Forbes Top 10 Luxury SUVs for Towing

SEE ALSO: All Luxury SUV's Ranked By Maximum Towing Capacity

Washington DC May 16, 2007; The AIADA newsletter reported that sport utility vehicles have become more luxurious in recent years, but thankfully not always at the expense of ruggedness and versatility.

Forbes has selected ten luxury SUVs based on their gross tow rating, which is the maximum they can tow when properly equipped with hitches and other gear needed for this serious task. Several factors govern how much a vehicle can tow: the power of the engine, the robustness of the chassis on which the vehicle is built and how stout the various mechanicals are, such as suspension, transmission and braking systems.

Basically, the bigger the better, in every case. Half the vehicles on this list are American. However, there are European and Japanese SUVs with serious towing capabilities for those who prefer foreign luxury vehicles. These include the British Land Rover Range Rover, the Japanese Nissan Armada, and several German models, including the Mercedes-Benz G-Class and GL-Class and Volkswagen's Touareg.