10 Luxury SUVs That Can Tow a Ton - Or Even Two

Need to drive your living room and tow your house behind you, too? Okay, maybe that last part is a bit of an exaggeration, but not by much as there are a handful of modern luxury SUVs offering some incredible hauling capability. With the ability to pull full-size campers, boat trailers or even enclosed automobile trailers, luxury sport utility vehicles can step in and serve a larger role than just turning in a performance as the last word in premium daily driving comfort. Let’s take a look at 10 luxury SUVs that can tow a ton – or even two.

1) 2015 Mercedes-Benz GL-Class

The 2015 Mercedes-Benz GL-Class is the proverbial gorilla in a tuxedo - an elegantly-styled full-size SUV that is built around the bones of a true workhorse. The Mercedes-Benz GL-Class offers two V-6 engines (a 3.0-liter turbodiesel that generates 240 horsepower and 455 lb-ft of torque and a twin-turbo 3.0-liter with 362 horsepower and 369 lb-ft of torque) and two V-8 engines (a 429-horsepower twin-turbo 4.7-liter unit and a 550-horsepower twin-turbo 5.5-liter that also puts out 560 lb-ft of torque). Each engine is paired with a standard seven-speed automatic transmission and full-time all-wheel drive, and all four flavors of the GL-Class can tow up to 7,500 pounds – and look great while doing it, too.

Photo by Mercedes-Benz Media

2) 2015 Porsche Cayenne

The 2015 Porsche Cayenne is of course well known for its ability to cut through a slalom course with the poise of a sports sedan and for its ability to launch to 60 miles per hour from a standing start in just 4.5 seconds (when found in 520-horsepower Turbo trim). Even Porsche Cayenne models that don’t feature the Turbo’s force-fed 4.8-liter V-8, however, offer the kind of towing one would expect out of a large SUV. Every edition of the Cayenne (the Diesel, the S, the Turbo and even the S E-Hybrid model) can haul up to 7,716 lbs of trailer weight. The transmission for the Cayenne is an eight-speed automatic, and all-wheel drive comes free of charge.

3) 2015 Audi Q7

The 2015 Audi Q7 continues the trend of German SUV manufacturers providing drivers with an available turbodiesel engine that grinds out significant power. The Audi Q7’s 3.0-liter turbodiesel V-6 is good for 240 horsepower and a stump-pulling 406 lb-ft of torque. If gasoline engines are more your style, then the Q7 can be had with a 3.0-liter V-6 that offers 280 or 333 supercharged horsepower, depending on what trim level is selected. All versions of the luxury SUV come with an eight-speed automatic transmission and quattro all-wheel drive, and towing maxes out at 6,600 lbs.

4) 2015 BMW X5

The 2015 BMW X5 is a luxury SUV with a reputation that is based more on its sporty handling than its perceived utility. Ultra-comfortable and of course designed around the type of responsive chassis that has helped BMW make its mark on the world of performance automobiles, the BMW X5’s range of powerful engines also introduce better than average towing capacity. The X5 starts out with a turbocharged 3.0-liter inline six-cylinder engine (300 horsepower and 300 lb-ft of torque), which is followed by a 445-horsepower, 4.4-liter twin-turbo V-8 that also produces 480 lb-ft of torque. A frugal 3.0-liter turbodiesel inline six-cylinder motor offers up 255 horsepower and 413 lb-ft of torque for drivers interested in better than average fuel economy in their large SUV. The end result is a 5,952 lb tow rating for the BMW X5, with the hauling experience enhanced by standard all-wheel drive (great for un-sticking a camper from the mud) and a smooth-shifting eight-speed automatic transmission.

5) 2015 Land Rover Range Rover

The 2015 Land Rover Range Rover has long garnered accolades for its seemingly effortless combination of on-road prowess and off-road acumen. The Land Rover Range Rover is also a viable tow-rig, a fact that is frequently obscured by its high class, country-club image. There is certainly no lack of power on tap in any edition of the supercharged Range Rover, with 5.0 liters of V-8 power offering 510 horsepower, and a 3.0-liter V-6 putting up 340 horsepower. An eight-speed automatic transmission and full-time four-wheel drive are the order of the day for all Range Rover models, and the full-size SUV makes the most of its brawny drivetrains while towing up to 7,716 lbs.

6) 2015 Lexus LX

The 2015 Lexus LX enjoys an unusual towing advantage over some of its full-size luxury SUV competitors: it is based on the same platform as the venerable Toyota Land Cruiser, an unstoppable trail warrior and a truck whose chassis can take an extraordinary amount of abuse without complaint. As such, the Lexus LX comes with a towing capacity of 8,500 lbs, which rivals several full-size pickup trucks. It certainly doesn’t hurt that all editions of the LX also come standard with a 5.7-liter V-8 engine that produces 383 horsepower and 403 lb-ft of torque, and that a six-speed automatic transmission and four-wheel drive are also included at no extra cost.

Photo by Lexus

7) 2015 Mercedes-Benz M-Class

The Mercedes-Benz M-Class is the vehicle that started the luxury SUV craze in the 1990s, and it is still going strong with its winning combination of comfort and practicality. The Mercedes-Benz M-Class can be had with a startling array of gasoline engine options – including a 302-horsepower, 3.5-liter V-6, a 329-horsepower twin-turbo 3.0-liter V-6, and a 5.5-liter, twin-turbo 518-horsepower V-8 – as well as a torquey 2.1-liter twin-turbodiesel four-cylinder that provides 200 horsepower and 369 lb-ft of twist. The standard transmission is a seven-speed automatic, and all-wheel drive can be ordered as an option on the base model and is standard on all other trims. When properly outfitted, the M-Class checks in with a respectable 7,200 lb tow rating.

8) 2015 Infiniti QX80

The 2015 Infiniti QX80 brings with it an oversized portion of towing capacity that ties it with the Lexus LX for tops on our list of luxury haulers. The Infiniti QX80 is good for 8,500 lbs of trailer, a figure which is made possible by the stabilizing effect of the premium behemoth’s enormous size and its generous V-8 drivetrain. The QX80’s 5.6-liter motor posts up 400 horsepower and 413 lb-ft of torque, sent to either the rear or all four wheels (if optional four-wheel drive is selected) by an advanced seven-speed automatic transmission.

Photo by Benjamin Hunting

9) 2015 Volkswagen Touareg

The 2015 Volkswagen Touareg is another premium Teutonic workhorse, an upscale SUV that comes in diesel, hybrid and gasoline editions and which boasts a top towing capacity of 7,700 lbs. This figure can be achieved with any edition of the Volkswagen Touareg, regardless of whether it is equipped with a 280-horsepower, 3.6-liter V-6, a 380-horsepower, supercharged gasoline-electric hybrid V-6, or a 3.0-liter turbodiesel V-6 (240 horsepower and 406 lb-ft of torque). Eight-speed automatic transmissions are featured with each available Touareg engine, and all-wheel drive is also standard on the full-size sport-utility vehicle.

10) 2015 Lexus GX

The 2015 Lexus GX might be the LX’s little brother, but it still packs quite a wallop in the towing department. The mid-size Lexus GX is as luxurious as any Lexus ought to be, but it can also tow up to 6,500 lbs, thanks in part to its 4.6-liter V-8 engine that offers 301 horsepower and 329 lb-ft of torque. Also contributing to the GX’s substantial hauling capacity are its stout chassis, its six-speed automatic transmission and its full-time four-wheel drive system. In combination, the Lexus GX provides an all-weather, all-terrain towing platform that packs in all of the comforts of home.