In search of a solid hill-climbing SUV

I wish to replace a trouble-free 206,000-kilometre 2005 GMC Jimmy four-wheel-drive (high and low ranges) with a five-speed stick-shift. I love my five-speed (it would be nice if it was a six). That low range is handy at the lakefront property – which has a steep driveway – and it just walks up that hill with no fuss, including pulling a boat on a trailer. Ideas? – Steve

Mark Richardson: Oooh – no budget! I love when there's no budget! Steve – you want a Porsche Cayenne. Might as well do the job properly and get the Turbo S. For around $200,000, its 590-lb-ft of torque will walk that boat up and down the hill all day.

Jessica Leeder: When you talk like that, Richardson, you give me goosebumps.

Richardson: Chances are, though, that if Steve's been happy with a 2005 Jimmy, he might want something less expensive. There aren't many SUVs with a six-speed manual transmission, but the Jeep Wrangler is the obvious one. It has low and high ranges, four-wheel drive and massive gobs of torque for towing.

Leeder: Do you believe in reincarnation, Mark? I wonder if you were a Jeep in a previous life. You really do love them. Steve's used to the old Jimmy and may not feel out of place in a Wrangler, which is perfectly capable of churning up that lake property. But it won't give him the comforts he ought to have in a new buy. What about the Subaru Forester? It comes in a six-speed manual, though not with its most powerful engine. To get the stick-shift, Steve would have to settle for 170 horsepower and 174 lb-ft of torque. Too anemic?

Richardson: Well, it depends on how big the boat is. If Steve's boat is a basic fishing boat, it might only weigh 1,000 pounds with the trailer, which is fine for the Forester's weedy 1,500-pound towing capacity. But it's probably bigger – much bigger. His old Jimmy has a tow capacity of 5,500 pounds, which is way more than the 3,500-pound capacity of the Subaru Outback, and even the Wranglers.

Leeder: So he needs bigger.

Richardson: If Steve wants more comfort and strength from his Jeep, he can step up to the more conventional Cherokee, which can tow 4,500 pounds with the larger engine, or the Grand Cherokee, which can tow 6,200. They all have automatic transmissions, though.

Leeder: Yes, but they also have neat drive modes for snow, sand and rock that might make up for it. I used the snow mode a ton this winter during a week in snow-hammered Halifax, and was surprised at how phenomenally the Grand Cherokee did. I like where your head's at with this Jeep idea, so let's do a deep dive. The Grand Cherokee comes in a dizzying variety of models and trim levels. Prices range from $42,000 to more than $70,000. That's a huge spread.

Richardson: Frankly, Steve will probably be fine with the basic Cherokee, provided he spends the extra $1,595 to upgrade the engine from the four-cylinder to the V-6, for the extra towing capacity. That will bring it in at just more than $35,000, out the showroom door. But if he wants more, the Grand Cherokee is one of the most capable SUVs for the price. I drove the diesel version across Labrador a couple of summers ago and it never put a wheel wrong.

Leeder: Even if we sell Steve on the Grand Cherokee, we haven't satisfied his need for a stick-shift. That's a tall order in and of itself in the SUV department. If he wants a manual Jeep, Wrangler is the one. All nine of its trim levels come with standard manual transmission.

Richardson: And that's it for manual transmissions. What else is there? Mitsubishi Outlander Sport and the basic Mazda CX-5? Both too small. Everything else strong enough for towing more than a lightweight trailer is automatic, and that's because automatics are far more rugged than they used to be. Nobody wants to buy a stick any more.

Leeder: Young'uns don't know what they're missing out on. Steve has plenty of good options, though. If Jeep isn't his thing, he could go with a Chevy Tahoe. It has more bling to its look than the old Jimmy and starts at just more than $57,000. Its gross vehicle weight rating is more than 7,000 pounds, though. That means it can haul an extremely big boat.

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