Shopping for a BIG SUV

TXDani

Senior Community Member
I have a really bad memory but I think with Chely and the T's we had a ProBooster, rf'ing PP PV and a backless booster back there. Now that I can put my 5 stepper back there with my 7yo in a low back with a ff'ing harnessed seat 3 across isn't a pain except I have to put the harnesses seat in the center...since it doesn't have a headrest in the center and the setback is so low. :thumbsdown:

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beeman

Active member
A while ago there was a mid 90's one on youtube done with 4 rows that was basic factory spec otherwise, without all the show off features. Likely a more reasonably priced conversion.
 

An Aurora

Senior Community Member
Ha, there is actually one of those in my town that I see all the time. I keep telling DH that is exactly what we need ;)
 

tl01

New member
I think the escalade esv is your best bet... Or a Yukon xl Denali... Since they seem to have the most storage space... But I haven't read the whole thread to see why you might not be considering them.

I see the 3 ffing seats in the 3rd row might be an issue... But unless a car is crazy wide. It seems hard to get three in a third row. My car seems as wide as the lanes I drive in and I can't fit three seats in the back...
 

talkinghead

New member
I like the diesel option of the Excursion. The fact that it gets the best gas mileage out of any of these big SUVs is attractive. Lack of LATCH and crash testing are major cons.

You'll be lucky to get 14-15MPG with a diesel Ex (mixed normal driving), and maintenance on these diesels isn't cheap particularly the 6.0 versions. And trust me, they need plenty of TLC.

An Excursion is a 4 ton SUV, don't expect it to get good MPG.
 

An Aurora

Senior Community Member
I'm not expecting 30mpg out of it; I know the MPG still is low, but it's the best out of any of the ones we are considering.
 

talkinghead

New member
I'm not expecting 30mpg out of it; I know the MPG still is low, but it's the best out of any of the ones we are considering.

I'm not sure what else your considering, but all other factors being equal a current Suburban or Expedition will very likely get significantly better overall MPG than an Excursion (Diesel or not).
 

An Aurora

Senior Community Member
A new Suburban gets 12mpg from what I've read; the 2005 Excursion gets 14. Not a huge difference, and the Suburban is $40k while the Excursion is less than half of that. The new Expedition EL is better but again it's $30k. I'm still trying to decide if I want to drop that much money on a vehicle.
 

Phineasmama

New member
OMG :p I saw an F650 once when I was in Los Angeles, and I was driving a Chevy Aveo at the time, I could have driven right under that thing!!! :cool:
 

tl01

New member
Fwiw... I have driven an excursion a few times and during those times... I encountered numerous parking garages of modern buildings in Los Angeles where the garage was too low for the excursion. I almost had some expensive damage to the SUVs.
 

TXDani

Senior Community Member
I think 12mpg is way off for the Suburban. My Denali which has a much bigger (thirsty) motor gets around 14 mpg in stop and go suburban area driving. On long freeway trips we get about 16mpg.

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An Aurora

Senior Community Member
I got that off one of the fuel consumption sites. It was higher for 2WD and smaller engine but we need 4WD and towing capacity.

From everything ive read the Excursion gets around 18 overall, so I think those sites are way off.
 

TXDani

Senior Community Member
An Aurora said:
I got that off one of the fuel consumption sites. It was higher for 2WD and smaller engine but we need 4WD and towing capacity.

From everything ive read the Excursion gets around 18 overall, so I think those sites are way off.

Mine is an all-wheel drive...I really don't see that being realistic for the smaller motor Burban. I am NOT trying to sway you though just putting it out there that in my experience it isn't close to realistic. :)

Can you find Excursions up there pretty easily? From what I hear of Alaska I always wonder if car shopping is hard because of a lack of available cars. :)

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An Aurora

Senior Community Member
Oh yeah car shopping sucks up here. If I were buying a new car it would be cheaper to fly out of state, buy it and drive it back. Big SUVs are popular so there are lots, but they are spendy.

ETA: we looked at the one Yukon XL I've seen, and it was all pimped out lol with chrome and black leathe and pimp tint , but it had captains chairs and that darn backseat
 

talkinghead

New member
IMO if anyone is considering a full size SUV, if MPG is a significant factor they probably shouldn't be looking at full size SUV's. Since towing was mentioned, an Excursion will provide significant towing capabilities over a Suburban/Denali/Expedition if that level of capability is needed.

Expeditions/Suburban's/Yukon's are consumer grade vehicles, whereas an Excursion is a light duty commercial vehicle which makes big difference.

The GCWR is up to 10.5 tons for an Excursion, DO NOT attempt that in a Suburban/Expedition/Yukon.
 

An Aurora

Senior Community Member
It's not a significant factor at all. It's more of an afterthought, but it is a benefit especially when diesel is $4.50 a gallon and regular unleaded is not far behind.
 

beeman

Active member
While we are talking about towing, I know it was mentioned that many half ton chassis vehicle have the power to tow anything you throw at them. This is likely the case, as many engine/transmission combo's in the half ton are also used as the smaller engine option for the larger 3/4 ton or 1 ton counterpart, so it should have the power to tow large loads. The weakness comes in braking power, suspension and rear axle ratings. Therefore it is important to pay attention to tow ratings, not just what the engine can pull. For a load leveling hitch the trailer can way twice GVWR, but if you read the fine print in the manual, the rear end is not always rated for that kind of load. Just to add from experience I have towed the same trailer with similar loads with a 1/2 ton and a 1 ton, and the handling and braking was way better with the 1 ton, even with the trailer being within the allowed weight for the 1/2 ton and properly set electric trailer brakes.

As much as I am a fan of Ford, and diesels; stand clear of the 6.0L. Too unreliable and expensive to repair. The 7.3 was a good engine, but your looking 2003 or older for that option.

Just get the F650, they have the Cummins diesel, and the Allison automatic transmission. If they had that setup on the smaller chassis it would be a no brainer :p . Why don't they make the ideal truck on the smaller chassis :rolleyes: ? And a third row crew would be nice too...
 

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