Hi Scotty
I was wondering if you could give me your opinion on suvs that can tow 5000 lbs. If I want to get a new suv, what would be the best choice for this purpose? I noticed on your videos that you used to like the toyota suvs that formerly had 6 cylinder engines, but now that they have moved to the turbo 4 you mentioned that they probably wouldn't tow very well for very long unless it's on completely flat ground. You also said you would never buy the new highlander turbo 4. What can i get that will do the job and maybe go at least 300000 miles?Do new Honda pilots or passports with the 6 cylinder work better for towing 5000 lbs? Do you trust Honda anymore? Or maybe the new cx90s or some other brand I'm not thinking of? I'm trying to spend around 50k or less hopefully and I don't want a truck. Thanks!
Suvs aren't really made for towing. For instance, the pilot only has a maximum towing of $5,000 with four-wheel drive and it's only $3,000 for two-wheel drive. The bigger v8s of course can tow, but they're a lot more than 50 Grand
@scottykilmer I wanted to try towing a travel trailer under 3000 lbs. and I thought a 5000 lb rated suv might do it. So if an suv is rated for 5000 and you wanted to tow about 3500, it still wouldn't work? A lot of people online claim they tow their travel trailers routinely with a highlander or a passport or some kind of subaru. I had a feeling it was bs though. Does it help if it's a body on frame suv?
Scotty usually answers only once. Here is a video that might interest you. Some comments there are also interesting.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eA2IliD_eqc
@g-t Thanks. Interesting video.
You are welcome. Good luck
Probably a full size GM SUV.
They used to make a 2500 and even a 1-ton 3500HD Suburban that could tow 12,000lbs.
Do new Honda pilots or passports...
You shouldn't really tow things that weigh more than your tow vehicle.
If you're willing to get a full-size, body-on-frame vehicle, you might get a 2025 Chevy Suburban. It has the same chassis as 1500-series trucks, but with an SUV body, not a truck body. Standard equipment is a 5.3L V8 and it can tow up to 8,200 pounds. Yes, they're gas hogs, but if you're going to tow a 5,000-pound trailer, you probably want breathing room. The Honda Pilot isn't really designed to tow the maximum payload constantly. You'll wear that Pilot out pre-maturely if you do, and I'm assuming you'd be taking other people as well as hauling the trailer. Also, gas needs to be accounted for. All of that needs to be factored into your towing capacity.
It's not realistic to expect any of the newer Japanese made '5000 lb capable' vehicles to last 300K miles without issue. Without V8 engines, Toyota has neutered their engines leaving them without any real options having that kind of torque and power.What can i get that will do the job and maybe go at least 300000 miles? // trying to spend around 50k or less hopefully
A friend with similar needs/preferences decided on a 2023 Chevy Tahoe 4WD early last year. The Tahoe doesn't have as long of a wheel base as a Suburban and gives up some storage space but it will tow 8000lbs. Don't expect a Chevy's 5.4L to have the longevity of a Toyota V8. I've driven the Tahoe and with the 5.4 it feels a bit under powered to me but it tows 3500lbs with no problem. He's happy with his purchase for now.. It's not a bad ride. He paid almost $60K for one with 25K miles in the spring 2024.
@hixster 5.3L. Which should be enough power to tow 6 or 7 thousand lbs when it runs on all cylinders. The thing is with the DFM system the new ones have, when you're driving around town it's only using part of the engine.
@imperator I'd forgotten about the cylinder deactivation .. would that explain the laggy feeling I noticed when 'exploring passing gear"??? It tows fine, brakes well.. and apologies for the 5.4 error
@hixster 100%
If you do not mind older suvs, look into 1999-2006 chevy suburban 2500s.
