sent you a pm

 

Mike......

Not sure where you read anywhere the Escalade is LESS than the Pepper at least with the new ones (which I have). The tow rating is well over 8K and with the weight distributing hitch it's well over 10K and a tongue weight well over 1K#. It's also nice to have the roar of that push rod V8 sing all 417ft-lb of torque when accelerating uphill

The other thing is the tongue weight......IIRC, the tongue weight on the Pepper was very low compared to it's tongue weight (something like 650#) which didn't even meet the 10-15% of the weight requirement if you towed near the limit.

Here's my setup

 

MB GL 320 CDI 18 city 26 mpg freeway @ 70 miles per hour. 3 rows that hold fully grown humans in the back Fuel is 10 a gallon less than regular. I go to Portland no back on less than a 1/2 tank.

 

Specs for the Caddy's. It's on the Cadillac website.

Escalade 2WD 6.2L V8 8300
Escalade AWD 6.2L V8 8100
Escalade ESV 2WD 6.2L V8 7600
Escalade ESV AWD 6.2L V8 7800
Escalade EXT AWD 6.2L V8 7500

 

Thanks for pointing out what I know and have said. Not sure where you are going with this. The tow rating is based on the chassis. The Escalade tows more, has a tongue weight that can be properly used and has a more powerful motor. The Cayenne's strongsuit is it's chassis but that's all.

 

Dell
I'm not going anywhere lol. I'm glad you like your setup. I did get a chuckle when you said you liked the longer wheelbase on your Caddy better though. It is a whole 3.6 inches longer!!


To the OP:
Tow vehicle discussions are always such a disaster, I try not to get sucked in. Use what you want. As long as folks aren't overloading their rig, I don't really care. The specs are out there for whatever you are considering. Read up and make an informed decision. The further you are from the load limit, the better. Short wheelbase rigs bother me less than the folks who brag about towing at 85mph

 

The Caddy looks great with bling bling rims : ). Sorry Dell had to say it. Watching too much MTV with my 14 year old daughter : ). Mike

 

All other tow vehicles thus far listed are merely amateurs/poseurs.

No substitute for a V10 diesel with two turbos.

It pulls jumbo jets. This is a bone stock Touareg with 9000lbs of sand(ballast) in the vehicle. The only mod is tire pressure.

 

I call it my pimp daddy baby mobile. But then again, that's how I roll! I've been watching too many ESPN promos with athletes and there 'lades


Weight of the 'lade more? Check
Towing capacity higher? Check
Tongue weight able to use the towing capacity? Check
Longer wheel base (and yes, 3.6" is longer)?Check
Condescending know-it-all in the thread?Check

There's one of you in every towing thread. And he usually has some uber-truck tow vehicle that thinks he knows best. Time for you to go.

 

I missed this before. In my area at least, DC Metro, lots of folks tow with Cayenne's and open trailers, lots of people. S is the popular platform, but some have turbos. You see the larger stuff like pickups when using enclosed trailers. I know one guy with an X5. I think he is just trying to be different though.



You crack me up Dell

 

Glad to help.

 

I've got a 2005 X5 4.4i V8 and it tows my BMW 328i on a steel trailer with no problem. It also happens to be my wife's daily driver and she loves it. Unfortunately, we will be selling it when our third child is born in a few weeks and the need for a 3rd row will overpower the love of the BMW. It already has the class III hitchso if you're interested shoot me an email.

 

Finally a BMW owner with an application of towing that uses the car as a daily driver. I am convinced a Cayenne will be a better tow vehicle, but I really want the answer to be BMW. Yes, I know that is a little silly, but my wife would be more confortable driving an X5 vs a Cayenne.

In looking at the prices of a Cayenne S vs. X5 xDrive48i the BMW is around $4K less. The Cayenne has a bigger motor(385hp vs. 350hp), but gets the same gas mileage.

Looking at the new X5 xDrive35d (diesel) is even a better value, but only has a 3.0 6 cyl turbocharged engine with a ton of torque (425). The big benefit for this car is the gas milage of 26 mpg vs. 19mpg for the other two cars. I am guessing with the 6 cyl diesel I will run into issues already discussed.

Also, I really like the $0 maintenance cost for the BMW vs. $$$ for the p-car. When I walk into my BMW dealer they say are your "wipers a little squeaky" and offer free replacements. Also, I get my choice of a new 3 series or X3. When I go into service my Porsche I pay $$$$ and get a Camary loan-a-car.

Thanks for all the good comments and feedback.

So the story continues...

 

I agree 100%. The idea of $0 maintenance costs and the torque of the diesel is very appealing as a tow vehicle.

 

Not sure of answer on this but check the suspension for the air springs on the X5. If memory serves me correctly the V8 has the self leveling option and the 6 cyl does not. I tow with a Range Rover and have found the self leveling to be a critical improvement vs. the land cruiser I used years ago.