Which Toad?

[wnytaxman]

We will be hitting the road more in earnest this coming summer. We will need a toad for our side excursions. Our debate is which one. We currently have a ‘16 Enclave and a ‘17 Lincoln MKX. I know both are towable four down. We also are considering buying our daughter’s ‘16 Focus or buying a new manual tranny Crosstrek. Again, everything is towable four down so it just comes down to what have many of you used in that group that you have found to be a good tow. I would love a Wrangler Unlimited but my better half nixed that idea quickly.

So fellow Entegra owners, what say you? Any suggestions?

[Nowabeachbum]

The Enclave is an awesome road car and holds lots including people. Personally, hands down, the Enclave! Towed both an Acadia(same as Enclave) and an Edge(same as MKX). Both good cars but the road manners of the Enclave for long distance touring is great! Particularly, traveling out west we find that we spend a lot of time in the toad getting to places.

[lass]

Take her for a test drive in the new JL Sahara and you'll find that it feels and rides as good as a standard SUV. You might be surprised to see how much it's changed from the previous JK series.

I just got back from western ny and really liked how the Unlimited handled in the snow.

[wildtoad]

A lot may depend on what you want to do with the toad when you get to a destination. The Wrangler will give you the most options albeit a bit of a rougher ride. As an example we towed a Chevy Sonic and it was great until we wanted to do some roads around and in Monument Valley Utah. No way in the Sonic. So I swapped it for a ‘15 JK and love it. Easier to setup, hookup. No fuses to pull, no need for a chargeline from the mh, no need to leave the key in the ignition. I also switched to Ready Brake system and it makes hooking up the brake easy.

[Matt D]

Ed, we have pulled (at one time or another) a Jeep Wrangler JKU, Ford Flex, and (2) separate Ford F-150s.

Hands down the best solution for us is the F-150, as we frequently carry either a golf cart or a pickup bed worth of supplies for VLTs (Very Long Trips.)

It’ll carry a bunch of payload, people, and is quite comfortable on longer drives. We have a 2.5” lift and stock Raptor wheels and tires so we do some mild wheeling. The longer wheelbase makes technical trails and large boulders difficult, but we manage.

-Matt

[brobox]

Ed, both of what you already own make great toads, we also have an MKX. However for a Toad, I have found a midsize 4 wheel drive pickup fits the way we travel. We like to take back roads wildlife viewing, desert roads in UT without worrying about getting stuck. Load sandy beach gear or fishing rods in the back...no problem The new midsize trucks ride like an SUV and have all of the inside comfort as well, just sit a little higher making it usable off road.

[Mr.Mark]

wnytaxman,

Well, you are already have two good tow vehicle choices. Why buy another?

I like automatic tranny's myself but get what you like.

Safe travels,
Mark

[Matt D]

Ed, we have pulled (at one time or another) a Jeep Wrangler JKU, Ford Flex, and (2) separate Ford F-150s.

Hands down the best solution for us is the F-150, as we frequently carry either a golf cart or a pickup bed worth of supplies for VLTs (Very Long Trips.)

It’ll carry a bunch of payload, people, and is quite comfortable on longer drives. We have a 2.5” lift and stock Raptor wheels and tires so we do some mild wheeling. The longer wheelbase makes technical trails and large boulders difficult, but we manage.

-Matt

[wnytaxman]

Thanks for all of your replies. I think the car that makes the most sense for us is to convert the MKX or even go for the new Nautilus that Lincoln replaced the MKX with. Our concerns with the MKX as a toad were the stopping limitations, but I should be stopping in less than every six hours anyway so it shouldn’t be a major issue. I’m not sure if we should bother with the Remco pump for the transmission or if it shouldn’t be an issue if we stop within the six hour suggested time frame.

[brobox]

Originally Posted by wnytaxman

Thanks for all of your replies. I think the car that makes the most sense for us is to convert the MKX or even go for the new Nautilus that Lincoln replaced the MKX with. Our concerns with the MKX as a toad were the stopping limitations, but I should be stopping in less than every six hours anyway so it shouldn’t be a major issue. I’m not sure if we should bother with the Remco pump for the transmission or if it shouldn’t be an issue if we stop within the six hour suggested time frame.

Ed, unless you have a bladder of an Elephant, the stopping time is not a problem.

[wnytaxman]

Originally Posted by brobox

Ed, unless you have a bladder of an Elephant, the stopping time is not a problem.

Chuck, it’s more like the bladder of a flea and the older I get the worse it gets!!

[wnytaxman]

As an update, neither the 2019 Lincoln Nautilus (MKX) nor the 2019 Ford Explorer can be towed four down. This narrows our choices somewhat.

[RVRon]

Originally Posted by wnytaxman

As an update, neither the 2019 Lincoln Nautilus (MKX) nor the 2019 Ford Explorer can be towed four down. This narrows our choices somewhat.

Ouch! Where did you see this? Maybe the new 2020 Explorer can be?

[Mr.Mark]

I was wondering if the Nautilus would be allowed to be towed four down and I found this...

https://www.fleet.ford.com/resources...n_r1_Jul13.pdf

Scroll down to the Nautilus and in the bottom right it says that the twin-turbo-charged version can be towed four down.

Mark