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Cool Car Find 1954 Chevrolet CorvetteBest 2024 SUVs for Towing
Looking for a new SUV to haul your camper, trailer, or other big items? We have you covered with our list of the best towing SUVs.
The Best SUVs for Hauling Your Stuff
For lovers of camper trailers and general all-purpose hauling, consider this your love letter. Let’s check out a handful of full-size SUVs that tow with a proficiency beyond just sufficient. They’re the best in the industry at what they do. When every pound counts out on the open road, a few hundred pounds of capacity here or there can make a world of difference.
Chevrolet Suburban 7,800 lbs of Towing Capacity
The 12th-generation Suburban has been with us for a few years now. In that time, it’s offered tremendous towing capability, regardless of what choice of engine is under the hood. The optional three-liter Duramax Diesel’s 7,800-lb towing capacity is impressive on its own. But surprisingly, it’s the rear-wheel-drive L87 V8-engined Suburban that beats the diesel with 8,200 lbs of towing capacity.
The fuel economy will never be as nice as that of a smaller, force-inducted V6. But, the virtues of a comparatively under-stressed big American V8 will be even more prominent if you tow with this rig more than once or twice a year. Sometimes, there really is no replacement for displacement.
Lexus LX 8,000 lbs of Towing Capacity
Based on the J300 -series Toyota Land Cruiser, the Lexus GX’s optional 3.4-liter twin-turbo V6, with the benefit of a hybrid drivetrain, delivers 457 horsepower and 583 lb-ft of torque, tow figures potentially exceeding 8,000 lbs is not out of the realm of possibility.
With a refined, luxurious interior to boot, the LX has all the capability of the rest of the SUVs depicted here, just with a few more layers of refinement added. Another big W for Lexus, and they’ve been stacking them up like mad lately.
Land Rover Discovery 8,200 lbs of Towing Capacity
We’re not sure how likely we are to recommend any Land Rover as a reliable daily driver. But if heavy-duty towing and competent off-roading are what’s on your agenda, you really can’t do much better. When configured with a three-liter, twin-turbo hybrid straight-six powertrain delivering 355 hp and 368 lb-ft of torque, this plucky 4×4 can tow up to 8,200 lbs behind it.
That’s right in line with larger V6 and V8 offerings from other brands at a significant reduction in engine displacement. That should equal better fuel economy when towing heavy loads, but reliability issues shouldn’t be ignored either. Tread lightly and change the oil, and you might have a great camper hauler on your hands.
Nissan Armada 8,500 lbs of Towing Capacity
You could just as easily put the more luxurious Infiniti QX80 in this spot. The Armada and QX80 share a common platform, after all. Either way you slice it, the 3.5-liter twin-turbo V6 engine in this Nissan parallels its rivals from Ford to a shocking degree.
You are at least 20 horses and change down from the EcoBoost, but towing figures with a class IV tow hitch and a seven-pin harness of 8,500 lbs isn’t far off from the Expedition either. With an all-new platform to boot, Nissan’s flagship SUV is looking pretty wicked lately.
Dodge Durango 8,700 lbs of Towing Capacity
The Durango is in its final year of production. But where others see a dinosaur of an antiquated SUV, others see a proven, reliable family SUV with an optional 5.7-liter HEMI V8 engine that average mechanics can actually work on.
With the optional Tow & Go package, the 5.7 HEMI’s tow capacity jumps from 7,200 lbs to 8,700 lbs. That’s competitive with SUVs, which are a decade or more newer. It only proves that when it comes to this market segment, newer and shinier doesn’t always equate to better.
Ford Expedition 9,600 lbs of Towing Capacity
The all-new fifth-generation Ford Expedition is a full-size SUV with one purpose. To transport lots of people and all their cargo across long distances in relative comfort, and its 3.5-liter, twin-turbocharged EcoBoost V6 engine reflects this.
With 440 horsepower and a healthy 510 pound-feet of torque to work with, the new Expedition can tow up to 7,000 lbs standard and up to 9,600 lbs with a weight-distributing trailer hitch. Or, getting close to double the Expedition’s curb weight. Not too shabby in the slightest.
Toyota Sequoia 9,520 lbs of Towing Capacity
Bemoan that it doesn’t come with a V8 anymore all you want. It won’t make the modern Sequoia full-size SUV any less of a capable vehicle. A recent complete model refresh from 2022 still looks fresh and contemporary in 2024, and its 3.4-liter twin-turbo V6 and electric motor combine to jet 437 horsepower and 583 lb-ft of torque.
Depending on the trim level, that works out to a towing capacity of 9,300 and 9,520 lbs. Right on part with the Expedition and outright beating its rival from Nissan, at least for the moment. With timeless Toyota reliability, the Sequoia is a force to be reckoned with in the full-size SUV sector.
Jeep Grand Wagoneer 9,800 lbs of Towing Capacity
Skeptics ran wild in the early days of the Jeep Grand Wagoneer‘s production run. Nowadays, it’s a stalwart among options people could pick between in the full-size luxury SUV space. Its 5.7-liter HEMI engine with e-Torque may be gone for good, but the three-liter Hurricane straight-six under the hood nowadays is more than sufficient.
With 500 horsepower and 510 lb-ft of torque, towing figures of up to a staggering 9,800 Pounds make the Grand Wagoneer one of the all-time SUV towing greats. Even if the rest of the vehicle isn’t quite as refined as a Mercedes-Benz or a Cadillac, this figure is at least something to be proud of. For the moment, there isn’t another SUV on the planet that can tow quite as much unless you’re willing to just buy a pickup truck instead.
