+1 Honda Pilot....nothing really sexy, but comfortable, seats 8, 5K towing capacity, ~20mpg...

Suburban, one of the new ones with that 8-6-4 thing. They get about 21 mpg on the interstate. A couple year old ones can be had for a lot less than the new ones.

The seating in my Tahoe is
driver passenger
passenger passenger passenger
passenger passenger

If you don't mind being cozy you can easily fit 7. I don't have the captains chairs in the second row, but if I did, you could get to the thrid row a lot easier.

With regards to towing, you want the tow vehicle to have a pretty large mass, I would have a real problem towing something that is right at the max towing capicity. The Suburban / Tahoe line has not really been changed in years, so I think GM has a pretty good idea on how to build them.

On a side note, I tow about a 5000 pound camper, and then my dirt bike behind the camper with my Tahoe without a single problem out here in the Colorado moutains and thin air.

Bill

So then the Tahoe /Suburban brakes are STILL incredibly big POS? --and I mean really really bad. Something like a Porsche Pepperwagon can out brake a lone Tahoe from 70. ..even when the P-wagon is towing a 2.5ton trailer load.

But at least soccermoms drive the Tahoe's around like cars. And, they are quiet enough to handle lots of cell phone call. :rolleyes:

I can't comment on the older ones, but my 2001 has decent brakes. I have 71,000 miles on it, and haven't even had to replace them. They are 4 wheel discs as opposed to the Disc / drum set up that I think the older ones had. I also have not had any problems stopping when towing, although my trailer does have electric brakes.

Bill

My wife got a Volvo XC last year and we love it. Much better than the ML we had, seats 7 and great in snow.

+1 Mazda CX-9

Nostatic,

If I may ask, why do you need to seat 6? New gf with 3 kids?

Aurel

Ya like he said...
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1171935920.jpg

well, that's one way to get to 6...

Todd, break down and get a minivan. There's no disgrace in it. Vehicles are built for a purpose and should be used for the purpose they were built for. Excuse the preposition.

Minivans are comfortable, roomy, and get good mileage. They are excellent at transporting more than 5 people without getting truly massive like a Suburban or big truck. The Nissan and Infinity minivans don't even look like minivans.

There are a couple of passenger cars that will fit six, but they are few and far between. Chevy Lumina. Some of the Lincolns. Not much else.

We went through the same search. If you don't get a minivan I recommend the Honda Pilot.

May I suggest one of those:
http://www.longbikes.com/Hexatandem3.jpg

Aurel

The Pathfinder has been good to me.
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1171948031.jpg

I would much rather get a Honda Odyssey than almost any SUV out there (excepting the Range Rover Sport and a couple of others). Drives nicely, 250HP, comfortable, holds a lot (people and/or stuff), very reliable, decent mpg.

A little generous on the 250hp aren't we? Its pretty nice but if I have to drive it - its not going to be a minivan. My Pathfinder has 266 hp out a V6 with 288 lbft of torque. I get 21mpg on trips. Seats 7. Dont get me wrong I dont think its all that but for the money, its pretty damn good.

Alright, 244 HP 240 ft-lb (2007 model).

Dan Gurney owns a Minivan, one that is slightly tuned with some suspension bits but otherwise looks stock. Read a story where he was playing with BMW 5 series on a lonely stretch of California highway.

Was that a case of Dan Gurney in anything versus some random yuppie in the 5-series . . .

2 new girlfriends, one with two kids, one with one kid?

4 new girlfriends that like to share!?

I would just loved to have seen the Bimmer drivers face trying to figure out why he couldn't shake the Minivan that was glued to his a$$.

Remember, Todd said it needs to tow 5000 pounds, that rules out all the minivans, and allows him to keep his scrotum.