Best German SUV for towing

[Nautiqueusername]

We just closed on a smaller place that’s on a lake. And while my boat will be on a lift I still need the ability to tow. I’m not against other species of SUV but the Germans are the only ones with an adequate towing capacity (7700 lbs) and small enough size to fit in our new garage. Looking for feedback on performance and reliability. Coming out of an F150 that has been largely trouble free. Thinking Q7 Cayenne or GLS. Any experienced feedback is appreciated. Will also be my daily that will rack up around 30k per year.

[Waveslayer]

G65... or get a MOG

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[gary s]

What are you towing and how far? You looking at new or used? I have not towed my Nautique SS yet but I went from a Avalanche to a Diesel Cayenne with factory towing package. 5000 lbs on the Avy to 7700 for the Cayenne. What I really miss is the storage capacity of the truck,I could throw a cover, tools, and pro x bimini in the back and the suitcases would fit easily in the back seat area for long trips to CCF events. Down side was gas mileage, usually 9- if lucky 13 towing. 5.2 engine liked to rev, sometimes sounded like it would throw a rod. Downside to diesel Cayenne, smaller cargo capacity,more expensive to dealer maintain because of name,hard to find. Diesel plus's are easier to self service since they were basically VW's, more reliable than the gas models and regularly get 18-20 mpg towing. Did I mention more expensive to dealer maintain? If your looking for used and a diesel look at a Grand Cherokee diesel,a friend tows a 230 with his.

[NautiqueJeff]

My wife has a Diesel Grand Cherokee that has been mostly trouble-free. It has about 88,000 miles on it now. I haven't towed too much with it, but the platform seems good and the small bit of towing I have done has gone well.

[jpwhit]

I'll 2nd gary s's comment. If you haven't owned a german vehicle, just be aware of the service costs. I do all my own work, so it's not so bad. But I do find that they typically need a little more work than many other brands.

[Interjon]

I have a couple of X5s. They tow great. As jpwhit mentioned, just be aware of service. I have owned 12 or so BMWs in a row, and I would never own one outside of the service/warranty period. Putting 30k a year, probably makes this a nogo, from a warranty/service perspective.

[CVAGS20]

We have a 2013 GL350 Bluetec Diesel as our tow vehicle and love the way it tows. We use it for towing our GS20 and our MB Sports 23' B52 before that. We also use it to tow our 24' enclosed Featherlight trailer in which we haul our show and race cars. It doubles as my daily driver. Towing we get around 12 -13 mpg otherwise we get around 21 mpg. It tows better than our previous Chevy 2500 with a 454.

[Scooter G]

That Mercedes Bluetec Diesel has it act together, good call CVAGS20.
Why limit oneself to a German paint brush, I'm wondering?
I would love me a Rivian R1T for the short skips to the lake. Having a little trouble justifying $120k with the features, but that doesn't mean I don't think about it, every other day, lol. $1000 down, it might be here by next Fall...

[srock]

After 3 German vehicles, I am 100% done and the quality ratings say it all. The most expensive vehicles are some of the most unreliable. My wife had the last one, an oil-leaking X5 that I dumped before the 3rd major repair. Maintenance was running more than the vehicle was ever worth. Who wants to spend hours at the dealership dealing with a myriad of warranty-covered repairs. Even my kid got tired of the free cookies and soda. ...do I sound bitter?

[g_force]

My Porsche and our Audis have been trouble free. I think BMW went through a period of poor reliability, which I don't know if they're over yet.

[Interjon]

Never had a BMW with a repair of any kind in 15 years.

[Speedy]

German vehicles are some of the most technologically advanced vehicles on the road, which at times makes them difficult and expensive to repair. I'm the only tech in our shop willing to work on them. I can honestly say that I don't enjoy working on them because it's difficult to tell any costumer that their, very simple, repair will cost thousands of dollars!
The cost of repairs on a German car rivals the cost of boat repairs!

[Peter6000]

We just closed on a smaller place that’s on a lake. And while my boat will be on a lift I still need the ability to tow. I’m not against other species of SUV but the Germans are the only ones with an adequate towing capacity (7700 lbs) and small enough size to fit in our new garage. Looking for feedback on performance and reliability. Coming out of an F150 that has been largely trouble free. Thinking Q7 Cayenne or GLS. Any experienced feedback is appreciated. Will also be my daily that will rack up around 30k per year.

I use a GLK350 to pull my ski nautique have it for 5y now and had no trouble at all. Do about 1000 mi of pulling a year including mountains.
I do all repairs and service myself, I dont find them more difficult to work on or more expensive to maintain.
I fiel dealerships are using the argument "it's a MB" to charge more.
I'm at about 150k mi and never broke down.
Could use a bit more room and would go for a GL next time.


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