Suburban, Yukon XL 2000, advice?
 

I am looking to upgrade my tow vehicle to a 2000 Suburban or Yukon XL. Any advice would be helpfull.

We boycotted then till they put the Duramax in them and bought an Excursion with a Desiel. LOL

Really though, they are the same car, it depends if the little extras are worth the extra GMC Money to you. 8.1 ltr it the tow monster, and the Denali has the nicest interior, but only comes in the 6.0.

Chris

I have a 2000 2500series suburban LT with a 6.0 4 wheel drive.It is an awsome rig. Before that I had a 2000 navigator, Let me tell you the burban is way better for towing & also my burban has more stuff in it than my old Navigator. I get 14-15 on the highway.You can't go wrong.:)

I have a 2001, 3/4-ton 4WD Yukon XL with the 8.1 engine. I absolutely love it. The 2nd row captain's chairs are soooo comfortable! It is a towing monster! My boats weighs about 6000 pounds loaded, and I can tow up the Cajon Pass (a 12-mile long mountain grade) at 70MPH all day long. I would go with the GMC over the Chevy for only on reason: As a rule of thumb, GMC dealerships are partnered with Cadillac and/or Buick dealerships. Because these are the higher end cars of GM, their service is ususally more customer friendly than the run of the mill Chevy dealership.

I have a 2001 Yukon XL 3/4 Ton 4x4 with the 8100 Gas motor in it. 4.10 gearing but went up 2 tire sizes (285's) so it equals about a 3.73 now and I get about 10 - 11mpg not towing and about 6 - 8mpg when towing.:rolleyes: Wish it had the Allison, they won't offer that till 2004 or 2005.:( It has auto ride which is cool because no matter how much weight you have on the back it always rides level. Drives and tows great!!

In comparison I also have a 2002 Silverado 2500HD 4x4 with the 6000 (6.0) and it gets the same if not worse MPG. (4.10's, 285's). The 8100 is the motor to go with!! The 6000 seems weak compared to it!!

OG:cool:

I have a 2001 3/4 ton Suburban, 8.1 engine, 4.10 rear end, 4X4,
with towing package. It is rated for 12,500 lbs. of towing capacity
( be sure and upgrade the hitch) and it pulls my 12,000 lb 38' Scarab with no problem. I did have to add rear air bags, since the autoride won't lift that much tongue weight ( I also have 2 scooters at the front of the trailer). Also, my MYCO trailer with electric disc brakes makes towing a breeze!

If you are towing over 6000 lbs go with a 6.0 or 8.1 liter engine. I have a 5.3 with the 3.73 gears and am disappointed in the power. I get about 11-12 towing a 2 horse trailer at about 65 mph. No matter what get the 4.10 gears. The 6 liter does have great power but not the torque of the 8.1.

Overall this body style is great. I have 4wd and you would think it rides lika 2wd. I do not have the off road tires, too much noise on the highway.

Wannabe

Scarabfan,
I have a 2002 Suburban 3/4 ton with the same set up as you do w/390 HP engine. Our total weight (31 ft. Scarab & trailer) is approximately 11,000 lbs. I see where you upgraded the hitch...what exactly did you get? We're in the process of putting an anti-sway bar on it and would like to know if there's anything else we need to add.

Thanks for your help!
Cat

We pulled our 29 Warlock over 55,000 miles this year with a 2000 6.0 2WD, 373 rear end suburaban. Has 78,000 on it an still going strong. BTW, averaged 83 MPH towing across the Florida pan handle. Plenty of power. Got 9 MPG.

I've got a 2002 Yukon XL witth the 8.1 and 373's. It has no problem towing my 32 Thunder. Have towed it over some pretty good grades the Grapevine in So Cal and up to Lake Tahoe.