We also moved up from a really small pop-up (995 lbs. empty) to a TM. We also bought a new TV (a 2006 F150 V8) and sold our old TV (a 1996 Blazer V6) at the same time, so we can't compare vehicles vs. trailers, but:
The F150 pulls the TM better than the Blazer pulled the much lighter pop-up. Believe it of not, we only lost ~1 mpg in gas mileage in the new setup.
The TM is harder to back into tight campsites than the pop-up. The TM is wider, and the wheels are further back....which is 1 thing giving the TM the great towing traits. But on the flip side, the pop-up would not "recover" from too tight a backing up because of the closer wheels. It would take more corrective steering to back the pop-up because of that issue, also.
I had the TM in a small remote area on a recent camping trip that it took every inch to get it turned around and headed back out. I thought I was going to have to unhook the TM, install the tongue wheel, turn it some by hand (in dirt
), move the truck, and then hook back up. In the same camping area with the popup, it was much easier to do.....plus the Blazer was shorter, which helped.
I like remote camping areas, and other than the above mentioned situation, I haven't had any other problems......except some days I just can't seem to back well. It has to do with the number of people watching also.
Chap