Towing Capability of 6 cyl Trailblazer?

I’m looking to get rid of my Suburban and downsize to a smaller vehicle now that the kids are gone. I like the Trailblazer but don’t know if the 6 cyl engine is big enough for towing. Anyone have one of these vehicles? I tow a 17 ft Alumacraft Navigator. I’d like to get by with the 6 cyl to get a little better gas milage too, since I only tow the boat 1-2 times a months.

Dave

Your better off getting a 5.3 My buddy has a Trailblazer V6 and pulls a 17 foot Alaskan Tiller. Gas mileage is terrible. Up hill and into wind it really drinks gas.

I have a Trailblazer and pulled a 17 foot flat back from Rice Lake WI. to Rochester. 10.2 driving down HWY 52. I would recommend if you get one, look for the 5.3. Or if you are looking for new, the New Saturn Outlook is a awesome rig with a DOHC 3.9 V-6. That will be my (wifes)next vehicle.

I had a 6cyl Trailblazer that I used to tow my 19 ft. It did cut into the gas mileage a bit when towing. I’ve got a Trailblazer EXT (well, my wife does) that tows it pretty well. The EXT does have the 5.3 in it.

Overall, I really like the vehicles. The only reason I didn’t get another one is because the dealer told me they are going to stop making them (I believe 2008.) I hope they reconsider as I’m unsure what I do when the wife wants a different vehicle.

JD

I have an 05 TB.

At freeway speeds according to the on board computer, I’ll get 19.x mpg.

Around town, it’s 18.x

Pulling my boat to Everts from my house I’ll get 13.x (lots of hills)

Pulling my boat up to Canada mostly flat at freeway speeds I’ll get 16.x mpg

Pulling a cover trailer into a head wind going to Madison, I got 8.x. (that sucked!)

I have a 17 foot Lund Anger SS.

Hope that helps.

I never logged mine like Brian, but I would say that is probably accurate. Really depends on the wind and the hills.

The problem is that the engine does not make a lot of low end torque. The rpms have to be up to have the power needed to pull.

Don’t get me wrong, I really do like my TB, just the mileage is not very good.

I forgot to add that I’m a slow excellerator…

If the Favorite Wife is driving…the MPG is less…if the Favorite Daughter is driving…

Although some might see some humor in that, I don’t…as it’s the truth.

Does anyone think the 8 cyl Dodge Durango is a better choice?

I would think the fuel mileage would be the same. Dodges have power but use the fuel. Tranny’s are weak also.

There are still some great deals out there on V8 SUV’s. We got a 2001 GMC LT Yukon with 80k for $11,900

Awesome towing vehicle.

With the 5.7 litre Hemi, with MDS (shuts off 4 cyl when not needed) you should expect about 19 Hwy, 17 City. Towing a 17 foot alum, I would speculate you will get about 4 or 5 mpg less(and won’t know it is there). I am a service manager at a Dodge store, I wish the trannys were weak, then maybe we would have some work. I guess because the old Chrysler, had tranny problems in the old days, Mercedes Benz will have to wait a few more years for that old stereotype to dissipate.

big g

My Dad had a 6cyl TB when we lived in Fargo and would drive to detroit lakes with a 17 Nav with a 115 4 stroke and it pulled pretty hard in the wind and the hills (hills outside of Fargo of course) He traded it in on a TB XUV with the 8 cyl and says he is driving that into the ground and gets better milage overall then the 6.

Give it one year, rumor has it that Dodge will be putting their Mercedes diesel in the 1500’s and in the Durango??

Just what I read.

Jami

I guess I’m one of those people that remember the “old” Mopar trucks. It used to be you never would see a Dodge truck on the road that was older than 10 years because they just didn’t last that long. Even when they first came out with the redesigned Ram trucks the resale value of them was terrible because of Dodge Truck’s bad reputation. The want ads all seem to be full of used Dodge Ram trucks. I recently went truck shopping and never looked at a Dodge. I ended up finding a very nice used Chevy S10. It has a 4 cylinder and tows my 17′ boat just fine. I don’t know what I get towing but on a recent trip from St. Cloud to Dubuque I got just over 27 mpg and I was bucking a headwind. I sacrifice a little power going with a 4 cylinder but the gas mileage more than makes up for it.

Eyehunter

We had an 02 Envoy, same as TB. Brians mileage is about the same as ours was. Straight highway driving at 70mph we got up to 22mpg. Back and forth to work, my wife was around 17mpg. I pulled the boat up to Red wing and got 15mpg up and 13 back(into the wind). Same mileage both times I went. Personally, I would say it will work fine, but… I would go with something with a little more power. Basically ran in 3rd gear all the way home from Red wing into the wind, like it was said before, you have to have the rpms to get the power. Ours either needed a little more power, or a little better gear ratio for pulling.

My wife drives a GMC Envoy with that same engine and it tows my 16′ Lund Rebel no problem. I get about 14-15 mpg towing on the interstate. It isn’t horrible, but it gets abou 21 mpg driving the highways normally throughout the week when she commutes to work and back each day. I am a big fan of the inline six engine and will definitely look for another SUV for her with this engine when this one is dead.
Nate

I guess the Dodges were/are bad, to Chevy and Ford owners. I see plenty of older Dodge trucks around here, but then again we are the dealer. I open the paper and see used Chevys for sale all over, I guess its how we look at things…

big g

And the Jeep Grand Cherokee for 2007….

big g

What ever you buy, PM me and I will tell you to gain 2-3 MPG and gain alittle low end power for only $140

A trailblazer does not get good gas mileage. Its very comparable to a truck with a 5.3. The inline 6 has an odd power band also. Drive one and floor it at certain speeds. Its like the engine and trans hate each other. Buy a used 2000-2002 tahoe and get an extented warranty. I work on Chevys and trust me on this.

Dave I am not sure if this in an option for you or not but if it were me I would keep the Suburban for towing your boat and look for a car with better MPG for everyday driving. If your motovation for going to a smaller truck is to save some $$ with better Mpg here are some questions you need to ask yourself.

Is your Suburban paid for?

How much will you spend on a new TB?

How many more MPG will you get with the TB than you would with the Burb?

I think you can see where I am going with this, you are going to spend thousands of $$ on a new TB to get a few more MPG than you do with your Suburban??? Where is the savings?

great point!!! I have a paid for 95 tahoe that pulls well but gets horrible mpg!!! Like 10-14! So my daily driver is a 94 corolla that gets 34-39 mpg!!! Plus the tahoe is our 3rd vehicle between my wife and I and insurance is cheap!!!! The corolla has paid for itself a dozen times over or more!!!

Dave N, other things to consider, which you may have thought of already. Who is driving the vehicle most ? Having 2 vehices, means 2 insurance & 2 to maintain. My personal choice, is to have myself and my wife, in a little bit bigger vehicle. I will sacrifice fuel mileage, to gain safety. Not only in an accident, but I definitely like sitting up higher, to be able see more of my surroundings. I get in alot of different types and sizes of vehicles everyday, and I for one, do not care for the little 30+ mpg car, I feel like I am in a tin can, when a semi gets next to me…

big g