what is a good tow vehicle with decent gas mileage?

[T and C]

TMMinivan,

I bought my 2330 in July of 2010. I was then towing with a 96 Ford p/u. Since the DW wanted room for grandkids to go with us, I looked at crew cab p/u's and bought a 2010 Ford crew cab with a 4.6 3 valve motor and a six speed trans. It has the factory tow package and a six speed tranny.

The down side of this vehicle is that it is BIG. You have to get used to driving it...but then it becomes automatic. We have a 2005 Camry for local driving anyway.

The up sides are numerous:

1. Very roomy. You can carry six passengers and all sorts of stuff.
2. It is powerful. I usually tow on cruise control. A few days ago I crossed the Donner pass (7200 feet) in both directions this way.
3. It is economical while towing. Around town as a passenger car it gets typical truck mileage-13 to 14 mpg. Towing on the highway is a different story. From San Jose to Reno we got 15.6, and that includes the Donner pass. From Sacramento driving south on 99 along the flat bottom of California's central valley-18.2!!! This is probably due to the computer control of the fuel system and the 6 speed trans.
4. The tow rating is around 8000, so I never even think about it.

It is big and it is heavy. But for me, anyway, peace of mind about the weight and safety issues outweigh that. If I want to carry something along...I do.

One other thing. I learned with my last RV TV combination...the correct order is to FIRST choose the RV and THEN choose to TV to fit. Many on this board already have a TV and then have bought a TM, only to find that their TV is only marginally adequate. So, if you can afford it, try to get a TV that can easily do the job. Peace of mind, IMHO, is worth a lot.

Tom