Ideal tow vehicle?

My husband and I are planning on getting a 2720SD or SL in the next year or so, but first we need a tow vehicle. The original plan was to replace my Toyota Corolla wagon with a Toyota Highlander (hybrid would be great, but the little bit of gas savings doesn't seem to justify the price difference between the regular and hybrid model) but now we're reconsidering that.

Mainly because my wagon gets really good gas mileage (not as good as our Prius, but still) and replacing it with something that is less fuel efficient, when it's just for occasional towing, doesn't compute. The rest of the time it would be my runaround vehicle, where the mileage would count more.

The other possibility we've thought of is to keep the wagon and get a used truck suitable for towing the trailer and to use for home/garden center trips. A friend recommended a Toyota Tacoma for their reliability, but I'm not sure if it's quite big enough for towing a 2720SD or SL. Plus their resale stays pretty high.

So if all of you experienced TMers had your choice of used trucks or SUVs (in the $8,000 or less range, what would you get?

[Wavery]

Originally Posted by arjackson

My husband and I are planning on getting a 2720SD or SL in the next year or so, but first we need a tow vehicle. The original plan was to replace my Toyota Corolla wagon with a Toyota Highlander (hybrid would be great, but the little bit of gas savings doesn't seem to justify the price difference between the regular and hybrid model) but now we're reconsidering that.

Mainly because my wagon gets really good gas mileage (not as good as our Prius, but still) and replacing it with something that is less fuel efficient, when it's just for occasional towing, doesn't compute. The rest of the time it would be my runaround vehicle, where the mileage would count more.

The other possibility we've thought of is to keep the wagon and get a used truck suitable for towing the trailer and to use for home/garden center trips. A friend recommended a Toyota Tacoma for their reliability, but I'm not sure if it's quite big enough for towing a 2720SD or SL. Plus their resale stays pretty high.

So if all of you experienced TMers had your choice of used trucks or SUVs (in the $8,000 or less range, what would you get?

I would look for something with a tow-rating of 5500+#.

Remember, most all vehicles are tow rated with the vehicle empty (how you tow without a driver or gas, I don't know). When you start adding passengers, cargo and fuel, the weight adds up fast.

The proper thing to do is find the GCWR (Gross COMBINED weight rating) on the vehicle. Take the "Curb Weight" of the vehicle, add the weight of fully loaded trailer, passengers, cargo and full tank of fuel to see if it will handle your trailer under real world conditions.

Also........please remember......it's not all about ability to "Pull" a load. It's far more about being able to stop a load... The fact is, you can "Pull" a TM with just about anything, just some will tow up hills faster than others. You must be very careful about selecting a vehicle that is able to stop a fully loaded TM and TV under any conditions. A lot of people over-look that little aspect.

We have a 2619 and looked at the Toyota Tacoma and Honda Ridgeline. Both were four door. Four adults can ride very comfortable in it. We decided on the Ridgeline. No real reason we just liked it better. It is rated to tow 5000lbs. I like the lockable trunk it has in the bed.

It averages on the highway 19 to 21 mpg not towing and 14 to 16 mpg towing the TM fully loaded. Our TM weighs about 3,400lbs when it is fully loaded. We have had the Ridgeline and TM for about a year now and are very happy with our choice.

I think you need to find a TV you like and just make sure it has enough capacity to tow the TM.

[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

Thanks for the thoughtful replies so far!

We are not so concerned about additional passenger comfort, it will be pretty much me and my husband and a dog in the truck. We have our other vehicles for runabout cars and they comfortably seat passengers in the back. A crew cab (I think that's the one with a small fold down seat or little jump seats in the back) is fine.

And thanks for including your criteria that helped you make your decision, it is useful. I'll keep watching the thread.

[Wavery]

Originally Posted by arjackson

Thanks for the thoughtful replies so far!

We are not so concerned about additional passenger comfort, it will be pretty much me and my husband and a dog in the truck. We have our other vehicles for runabout cars and they comfortably seat passengers in the back. A crew cab (I think that's the one with a small fold down seat or little jump seats in the back) is fine.

And thanks for including your criteria that helped you make your decision, it is useful. I'll keep watching the thread.

A crew-cab is a 4-door PU with a full back seat. I think that what you may be referring to is an "extra-cab". That's what we have.

We have a 99 Chevy S-10 extra-cab with a 4.3L V-6. It has plenty of power for those long grades, a 5500# tow rating an gets 24MPG hwy with just my wife and I, 16MPG towing with a full load. We have a small camper shell on the back and we are really happy with this set-up.

I added air-bag spring helpers to the rear and a large tranny cooler. We've towed our trailer on 41 camp-outs and I have never even seen the temp gage get to normal. It doesn't need a sway-control or WDH. Last week-end we went to the desert and had 45MPH wind gusts outside Palm Springs. I had no sway issues and didn't even have to reduce my speed.

[commodor47]

We picked up a used Explorer Sport Trac and are very satisfied with the way it tows. Just got back from our second winter trip with this used (new to us) tow vehicle. This year we spent January and February in Bisbee, AZ . . . March in FL and GA. Generally our winter travels cover about 10,000 miles for the 3 months. The Sport Trac has performed flawlessly, offers a very roomy and comfortable ride and has the advantages of a full back seat with covered (locked) truck bed space. There are many suitable tow vehicles out there. Good luck with your search . . . let us know how you make out.

Dick

[Mr. Adventure]

It depends a lot on where you live and where you go. If you want to haul a lot of gear and go into the Rocky Mountains a lot, you need more tow vehicle than if you rarely leave Kansas for your recreational trips.

It's the annual gas mileage numbers that count, not just how it does when you tow. I'm a big fan of being able to use the vehicle you like to drive every day to tow a TrailManor.

[SCBillandJane]

There are a lot of good suggestions above. I want to suggest that you add to the list visibility when backing up to hitch up. Also, think about where you will put stuff you don't want in the TM such as a generator and gas or firewood. Lastly, think about stopping and descending. I see in your post that you are in the Sierra foothills. Sometimes you go up gradually in the mountains and find yourself going down a steep grade unexpectedly. An automatic transmission with more gears like a 5 speed rather than a 4 speed helps, but one that will let you downshift without slowing way down is even better. We have a 2003 4Runner that has what I call an electronic automatic transmission that will downshift automatically when you brake going downhill even when not towing or you can do it manually. They all came with a hitch installed and with the wiring for a trailer. Look for a vehicle already set up by the manufacturer for towing. That will save you money and is a good indication that it will handle a TM.

As noted above there are many good choices for you to choose from. As you mentioned a Tacoma and I have one, I can at least speak to that. Towing a TM with our 6 spd Tacoma works extremely well. As we live at 5000 feet and travel the Donner summit many times we know how the truck performs pulling the TM. I usually can make the 'hill' in 5th gear sometimes 4th, depending on traffic. On flat lands I still haven't figured out if traveling in 5th (according to the manual) is better than leaving it in 6th, but both work. The automatic would work equally as good. With a tow rating of 6500 pounds (properly equipped) you can pull anything that TM makes with a large safety margin. We have a locking bed cover on the back so 'stuff' will not be visible. It has proven to be an excellent performer for both towing and general use. Note: This is the Tacoma with a 4.0 engine. Having owned a previous Tacoma with a 3.4 V6 (I think that was the size) I would not recommend, especially if you are planning on pulling any hills. Pulling a TM with that vehicle would be at its absolute limit in tow ability.

Mike Anderson