Pickup trucks may be the preferred vehicles for towing — but many people who are towing have families, and a Super Duty isn't ideal for school runs and other non-towing purposes. Fortunately, there are a good number of rugged, powerful and (mostly) truck-based SUVs that provide other compelling options.
These sport-utility vehicles offer most of the towing capability of a full-size truck —think 8,000 pounds or more — while also providing a bit more family practicality. In addition to listing them based on their maximum towing capacity, we've also included their torque outputs (torque generally being more important for towing performance than horsepower), and listed which versions of each model specifically you'll need to choose if you want maximum trailer-tugging capability.
Check out the best SUVs for towing trailers below.
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Ford Expedition
Ford
Max Torque: 480 lb-ft
Max Tow Rating: 9,300 lbs (9,200 lbs 4x4)
The Ford Expedition has the highest potential towing capacity on the list. To get the max ratings you need to add the Heavy Duty Trailer Tow Package ($795), which also includes Ford's Pro Trailer Backup Assist.
Towing may be the best reason to buy a Durango. To hit the max rating you need a V8; the Hellcat and SRT 392 versions will handle the weight, but if you can't justify those hot models, so will the R/T model equipped with the $4,995 Tow N Go package. Still, even without that, the R/T's 7,200-lb stock towing capability is still fairly formidable.
The Navigator is the Expedition for fancy people. You lose a bit of towing ability with the Lincoln, although the Navigator still competes with anything else on this list. To get the max rating you do need the Heavy Duty Trailer Tow package ($690), which is not available on the base Standard trim.
The Nissan Armada isn't the best SUV out there, but it is an absolute workhorse. The 5.6-liter V8 engine comes standard, and so does the towing setup. The only add-on you need is a hitch ball.
The Yukon has a max tow rating of 8,400 lbs. Oddly, to get that, you need the two-wheel drive model and the smaller 5.3-liter V8. Switching to 4x4 knocks 200 lbs off the rating, as does jumping up to the 6.2-liter V8. The diesel has a max of 8,100 lbs (7,800 with 4x4). To get the full numbers, you also need the $465 max trailering package.
The Suburban is the longer version of the Tahoe, but the numbers differ. The max rating is 8,300 lbs with two-wheel drive and the 5.3-liter V8; the 6.2-liter V8 can tow 8,200 lbs, whilehe diesel will tow 8,000 lbs. Knock 200 lbs off those capacities for 4x4 models. And to get those numbers, you need the Max Trailering Package ($465).
The four-door Defender 110 with the larger 3.0-liter inline-six engine delivers 8,201 lbs of towing capacity. All you need is a tow hitch. That said, you can add the $1,850 Towing Pack for $1,850, which brings features like Advanced Tow Assist that let you steer the trailer while reversing. Upgrading to the adjustable air suspension with load-leveling would also help.
The Disco shares a fair amount of componentry with the Defender and has the same tow rating. To get the max rating, you need the larger supercharged V6 engine; you also must add the Towing Package ($1,150) and the hitch receiver ($675).
The Escalade is a fancy luxury beast, but it's still a beast. To get the max rating you need the Heavy-Duty Trailering Package ($600), which is not available on the base Luxury trim. Note that the diesel drops the max rating to 7,800 lbs.
