[SteveC7010]

Let me first respectfully suggest that looking at the dry weight of a TT or 5er when planning a tow vehicle is just plan inadvisable. You have to use the GVWR (gross vehicle weight rating.) We all carry stuff, lots of stuff in our rigs so trying to say that you'll always travel light is just, well, silly.

In addition to all the information presented, we've not looked at payload which is the total weight you can carry in a vehicle including driver and passengers, fuel, and cargo. The numbers I found on an internet search are lower than quoted above. The 2013 Avalanche is rated at about 1,300# to 1,400#. By comparison, A Sierra 1500 pickup is rated at 1,500# to 1,900#.

Expecting a tongue weight of between 550 and 800 pounds doesn't leave much capacity for people, fuel, and gear, if any depending on the number of passengers.

This is the same reasoning the eliminates the Tahoe and Suburban as good tow vehicle choices these days. All three vehicles are built on the same chassis and suspension. In reality, they're just gussied up large passenger cars that can carry a bit of luggage.

If you examine the so called "1/2 ton" pickups like the Chevy or Dodge 1500s, the Tundra, or the Ford F-150, you find a larger payload and just as much passenger space. These days, they ride as smooth as a passenger car. Yup, they're longer by a bit but they are just as wide and just as tall as the Tahoe/Suburban/Avalanche.

Because the Avalanche can share the same drive train as the 1500, it ends up with a very similar "tow" rating, but that is a pull rating only. There's been a mad rush to top each other's "tow" ratings among the manufacturers, but they've not found a way to increase the payload to match in the SUV's. They have boosted payload in the pickups. Most of the 1/2 tons used to have a payload around 1,500#. Now you can easily find one with a payload of 1,950# or better.

I drive a Ford F-250 Super Duty diesel because I currently have an 11,000# GVWR fiver. If we downsize some day, I will stick with the F-250 but probably switch to gas. The diesel has lots of torque and pulling power, but you sacrifice over 800# of payload and pull capacity. The new gas engines and matching transmissions provide plenty of capability in the lower weight TT categories.

If you search back here you will find dozens (or more) threads about selecting a tow vehicle, and they all arrive at pretty much the same conclusion: the minimum adequate tow vehicle is a properly equipped /12 ton pick for up to the 7,800# GVWR trailers. Any thing bigger needs at least a 3/4 ton truck or more.