheelbase is better for tow vehicle stability. That or more tires. Both is the best combination, but when it comes to SUVs you're really stuck with length. As such, the Expedition Max or the Suburban/Yukon XL are the best towing SUVs out there now. The only one better is an Excursion but that's been out of production for almost two decades.

As for your concerns about rear wheel alignments...if everything is in good repair and the alignment is done by a competent shop, it shouldn't be an issue. My wife's first Expedition (an '07) had the IRS, and until the bushings started to wear out it was fine. I replaced the bushings myself in an afternoon, got an alignment done, and everything was just fine again. Her subsequent Durango was fine (never towed with it though), and her new Expedition is fine even when towing our tritoon. Yes, it's soft back there, but it has no issue with the weight and isn't pushed around.

While I agree that a solid rear axle is better for towing, newer full size SUVs with IRS are quite capable.

 

Towing is a broad term. Towing a travel trailer will need more umph than towing a boat. I came from a YukonXL, I saw your comment. Maybe and Expedition or Yukon would meet your needs. It's hard to get a tow vehicle and city gas mizer all in one. You seem well experienced, if buying on the line of safe for your towing application, always give yourself a bit of cushion, rarely are brochure numbers accurate. Good luck

 

I have towed travel trailers for about 40 years and I am on my 3rd trailer and 4th tow vehicle. I had an 04 expedition and put a LOT of miles on it with 2 trailers and it was a great tow vehicle and it can now tow up to 9600 lbs. The third row seating was great when my 3 kids were with us. The vehicle rode quite nice and was very reliable, unfortunately rust took its toll on it. If I didn't want a diesel I would have definitely put a new expedition on my shopping list.

 

The Jeep Wrangler Rubicon Unlimited (4dr) has a MAX tow of 5000 pounds and payload around 1350 pounds, and is both solid rear axle and solid front axle.

 

My hunting partner has a 2007 Nissan Armada with over 200,000 miles on it. He used to tow a travel trailer with it. Unlike the Nissan Titan, the Armada does not have a solid rear axle. The only problem he had with the rear was the air shocks which had to be replaced a couple times over the 200k miles he used it to tow. We rebuilt the front suspension on it but other than the air shocks the rear was untouched other than routine maintenance.

I can't vouch for the newer Armada models but that 2007 was solid. He beat the crap out of that poor truck but it was very reliable. Same engine, same transmission over the entire 200k miles. The exhaust manifolds did need to be replaced but that's common on the Nissan VK56 engine.

I think the Armada had a 9K tow rating.

 

We have a 16' tandem axle landscaping/utility trailer. Probably the heaviest expected load would be a compact tractor and brush hog, I'd guess around 3000lbs so with the trailer gear (chains, tie downs, etc in a box I have on the trailer) it would probably be right at 5k gross. The bare tractor and loader is about 2k.

 

There isnt one. Crewcab trucks have replaced SUV's that can tow.

All of the girly SUV's are terrible for towing 5000#. Consider getting a used GM 3500 Express van, until your truck is fixed. The Express vans are the most depressingly bad vehicles ever made, but itll get the job done for a while. Then you have the pleasure of crushing it at a scrap yard, or ghost riding it off a cliff.

 

An Expedition will handle that with zero issues, just make sure to spec it out with the towing package. There are very, VERY few solid rear axle SUVs out there anymore, but any of them properly maintained won't have rear alignment issues.

 

I know you ruled out the Excursion in the first post, but maybe take another look.

An Excursion has the same wheelbase as a Jeep Gladiator (the four door truck Jeep thing) and no one thinks the Gladiator is huge. And having parked my Chevrolet silverado1500 four-door short box right next to the Excursion several times, the Excursion is shorter, yet no one is out there calling a four door short box Silverado 1500 huge either.

The Excursion got a reputation for being huge that IMHO, it really doesn't deserve, any new full size three row SUV is at least as big or bigger. Plenty of soccer moms has driven Excursions for years.
...

 

I think where the Excursion got its 'huge' reputation was that it was built on the SD platform, which gave it two things most other SUVs didn't have at the time - a diesel, and a solid front axle. That diesel made it a pulling powerhouse, and the solid front axle gave it a MUCH larger turning radius than most other 'large' SUVs of the time. It also sat considerably higher than most others, again, thanks to sitting on the SD chassis. GM had moved completely away from SFA at the time (if they even still built 2500 Suburbans at the time), every other SUV Ford was building had IFS, and the Durango had never had a SFA. So yeah, those two things made people think it was HUGE, even when it wasn't really that big.

 

My former 16 expedition exstended 4x4 towed excellent
no complaints from its rear
It had 3.73 gears and the eco boost
Those composite or ties are 375 pounds each

 

No jeep products.. they don't last even without the extra stress of towing....

 

The 2nd gen Toyota Sequoia that was made between 2007 and 2021 is pretty tough and tows well despite its IRS.

The go to tow SUV I would go for is a pre-AFM Tahoe or Suburban and corresponding Yukon. They are getting up there in age but it also means a lot of families who have using them only for hauling the family are now ditching them for something newer and shinier.

 

Max tow of 5000, has for the last 40 years, pretty much meant, no towing capability at all. 1986 S10's were rated for 5k. I think a Honda Accord can do 2-3.

Fitting, perfectly once again, with the Jeeps.