I had a 2003 Envoy XL with the 6 cyl. I upgraded to an '05 Ford Expedition with the 5.4L v8. I say upgrade in just about every sense of the word; room, towing power, towing gas mileage, highway gas mileage while not towing. The around town mileage is about the same. Don't get me wrong, I really liked the Envoy, but for our purposes, the Expedition wins hands down. Look at something used. That's what we did and got a 1 year old Eddy Bauer with 23,000 miles for $23,500.
Me~Jim, 45
DW~Patty, no comment
DS~Dave,20
DD~Megan,18
DD~Emily,12
200lb. English Mastiff~Gulliver,9
2005 Expedition Eddie Bauer
2002 Palomino Stampede 235 SL
I tow a Starcraft 22RBH with an 08 Nissan Pathfinder, V6 and I don't have any real issues. It handles well enough on local roads and highways in the Catskill, Adirondack and Pocono mountain areas. I can maintain speed and mileage averages about 11 mpg.
I use an equalizer WDH but honestly the rear sits lower than I would like because I travel with a lot of stuff in the TV. I will be adding air bags to the rear coil springs in the spring. I believe in some of the larger SUVs they have air-assist components already built-in from the factory.
I'm sure a bigger TV is better for towing, but this is my all purpose vehicle and I didn't want such a large vehicle for everyday driving.
We tow our 23' Aerolite with a Suburban (with towing package) and it does wonderfully. I wouldn't dream of using any other vehicle for it. Love the V-8 for towing, especially in the hills and mountains.
The 'Burb is also my everyday ride. It gets great mileage on the highway, not so great in town. But I don't have to drive very much so it's not a big deal for me. When this one dies, I'll get a newer one.
Me (69), DW (69), DD (95), DS (00), DS (01) and 1 camping toy fox terrier (08)
06 Aerolite Cub 23BH, '00 Chevy Suburban LT 1500
We tow a Travelstar 21SB with a F150 Supercrew and don't even notice it's back there. Milage depends on how you're driving, I can get as high as 16 towing or as low as 12
We have the Explorer v8 w/ tow package (rated up to 7100 I believe) and a Jayco 23b. We're happy with it.....for now. I may shake off my soccer mom minivan sooner than later for an Expedition (no "I told ya so" Chuck!!) for towing. The Explorer is fine...easy on the flat...but complains loudly on the big hills. Since much of our future camping will be in the Adirondacks, I think it'll be upgrade time soon.
Wolfe...you might want to price out the Expedition vs. that Tundra. Similar sized vehicles even tho one's a p/u and one's an SUV, and Toyotas tend to be way more pricey. On the step down, when we were looking, the Toyota Taco was far more $$$$ than a comparably equiped Explorer. Just a thought.
Good luck to you in BOTH your upgrades!!!!!
Me (34), DH (35)
DS1: 5/22/07
DS2: 11/3/08
DT (Tucker the lab)
'08 Jayco 23B, Ford Explorer V8 w/ Prodigy, Equal-i-zer
wolfe59 wrote: wow, the Titan or Tundra is looking better with every post. I can't afford one of the bigger SUV's.
beware, the Titan is famous for having poor gas mileage. my friend has one and is extremely unhappy with the low highway mileage.
What is your thoughts on the Tundra or F150?
Chuck, I would love to go with a Expedition but my wallet would evaporate!!
from what i've heard, the Tundra is a wonderful tow machine. but i don't think an Expy is going to be more expensive than a Tundra. Expys have been discounted heavily, lately.
Dan- Firefighter, Shawn- Musician/Entrepreneur, Zoe- Faithful Golden Retriever, 2007 Chevrolet Avalanche LS, 2007 Rockwood Roo 23SS w/Equalizer and Prodigy, and 5 Mtn. bikes and 2 Road bikes
I can get a Tundra for around $28,000 that will tow 7800lbs. I'm just worried about gas milage. I have also been checking out the F150 and I can also get a good deal on one of those here in Ga. I know if I go with a SUV it will have to be a larger one and I think it will be over my $$ limit.
We sold our 06 F150 and the 03 HTT just last year becasue we upgraded to the rig below and did no longer have a use for a truck.
When I looked into the truck thing I was actually very pleasantly surprised how nice the F150 was. I found it to be a better ride on rough roads then the Tundra. Tow capacity on our F150 was 9500lbs. I also went with the F150 because there are more repair shops around all over the country. I liked the F150 and would buy one again if I would need a truck.
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, Shawn- Musician/Entrepreneur
, Zoe- Faithful Golden Retriever
, 2007 Chevrolet Avalanche LS, 2007 Rockwood Roo 23SS w/Equalizer and Prodigy, and 5 Mtn. bikes and 2 Road bikes
