Tow vehicle?? H2/Land rover?

Any one tow with one of these vehicles, not wanting to show off or anything, but ive had my f 250, gas, v8 for about 5 years and its time to trade i guess. Till now the only vehicle i know that wont give me a single problem is the 250 diesel. But i would like to have an suv, so just looking for some opinions, i know if i ask the dealer of an H2 he will say that these are the best in towing, wich i doubt..also man everytime going out of the water i need to put in the 4x4 on my truck, or else it just spins,

by the way i tow an x30

If your dealer did say that he would be pretty right about that cuz the H2 is a great tow vehicle. I dont kno any thing about the land rover and towing but i do kno the H2 is great. We have a great buddy that tows his Malibu VLX with and H2 and it handles great. We are also thinking about getting an H2 to tow our VLX... Thanks Lucky T

Lucky T, I guess from reading your quotes that you base jump.

i dont know what the total weight of your boat is and dont do much boat towing as we live right next to the river but in regards to snowmobiles the H2 is one of the worst tow vehicles i've ever been in or driven. very underpowered and bad fuel mileage compared to the other rigs commonly used. Even my H1 towed substantially better and they arent great tow rigs.
just my opinion so H2 owners relax.

If you want a 250 diesel, but also an SUV - Why not a Diesel excursion? Basically an F250 SUV. I got the Excursion and love it.

If it's between the H2 and LR, I'd say H2. They pull pretty nice.

wow, if the H1 is better than the H2, than boy it is really bad, ive towed my boat with an H1 before, you would imagine it would be perfect but that thing couldnt handle my boat.
Yeah and the excursion well a little to big, i guess ill just havt to go with the f250 diesel.

Thanx for your help guys

With gas prices as high as they are and no sign of going down, I don't know what I'd get. My diesel gets pretty good mileage while towing, but diesel prices seem to be higher than gas here in SoCal.

I tow with a 8.1L 2500 Suburban. It's roomier than an H2, but it doesn't have that "bling" factor. It also has a 12000lb tow rating compared to 6700 for the H2. I basically got it for the same reason that you did, I wanted a SUV tow rig, but I also wanted it to be able to tow a decent amount of weight, hence the 2500.

BTW I never spin a tire puling the boat out of the water in 2wd, I figure it's due to having more weight in back than a truck would so I would assume you wouldn't have that problem with any SUV.

The H2 has a 4L60E transmission along with a some other weak parts like axles etc. A 2500 Suburban or Denali for Bling factor will out tow an H2 any day of the week.

If you think gas prices are high, then you are really gonna hate it when they get higher and diesel goes through the roof with the environmental changes. Research the no sulfur diesel fuel changes before buying one. Everything we buy is going to cost more, as over the road transportation costs rise.

I just read an artilce, not long ago from boating mag. It was on the H2 and towing. It said it did ok, but the gearing, and the wheel base made it far inferior to the suburban which it compared, the suburban just killed it in towing performance. More made for fourwheeling. Hope this helps.

"More made for fourwheeling" Now that made me laugh hard! The H2 is a street truck period. Anyone who takes it offroad, on any kind of terrain other than a dirt "road", is asking for trouble.

I tow with a 8.1L powered K2500 Burb and have never spun a tire...while towing anyway

Denali has the 6.0L which tows like a beast, and has a definite bling factor. Expect something around 8-12 mpg towing though. That would be my choice for a towing SUV. I wanna hear what people have to say about the Infinit QX56 or Turbo Diesel VW Toureg though.

Hey Ermilo,
I really find it funny when someone says "The Excursion is too big - I'll just go with the F250 diesel." You're killin' me!! Do some research guys - the last time I checked, my F250 Crew Cab diesel SHORTBED wheelbase is two inches longer - yes LONGER than the Excursion wheelbase. Some of you guys are just sheep that are blinded by the media - well- you know what I mean. Sorry to rant. I just get tired of everyone making the HUGE Excursion something that it is not. Oh - one more thing - F250 Longbed...Bigger Bigger than the Excursion. You will need 3 - no 4 parking spaces.....

I tow with a D2 Landrover. I think it does the job very well. Not a fast truck to be sure, but it is more than capable in every other aspect. Mine is loaded with everything including self leveling air suspension.

Eric

My friend had his transmission fall out of his H2 while towing. One week after the warranty ran out. I was looking at buying a Land Rover Discovery, then I started reading reviews on them and decided against it. It seems they have a lot of problems. Log onto msn.com and search under autos. They give reviews on all vehicles.

I haven't really had many, if any, serious problems with my Rover. The trouble with them though, is repairs and parts can be expensive. I think it would probably be the same with any import though.

I tow with my Land Rover, and it works. I have a Supra 21v, and at 3400 lbs similar in weight to your X30. Power and braking are great, but the length of the car is my only complaint. My boat on the trailer is much longer than my car, so when the trailer hits a bump or pothole, or even shimmies around a little behind the LR - I really feel it. It just takes a lot of paying attention to keep the trailer tracking correctly.

Don’t know if I’m describing the situation well enough, but I used to have a F150 and it was much less work to tow with that.

Rovers have a bad rep, mostly based on electrical problems. I would assume Ford has been trying to fix the rep but it's still there. Same with Jaguar, or any British made auto. So, I would be wary of purchasing a LR especially for tow duty.

I tow my 03' X-Star with an 03' Z71 Tohoe. I think it does a good job, its no diesel but does a fine job. What do you think?

CDM

for serious towing duramax, cummins, powerstroke,
any of the suv's with v-8's would be ok as long as your towing was flat stuff, short hauls to the lake,, some of the crewcab trucks make great tow-family vehicles ours -- ford CC 6.0L diesel seats 6 adults very nicely, tows like a mother

Ken, what I meant is in reference to a SUV, i feel the excursion no really being an SUV, if its that I rather just have a big pick up, i guess I did sound kind of stupid, but disagree on the medio closed minded stuff.. I just assumed cause it looks bigger..

I have a Disco Series II, and it sucks towing. the new D2 should be a lot better towing, but it still would suck compaired to my F-250 with the diesel engine. Rovers are now using jaguar engines, so i would say that the reliability is not going up, and their wiring is the absolute worst I have EVER seen. I seriously think the british should just give up on electricity, and go back to gas lanterns it is so bad.

I test drove an excursion, and even though it is shorter than my truck it feels much larger since it is all interior space. After I drove it around, I decided i just did not like the extreamly large suvs.

I would love to see the duramax in a Tahoe.

I don't believe Rovers are using Jaguar engines in any of their vehicles. The new Range Rover engine is a BMW 4.4L V8 (proven engine, car engine none the less). The LR3 uses the BMW V8 or Ford 4.0L V6. I don't believe Jaguar even makes engines anymore. The 4.0L and 3.0L in their cars are all ford built as far as I know.

I stand corrected the LR3 uses a 4.4L Jaguar derived engine. Which is weird they didn't just use the BMW 4.4L that is in the Range Rover.

Hey Ermilo,

That's cool. I didn't mean to sound so negative. I just wanted to point out the difference. I just like having a pickup bed still but you loose the third row seat. Oh well, at least we have some choices in what we pull with. Good luck with whatever you choose.

Later

"I would love to see the duramax in a Tahoe." -Robert (ag4ever)

No kidding!

It is rumored that the duramax with the allison tranny will be available in late 07.

For me, I have a Suburban and it will pull anything I need.

Seriously, stick with a Suburban/Tahoe/Denali/etc.

I have no brand loyalty anymore, I have owed Ford, Dodge, and Chevy in the last 7 years.

I have to say, my suburban has been the best truck I have ever had.

15mpg minimum, and will pull just about anything up to 9k with ease.

If you had a 9k or heavier boat/trailer combo I would say stick with a diesel, but I am not aware of any wakeboard boat that is even close to that.

Ken,

The wheelbase is 2" longer but the overall length is almost 2 FEET longer. Indeed, the pickup is quite a bit bigger.

maristar-jeff,

Serious towing? That little boat? Not that I have anything against overkill but come on!

taling about suburbans, my dad just burned his trans. on the suburban pulling a 32 ft. party boat. It was after a couple of tows, but still, Iam hearing all this good stuff about suburbans, well you can say there is a limit thought right, but any how, yeah sub. 05 z71 and all.. but still under guarantee..so they did replace the whoile transmission for free, off topic now, I guess since they didnt have any income for this the dealership told us that we had switched the sensors on the back tires so they wanted to pay 600 dls. to replace them, go figure, you go in for a waranty fixture and they find something else they can charge you for, just my .02.. thanx for all the input guys..

I tow my Sky Supreme with a 2000 Range Rover 4.0... I would highly recommend getting the 4.6 if you are looking at older Rovers. Mine does the job but it works hard doing it.

Ermilo, that last post didn't really make any sense.

And if you're disregarding the Suburban for that one experience, you should disregard the H2 also, since they're the same platform.
So I guess you're down to a Land Rover. Go for it man!

BTW I doubt they'll ever put a duramax in a Tahoe. Maybe a suburban, but I have a feeling diesel prices are going to really start pulling away from gas prices, and thus making the market for diesels smaller. Not that you need a diesel to pull a wakeboard boat anyway.

"05 z71 and all." Who in their right mind would expect a K1500 to pull a 32 ft party barge??? Of course you are going to blow up everything in the driveline. Yeah the salesman probably said "sure it will tow it". Did you guys keep the trans out of OD and push the button? Yes a heavier load requires you to not use OD.

"I guess since they didnt have any income for this the dealership told us that we had switched the sensors on the back tires so they wanted to pay 600 dls. to replace them" It is called warranty work and a dealer makes pretty good money off the manufacturer. Swapping the trans is an easy job. What sensors are you talking about? I assume they were the required low tire pressure sensors? Boy there are gonna be some pissed off people when they rotate their tires, and the vehicle will not go over 30 mph LOL

yeah they told us those low presure sensors were changed by us, bull.... But yeah I know 32 ft. is pretty big, but it was never towed at more than 70, but hell (the od button wasnt off, cuase these new ones have the haul thing installed), ok whatever, if a burban is coming out with duramax that will be the buy... hope it is soon though

This was your mistake and why the trans burned up "Did you guys keep the trans out of OD and push the button? Yes a heavier load requires you to NOT use OD."

Many people will tell you 70 is way to fast to pull something much bigger than the truck itself.

who cares just buy something buy a geo for all i care

Live on the water and ride a bike.

"any of the suv's with v-8's would be ok as long as your towing was flat stuff, short hauls to the lake,,"

LOL.

My SUV with a gas V8 tows great (4200 lb boat, dry + trailer), especially when it's a long tow with many long hills/mountainous sections.

We've got an 05 F-150 5.4L Triton, 05 Ram 1500 Hemi, 05 Escalade with the 6.0, and an '05 F-350 with the Powerstroke. Recently had a Sierra with the 5.3L, but it's gone now. The only gas engines that compare to the diesel are GM 6.0 and the Hemi in second. My Triton does the job well, but it just doesn't have that punch when you lay on the pedal with the trailer in tow like the Hemi or the Northstar.

For the record, my buddy's family tows a SANTE with an '05 Range. If it makes it to some of our local lakes, you know it can tow up some damn steep hills...

'05 range uses the jag engine I believe. It might be the BMW still though. I do know the '06 rangies DO have the jag engines, and can be had with supercharged jag engines.

The LR3 has the 4.4 jag naturally aspirated.

The RR Sport has the 4.4 n/a or supercharged.

The RR has the 4.4 n/a or supercharged.

Since ford owns rover, they wanted to stop buying engines from BMW.

The really wierd thing about the jag engines is the front drive shaft or axle shaft goes THROUGH the oil pan.

Yeah the good old $1000 oil pan gasket replacement trick. I've worked on another car like that before, can't remember what it was. I didn't even realize Ford axed the BMW engine. Time will tell if this was a good move, but Jaguar has failed to keep up with Mercedes/BMW engines in the past. Anyways this post got off topic. Ermilo, buy the orange supercharged Range Rover and get a new orange X-30 to match.

"We've got an 05 F-150 5.4L Triton, 05 Ram 1500 Hemi, 05 Escalade with the 6.0, and an '05 F-350 with the Powerstroke. Recently had a Sierra with the 5.3L, but it's gone now. The only gas engines that compare to the diesel are GM 6.0 and the Hemi in second. My Triton does the job well, but it just doesn't have that punch when you lay on the pedal with the trailer in tow like the Hemi or the Northstar."

Obviously no gas engine will truly compare to a diesel when towing larger loads, but any gas engine around 350hp/350ftlbs will be ok towing a wakeboard boat. I towed a built jeep on a trailer all over the country a couple years ago with my 8.1L and the only problem I ever had was when I had to pay for gas. It held speed up hills just fine, and I could keep up with traffic easily on the flats. It tows my boat just as well as my 12V Cummins Dodge 2500.

ROBERT
}
The 4.4 is still the BMW unit and is only available normally aspirated the Supercharged engine is the Jaguar unit and that’s a 4.2.
The supercharged engine is only available in the Range Rover & the Sport not the Discovery or LR3 as you know it.

I read that the new 4.4L is a Jaguar derived engine as well. The 4.2L shares the same block with thicker piston walls to handle the force a supercharger puts on the engine.

Maybe I've jumped the gun assuming that because theres a 4.4 still available its the BMW unit.

whos ready to talk about something eles im not sure but i think thier is a web site for trucks besides here

ERMILO, I don't know what other vehicles have been recommended but if you are looking for a spacious SUV that has great towing capabilities, you should check out the Escalade 6.0 with AWD. Obviously it's never going to compare to a diesel when towing, but a diesel will never compare to it when not towing. By that I mean that it is one of the most comfortable and powerful SUV's on the market. We've owned ours for two years now and we've owne F350s and Surburbans and neither compare as far as daily driving is concerned. The suspension is amazing and it drives like "Cadillacs" are supposed to. We also towed our 04 X-Star back from Denver to California and had no problem through the Rockys, in fact we were also cranking through Utah (love that there's no 55 trailer speed limit). We've taken it to Lake Powell with 7 people in the Escalade and a boat load of stuff and food. Again, no peoblem there. I've never had the wheels spin on the launch ramp ever. It's a solid vehicle, more spacious than the H2 (trust me) inside and very very comfortable, which is great for long trips.
Give it a chance and check it out.
Oh and one more thing, the turning radius on the Escalade is insane. We've made U-turns with our boat in place where trucks wouldn't even think about it. Hope this helps

Wait just a little longer for the '07 GM's to come out...should be debuting fairly soon.

My roommates v8 4runner tows our SSV damn good for a mid sized SUV. I was VERY surprised.

Thanx a lot guys for all the info.. Heres the real deal: I hate driving on the highway at 70, so what I really need is something that wont burn up or feel rough going 80, i drive when towing as if i werent towing. Another thing, ive heard all good about the excalade, the problem here is that I live in Nuevo Laredo Mexico, a town where all drug lords and high gangsters drive excalades and denalis, so it is a big risk to have one of those vehicles.. get it.. but hell go with the diesel now then wait for the tahoe to come out with the duramax..cheers.

Get a tahoe or yukon-take away the bling factor and you are good in Nuevo Laredo. My buddy has a land rover and it can hardly pull my 23 ft mastercraft maristar. Beyond that his land rover is in the shop all the dam* time and it is very expensive to fix! I have a yukon, it has ample power and has 90,000 miles without any problems!

h2 sut is great tow veh. Just went from va. to lake powell average 75+ mph and back towing 2005 super air 210 no problems. Guys and girls couldn't wait to get behind the wheel to take their part to drive.

If you want an SUV and the "Bling" factor, check out the Escalade:


Escalade 2WD 5.3L V8 (7400 Tow Limit)
Escalade AWD 6.0L V8 (8100 Tow Limit)
Escalade ESV 6.0L V8 (7700 Tow Limit)
Escalade EXT 6.0L V8 (7300 Tow Limit)

Checkout trailerboats.com for 2005 Tow ratings.

MY GOD I HAVE HEARD ENOUGH ON •••••••• TRUCKS AND SUV IS REALLY OLD. ALL I READ IS HOW YOU PEOPLE LOVE YOUR TRUCKS AND YOU WANT TO LOOK COOL SO BAD THEY ALL DO THE SAME •••••••• THING "I LOVE DODGE" I LOVE FORD, I LOVE CHEVY I WANT TO LOOK COOL , ONE GOOD THING HALF OF YOU WILL LOOK COOL HAVING PROBLEMS LAUNCH AND DOCK YOUR BOAT AND DONT LIE SAY IT NOT YOU BECAUSE HALF THE TIME ITS THE PEOLPE WITH THE NEW BOAT AND THE NEW TRUCK THAT LOOK STUPID AT THE BOAT LAUNCH GOOD LUCK

Tom,
You didn't do very well in English did you? It surprises me that you're on here and not hanging out with friends. O.K. no it doesn't.

On with the thread folks............

brian your too cool for me

Tom, If you don't like the subject then leave, oh and green isn't a good color on you.

Hey Tom,

Obrien in your profile is spelled "Obrien" not Obrian - sounds you know alot about the sport. Maybe I'll buy a used TRUCK from you someday if you become a TRUCK salesman. Oh - and I belive it should be "Brian, you're too cool for me" not "your" - but that's just a guess from a cool new truck ownin' boat backin' wildman!!!!

I'm just messin' with ya

K

I thought normal people only towed with diesels?

shane,

Do you even have any hills in Dallas? You could probably tow that Wakesetter with a Kia.

...but you won't be stopping that Wakesetter any time soon. Hehe...

salmon tacos plenty of hills around NW Arkansas and SE Oklahoma where I pass those po gassers trying to maintain 45 going uphill. Even with flatlands surrounding dallas, not any reason to own a gasser 1/2 ton.

Why not get a Land Cruiser/Lexus lx470? Tow capacity is 6500lbs. Top notch luxury and quality. You don't have to worry about car in the shop all the time or transmission gives out on you.

we tow with a rangerover same as landrover. Fantastic at towing no problems. Put for a diesel its bad on gas!!
Put for sure you can tow in luxury!!!

Diesel bad on "gas"! try running it on Diesel

thats wot i ment!!!!!!

I am converting my F350 Dually to run on Waste Vegitable Oil. I get it free from a few restaraunts locally, filter, heat and go...

here's my .02

we tow our '05 sanger v215 with a yukon xl equipped with the 5.3L(the little guy). to get to our usuall riding spot takes an hour. on this ride we go over a toll bridge on which it struggles a bit but gets it done. we also have pulled from our home in texas (on the southeast side of Houston) to Minnesota (just west of Minneapolis), a 22 hour nonstop ride. the vehicle holds its own quite well to our surprise but on our next tow vehicle we will probably upgrade the engine by one.