Traditional full-size body-on-frame SUVs are alive an well. Chevrolet’s Tahoe still has a strong lead over the rest of the field. It grew 4.4% in May 2016 over last year and sold 7,430 units. The Tahoe has a lot in common with the Silverado pickup truck in terms of the frame, suspension components, engines, and transmissions. This makes it a competent towing machine as we confirmed by testing its GMC cousins, the Yukon and Yukon XL.
Ford’s Expedition is in second place and it is best improved in sales for the month of May. It grew 21.9% and sits firmly in second place. It now relies on EcoBoost V6 power, which provides ample acceleration and towing performance.
Full-size SUVs – May 2016 Sales Chart
| May 2016 # | May ’16 / ’15 % | YTD 2016 # | YTD ’16 / ’15 % | |
| Chevy Tahoe | 7,430 | 4.4% | 35,330 | -1.6% |
| Ford Expedition | 5,057 | 21.9% | 20,251 | 20.3% |
| Chevy Suburban | 3,997 | -8.6% | 18,945 | -7.1% |
| GMC Yukon | 3,747 | 8.5% | 16,056 | 9.1% |
| GMC Yukon XL | 2,384 | -5.2% | 11,604 | 5.2% |
| Toyota Sequoia | 1,126 | -1.7% | 5,303 | 7.2% |
| Nissan Armada | 794 | -46.6% | 4,497 | -24.7% |
The high-end truck-based luxury SUVs are not going away either. They show positive Year-To-Date sales growth across the board. The Cadillac Escalade is leading the pack with 1,856 units sold in May. The Infiniti QX80 is in second place and it is the best improved for the month. GM splits out the Escalade and Escalade ESV sales separately. If you considered them together, the Escalade has what appears to be an unsurmountable lead over the competition.
Luxury SUVs – May 2016 Sales Chart
| May 2016 # | May ’16 / ’15 % | YTD 2016 # | YTD ’16 / ’15 % | |
| Cadillac Escalade | 1,856 | 14.8% | 8,685 | 3.5% |
| Infiniti QX80 | 1,424 | 34.6% | 6,519 | 3.0% |
| Cadillac Escalade ESV | 1,126 | -1.7% | 5,303 | 7.2% |
| Lincoln Navigator | 851 | -18.6% | 4,879 | 0.8% |
| Toyota Land Cruiser | 315 | 31.3% | 1,457 | 28.6% |
| Lexus LX | 293 | -2.0% | 2,271 | 57.3% |
Check out the Escalade take on the Ike Gauntlet extreme towing test.
