Egon
Epic Contributor
Small truck = small wallet!
Big truck= big wallet
:thumbsup:
SUV vs. Pick-up
- Thread starter SGFarm
- Start date
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Small truck = small wallet!
Big truck= big wallet
:thumbsup:
RichZ
Veteran Member
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- Apr 4, 2001
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For years I had 2 full sized pick ups (Chevy Silverado 1500 and a Ford F250), both fwd, and a 3/4 ton GMC cargo van. But as gas prices rose, they were just eating too much gas. Several years ago, I bought a 2000 Explorer at a farm auction. I really like the suv, and started using it to haul hay with a trailer. I finally got rid of the pick ups and the van. The Explorer gets decent gas mileage for a 4wd vehicle, and it hauls what I need with a trailer. I never thought I'd get rid of my trucks, and I agonized over getting rid of them, but I actually don't miss them and I use a heck of lot less gas. Plus my wife now drives a 4 cylinder Dodge Caravan. That thing gets 25-30 mpg and actually has quite a bit of cargo room inside.
Ken45101
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Our Jeep Grand Cherokee only gets slightly better fuel economy than my C3500 diesel dually....
Ken
Ken
RichZ
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My Explorer gets a pretty constant 22 mpg, my Silverado got about 15. my F250 never got more than 12. So 22 looks pretty good to me.
JDgreen227
Super Member
My Yukon XL 2500 (4wd, 4:10 gears) averages 12.5-13, except on the freeway where it will deliver about 16.5 if you don't go over 65 mph. Makes me glad I only drive it less than 2,000 miles a year.
yelbike
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Keep in mind if you buy a yukon or tahoe with third row seating, there is no storage behind. The Suburban has much more room.
As far as towing 7000lbs with a vehicle thats rated for 7200lbs.....thats nuts. You'll kill you vehicle. Your tow vehicle should be rated for least 25% more than your trailer so you have some wiggle room. Emergencies???? IMO.
As far as towing 7000lbs with a vehicle thats rated for 7200lbs.....thats nuts. You'll kill you vehicle. Your tow vehicle should be rated for least 25% more than your trailer so you have some wiggle room. Emergencies???? IMO.
Emergencies? I'd like to see how well some of the rigs mentioned (and seen on the road) handle little things like trailer brakes failing on the road. Most SUV's simply don't have the real brake power to stop the vehicle and loaded trailer in that case.
When you get to talking about 3/4 ton - they do. But I don't see there being any real gain over a truck then. Both stink on economy. Both maneuver with the nimbleness of school bus. :laughing:
If you can match needs with a smaller vehicle, great all the way around. For a lot of the things mentioned even an old Crown Vic could tow it and get FAR better mileage. But when you start talking about wanting to tow 7k of load plus trailer, even the best 1/2 tons start to be overly stressed.
When you get to talking about 3/4 ton - they do. But I don't see there being any real gain over a truck then. Both stink on economy. Both maneuver with the nimbleness of school bus. :laughing:
If you can match needs with a smaller vehicle, great all the way around. For a lot of the things mentioned even an old Crown Vic could tow it and get FAR better mileage. But when you start talking about wanting to tow 7k of load plus trailer, even the best 1/2 tons start to be overly stressed.
Dmace
Elite Member
You people are funny!yelbike said:
Towing 7k lbs with a vehicle rated at 7,200lbs will kill it?
Your obviously driving the wrong vehicle. These vehicles already have a large safety factor in the towing capacity. You really think they are gonna recommend using a vehicle to it's absolute limit?
I don't recommend it but I've towed more than rated on many vehicles and all handled pretty well, you just need to know how to drive.
The most I towed with an SUV was two sleds in an enclosed trailer with an 04 Grand Cherokee V8, only about 3200lbs but no sweat. I have no doubt a newer GC will tow 7k easily and control it.
there's just no perfect choice out there when trying to decide between an suv and pickup. i have a 3/4 ton crew cab now and it is great when there's just two of us - we've got room in the back seat for dry storage of gear and still have the bed for the not-so clean stuff, and can trailer the big and bulky. when we need to haul four people then it's all out the window. the stuff you had in the back seat gets moved to the body, and what was in the body either gets left out or put in the trailer, and what was on the trailer before may not fit now, or you may have to haul the trailer now when you didn't have to before. it all depends on how well each type of cargo reacts with the other. you can't move the groceries from the back seat to the body if you're hauling a yard of bulk composted manure in there.
i remember many years ago someone built a truck out of a s-blazer and pickup back body - i think it was made as a prerunner for a baja team. if they could do something like that on a larger size it would be great. i want the four doors in a truck but i'd like the suv cargo room behind the rear seats and then the body. we often do some longer trips and there's usually some bad weather involved where you don't want your clothes or perishable groceries in the body - especially if it's already full. i know there's always the cap option, but murphy's law always prevails. if i had a cap i'd need to haul something home that wouldn't fit under the cap. i do use a folding tonneau whenever i can, but it's not the perfect solution either. i vote for a yukon/tahoe/expedition with a back body. i don't need the full length they offer behind the rear seats, but an 18-24 inch space back there would be great.
i remember many years ago someone built a truck out of a s-blazer and pickup back body - i think it was made as a prerunner for a baja team. if they could do something like that on a larger size it would be great. i want the four doors in a truck but i'd like the suv cargo room behind the rear seats and then the body. we often do some longer trips and there's usually some bad weather involved where you don't want your clothes or perishable groceries in the body - especially if it's already full. i know there's always the cap option, but murphy's law always prevails. if i had a cap i'd need to haul something home that wouldn't fit under the cap. i do use a folding tonneau whenever i can, but it's not the perfect solution either. i vote for a yukon/tahoe/expedition with a back body. i don't need the full length they offer behind the rear seats, but an 18-24 inch space back there would be great.
Ken45101
Elite Member
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As for manufacturer's "tow ratings", our old Chevy Chevette (1970's sub compact) was rated to tow 3000# even though there was nothing to attach a hitch to! Totally crazy!
Manufacturer's tow ratings seem to be done by the marketing people, not the safety engineers.
I had a real eye opener a few years ago. We were exploring down in WVa for a place to take the horses camping. We did NOT have a trailer with us at the time.
Coming down a 5 mile 6% grade on I-64, we came around a curve and there was a semi that was pulled off to the side except that the rear of the trailer totally blocked the right lane. We were in the midst of the other semis doing emergency lane changes. It was scary enough without a trailer, much less considering what it would have been like with a 13000# trailer attached. I can only imagine how an SUV with a heavy trailer would have been out of control....
Think about this: could your tow setup handle an emergency maneuver on a downhill curve????
Ken
Manufacturer's tow ratings seem to be done by the marketing people, not the safety engineers.
I had a real eye opener a few years ago. We were exploring down in WVa for a place to take the horses camping. We did NOT have a trailer with us at the time.
Coming down a 5 mile 6% grade on I-64, we came around a curve and there was a semi that was pulled off to the side except that the rear of the trailer totally blocked the right lane. We were in the midst of the other semis doing emergency lane changes. It was scary enough without a trailer, much less considering what it would have been like with a 13000# trailer attached. I can only imagine how an SUV with a heavy trailer would have been out of control....
Think about this: could your tow setup handle an emergency maneuver on a downhill curve????
Ken