Opinions/Reviews Requested - Chevy Suburban/Tahoe, GMC Yukon XL/Yukon, Ford Expedition EL/Expedition

[WoodCy]

Folks,

The wife and I are vehicle shopping for a full sized SUV; Chevy, GMC or Ford. We are looking at 2016 model year and newer. I have read the online reviews but they are sort of all over the board. I would love to hear your experiences and reviews; the good, the bad and the ugly.

We are family of five, one teenager and twin seven year olds. My kids are active in sports and we also pull a walleye boat around quite a bit and I hunt. Our other vehicle is a newer crew cab Ford F-150 with the Eco-Boost V6 (wife's work vehicle).

Thanks in advance!

 

[BCClone]

We have had suburbans. Your real debate is do I want the full length or shorter length, and Chevy versus Ford. Yukons are basically expensive Tahoes/Suburbans. You can get a couple trims or something that Chevy doesn't have. I can honestly say the people I know who drive Yukons are jackwagons and will only get the Denali package because they think its a bigger deal. We have three kids and the extra 18" with a suburban made us go that direction. My sister had a Tahoe and if four of us went golfing or anything we had to take our suburban because it was just too short. They get the same fuel economy too, so it's not like it saves you money that way.

Are both dealers handy? Which brand do you prefer? Sometimes it is nice to not have to relearn vehicles. Although my wifes work Equinox and our suburban are the same year and they are quite different on where options and thins such as wipers and dimmer switches are so that is not completely true. We pulled a 19' pleasure boat fully loaded with our suburban so it will do it. The ford will probably have a little more power, but the suburban will have enough to do what you need.

BTW: The only dealer in our town is a Ford dealer and I managed a Chrysler dealership in the lat 90s, so I'm not just a GM guy.

 

[CtownCyclone]

I think my dad bought his first suburban in 1994 and has only had those since. Maybe he got a Yukon XL one time since then, but they're pretty much the same except for trim level.

I think it all comes down to brand loyalty, but I left the reservation from both sides of the family and became a Toyota guy. They just don't have that big SUV offering, so cannot comment there.

 

[Gonzo]

We rented a Yukon on our trip to South Carolina last year and it was a very sweet ride. I don't think you can really go wrong with your options, but I'd also suggest not ruling out the Honda Pilot. Got one in 2012 and just got a new one this past year. Plenty of room for a family of five, great drive, dependable and hard to beat on resale value.

 

[nfrine]

All I can recommend on any of these is that you buy something that has been rust proofed/undercoated in addition to what the factory provides. Striaght from the factory these are all really bad actors.

 

[Sousaclone]

Parents have had a suburban for pushing 20 years now. Been pretty reliable. Never did much towing with it, but it'll probably be fine. Parent's are driving a '13 or a '14 right now I think.

I think the newer Expeditions (not sure what year it switched) have IRS which should give a better ride and has the added benefit of giving more foot /floor space in the third row.

I'd definetly consider captains chairs for the middle row, especially if you don't need the 8th seat (which it sounds like you don't). I'd also go for the suburban / long expedition. With the third seat up you don't have much space in the rear with the tahoe / regular expedition. I could see that being problematic if you've got the entire family, the boat, and all the assorted stuff that goes with a weekend on the lake.

 

[motorcy90]

out of the 2 I would go with the Expedition, but also there is the Toyota Sequoia in the segment as well. but really what would be baller is one of these....

I mean look at the awesome ass interior available...
and would still tow the fishing boat with ease..

but I'd also suggest not ruling out the Honda Pilot. Got one in 2012 and just got a new one this past year. Plenty of room for a family of five, great drive, dependable and hard to beat on resale value.

the Pilot is on the small side of the 3 row CUV class even to begin with. and the Palisade/Telluride are much better vehicles in the class as well..

 

[Gonzo]

out of the 2 I would go with the Expedition, but also there is the Toyota Sequoia in the segment as well. but really what would be baller is one of these....
View attachment 74084
I mean look at the awesome ass interior available... View attachment 74085
and would still tow the fishing boat with ease..


the Pilot is on the small side of the 3 row CUV class even to begin with. and the Palisade/Telluride are much better vehicles in the class as well..

Yeah especially if he's pulling a boat.

Looked at Telluride and Palisade, both nice for sure but the Pilot felt more solid and had a smoother ride in my opinion. The Telluride is definitely pimped out on the interior though, Kia's giving a lot of value for the price there.

 

[motorcy90]

Yeah especially if he's pulling a boat.

Looked at Telluride and Palisade, both nice for sure but the Pilot felt more solid and had a smoother ride in my opinion. The Telluride is definitely pimped out on the interior though, Kia's giving a lot of value for the price there.

we looked at the Pilot during the Des Moines auto show and honestly was unimpressed by it and have been seeing issues with the zf9 speeds in them (basically every vehicle with it though). plus the size factor, the Telluride caught our attention until seeing it in person and the exterior is honestly not great, and the steering wheel looks out of place as well, the Palisade won out in the end for us easily. (looked at damn near everything in the segment). but a fishing boat should be well within the ratings of all of them towing.

 

[Gonzo]

we looked at the Pilot during the Des Moines auto show and honestly was unimpressed by it and have been seeing issues with the zf9 speeds in them (basically every vehicle with it though). plus the size factor, the Telluride caught our attention until seeing it in person and the exterior is honestly not great, and the steering wheel looks out of place as well, the Palisade won out in the end for us easily. (looked at damn near everything in the segment). but a fishing boat should be well within the ratings of all of them towing.

For us it was Pilot, Telluride, Palisade, Highlander. We probably went into it leaning to the Pilot based our previous good experience. Top three were pretty close, Highlander was a distant fourth.

For the bigger guys the OP is looking at I've driven the Yukon and Tahoe. Both very nice but I'd give the edge to the Yukon.

 

[motorcy90]

For us it was Pilot, Telluride, Palisade, Highlander. We probably went into it leaning to the Pilot based our previous good experience. Top three were pretty close, Highlander was a distant fourth.

For the bigger guys the OP is looking at I've driven the Yukon and Tahoe. Both very nice but I'd give the edge to the Yukon.

I would go Yukon over the Tahoe/Suburban as well, but Expedition over either for the last few years, and I am not even close to being a fan of Fords at all. Toyota needs to get off their ass and update the Sequoia but otherwise is a solid vehicle if not thirsty, and we also liked the Armada when we first started looking at new vehicles, that gets overlooked a lot as well.

 

[2020cy]

I’m on my third suburban/Yukon xl. They don’t get great reviews but I’ve had no problems with them. They are great for hunting if u need to get off road, have 4 guys and their gear, and two dog kennels in back. Also nice for hauling 7-8 people to ISU games plus coolers and tailgating gear. Save an extra parking pass. No issues towing boats, pontoons, gators, and trailers full of furniture.

 

[Angie]

I saw this article on Car & Driver recently: LINK. It ranks the Suburban as the best of your options, but ultimately the Nissan Armada as #1.

 

[SoapyCy]

Not to hijack this, but why do these cars all look the exact same, regardless of brand? The same rear window, the same window pillars, etc. They are awesome and I'd love one, but from a distance they have the same silhouette

 

[ISUguy]

Having owned all three of the ones you listed (Chevy, GMC, Ford), in my experience, the Yukon XL is the top (but also likely most expensive), the Suburban is the less expensive version of the Yukon XL and would be my close second choice, and the Expedition a distant third. I would definitely go with the longer versions of the vehicles. You will never regret having the extra space. I don't believe a Pilot (my inlaws have one) would satisfy your needs for a large family as they are much smaller in my experience than a Silverado and a Yukon XL.