[Bill]

For various reasons, I have always towed my TMs with a Ford Explorer. When I got my 2002 TM, I also got a 2002 Explorer, which was the first year of the "3rd generation" Explorer. (Previous generations were smaller.) It was, in my opinion, an almost ideal tow vehicle, with a small V-8, 5-speed automatic, decent fuel economy for a vehicle its size, and a tow rating above 7000 pounds.

About the time I got my 2006 TM, my 2002 Explorer died. I moved to a "4th generation" 2007 Explorer. Same-size V-8 but with 24 valves, so more power and torque. New 6-speed automatic, better mpg, and a tow rating still above 7000 pounds.

I just learned that the "5th generation" Explorer will begin with the 2011 model. It will be a unibody vehicle rather than body-on-frame - a car-based platform based on the Taurus. The "big" engine will be a 3.5 liter V-6. The tow rating will drop by more than half, to 3500 pounds.

I'm crushed. Devastated. Shattered. And I bet the whole auto industry will be moving in this direction. What will happen to RVing as we know it?

I recognize the world's need for better fuel economy and greener vehicles, and I'm not looking for any lectures, and certainly not any political comments. And I guess I'm not looking for sympathy, either. I just don't know where we are all headed.

Bill