Looking for a new towing vehicle

[mzimme]

If it were me, I'd keep the 4runner. New tires and a 90k service do not cost as much as a brand new rig. If your current rig does the job without any complaints, why fix what's not broken?

I guess I'm a little biased though. My Lexus(toyota) daily driver has been nothing short of phenomenal. 134k miles in under 5 years, and the most expensive repair I've made on the thing was a couple of o2 sensors. Come to think of it, that's the only repair I've had to make.

[pmkkdx]

I'm with Philscbx ... but I use a truck for many other towing reasons where a diesel 2500 is minimum requirements for me as I frequently get up into the 12-15k+ range for loads. Dodge 4x4 with Cummins for me. Owned 8 over the past 21 years, wouldn't have anything else for my towing needs. I haven't gotten the 6.7 dialed in yet for higher mpg, but all the 5.9s easily tuned in to 22-24 mpg highway empty and 15-16 towing (14.7 worst case but tipped scales slightly over 21k lbs) .

I upgraded my wife's '06 4runner to a '11 4runner due to the new interior redesign and it tows our '04 X2 well over short distances (the '06 struggled a bit). Haven't tried it for any long distances yet. Will likely look into a Tahoe or Suburban in a couple years when we upgrade again to get a bit more seating capacity/room, which is what we had prior to the '06 4runner when our kids were at home. The '11 4runner gets about 21-22 open highway, 17-18 around town/highway combination (wife's normal) and 12-13 towing boat/16 foot flatbed with Kubota RTV (but again, fairly short distances), has very large rotors with very good braking. We really like the Toyotas but they really aren't designed for someone over 6 foot tall IMO. I personnally would also look into the new Durango with Hemi as it offers 7400 (RWD)/ 7200 (AWD) towing and rating similar on MPG compared to the 4runner.

[pmkkdx]

Originally Posted by mzimme

If it were me, I'd keep the 4runner. New tires and a 90k service do not cost as much as a brand new rig. If your current rig does the job without any complaints, why fix what's not broken?

I guess I'm a little biased though. My Lexus(toyota) daily driver has been nothing short of phenomenal. 134k miles in under 5 years, and the most expensive repair I've made on the thing was a couple of o2 sensors. Come to think of it, that's the only repair I've had to make.

I highly agree with this if it meets your needs!!! only reason we upgraded was for features of the redesigned interior as we were extremely pleased with our '06 other than interior room.

[kskonn]

I have owned the following:
2007 chevy Tahoe
2009 F150 with 5.4 liter
2000 F250 Powerstroke
2010 Cadillac Escalade
2012 F150 with Ecoboost engine

The best towing vehicle of the 5 has actually been the F150 with the Ecoboost engine, pulls my X2 effortlessly.

The 5.4 Liter with Ford worked well and I put 150k on the truck with no issues, was short on power- I had the exact same experience with my Tahoe, reliable but it struggled with hills etc...

The F250, well it towed great, sold it when I realized how well the 2012 F150 towed.

Escalade towed pretty well, the 6.2 liter engine was a beast.

I put 100k plus on every vehicle I have owned, no real problems with any of them. I am not a biased brand guy, I buy what I like, I almost bought a tundra this last go around, but I just like the F150 a little better. Two of my buddies have tundras and they have been great trucks for them.

good luck, there are a lot of good options out there right now.

[TRBenj]

Originally Posted by pmkkdx

I highly agree with this if it meets your needs!!! only reason we upgraded was for features of the redesigned interior as we were extremely pleased with our '06 other than interior room.

I agree as well... if the truck works well now, that 90k service and some new tires will have it back to tip top for a good while. I havent had a single issue with my '07 V8 (125k now).

I would be curious to know how heavy that Maristar is though- as well as how often you tow. If youre pushing the 7k lb tow capacity, and tow long distances regularly, then a bigger vehicle may be justified. If theyre shorter or infrequent trips, then something like the 1 ton trucks that everyone seems to love would be overkill if you dont need the extra space/capacity on a daily basis.

[kodiak]

Wife just switched from an 03 Tahoe to a 2011 Sequoia last year and must say the Toyota is better in just about everything except fuel consumption. The Tahoe was a good truck but I pull up and down mountains and it would struggle (5.3L). With the Sequoia (5.7L) I have no problem maintaining highway speeds.

Originally Posted by Ironhorse

If your 4Runner has not caused you any issues, why would you change from Toyota? I would look at the Sequoia or Tundra. I drive a Tundra Crewmax Platinum and love it.

[Hogwild]

First of all, thanks for all the responses. And now as far as more details go, right now I haul the boat (about 6500lb i think) 2-3 times a month on a trip ranging from 30-60 miles and I plan on taking it about 4 times a year on a trip about 200 miles down the road so I could see hauling about 1000 miles a year. The terrain here is not Colorado mountainous by any means but I do live in the Ozarks so it gets pretty hilly at times. I don't have any kids that I know of so back seat room really isn't an issue at this time.

And as far as why I'm even considering trading, I have these concerns....1. Trade it now because after 100K miles resale value typically takes a huge hit. 2. If I keep it, I can see having to plug about $2,500 into the 4runner in the not so distant future (new tires, 90K mile service, recommended transmission cooler, weight distribution hitch), whereas if I bought new, this $2500 could go directly into a vehicle already possessing or not needing these things. I love my Toyota and never thought I would even think about another brand, but I'm just not sure the Tundra has the proven track record of the other brands but it doesn't mean I can't be persuaded otherwise. One thing is for sure, I definitely don't want to hurt my 4runner and sometimes I'm afraid I may be overdoing it hauling something this heavy. Anyway, those are the things that have me weighing my options.

Originally Posted by onebadrubi

Hogwild, your screen name anything to do with the razorbacks? If so where do you live? I am from Arkansas and graduated from the U of A.

Yes it most certainly does. I live in Fayetteville and am a Razorback fan through and through. WPS!!!
What year did you graduate?

[thekubiaks]

I have a 2008 Toyota Tundra 4WD with 5.7L V8. I love everything about it except the gas mileage is awful. I get 15MPG in the city and just under 10MPG pulling my 2006 X1. Although I don't care for Fords (because they were hard to work on), I have to give the nod to the new F-150's. They look sharp and it sounds like they have good gas mileage. I'm guessing Ford got with the program in the last few years after the GM bankruptcy stuff and are making solid trucks. The F-150 will probably be my next one.

[ddanenberger]

I am sure people will say something ...but I but a new grand Cherokee overland with the hemi for towing our x25. 14 MPG towing in hills of Michigan ...no issue. Great tow.

[AZX9]

I knew before I started reading the posts that the advise was going to be all over the place. If anything we will confuse the issue. My two cents are no different.

First of all when it comes to towing and mileage there is no substitute for diesel. Now for my story. I had a 2500 Dodge Ram Cummins that towed wonderfully. It replaced an F250 V-10 that would not hold speed in hill situations and got about 6 mpg towing. I was in a similar situation with pending steering component repairs and decided to get a new vehicle. Since I drive a company car the vehicle would be the wife's daily driver. She did not want a clunky truck to drive around so I gave her a choice. She could get anything we could afford AND it had to be diesel. After considering the few choices out there we went with the VW Touareg. It's mid sized and my 6'3" son fits just fine in the back seat. Not so in our 4runner. It has all wheel drive so absolutely no wheel spin issues at the ramp. It has a 7700lb tow rating. With a 3 liter diesel the thing gets about 31 mpg at 65 mph. We get about 24 in town. The torque is awesome for towing with a fairly large and flat torque curve that is mated to an eight speed transmision so it's never searching for a gear. It pulls strong and keeps speed going up grades. This is the type of tow vehicle that passes slow people in motorhomes on a two lane road. The vehicle has a substantial all around feel to it. From the solid feel of the door closing to the solid tow stability. It's a rocket ship that feels equally well doing 85+ mph. We absolutely love the vehicle and it's cool not driving a vehicle that everyone else has. It's hard to rub two of them together. The wife is excited because the 2013 Porche Cheyene which is made in the same factory along with the Audi Q7 will have the diesel next year. I can dream.

Good luck in putting a consensus from all the info thats conflicting. In the end you'll have to use your gut.