Suburban tow vehicle

How is the new 6spd tranny and 5.3 motor as a tow vehicle. We tow the boat up to Tahoe once in the spring and once home in the fall. I am coming from a 2007 tundra and need the extra space

I'm sure it would be fine if you're only towing it up the mountain once per year. We used to tow our boat up to Tahoe with an '01 Durango and an '00 Grand Cherokee, both with the 4.7liter. it wasn't pretty with the Durango especially, but once per year would be fine.

We have the Denali with the 6.2 and 6 speed. If you can swing it, I highly recommend it. We had some work done on the truck and got a loaner with a 5.3, the 2 engines are night and day IMO. We tow our boat up to our place in Tahoe all the time and the 6.2 is nice.

Waht gear ratio are you looking at? You'll need the 3.73 or better in either engine to get good towing out of it

IMO the Suburban is a awesome tow rig. Nice and long so the wheel base gives you a nice smooth ride, A buddy of my'n had a older Suburban nothing fancy. It was like a 1995 or newer and it was Awesome. The ride was smooth and quite. With plenty of room for your crew. and gear. Downside's Gas milage and poor brakes.
I still laugh at the Wake world days where the Lifted diesel Trucks Idiots with 22 inch wheels and Whistle tip muffllers ruled the boards! Touting their Superior Towing!!!!!

That being said about the Diesels, Grant I'd LOVE a small block GM Suburban diesel... 4.5 Liter, around 400-475 lb ft of torque, 25-30 mpg would be awesome!

Eric: I could see somthing like that working out great. If you could get that kind of MPG towing. I would say anything better than 15-20 MPG towing your doing good

No need to tout the superior towing of a diesel. It's not even an argument.

Is it necessary for everyone? No. Is it really cool when you're towing? Absolutely. If you've towed with a diesel, then it's gotta be a dream to have one somewhere in the back of your mind.

Did I like driving my diesel everyday? Not at all. That's why I don't have it anymore. The new gassers with the 6 speed tranny's are leaps and bounds better than the 4 speeds of a couple years ago. Even my 4.4 litre Land Rover tows pretty well with a 6 speed. It'll tow circles around my old tahoe with a 5.3 and a 4 speed.

The 6.2 is the way to go for towing to tahoe. My brother has one in his Denali with the 6speed. It's a really nice truck. That said... the 5.3 will do it. It'll just be turning 4,500rpms all the way there. Something that the 5.3 can do all day. The space in a Suburban is hard to beat. I loved mine. Perfect for those lake trips with friends and family.

Expect 10mpg towing and about 15 average unloaded. Obviously a small diesel would do much better. The new Eco-boost Ford motor is very appealing for that reason, too. Closer to 20mpg average from what I hear. That's on my short list for my next truck if I ever tire of the Rover. Right now it's my do it all (in comfort) vehicle.

thanks for the info guys. Just need to decide if I need the added power for one trip a year. Sounds like the six speed has made a considerable difference. I had an 03 denali before the Tundra and that was great, but not as good as the Tundra towing, the way it tows was a surprise to me. The quad cab is just too small now.

Our 2008 with the 5.3 sucks for towing. Tranny pretty much overheats on any mountain pass. Have had trouble backing out of steep driveways....by trouble I mean it was physically not able to push the boat. Would have been a little screwed if there was not a turnaround at the bottom. All and all not impressed....but then again it does just fine now that we are in Louisiana where everything is flat and we only tow 1 hr to the river.

We had an 08 5.3 tahoe and went to a gas crew cab truck at the beginning of this year. If I towed once a year I probably would have kept the tahoe since it was paid for but we tow a lot. Its a great truck for towing short distances and carrying people. Once the truck got in heat and long grades it did not do well. Trans got hot every time and would constantly shift in and out of gear going 50. I am sure the six speed is better but after my experience with that truck I wouldn't risk purchasing another for towing. GM did stand behind their product and warrantied everything that needed to be replaced.

We had a '08 Suburban (5.3L) for two years... traded it for a '10 Yukon Denali XL (6.2L). Enough said. The 6.2L models are not that much more expensive (especially if you buy used) and a lot more fun to drive day-to-day. Screw gas milage... it sucks no matter what you do.

Granted, my Suburban had the 4-speed trans, so maybe the 5.3L is better now with the 6-speed. Still, I wouldn't risk it. Go big or go home.

The other option is to man up and get a Duraburb. I want one of these bad!

http://youtu.be/bBMynr08dk4

^^^ Agree my 08 Esclade with the 6.L motor and 6 Speed would find a gear that would pull you up anything.
I did keep a eye on trany temp's When I towed up to some real High Alpine lakes 5 thousand in elevation + on hot days my trany temp would hit 200+

Keep in mind thats a real steep steep climb for miles on a hot day The Esclade is the same chassi as the Suburban. Cant go wrong with the 6l if you can afford it

I just picked up and 08 Denali XL a few months ago. It pulls my Enzo 244 (which is heavy) without any problems. The Tow mode and auto leveling package are great. The back end of my Denali does not even sag.

I had a 2007 suburban with the 4 speed. Not a very good tow vehicle. I just bought a 2012 Ford Expedition EL or Max limited and it has a 6 speed auto with air ride and I find it much better than the suburban. I think the difference is the transmission. So I think for one trip a year a Suburban with the 6 speed would be good choice, but of course the Denali xl would be amazing.

Originally Posted by james

I had a 2007 suburban with the 4 speed. Not a very good tow vehicle. I just bought a 2012 Ford Expedition EL or Max limited and it has a 6 speed auto with air ride and I find it much better than the suburban. I think the difference is the transmission. So I think for one trip a year a Suburban with the 6 speed would be good choice, but of course the Denali xl would be amazing.

The Expedition is a great tow vehicle. I believe the biggest difference between the Expedition and the Suburban is the rear axle ratio (3.73 vs 3.42). Both are 6 spd with nearly same size engine. I believe the reason the Denali is a better tow vehicle is because the increased hp offsets the smaller rear axle ratio. I could be wrong, but this is what I was told.

If you don't want to have to worry about the mountain passes get the Denali XL. If you don't mind turning higher rpms and not going as fast on the mountain passes the suburban will be fine. I live in the Denver area and had the Denali XL the 6.2L and my brother has a GMC Sierra with the 5.3 both have the 6 speed transmission. We tow to Powell once a year and that was in Sept this year. his 5.3 struggled a little while my 6.2 did not.

I have 2010 Suburban with 5.3, 6 speed and tow package great ride around town, 19 on hwy, lots of Room. But towing in hills is something it just doesn't do very well. I avg 10-11 mpg towing my Sanger v210. I had to have a second Tranny cooler installed becuase it was hiting a 275 deg! up steep hills and it was avg 225deg towing everywhere else. Now it still gets up to 240deg on some of the stepper hills but then cools down to 200. In order to keep up any speed going up hills it is going to be screaming at 4500rpm's ( which I still can't get used to). As for towing once a year up to Tahoe, it should be fine install a Second tranny cooler ( A MUST) pull over in the Slow lane put it in 4th gear, stick your pride in the back seat and enjoy 40 mph hill climb.

Looked at two today, 2007 Denali Xl with 66,000 miles, asking $31,420 and 2010 Yukon XL , 5.3 6 spd tranny with 47,000 miles asking $ 28,751 both are certified. Obviously denali has all the bells and whistles minus bluetooth and camera. Yukon does not have all the bells but enough for me. What are everyone thoughts?

Just as a base line, Last month, I bought a 2008 Denali XL (perfect shape) with with 54K miles. It is fully loaded and they put new tires on it and tinted the front windows. I paid $33K.

Originally Posted by jcurtis

Looked at two today, 2007 Denali Xl with 66,000 miles, asking $31,420 and 2010 Yukon XL , 5.3 6 spd tranny with 47,000 miles asking $ 28,751 both are certified. Obviously denali has all the bells and whistles minus bluetooth and camera. Yukon does not have all the bells but enough for me. What are everyone thoughts?

For me it would be an easy decision... Yukon Denali XL. I made the 5.3L mistake once (and it was an expensive one). I will never make it again. I don't care what transmission it has. The difference in pulling up hill is night and day. Even if you only do it once a year (which really means twice, there and back)... do you really want a white knuckle experience with all your family and gear behind you? I hated that! With the Denali's 417 ft./lbs. of torque it hauls ass up hills. No matter what tranny you put on the 5.3L, it is still lacking 90 ft./lbs. of torque compared to the 6.2L.

Here is my Before vs. After comparison...

Echo the sentiment here, the Denali is a great tow rig. As soon as u drop weight in the hitch you hear the Autoride compressor kicking in keeping the rear end level. I was surprised to hear that the 5.3 Yukon is actually rated to tow more. I think it's because the Denali is always in AWD. My only issue with the Yukon Denali is that my rear bumper close out which covers the hitch keeps coming off.