I live in Denver, so we will be doing a lot of towing in the mountains. I pick up my TM in a couple of weeks so I will be able to post my experiences shortly after that. My parents live close and we trade vehicles from time to time so I can tow it with their Sequoia if I need it going west and use the Caravan for trips east. But we are going to give it a try with the Caravan in the mountains (we'll start with smaller grades and work our way up).
You hit the nail on the head in regards to stopping. Honestly, that's the biggest thing that concerns me. I feel like I can always go slower on flat land or going uphill, but going downhill the low-profile is of no help other than sway control. The trailer does have brakes, but you want to know that your vehicle can stop it if those brakes fail.
To this point my tow experience has been with tall trailers and far more powerful tow vehicles. Sway is no joke. Crosswinds through Nebraska will take it out of you so that's one area where I am really looking forward to the TM.
The Car Show in Colorado Springs is one of, if not the, largest TM dealer and they have gotten really good reviews on their handling of customers. I have spent quite a bit of time with their owners. They even helped me in my purchase of a used TM not from their dealership. They don't think I will have any trouble at all. Now that will hardly hold up in court or in my conscience should something go wrong, but I do trust that they have seen numerous minivans tow TM's in the mountains without trouble.
And let me add: more vehicle is not necessarily better if it isn't combined with common sense. These trailers need to be loaded properly. Because I will be close to my towing capacity, I will have to be very careful in how I load the trailer. I think that's a good thing. I don't care how much capacity you have, if your trailer is poorly balanced or overloaded, you are in trouble. Of course, combine 10,000 lb towing capacity with common sense, and you win.
Another thing we considered was resale value. We are just starting out in this. By keeping our vehicles as is, and opting for a used TM (highest resale value out there), we are hedging our bets as best we can. If we find we love it, we would consider upgrading our TV. If we decide it isn't for us, we feel we can sell the TM relatively easily and call it a "rental." A brand new Chalet or rpod would not necessarily have that same luxury. If we had not found a used TM, we likely would have gone with an rpod because of the lower initial investment.
If you are looking into other options and you want my thoughts, feel free to ask. I am a "researcher" and have been looking for a camper for about 18 months and have looked high and low for the following:
1) hard sided
2) towable by our minivan
3) enough sleeping quarters for our family of four (preferably more for future expansion)
If it meets those requirements, chances are I have seen it or pursued it one way or another.
|