[ShrimpBurrito]

A mid-sized SUV/truck was generally the minimum amount we considered when getting a tow vehicle capable of towing the TM, so we went to CarMax where virtually every vehicle sold in the U.S. is on the lot. That's not where we ended up making our purchase, but it could have been.

Anyway, we started focusing on that minimum vehicle class because they were less expensive and had better fuel economy. After going through them all, we had narrowed it down to the Toyota 4-Runner. But then we looked at the Sequoia. Because we often travel with adults in the back seat (not necessarily at the same time as towing the TM), adult comfort in the back seat was paramount. We felt the back seat of the Sequoia was significantly more comfortable vs. the 4-Runner. Then we looked more closely at the reasons why we preferred the 4-Runner: cost and MPG. Turns out the Sequoia was only 10% more expensive and burned about 2 MPG more than the 4-Runner, which equated to basically a few hundred bucks at most over 12,000 miles (avg annual mileage). In exchange, we'd have a much more comfortable vehicle, plus a more capable vehicle with a wider safety margin while towing -- a vehicle we'd have more stopping power and better handling such that we didn't have to question whether or not it was appropriate to be towing in mountains, windy roads, etc.

FWIW, that was our justification/thought process. The cost to "upgrade" was quite negligible.

Dave