I currently have a Tahoe with a 5.3 that pulls my 06 VLX pretty good. I'm in the market for a new SUV or Truck. Does anyone pull something similar to my boat with anything less than a 5.3? <BR> <BR>(Message edited by duffy on September 02, 2009) <BR> <BR>(Message edited by duffy on September 02, 2009)

I have a Land Rover LR3.. it pulls the Wakesetter 23 LSV with no Problem, as well as the Axis A22.... <BR> <BR>I have the 4.4 Liter V8 300hp / 300ft lbs.. <BR> <BR>The air suspension places the trailer tongue where it needs to be automatically... I have had no problems towing with it...

If you are looking for better gas mileage a full size chevy truck will get better mileage and pull better.

VW Touareg or Audi Q7 with the TDI 6cly engine or the 4.2 V8 <BR> <BR>I have a Touareg V8 and tows the X-Star like a champ. Highly recommend the air suspension though. <BR> <BR>Keeps everything level while towing

I've got a Saab 9.7x with the 4.2 (290hp) and pull a boat that size, Sanger D215, over a couple mountain passes without any problem. The 5.3 would be better because it has higher average power over the whole RPM range but I can set the cruise control and let it go without overheat or slowing down. It comes with the trailer package, AWD, and higher ratio gears. <BR>I don't think there is much difference in mileage between the 4.2 and the 5.3 though in my truck.

I didnt even think about Gas Mileage, which is obviously a concern (hence the smaller than 5.3) <BR> <BR>My truck sucks with Gas Mileage..

01 Jeep GC with 4.7 V8 2wd towing a 00 Air Nautique. 23/17MPG - 9-10MPG towing. Seems to do just fine. I have plenty of tounge weight, and so far have not had much of a problem getting the boat out. I towed 800 miles after getting the boat, and I tow 10 miles or so back and forth to the ramp.

X5 with a Diesel, or a Q7 Diesel. Those were my two choices when I looked last year. I decided to keep my F250, but as soon as it's paid for I'll probably get a X5 Diesel for my mountain commuter. The only trouble I found was that you'd likely have to order one with air suspension. None of the dealers had them. Apparently they are an option with the 3rd row of seats on the X5.

MB Team Widebody with an v8 4 Runner. Replaced an '05 Z71 Tahoe with the 5.3. Can not tell any difference, except for quality, value, and reliability all went up, while the price went down.

Smart car, uhaul hitch added.

Thanks for the input!

I have a 2006 touareg with the V10 diesel, this is the ultimate wakeboard boat tow vehicle. Altitude, hills, freeway, this thing is an absolute monster!

Whats the displacement on the v10??

Its a 5 liter V10, twin turbo. <BR> <BR>Freshly washed this evening: <BR> <BR><img src="http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/messages/65921/731401.jpg" alt="Upload">

Is that the new one Nick? 1200Nm or something ridiculous? <BR> <BR>(Message edited by jtnz on September 03, 2009)

Any of the newer diesel trucks would rock any size wakeboat you put behind it, except maybe MC's new 300. Kind of a pain to park in tight places, but besides that I love having a truck for home improvement projects and taking the boat out. When we are done for the day we throw all the wet stuff out of the boat in the bed of the truck and it is dry by the time we get home an hour later. Would not want to do this with an SUV. <BR> <BR>Plus right now is a great time to pick up a slightly used diesel truck that someone wants out of. <BR> <BR>(Message edited by ctimrun on September 03, 2009)

It has 553 ft lbs of torque or about 850 nm <BR>The car weighs like 6000 pounds or more and sprints a 0-60 in about 6 seconds. Truly a unique vehicle. <BR> <BR>(Message edited by Linder on September 03, 2009)

If you want the the best towing and gas mileage then find a Dodge 3/4 or 1 ton pickup with the 5.9 Diesel in it. They can get amazing mileage and pull anything you want and more. My Land Rover LR3 HSE pulls our VLX just fine but only gets around 13 when not towing. I dont even want to look when I am pulling something. My duramax gets as good or better mileage than most SUVs and the mileage hardly changes whether I am towing or not and the 5.9 dodge will get better mileage than the duramax (I just like the Duramax/Allison combo). The difference between pulling with something that kinda works versus towing with a vehicle made to do the task is night and day. 3/4 Diesel pickup is the way to go IMO and I use mine as my daily driver and love it.

Dirty- get a diesel. Man up and do it. The VW V-10 is a beast. The new ones are pretty nasty too.

F it dude - get a Peterbuilt or a Kenworth. I hear you can get the Transformer option on it and it will fly to the lake. You can shoot at jet skiers and tubers while landing at the boat ramp. Sick man, its just sick. It even comes with Indiana Jones' smart ass kid that you can use as a flag girl or to wipe down the boat. And it uses All Spark for energy - no gas or diesel at all!

Touareg with the X-Star loaded up <BR> <BR><img src="http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/messages/65921/731598.jpg" alt="Upload">

One thing to look at is towing capacity. Most SUV's are in the 5000 lbs and under capacity. I think the VW is like 7000 lbs. A 3/4 ton diesel is 13,000-15,000 lbs. An Xstar is around 4500 lbs dry. Now add roughly 1000-1500 lbs for all the fluids and additional equipment that they dont count in the weight of the boat. Now look at the huge stereo you have in it, wakeboards, ropes, handles, jackets, cooler or beverages, and so on, maybe another 1000 lbs. Now add the wieght of say 4 people that are riding in the car to go out on the boat, maybe 700 lbs. Now add the weight of stuff you just have in your car say 200 lbs. Does specified boat weight include the trailer? You are already over 7000 lbs easily. Now I am not saying that the motor/vehicle cant pull the boat and all equipment but it is usually stopping or handling where the problem comes in. Safety and liability are significantly limited when you are towing beyone the vehicles MAXIMUM towing capacity. Towing ratings in cars are stated as max capacity and not what is considered prudent or the best use and usually require the use of a weight distributing hitch not just a receiver and ball.

I'm towing our X-star with a four-cylinder turbo charged 200 hp Volkswagen Tiguan. And belive it or not it works pretty good, pulling, breaking, sliping, up and down the hills. <BR>[Didn't had time to clean the boat so please don't bash me for that] <BR> <BR><img src="http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/messages/65921/731775.jpg" alt="Upload"> <BR> <BR>(Message edited by waketac on September 05, 2009)

That's not safe

Yes it is!

Maximum tow rating on the European model with the diesel is just under 5500lbs for the VW Tiguan! The vehicle itself weighs 3500lbs. It is based off of the Volkswagen Rabbit and uses the same platform.

Wow its safe to tow with a vehicle that weighs a ton less then what your towing? Im curious how it feels pulling something heavier than the tow vehicle. Does it pull you around?

my dodge ram is rated at 13,500 for towing and only weighs about 8k. <BR> <BR>most of the time semi's pull loads heavier than their truck. <BR> <BR>I would avoid towing with a tiguan, but if the boat weight is within the towing limits, then who am I to judge?

There are a ton of threads on towing and while everyone seems to get by with the smaller vehicles I couldn't imagine it. I initially towed my '03 supra 22 ssv with a 2000 extended cab Chev with the 5.3. Even in tow/haul I couldn't pull that thing in anything other than 3rd with acceptable results. The final straw was trying to tow it up a hill to storage where I started at 70 and barely maintained 50 at the top. <BR> <BR>It's now towed by a 3/4 ton chevy duramax which has been loaded up with 5 people, gear, and taken on a 500 mile road trip without a sweat. I've got a custom EFI Live tune running in it with a stock tranny and while towing maintain 16mpg with it. <BR> <BR>It's not a great daily driver (due to size) but luckily I've got the car for that. Hands down diesel is the only way to go for ultimate towing.

These towing threads have been going on for years on this site and in the end it always boils down to one thing.... are you looking for a daily driver that can barely get away with towing the boat or the absolute best tow vehicle? Or maybe something in between? <BR> <BR>The 3/4-ton+ diesel truck guys are right. No SUV or gas powered truck can touch them. There is a lot to be said for peace of mind in knowing your truck can withstand frequent towing and that you can stop it under load with confidence. The question is do you want to drive one every day? Well, I would rather drive one than a half-ton truck since they get better mileage and are no more of a pain to drive, at least in GM and Dodge form. However, I hate driving my truck right now because I'm spending a lot of time in an urban environment and parking is a pain in the... <BR> <BR>Then you have the guys towing their boat with mid-size SUVs and worse... small crossovers. They get away with it (so far) and when not towing they have a much better daily driver. It comes down to do you prefer to buy the minimum needed or overkill? Do you view a tow a vehicle as something needed to get your boat to the lake or is it more than that, like a cool vehicle that want to drive when not towing? <BR> <BR>I don't think I'll ever be without a truck again. What someone said about things in the bed and them being dry when you get home is true; The drawback to this is when you're starving on the way home and want to stop and eat and you don't want to leave wakeboards, vest, etc in the bed unguarded. An SUV would be great then. Of course, if you had a shed near the lake you could just leave everything there. <BR>Maybe the right answer is buy something like a 2000-2003 diesel truck to tow the boat (and home projects) and a new car for everyday. I would either do that or compromise and get something like the VW Tourag TDI with the Air Suspension. I would not tow a 21’+ wakeboard boat on a regular basis with a car, crossover or lesser mid-size SUV. The trailer used makes a difference too.

A pickup with a lockable bed cover or shell on the back is great because you can still throw wet stuff in the bed, then lock it if you want to go away from your truck on the way home. I know this isn't fool proof, and if they want it bad enough they are going to get it, but it keeps the honest people honest.

Tim, that's why I love my '07 avalanche. Great bed cover. it towed the x-star ok at best. Haven't towed the SAN 210 yet. my only problem with this truck is how low the tow receiver is located. I have to get one of those adjustable aluminum hitches to get the trailer balanced properly.

I tow with an 07 Escalade, and it does very well. In fact, it's the best gas powered tow rig that I've owned, and it' better than either one of my 6.0 powerstrokes, just in the fact that the Escalade doesn't break like those did. I've owned three 6 ohs, and only one didn't have any major problems, the other two, huge pains in the a--. The autoride suspension in the Escalade works great, and the 6.2 has plenty of power to get the X Star down the road.