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2025 Subaru Impreza ReviewCritics’ Choice: Best SUVs for Towing a Pontoon Boat
Chevrolet Tahoe
You and the Fam want to take the pontoon out for some fun at the lake, but which three-row family hauler is right for the job?
#PontoonLife
As we move into August and the dog days of summer naturally our thoughts turn to the lake and aquatic recreation, and nothing makes a day at the lake like a pontoon boat. The pontoon is part fishing boat, part ski boat, and part floating patio. The pontoon allows you to go tubing, sunbathe, go fishing, and grille said fish all without touching the shoreline all afternoon long.
The only hurdle to living your best pontoon life is getting the boat from behind your garage to the water. For that you’ll need a vehicle with a towing capacity of around 5,000 lbs. or better. This Critics’ Choice challenges our writers to find the best pontoon hauler for under $30,000 with the added catch that they eschew pickups for SUVs, pontooning being a family occasion after all.
Chris Kaiser
2014 Lexus LX 570
Short List
2015 Cadillac Escalade
2020 Kia Telluride
If you’ve ever hauled a boat, you’ll know how stressful it can be. From brake light hooks ups and ball joints to extended blind spots and the counterintuitive geometry of reversing down a boat ramp, it can all be a bit much. That’s why I knew, besides a minimum tow rating, my primary criterion for a boat hauling SUV was going to be comfort. Not only does this reduce stress for me, but it makes the ride to the lake more enjoyable for the family and the ride therefrom, all sun soaked and tired, downright blissful.
A recent edition to the third-row SUV segment, the Kia Telluride seemed like a logical starting point. The Telluride does an excellent job of mixing style and comfort with your typical SUV capabilities like a 5,000 lbs. tow rating and seating for up to eight. All the modern amenities, from driver assist features to a 10.25-inch infotainment touchscreen make the Telluride a great all-arounder when you’re not doing the boat hauling thing.
However, the Telluride, as nice as it is, was not quite fancy enough so my sights shifted a bit up market to the Cadillac Escalade, specifically the 2015 model year. The Escalade comes equipped with a 420-horsepower V8 capable of towing up to 8,300 lbs., far in excess of our minimum. The opportunity to get an even bigger pontoon certainly makes the Escalade appealing, and that’s before you see the luxury-level cabin with its sofa-like leather-wrapped seats. The example I found is an Escalade ESV, the super-sized version that grants an additional 9.7 inches of legroom to the third row.
The Escalade, however, did not end up being my pick as it was a little too fancy for my taste. Instead, I went with something a bit more understated and a good deal more reliable, the 2014 Lexus LX 570. Like the Escalade, you get a smooth and comfortable ride and a sumptuous interior, but you also get greater off-road ability (the LX is, after, the lux-ed version of the venerable Toyota Land Cruiser). A towing capacity of 7,000 lbs. more than meets our needs as a pontoon hauler. The rear seat entertainment and Mark Levinson stereo bolster the case for the LX as a great weekender vehicle for taking the kids up to the lake. The LX 570 ticks all the boxes and then some. The ability to do double outdoor hobby duty as an overlander rig snitched the LX 570 as my choice for a boat towing three-row SUV.
Jesse McGraw
2016 Chevrolet Tahoe LT
Short List
2005 Ford Excursion Limited
2015 GMC Yukon SLT
2018 Dodge Durango R/T
I’ve had my fair share of experiences with pontoon boats, but I’ve never really considered an SUV for towing one. It’s always been trucks like the Ram 1500 or Ford F-150 backing in at the boat ramps as they’re the ideal towing vehicle. I mean, these things can weigh well over 5,000 pounds when considering the additional equipment, boat motor(s), fuel, and cargo all packed onto these party barges. Knowing all this, I tried to look at the most truck-like SUVs available within the $30,000 budget cap while also considering mileage, amenities, condition, and the actual capability to tow a pontoon boat.
I started with something kind of fun like the Dodge Durango R/T. Muscle car looks in an SUV package and a 5.7L HEMI V8 pumping power to rear wheels sounded fun. Then I found a somewhat low mileage 2005 Ford Excursion that had been made into a truck-limo of sorts. It mixed well with the “pontoon lifestyle” and it would have no problem towing around a boat with that 6.0L turbodiesel V8, but the build felt too much like I’d be a chauffeur rather than a part of this party.
I finally circled back to the General Motors options and found similarly priced and similarly outfitted SUVs from two of their brands that could make a case for a good pontoon boat hauler. Ultimately, I went with a 2016 Chevrolet Tahoe LT over a 2015 GMC Yukon SLT because the Chevy came with a built-in trailer brake controller. This’ll help when towing a heavy pontoon boat as a number of states mandate that you have working brakes on a trailer exceeding 3,000 pounds. The brake controller is helpful while trailering at high speed, when making emergency stops, or while driving on an incline. It helps stop not only the wheels of your vehicle when braking but also the wheels of the 5,000+ pound trailer directly behind you.
This Chevrolet Tahoe LT features a 4X2 drivetrain, meaning we’re only working with power to rear wheels which is preferred when towing. That power comes from a 5.3L V8 gas engine that generates 355 horsepower and 383 lb.-ft of torque that’s sent through a 6-speed automatic transmission. This Tahoe also features the Max Trailering Package that includes an updated suspension that’s refined for trailering, an enhanced radiator for cooling, additional trailering equipment, and automatic locking rear differential, and the aforementioned integrated trailer brake controller. This all culminates in a max towing capacity of 8,000 pounds.
Inside we’ve got three rows of leather upholstered seating and second-row captain’s chairs, allowing you and six of your friends to all travel together with a pontoon boat in tow. If you don’t need all that seating though, the rear rows can be folded down to up to 94.7 cu-ft of cargo space. That’s plenty of room for any odds and ends that you don’t want to sit on the boat. This Tahoe also features a Bose Premium 9-speaker sound system that’s controlled by an 8-inch infotainment screen that includes built-in navigation. That infotainment screen will also come in handy when lining up the tow hitch to your pontoon boat trailer as it displays your rearview camera angle.
It may not have the most power, look the coolest, or be the most luxurious out of the options I found, but this 2016 Chevrolet Tahoe LT makes for a well-rounded package when shopping within the $30,000 range and needing to tow a pontoon boat around with an SUV.
Jesse Batson
2016 Ford Expedition
Short List
2017 Toyota 4Runner
2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee
2016 Nissan Pathfinder
Summer is all about the outdoors, whether you’re grilling, playing frisbee, splashing around in the water, or just soaking up the sun. You can do a lot of those things at the lake, which is why I tried to find a vehicle powerful enough to pull a pontoon, but also a vehicle comfortable enough to hold a group of friends or family. The towing power doesn’t have to be excessive. With a typical pontoon, equipment, and a trailer, I figure I’ll need something that can tow around 4,500 lbs.
A pickup truck is definitely a consideration, but, as you can see, some SUVs have enough tow capacity, too. The 2017 Toyota 4Runner, one SUV I was considering, tows 5,000 lbs. when equipped properly with the 4.0 L V6 engine. A 2016 Nissan Pathfinder with a 3.5 L V6 can also handle 5,000 lbs. The 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee, with a 3.6 L engine, can handle even more, maxing out at 6,200 lbs.
In the end, though, I chose a 2016 Ford Expedition EL. It tows 6,600 lbs. What got me even more interested in it was that third row of seating. If you’re going out on the boat, chances are, you’re not going by yourself. I like the idea that everyone going out can fit into one vehicle.
True, that third row of seating does cut into the cargo area a bit. If all seats are upright, then the 2016 Expedition offers 18.6 cu-ft of space. If the third row is folded, that area expands to 55 cu-ft of space. However, if I’m towing a pontoon, I see no reason why I can’t stash a few items in the boat that I’m trailering (as long as it’s all properly secured).
Under the hood, there’s a 3.5 L V6 engine and an automatic six-speed transmission. The combo gets 15 miles to the gallon in the city and 20 miles per gallon on the highway. The fuel efficiency figures could definitely be better, but they’re not totally out of line with the competition. That 2017 Toyota 4Runner I was also looking at? It gets 17 MPG in the city and 21 MPG on the highway. The 2018 GMC Sierra gets 15 MPG in the city and 20 MPG on the highway. The 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee does the best of the bunch, moving up to 18 MPG in the city and 25 MPG on the highway.
I guess it is already six years old, but this 2016 Ford Expedition also has premium features like navigation, a power liftgate, and heated (and cooled) seats. The seats are also leather. Dual power seats, a moon roof, and running boards are some of the other elements included. As far as infotainment, the Expedition comes with an HD radio, a CD player, SiriusXM capability, and a Sony sound system. Traction control, hill start assist, hill descent control, a backup camera, blind-spot alert, fog lights, and cruise control are some of the safety features that drivers of the 2016 Ford Expedition EL enjoy, too.
This particular 2016 Ford Expedition EL is about $2,000 above average, but it also only has 99,341 miles and it’s a 4WD SUV, so that could be worth it. Plus, I looked at the free Vehicle History Report and there were only two owners. There are no junk salvage titles documented either, so the peace of mind that comes with a clean record may be worth paying a little more than the average 2016 Expedition.
With seating, enough power to get my pontoon to the lake, a tow package, and a pretty good set of premium comfort features, the 2016 Ford Expedition I stumbled upon seems like the best overall match for this particular task.
