Going from a truck to an SUV?

[PredatorSlayer]

Anybody go from a truck to an SUV and regret it?

I have had a truck most of my life. The last several years I have owned diesels. I don’t really pull much anymore. I have a horse and will pull a horse trailer occasionally. It is my daily driver, and I use it for all of my hunts. Lots of big game and upland. Due to the price of diesel I have been considering selling or trading it in. Truck only has 35k miles on it. Thinking about going to a half ton or SUV - really liking the new Toyota Sequoia. Anyway, I worry I might regret it down the road. Just wanted to get some thoughts from those of you who have made the switch…

 

[EdP]

I love my 2007 Dodge 2500 Cummins 5.9 diesel. Won't be selling it any time soon. It's my long haul vehicle. My runabout is a 2017 Jeep Wrangler Sport.

 

[hunterjmj]

You'll do what you do but I can't imagine not having a pickup. You'd probably be surprised at how much you use it if you think about it. No way I'd go without a pickup.

 

[Gutshotem]

Check out some YouTube vids on the new sequoia if you haven't already. That loss of cargo area due to the hybrid battery placement may be a deal breaker depending on your usage.

 

[tdhanses]

Look at the GM 3.0 diesel, love mine a d mileage is amazing.

 

[PredatorSlayer]

Look at the GM 3.0 diesel, love mine a d mileage is amazing.

What kind of mileage are you getting? My cummins mileage is great, I am getting 23 on the highway and 19 around town. The spread between diesel and gas is pretty ridiculous right now. Thats why I am leaning towards getting out of a diesel.

 

[rayporter]

regardless of the spread in price, if you dont have a real need and use for the diesel then gas makes more sense. if you really need a puller then you will know it.

the suv = perhaps not

 

[tdhanses]

What kind of mileage are you getting? My cummins mileage is great, I am getting 23 on the highway and 19 around town. The spread between diesel and gas is pretty ridiculous right now. Thats why I am leaning towards getting out of a diesel.

22-23 around town and 28-31 hwy. They put it in the yukon and tahoe as well if you want an suv, pulls just as well as my 03 cummins did as far as the motor goes.

 

[N2TRKYS]

I’ve had a truck since I started driving. I bought a 4Runner about 4 years ago, but kept my truck. There’s no way I could go straight SUV and not have a truck. If you don’t need a diesel, then sell it and get a gas burner.

 

[Binz17]

I went from a f150 to a gx470. Not enough storage. I use a hitch haul most of hunting season. Looking at getting back into a truck with a topper.

 

[Back Country Hunter 2]

I have both. Mostly because I can. 03 Dodge Cummins that I use almost exclusively for pulling trailers. Other than that the truck sits most of the year. Only pay for insurance when I use it. I bought a 07 Tahoe last year. I do almost all of my hunting out of my SUV. It easier to drive in the mountains IMO. Either way, I'm putting less miles on the diesel which is more expensive for fuel and repair costs.

 

[H2PVon]

First time my bird dog got into a skunk I went back to my truck.

 

[ToolMann]

The day I dont own a truck is probably the day they take my license for being old and blind. Our household is typically one truck and one SUV.

 

[Adam Gibbs]

I did. I don't recommend. I did it for purely financial reasons in this crazy vehicle market. I bought an older tahoe. It works, but everything is more effort with it when it comes to hunting. Keeping it clean inside is tough. Instead of throwing a deer in the bed, I have to use a hitch carrier. Not quite enough space. Only thing I like is it's climate controlled for my dog while she's in her kennel.

 

[wyosteve]

I had similar thoughts a few years back. Ended up buying a Ram Power Wagon which can tow decently and still gets good fuel mileage (in my opinion).

 

[Marmots]

I have an diesel F250, a second gen Tacoma, and a 2003 Tahoe. Out of all of those vehicles, the Tahoe is my favorite rig for hunting.

I took the rear seats out of the Tahoe and leveled the whole rear with a half inch of plywood. It can hold more than the Tacoma, everything is protected from dust, and there's enough room for a very tall guy to sleep. The wheelbase is short, visibility is great, stock suspension is unrivaled. It's all very modular, I can fit six action packers and two big coolers.

All of this only works because it's a single-purpose vehicle. I don't care about the interior and can only take one passenger. It wouldn't be great for trapping, bear baiting, or anything with dogs because you'd be riding alongside the gross stuff.


Long story short, if you can only have one vehicle I'm not sure an SUV is the best choice. If you want to put together a cheap dedicated hunting rig SUVs can be great.

 

[bigeyedfish]

If you don't need a third row seat, I don't see the allure of an SUV versus a crew cab truck with a topper. We have a Suburban and an F250. My wife throws dirty, smelly, farm stuff in the back of the Suburban all the time. If we didn't need the extra seats for the kids, I'd buy her a pickup.

 

[rayporter]

for many years we have had 2 diesel trucks and a small grocery getter. this keeps miles off the expensive trucks. if you are going to have a big truck and you possibly can, i recommend a 4 cylinder Junker as a grocery getter for this reason.

 

[Mischief209]

I'll be going from a tacoma off road 5ft bed to a sequioa 2008-2014 by next hunting season. My reasoning is I want to sleep in the back on those late night road trip to the trailhead or to the ocean to fish. It has lay down flat rear seats that a queen size matress will fit. Rear climate control.The sequoia has plenty of room to sleep and has more storage room then my tacoma. It has a shorter wheel base, with excellent turning for a suv. The 5.7 engine has plenty of power. 4x4 works good enough for the forest roads I'm on. You can still haul the occidental lumber. The rear all folded down is 4ft by 7'2". 2x4x8 fit inside no problem, 4x8 sheet you'll have to strap the hatch down. Haven't checked specs on the brand new 23 hybrid yet but i bet they are similar, probably lost some head space. I really like the look of them and the mpg they get. If the 2nd gen sequoia works out like I hope it does, I can see a 3rd gen in the future. Right now I can't justify pin stripping a new sequoia, but hopefully in 5 to 7 yrs I can.

 

[GAHunterJim]

I test drove a new Tundra, very nice truck, not unlike the Sequoia you mentioned. Drive more like a SUV than typical truck. I would have bought one but the only ones I could find in stock were high-end and more than I wanted to spend. Ended up buying a Chevy 1500 LT with a 2.7 4 cylinder and have no regrets, 20 mpg average, 26 best so far. My 5.0 F150 was getting 14/16.