Re: Fuel efficient tow vehicles options?
Looks like this hasn't gotten resolved with a purchase yet so I will comment as well. When I was shopping a few years back I needed an SUV to tow my Sig boat. I wanted a V8 because it gets maybe 3,000 miles on it a year so gas didn't matter but wanted all the options I could find since it was used, why not be picky. The cheapest way I found to get into a 5.3 liter v8 with all the stuff I wanted was to go with the GMT360 line of vehicles. That includes the GMC Envoy, Chevy Trailblazer, Saab 9-7x or Buick Rainier (also the Isuzu Ascender but no comment on that). They made a ton of the Envoy and Trailblazer while the other two were more money for marginally more equipment. Depending on which you got you get selectable 4wd/on demand AWD, up to a 4:11 rear end (on the I6 base engine version) and really just a lot of equipment for your money. These depreciate a lot in the first few years so are are great for the second owner. I ended up with the most expensive of the bunch being a 2004 buick Rainier (severely overpriced 45k in the suv heyday). Then my wife promptly rolled it over and I rebought a 2007 Buick Rainier with every single option you counld get (now including rollover mitigation technology and rollover airbags) for close to your price range with just over 40,000 miles. Towing my 4000 lb sig boat/trailer, I get at times upwards to 18mpg but average around 15 towing while a pure highway ride with the MDS (4 cylinder mode) you can break 21mpg. In town driving and all bets are off however. The Rainier has only on demand AWD and that robs you a little and so you may be at 14mpg at best. If I had my druthers, I would have bought a 2007 Tahoe LT but a similarly equipped LT or more similar LTZ with the Nav system, dvd system, moon roof, real wood trimmed stearing wheel, etc, plus the low miles would have been nearly 10k more $. The new body style Tahoes being 2007 on up seem to hold their values pretty well which doesn't bode well for a used car buyer. If you are a cost conscious buyer but want a v8, these vehicles are hard to beat.
Looks like this hasn't gotten resolved with a purchase yet so I will comment as well. When I was shopping a few years back I needed an SUV to tow my Sig boat. I wanted a V8 because it gets maybe 3,000 miles on it a year so gas didn't matter but wanted all the options I could find since it was used, why not be picky. The cheapest way I found to get into a 5.3 liter v8 with all the stuff I wanted was to go with the GMT360 line of vehicles. That includes the GMC Envoy, Chevy Trailblazer, Saab 9-7x or Buick Rainier (also the Isuzu Ascender but no comment on that). They made a ton of the Envoy and Trailblazer while the other two were more money for marginally more equipment. Depending on which you got you get selectable 4wd/on demand AWD, up to a 4:11 rear end (on the I6 base engine version) and really just a lot of equipment for your money. These depreciate a lot in the first few years so are are great for the second owner. I ended up with the most expensive of the bunch being a 2004 buick Rainier (severely overpriced 45k in the suv heyday). Then my wife promptly rolled it over and I rebought a 2007 Buick Rainier with every single option you counld get (now including rollover mitigation technology and rollover airbags) for close to your price range with just over 40,000 miles. Towing my 4000 lb sig boat/trailer, I get at times upwards to 18mpg but average around 15 towing while a pure highway ride with the MDS (4 cylinder mode) you can break 21mpg. In town driving and all bets are off however. The Rainier has only on demand AWD and that robs you a little and so you may be at 14mpg at best. If I had my druthers, I would have bought a 2007 Tahoe LT but a similarly equipped LT or more similar LTZ with the Nav system, dvd system, moon roof, real wood trimmed stearing wheel, etc, plus the low miles would have been nearly 10k more $. The new body style Tahoes being 2007 on up seem to hold their values pretty well which doesn't bode well for a used car buyer. If you are a cost conscious buyer but want a v8, these vehicles are hard to beat.
and mid-size suv's do not compair to a full sive truck as far as towing capibilities.. That's like saying a full size half ton truck is the same as a 3/4 or 1 ton.