which 3 row mid sized SUV for 17B or 19 Escape?

[NCBill]

Huge Honda fan, we have owned a lot of Honda’s over the years. Sadly, recently Honda has had a lot of problems with infotainment system quality. That leaves Highlander and the Telluride. Telluride has more third row room, and so far has had high quality marks. But it’s early. Toyota has its typical high quality, easier to find than the Telluride, less room.

One thing about the Telluride 100,000 mile warranty. Lots of exclusions including the infotainment system. Cars have become rolling computers.

[Iowa Dave]

Personally as I have stated numerous times, we’ve had good results towing the 19 @3640 lbs and the 21 @ 4360 lbs with a 2012 and 2018 Highlander. If you have doubts, need more merge speed, don’t relish the sound of the power plant turning above 5,000 RPM then maybe a bigger, heavier, more powerful, more expensive tow vehicle is for you. If you’re sold on the Toyota brand perhaps the Sequoia would be worth looking at. It’s only money and milage is not a measurement of happiness it’s a measure of frugality.
Well less than half of our miles are spent towing and it would be an even lower percentage I’d we did not have a second, smaller SUV that is used regularly. My next rig will be electric as my light bill has dropped to $12.95 per month with the installation of a solar array. Dovetails with our geothermal HVAC, Log house,
Metal roof and energy efficient windows a couple years ago. Doing what I can to be “Sticking it to the man”.
Iowa Dave

[AZtowhard]

Buick Enclave w/front wheel drive and tow package
Pulls our 17b with ease and real riding comfort

[Davin]

We tow our 19 with a Lexus GX 460, which has 3 rows. It has a 5700 lb rating and decent torque from a 4.6l V8. It comes stock with trailer brake wiring, and a transmission cooler - but it isn't exactly a low priced vehicle. It is the sister to the Landcruiser Prado. The self levelling suspension is a big plus for shorter trips, but a load distribution hitch is a must for highway handling. Fully loaded with a family of 4 and gear, it is not unusual for the 19 to weigh well over 4000lbs in addition to the loaded vehicle. I have always assumed that body on frame construction (4Runner, Lexus GX, pickups, etc.) would be preferable for heavier towing and load distribution systems, though not sure this holds true any more. A 2010 GX can be found for about $24k CAD. A cheaper option for a very similar vehicle would be the Gen 4 4runner (2003-2009), which was available with the V8 and the levelling suspension. 5th gen went back to a V6. I have had both vehicles and have driven them well over 300,000 km with nothing other than scheduled maintenance.

[Tam2004]

Originally Posted by oak1056

Hi, We are also looking for a suv for the future 19'. Though I love the highlander and pilot, my impression is 5k towing capacity maybe just borderline for towing 19. I am interested to know if anyone has experience with a bigger suv such as the ford expedition?

In the Fall of 2018 we bought a Toyota Highlander to tow the Escape 19. We go through mountain passes frequently and down dirt roads. It is excellent. We used the slightly more expensive sway bar and it has been a dream towing. We had to make sure the tongue sits down on the ball securely as one "dumb" time it hadn't properly locked down and shifted off a block from our house! It can look like it is locked on. We had an R-Pod before and this tows much more comfortably.

[John in Santa Cruz]

Originally Posted by gklott

Recommend Infiniti QX80 or Nissan Armada. 8500 towing. We use our QX80 to tow our 19’ Escape and our 30’ Airstream Classic. Three rows, plenty of axle load capacity, and comfort for everyday use.
73/gus

those are pretty big for 'mid sized'.

[dfandrews]

Originally Posted by John in Santa Cruz

those are pretty big for 'mid sized'.

They are, indeed, smaller than a Peterbilt 379 conversion, and not as ellegant.

[Clack99]

We love our VW Atlas. It is great at towing and we really don’t feel like the Escape is hooked up. We have a 17B.

[John in Santa Cruz]

Originally Posted by dfandrews

They are, indeed, smaller than a Peterbilt 379 conversion, and not as ellegant.

i'd say 'full sized' SUV includes the Nissan Armada, Chevy Tahoe/Suburban, Ford Expedition, Toyota Sequoia, etc. these are not 'crossovers', they are for the most part truck based SUVs.

midsized truck based is things like the Toyota 4Runner, Nissan Pathfinder
mid sized crossover is things like Toyota Highlander, Nissan Murano, etc.

of course, each generation, each of these gets larger, wasn't more than a couple years ago the idea of a 3-row midsize was non-existant, you either got a Suburban, or you got a minivan if you wanted 3 rows.

with the mid sized stuff and especially with 3 rows of passengers, you really got to watch your vehicles payload, as most tow ratings assume absolute MINIMAL load in the vehicle, and if you're filling 3 rows of seats with 2 adults and 4 kids of assorted ages you're probably starting with 800 lbs+ of people before you get into any luggage or tongue weight.

[Sassenach]

You should check out the Honda Passport although not sure it has the three seats you are looking for. Same platform and tow capacity as the Ridgeline. This is the vehicle we would have wanted but just not big enough for our 21NE.

[Artlady]

Just my two cents...

We have a Chevy Traverse, and LOVE it! It towed our 19’ effortlessly, through both mountains and valleys, also in rain storms and snow conditions. The Anderson hitch with anti-sway added to the safety as well as our comfort level.

We upsized to a 21 foot Escape last year. Although our Chevy could still tow it, we felt that the load was just too close to the maximum, and didn’t want to tempt fate.

Bea and others mentioned a Ford Expedition. We purchased that as well, with the heavy-duty tow package - tow capacity of 9000 pounds. That’s a solid vehicle, and tows our 21 foot with ease.

After owning and towing with the Chevy for 10+ years, We haven’t had any mechanical or towing problems at all!
Same with the Ford so far.

Good luck in your decision!

[John in Santa Cruz]

when we were vehicle shopping last year for a new daily driver, pretty much all the midsize '3 rows' had a very cramped back row that was hard to get in and out of, and almost no luggage pspace behind them. We *had* a 3-row, that was a 2001 Ford E150 "Traveler" van, with quad captains chairs and a 3 person full sized rear bench and more than enough luggage space for 6-7 boy scouts worth of camping gear. Oh, and IIRC it was rated to tow like 8000 lbs too, or a 2000 lb payload in the vehicle.

[Byron]

Be careful on 5K towing capacity. The Highlander is "available" with a 5K towing capacity. But not all Highlanders can tow 5K. The hybrids are limited to 3.5 k towing (with factory installed towing equipment.) The standard Highlander with out a factory installed towing system does not have the extra transmission cooling system. There are lots of Highlanders with aftermarket towing hitches. (Check with Toyota but I do not believe they are rated for 5K towing.) Be careful - they do not have the transmission cooler. The aftermarket hitches look quite different from the factory installed hitches.

[gklott]

Originally Posted by John in Santa Cruz

those are pretty big for 'mid sized'.

Perhaps, they are a bit larger. Compare: Highlander wheelbase 112", VW Atlas 117", QX80 121, Mercedes GLS 450 123", Suburban 134".

Depends on what you call "mid-sized". The Infinity, Lexus, and Mercedes fall into the "luxury" mid-sized. Hard to get a reasonably usable 3rd row in a SUV wheelbase less than 117-120"

73/gus

[oak1056]

It is overwhelming and I'm exhausted after research more and more. Questions: is the body-on-frame better/stronger than unibody as a towing vehicle? Is WDH allowed/recommended for the unibody suv? Those suv have good reliability/reputation, we may change the order of 19' to 17' to keep the safety margin of 5k towing capacity.

[gklott]

Originally Posted by dfandrews

They are, indeed, smaller than a Peterbilt 379 conversion, and not as ellegant.

Agree, the Peterbilt is not as elegant or comfortable!

73/gus

[gbaglo]

Originally Posted by AZtowhard

Buick Enclave w/front wheel drive and tow package
Pulls our 17b with ease and real riding comfort

I think you have to be over 80 and attend church religiously to own a Buick. That's based on my observation of a church parking lot.

[harvest]

Originally Posted by Byron

Be careful on 5K towing capacity. The Highlander is "available" with a 5K towing capacity. But not all Highlanders can tow 5K. The hybrids are limited to 3.5 k towing (with factory installed towing equipment.) The standard Highlander with out a factory installed towing system does not have the extra transmission cooling system. There are lots of Highlanders with aftermarket towing hitches. (Check with Toyota but I do not believe they are rated for 5K towing.) Be careful - they do not have the transmission cooler. The aftermarket hitches look quite different from the factory installed hitches.

This is really important to read. I was just asking the dealer about the towing package (we are buying used) and it was confusing, they said that all we needed was the hitch and the wiring harness. They said that the transmission cooler is mostly found in 1 ton trucks and that the highlander doesn't need one unless I would be towing something beyond the towing capacity. I had read differently somewhere else, so was planning on checking on this again. It was not the mechanic, just the dealer!

Originally Posted by Clack99

We love our VW Atlas. It is great at towing and we really don’t feel like the Escape is hooked up. We have a 17B.

The Atlas! I had test drove one of these and was giddy, it was nice to drive and elegant. For some reason I had taken it off the list, but now I might put it back on. We had a TDI wagon that was part of the diesel recall, that's when we got our Outback. I like the VW design a lot and how much interior space there is, panoramic moon roof. The Pilot - has no panoramic moonroof *not a big deal in the scheme of things, but this will be our car, and neither my husband nor I have had a car with even a regular sized one, and there are issues with the infotainment, the Highlander seems to have so many positive reviews! However it is so cramped in the third row. We are a family of four and we also go on many road trips (even across the country) so space is important. If you have any tips or links to info on the Atlas - that would be great. I am going to look into it again. We liked the Ascent (driving and interior) but have read many warnings about long term towing with CVT. We really want to get something that fulfills a lot of different needs. Family car, across the country road trip, reliable, fun to drive, can tow a trailer (if we can ever get an Escape!), large moonroof, ease of entertainment stuff, and that we feel excited about getting.

Originally Posted by Tam2004

In the Fall of 2018 we bought a Toyota Highlander to tow the Escape 19. We go through mountain passes frequently and down dirt roads. It is excellent. We used the slightly more expensive sway bar and it has been a dream towing. We had to make sure the tongue sits down on the ball securely as one "dumb" time it hadn't properly locked down and shifted off a block from our house! It can look like it is locked on. We had an R-Pod before and this tows much more comfortably.

This is great to read. I looked at one used R-Pod 171, but the interior felt dark and cramped. Not too much joy. I have read so many posts about people liking the Highlander for towing (at least Escape/Fiberglass). I think we would just go with it - but my hesitation is two things (we are looking at 2016-2019) - the cramped third row, this really is the main thing, and from what I have read - the entertainment system like apple play (I don't even really know if this matters, we have the base version of a 2013 Outback right now).

Originally Posted by NCBill

Huge Honda fan, we have owned a lot of Honda’s over the years. Sadly, recently Honda has had a lot of problems with infotainment system quality. That leaves Highlander and the Telluride. Telluride has more third row room, and so far has had high quality marks. But it’s early. Toyota has its typical high quality, easier to find than the Telluride, less room.

One thing about the Telluride 100,000 mile warranty. Lots of exclusions including the infotainment system. Cars have become rolling computers.

I have read a lot about this issue, I wonder if it is certain years? We were thinking used 2016-2019-ish. I like the space overall in the Pilot, and know the kids would be quite excited about the built in TV. I have read that it has the 7 pin connector but that the Highlander would just need an adaptor. For some reason, the Telluride was something I wasn't really considering, but my husband has brought it up a few times.

[harvest]

Originally Posted by oak1056

It is overwhelming and I'm exhausted after research more and more. Questions: is the body-on-frame better/stronger than unibody as a towing vehicle? Is WDH allowed/recommended for the unibody suv? Those suv have good reliability/reputation, we may change the order of 19' to 17' to keep the safety margin of 5k towing capacity.

Same here.

[BigSwede]

Originally Posted by Davin

We tow our 19 with a Lexus GX 460, which has 3 rows. It has a 5700 lb rating and decent torque from a 4.6l V8. It comes stock with trailer brake wiring, and a transmission cooler - but it isn't exactly a low priced vehicle. It is the sister to the Landcruiser Prado. The self levelling suspension is a big plus for shorter trips, but a load distribution hitch is a must for highway handling. Fully loaded with a family of 4 and gear, it is not unusual for the 19 to weigh well over 4000lbs in addition to the loaded vehicle. I have always assumed that body on frame construction (4Runner, Lexus GX, pickups, etc.) would be preferable for heavier towing and load distribution systems, though not sure this holds true any more. A 2010 GX can be found for about $24k CAD. A cheaper option for a very similar vehicle would be the Gen 4 4runner (2003-2009), which was available with the V8 and the levelling suspension. 5th gen went back to a V6. I have had both vehicles and have driven them well over 300,000 km with nothing other than scheduled maintenance.

I thought the GX has a towing capacity of 6,500 pounds? At least that is what my 2018 GX says.

It's a nice, old school vehicle, just don't expect much for fuel economy; a GX is more about capability and reliability than efficiency.