My friend is looking to change vehicles, to upgrade the tow rating.
He's been using a Chevy Traverse (3.6 l I think, w/ a tow-rating of c. 5000#) to tow a camper trailer w/ a dry weight of close to 4000#. By the time the trailer is loaded up, it's white-knuckle time with the Traverse in spite of the tow rating not being exceeded.
Requirements:
Tow rating closer to 6000# or better
3 rows of seats
Not too hard on gas
Given that he and his family put very few miles on the vehicle (averaging < 10K km/year), I don't think the fuel economy should necessarily be a major factor, but it is always a consideration here with our higher fuel costs. It's their only vehicle, so is not used only to tow.
The Traverse looks to be in excellent condition, and has very few miles on it (IIRC < 35K km on a 4 or 5 year-old vehicle) and should be worth top dollar.
He's thinking that a Durango might be best, preferably with a small V8, perhaps the 4.7. I would prefer a Tahoe or Suburban, but my friend thinks they're too big. I think a previous-generation Explorer would have done the job as well, but the Expedition would, like the Tahoe/Suburban, be too big.
To confound things, a mutual friend towing a slightly heavier 5th-wheel (and comparable frontal area) with a RAM 1500 finds the 4.7 somewhat taxed when climbing a hill or facing a headwind or crosswind, so the Durango might be better equipped with a larger engine. (Is the venerable 318 still around?)
So, I'd appreciate hearing from the BITOG crew on this. Thanks in advance for your thoughts.
He's been using a Chevy Traverse (3.6 l I think, w/ a tow-rating of c. 5000#) to tow a camper trailer w/ a dry weight of close to 4000#. By the time the trailer is loaded up, it's white-knuckle time with the Traverse in spite of the tow rating not being exceeded.
Requirements:
Tow rating closer to 6000# or better
3 rows of seats
Not too hard on gas
Given that he and his family put very few miles on the vehicle (averaging < 10K km/year), I don't think the fuel economy should necessarily be a major factor, but it is always a consideration here with our higher fuel costs. It's their only vehicle, so is not used only to tow.
The Traverse looks to be in excellent condition, and has very few miles on it (IIRC < 35K km on a 4 or 5 year-old vehicle) and should be worth top dollar.
He's thinking that a Durango might be best, preferably with a small V8, perhaps the 4.7. I would prefer a Tahoe or Suburban, but my friend thinks they're too big. I think a previous-generation Explorer would have done the job as well, but the Expedition would, like the Tahoe/Suburban, be too big.
To confound things, a mutual friend towing a slightly heavier 5th-wheel (and comparable frontal area) with a RAM 1500 finds the 4.7 somewhat taxed when climbing a hill or facing a headwind or crosswind, so the Durango might be better equipped with a larger engine. (Is the venerable 318 still around?)
So, I'd appreciate hearing from the BITOG crew on this. Thanks in advance for your thoughts.