what is a good tow vehicle with decent gas mileage?

We are beginning the search for an upgraded TV. We currently have a Honda Odyssey but we want one with a bigger towing capacity so we are not maxing it out towing our 2720 and eventually killing it. We want one with good gas mileage in general so we won't want a regular old pickup or SUV that gets bad mileage. We had thought to go hybrid but so far all the hybrids I've found have the same towing capacity as our van (3500 lbs). Suggestions from others who have been there/done that?

Thanks!

-Amy

[Barb&Tim]

This may be a place for you to do some comparisons:

http://autos.aol.com/car-finder/4500...wing-capacity/

Tim

[Brutus]

Amy, I tow a 2720 as well. If you browse through the threads in "Towing Rigs", you find at least a few threads that say a TV with a 5000# tow rating gives a reasonable minimum margin of towing safety while allowing for decent non-towing mileage (such as a Highlander or Explorer). That said, I wouldn't rule out a Chevy Traverse or Honda Pilot which are in the mid 4's for towing. Make a list of potential vehicles and do a search on here. All the most common TV names have been mentioned. Also, there are also plenty of folks who do just fine by being careful with their 3500# tow-rated rigs. I had a bad experience with a Nissan Murano (3500# rating) with a CVT, as in burnt tranny smell after only a few miles. Thus I went with an overkill midsize pickup. To each their own... Good luck with your search!
r/Pat

Thank you both - those are good ideas and links. We haven't gone on any long trips yet with the Odyssey but we've towed it about 50 miles so far and it seems fine. However, my husband is quite worried we are going to give it an untimely end doing this so we are shopping but in the planning stages right now. He likes to do lots of research before buying anything so I'm just collecting suggestions for him

-Amy

I towed with a '08 Highlander for a while, it did OK with it's 5000 lb tow rating, but I had the same feeling you mention that I was wearing a nice vehicle out prematurely. A lot of our driving is in the mountains. My gas mileage was around 17 MPG average when towing.

We upgraded to a 2006 Tundra. The mileage isn't as good (14 MPG avg when towing) but there's a lot to be said for the extra capability of load and safety. I enjoy being able to take pretty much anything we want within reason and not have to worry about it. Never being a "truck" person, I was really surprised how much I enjoy driving the Tundra. Smooth, quiet, very comfortable vehicle with a V8 exhoust note. Being between a full size and mid size pickup, it's alright around town too.

Not meaning to be an advertisement for a Tundra, really meaning to just say you may want to consider more than MPG if you have a second vehicle.

Originally Posted by Barb&Tim

This may be a place for you to do some comparisons:

http://autos.aol.com/car-finder/4500...wing-capacity/

Tim

What a great web site wish I had know about this.

If I had the $$, I'd get a 2011 VW Touareg V6 TDI.

It's pretty luxurious but has a 3L V6 clean diesel with an 8spd auto that gets 28mpg (EPA Hwy). And lot's of diesel torque.

With the OEM hitch, they claim 7700# tow capacity. It has full-time AWD (VW 4Motion) that's good both off-road and on the Interstate.

Have talked with somebody towing an upright trailer similar to my Elkmont 24 and he gets 18mpg towing his. (I get 12 mpg with the Taco). I expect you would get more than 20 mpg with the 2720.

Earlier (2008?, 2009-2010) models had the same V6 TDI but only 5 speed auto and 25mpg (EPA Hwy), but even better off-road capabilities (VW's 4xMotion, air suspension).

Even earlier models had a V10 diesel, but that's a monster.

[Mr. Adventure]

Originally Posted by TMMiniVan

We are beginning the search for an upgraded TV. We currently have a Honda Odyssey but we want one with a bigger towing capacity so we are not maxing it out towing our 2720 and eventually killing it. We want one with good gas mileage in general so we won't want a regular old pickup or SUV that gets bad mileage. We had thought to go hybrid but so far all the hybrids I've found have the same towing capacity as our van (3500 lbs). Suggestions from others who have been there/done that?

Thanks!

-Amy

So far, I don't recall any reports of untimely tow vehicle demise from Odyssey or Highlander owners. But, the amount of towing you do is a big deal too. I would probably own a higher capacity tow vehicle if I towed 5-10000 miles per year instead of the 1-2000 miles I typically go.

There are no hybrids I would tow with, because they are stingy with the horsepower and the continuously variable trannys are a weak spot. If I was going to upgrade, I'd go for a new Highlander or a 4Runner.

That is good to know. My husband is worried we'll kill the Odyssey if we go anywhere beyond the flat midwest (which is all we do right now). It is just about to cross 100,000 miles and we hope it makes it to 200,000 The other car is what we need just to get to work and back for both of us. We had considered a towing trip to CA (we live in the midwest) but the mountains scared us, which is when this discussion came up and we thought maybe replacing car 2 with a better TV was a good idea.

-Amy

p.s. thanks for the highlander idea. Looks plausible.

[ShrimpBurrito]

Originally Posted by TMMiniVan

We had considered a towing trip to CA (we live in the midwest) but the mountains scared us, which is when this discussion came up and we thought maybe replacing car 2 with a better TV was a good idea.

There are several folks on this forum that have towed their TM cross country. In fact, some here do it regularly. We've towed the TM from SoCal, through the Rockies (at various degrees of latitude), to points along the east coast from Tennessee to Ontario 3 times. On such a trip, we usually travel 7,000-8,000 miles, and carry a fair amount of cargo in the TV (nothing special, typical "trip" stuff), which quickly can become a weight issue when towing a 4,000 lb trailer (fully loaded) like the TM. I usually remove the 3rd row of seats in our Sequoia, and the back from the second row to the tailgate is usually full up to the bottom of the windows. So I can easily see out the back window.

Given the above scenario, I personally would not be comfortable towing with any less capable vehicle than our Sequoia.

Dave