10 Top SUVs for Towing the Largest Loads

When it comes to big-time pulling power, the top suvs for towing offer tons of it, with some able to haul more than 4.5 tons, to be exact. That’s not quite up to the mark of the top full-size pickups, but it is more than enough for a wide variety of campers, boats and trailers, and SUVs further deliver some key benefits that even the best pickups can’t. For example, most of these are full-size sport utilities that feature an extra row of seating as compared to even double-cab pickups, while additionally offering extensive in-cabin storage.

Just note that many of these entries do require special upgrade packages to reach their maximum tow ratings, so the numbers indicated below are for vehicles “when properly equipped”; also, models offering more than one wheelbase choice are still only listed once.

As for their other advantages …

Backed by the popular and powerful 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6, the 2015 Ford Expedition is the heaviest hitter here, showcasing a 9,200-lb. benchmark that makes it No. 1 on our list of SUVs with the most towing capacity. Now, that’s actually the same rating as for the 2014 Expedition, which was powered by a traditional V8, but the EcoBoost advantage comes from the fact that the full-size Ford suv also increased EPA ratings by 2 mpg in all facets of testing with its new powerplant—and gains 55 hp and 55 lb.-ft. of torque.

The new tale of the tape shows the 2015 Expedition with 365 horses and 420 lb.-ft. of twisting power, and the vehicle also was restyled and restocked with technologies for the new model year as well.

Finally, the Ford Expedition is sold in a long-wheelbase model that adds best-in-class cargo capacity of 130.8 cubic feet.

Unsurprisingly, the Ford Motor Company’s other full-size sport-utility vehicle, the 2015 Lincoln Navigator, also stands out as one of the country’s top SUVs for towing. After all, like the Expedition, the Navigator now also packs an EcoBoost punch beneath hood, with the same outputs of 365 hp and 420 lb.-ft. of torque-albeit with a slightly lower maximum load limit for towing of 9,000 lbs.—and it, too, was refreshed for the current selling season and offers a long-wheelbase edition.

Where the Lincoln exceeds its Blue Oval stablemate is in terms of lux amenities, highlighted for the new model year by an available Amber Reserve Package boasting standard features like real Ziricote wood trim, an upgraded, more premium leather for all seating surfaces, massive 22-inch polished-aluminum wheels, and a supple leather wrap for the Navigator’s instrument panel, armrest and transmission shifter.

The 2015 Nissan Armada technically ties the Lincoln Navigator for second place among the SUVs with the highest tow ratings, thanks to a similar 9,000-lb. limit, but it slips down a spot based on our alphabetical ordering. Another key distinction is that Nissan has configured its Armada in an unexpected manner, so that it’s the upper-trim, four-wheel-drive Armadas with the team’s top towing marks; the RWD version has a max tow rating of 8,200 lbs. and the entry 4X4 model peaks at 6,500 lbs.

All models rely on a 5.6-liter V8 that makes 317 hp and 385 lb.-ft. of torque while delivering distinctly old-school EPA grades of 13 mpg city/19 mpg highway/15 mpg combined. 

New this year for the Armada: freshened cabin accents, a bolder 20-inch wheel design and Arctic Metallic Blue and Magnetic Black exterior finishes.

The 2015 Chevrolet Tahoe was introduced just this year as a brand-new, next-generation model, but it still serves up enough traditional truck-style capability to be one of the market’s best SUVs for towing. Getting down to brass tacks, the Bowtie brand’s full-size sport utility can leverage 355 hp and 383 lb.-ft. of torque—from a 5.3-liter V8—to haul up to 8,600 lbs.; the long-wheelbase Tahoe, aka the Chevy Suburban, can pull 8,300 lbs. 

Both also blend that robust performance with the ability to fit up to nine passengers and plenty of gear, with the Suburban setting the pace with 121.1 cubic feet of available cargo room. 

As a further bonus, both then supply some fairly sophisticated technologies, including safety measures such as side blind-zone alert, lane-change alert, rear cross-traffic alert, forward-collision alert, adaptive cruise control, crash-imminent braking and GM’s “Safety Alert” driver’s seat.

The 2015 GMC Yukon provides a Professional Grade partner to the Tahoe, featuring the same powertrain, a slightly lower 8,500-lb. towing maximum, and a noticeably higher level of refinement. That’s particularly the case in the Yukon Denali range topper, which trades 100 lbs. of towing capacity to deploy its exclusive, sophisticated style upgrades, active noise cancellation, magnetic ride control, and a bigger, 6.2-liter V8 with best-in-segment outputs of 420 hp and 460 lb.-ft. of torque. 

The Yukon, as well as the longer Yukon XL, also offer a vast array of cutting-edge technologies, including a full portfolio of driver-assistance measures and:

• Standard Bose audio
• A mobile wi-fi hotspot
• 4G LTE connectivity
• Wireless phone charging
• A hands-free rear liftgate
• Text-messaging assistance
• Siri Eyes Free mode (for compatible iPhones)
• A dual-screen rear-seat entertainment setup with Blu-Ray player

As readers may have noticed, quite a few of the best SUVs for towing have been refreshed or redesigned for 2015, and that includes the 2015 Infiniti QX80.

The full-size, three-row entry from Nissan’s luxury division, the QX80 builds on a bold exterior appearance with a fresh LED lighting signature, created by the introduction of LED headlights and fog lights, and further shows a modernized look for its front fascia and grille, along with new exterior colors, extensive cabin refinements, more safety technology and, for the first time, an ultra-lux “Limited Package” with exclusive exterior finishes and accents, dark-chrome 22-inch wheels, and opulent interior upgrades like quilted, semi-aniline leather surfaces and open-pore ash-wood trim with an elegant matte finish.

Of course, even with all that and more, the 2015 Infiniti QX80 still lives up to its body-on-frame bona fides with a towing maximum of 8,500 lbs.

Launched as an all-new model for 2015, the current Cadillac Escalade remains one of the best SUVs for towing even as it continues to raise the bar for premium sport-utility performance in other measures, too. Consider: Although the Escalade can pull some 8,300 lbs. when hitched to a trailer, it also can run from 0-60 in fewer than six seconds—even in all-wheel drive or with an extended wheelbase—when it isn’t.

That’s because the standard engine in this king-sized Cadillac is a 6.2-liter V8 that can unleash 420 hp and 460 lb.-ft. of torque, with that power complemented by advanced Magnetic Ride Control technology, billed by the brand as the “world’s fastest-reacting suspension system.”

Designers, however, obviously took their time in crafting the latest Escalade, since it shows all the world-class style and attention to detail that are hallmarks of the segment.

The Toyota Land Cruiser has a surprisingly low profile for a vehicle with more than 50 years of off-road heritage behind it, but it also has a high enough towing mark to serve as one of the best SUVs for pulling a trailer: 8,200 lbs. And the Land Cruiser comes “properly equipped” fresh from the factory, with a standard towing package supported by a 5.7-liter V8, 381 hp, and 401 lb.-ft. of torque.

In fact, this top-of-the-range Toyota comes with everything standard, since the brand only offers it in a single specification that’s already pre-loaded with premium goodies. Among them are everything from a 14-speaker JBL Synthesis audio setup to a four-zone climate system featuring 28 different air vents to full-time all-wheel drive enhanced by Toyota’s Kinetic Dynamic Suspension System.

The best SUVs for trailering, based on towing grades, could in truth include any of the three Land Rover vehicles: the Range Rover, Range Rover Sport and LR4 all post the same maximum tow rating of 7,716 lbs.—which comes to a nice round 3,500 kg in the metric system. On the other hand, it was the 2015 Range Rover Sport that was named Autobytel’s Luxury SUV of the Year, so it gets pride of place among its siblings here. 

In honoring the vehicle, Autobytel praised its “combination of performance, incredible off-road capability and prodigious comfort in all driving situations,” further reporting that: “If you’re looking for a do-it-all, high-class SUV, it’s hard to do better than the 2015 Land Rover Range Rover Sport.” 

It’s also worth noting that the Sport model earns its top tow rating with the driver’s choice of a 340-hp naturally aspirated V6 and a supercharged, 510-hp V8.

There’s hauling and then there’s hauling, and the 2015 Porsche Cayenne has both meanings of the word covered—in multiple model configurations. True, some do require a six-figure outlay, but the choices are highlighted by:

• Cayenne Diesel—holstering a V6 turbodiesel engine that makes 240 hp and 406 lb.-ft. of torque
• Cayenne S E-Hybrid—motivated by a plug-in hybrid powertrain that combines 416 hp, 435 lb.-ft. of torque and a 14-mile EV driving range
• Cayenne Turbo S—able to squeeze 570 hp and 590 lb.-ft. of torque from a twin-turbo V8, while running from 0-60 in 3.8 seconds and achieving a top speed of 176 mph
• And to be clear, all of these models are matched with max tow ratings of 3,500 kg, allowing drivers to benefit from both some of the best-rated SUVs for trailering and blistering performance.

Note: The VW Touareg, which rides on the same platform as the Cayenne [and Audi Q7], also has a 3,500-kg tow rating.