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12-26-2018, 07:41 PM
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#1
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Junior Member
Join Date: Dec 2018
Posts: 4
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Best SUV for light towing
I'm planning on purchasing a new car that can tow a travel trailer and need some advice picking. The trailer I intend on buying is small. (UVW of 2800, GVWR of 3800, exterior length of 20' 4") I was looking at SUVS with a max towing capacity of at least 5000 and was going to purchase the Honda Pilot before I read some comments about it not being powerful enough for hills. I'd like to be able to tow through mountains without white knuckling it. I wont be towing through the western part of the US, but will occasionally be going through the mountain passes on the eastern side.
Is the Pilot definitely too weak for this? What are the best options? It has to be an SUV since it'll be my day to day car as well. Ford Expedition seems to be one of the top suggestions but are there others that will also tow well with a trailer that small?
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12-26-2018, 08:09 PM
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#2
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Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2017
Location: Denver, CO
Posts: 1,522
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Our first travel trailer was 24’ and weighed about 4,500lbs. I towed it with an older Yukon that had the 255hp Vortec 350 motor with 138k miles on it. I saw the same trailer being towed by an older Pilot, model year 2012, as it passed me on the interstate. The Pilot has a strong drivetrain, but make sure you’re not going to exceed the tongue weight rating or the payload.
If towing is a small part of what it will do, get what you want that will tow the trailer you think you want. Keep in mind that once you get an SUV that is marginally capable, going to the next level of travel trailer will be expensive. Are there more capable SUV’s? Sure, such as the Expedition you mentioned or a newer Tahoe/Yukon.
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12-26-2018, 08:16 PM
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#3
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: Phoenix, AZ
Posts: 643
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Best SUV for light towing
For a gross weight of 3,800, I don’t think you will have any issues at all with power with a Pilot. The more aerodynamic TT shape, the better. Slab shaped front not so good. The limiting factor will be rear axle capacity. For that 5,000-lb tow rating, you will be required to have 4wd/awd which weighs more and further reduces cargo capacity and rear axle capacity. But awd is good in that you will probably have a stiffer suspension and the rear wont squat as much under load. A 3,800-lb loaded for travel weight will require 12-13% of that load onto the tongue/hitch for towing stability; or about 475 lbs. Add another 75 lbs for WD hitch and up to 550-lbs. Add 3 passengers, two golden retrievers, coolers and other cargo in the Pilot and all of a sudden you are pushing 1,200-lbs and over the cargo capacity of the entire vehicle, let alone the rear axle. Recommend you download a Pilot owner manual and read it regarding towing and its limitations. I have read that some Hondas limit total hitch weight to 500-lbs and dont allow WD hitches. Watch your weights, limit your cargo, and good WD hitch and you should be good to go. Happy camping.
__________________
2000 Coleman Tacoma Pop-Up
2006 Ford Explorer XLT, 4.0L-V6, 4x2
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12-26-2018, 08:21 PM
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#4
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2018
Posts: 2,812
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Had a 2007 ridgeline AWD which is the pickup version of the pilot. Towed a 3000 lb popup through the hill country for a while. You won't mistake it for a corvette, but never had a problem maintaining the speed limit.
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Foretravel tag axle 40 ft. 500 hp/1550 ft/lbs ism 1455 watts on the roof. 600 a/h's lithium down below.
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12-26-2018, 08:51 PM
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#5
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Junior Member
Join Date: Dec 2018
Posts: 4
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Thanks for the reassurance all!
Yes, it will be AWD since that's the only way to get that towing capacity and yeah, I looked into all the limits when cargo is taken into consideration. From what I calculated, I should be safe but not as big of a buffer as I'd like. I am also considering that I may way to upgrade to a larger trailer in the next few years. Nothing huge since it's just a max of two people and dogs.
The Expedition and the Tahoe were my top contenders, but are there any other middle options that would be better than the Pilot but perhaps have better mpg/pricing than the other two?
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12-27-2018, 07:33 AM
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#6
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Senior Member
Newmar Owners Club
Join Date: Feb 2012
Posts: 1,519
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How about a Mercedes GL350, 2016 or older? You will easily be able to tow your TT, when you are camping and have a nice riding SUV, three seats, 6-passenger, very roomy. I have owned a couple. They are great! You can also look at the gas 550 engine as well, but I would prefer the diesel.
https://www.texascarsdirect.com/used...DF2EE0GA663696
Good luck with your search.
__________________
2008 Newmar Dutch Star 4304
2005 HR Navigator 45PBQ - SOLD
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12-27-2018, 07:39 AM
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#7
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2018
Posts: 2,812
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Quote:
Originally Posted by srh
How about Mercedes GL350, 2016 or older? You will easily be able to tow your TT, when you are camping and have a nice riding SUV, three seats, 6-passenger, very roomy. I have owned a couple. They are great! You can also look at the gas 550 engine as well, but I would prefer the diesel.
Good luck with your search.
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Good pick, over 7000 lb towing. I have the diesel with a chip, 530 ft/lbs torque.
__________________
Foretravel tag axle 40 ft. 500 hp/1550 ft/lbs ism 1455 watts on the roof. 600 a/h's lithium down below.
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12-27-2018, 07:58 AM
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#8
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Senior Member
Monaco Owners Club
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: Rigby, Idaho
Posts: 3,902
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There are four things you are asking a tow vehicle to do:
1. Power to tow.
2. Brakes to stop.
3. Suspension to control the forces, static and dynamic.
4. Cooling for the engine, transmission and spouse, all at the same time.
Neglect one, you pay.
__________________
Cheers,
TonyMac
2006 Monaco Safari Cheetah 40PMT
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12-27-2018, 08:04 AM
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#9
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Senior Member
Newmar Owners Club
Join Date: Feb 2012
Posts: 1,519
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TonyMac
There are four things you are asking a tow vehicle to do:
1. Power to tow.
2. Brakes to stop.
3. Suspension to control the forces, static and dynamic.
4. Cooling for the engine, transmission and spouse, all at the same time.
Neglect one, you pay.
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I would not use my GL to tow a 7000 lbs TT, but for what the OP has indicated, this would be more than enough! Just my $0.02.
__________________
2008 Newmar Dutch Star 4304
2005 HR Navigator 45PBQ - SOLD
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12-27-2018, 08:23 AM
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#10
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Senior Member
Newmar Owners Club
Join Date: Feb 2012
Posts: 1,519
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jcussen
Good pick, over 7000 lb towing. I have the diesel with a chip, 530 ft/lbs torque.
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I have a GL and an ML, both diesels and love having them. I have had a diesel MB vehicle since 1983. I usually do not use my GL to tow anything heavy. I did flat tow my Honda CRV from MI to NJ, through PA TPKE, and didn't even feel like I was towing anything. Plus I was getting 25 mpg.
__________________
2008 Newmar Dutch Star 4304
2005 HR Navigator 45PBQ - SOLD
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12-27-2018, 08:47 AM
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#11
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Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Oregon
Posts: 6,620
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I wouldn't tow with a small SUV, but thats just me. I'd rather use a small truck like a Tacoma, Colorado/Canyon or the new Ranger. More stable, and will give a more controlled towing experience. Some unibody SUV's don't allow a weight distribution hitch either. Something to check as well. Also tongue weights can get real close to the receivers rating in a SUV.
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12-27-2018, 09:01 AM
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#12
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Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: HillBilly country, Smokey Mtns
Posts: 4,171
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Quote:
Originally Posted by invertere
What are the best options? It has to be an SUV since it'll be my day to day car as well. Ford Expedition seems to be one of the top suggestions but are there others that will also tow well with a trailer that small?
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The best SUV tow vehicle is a truck-based rear-wheel-drive SUV. NOT A CROSSOVER SUV that's based on a front-wheel-drive car or minivan. And the longer the wheelbase, the better. So the good new ones today include the Ford Expedition Max, Chevy Surburban, and GMC Yukon XL. Regardless of which one you choose, it absolutely must have the factory heavy duty towing package.
Four-wheel drive or all-wheel drive is okay as long as it's in a truck-based SUV and not a crossover.
Next best are the shorter versions of the above three, Ford Expedition that's not the Max version, Chevy Tahoe instead of Suburban, and GMC Yukon standard version, not the XL. Plus add the Toyota Sequoia and Dodge Durango. And I think the Nissan Pathfinder is still RWD, but the website just says 2WD, so I'm not sure it's still a truck-based RWD and not a crossover. The 2018 Dodge Durango was still a truck-based RWD SUV, but FIAT is considering changing it to crossover, so pay attention to details if you opt for a later model Durango or Pathfinder.
Older Ford Explorers were truck-based SUVs, but the current models are crossovers. So if you want a new Ford, stick with the Expedition and ignore the Explorer.
Crossover SUVs can tow small trailers, but you asked for the "best" options for towing, and a crossover SUV is not the best option. The Honda Pilot and Toyota Highlander with factory towing package can tow small trailers. But they are crossovers based on the FWD Accord and Camry, so nowhere near the "best" option for towing.
Mercedes-Benz also makes excellent RWD towing SUVs, but they are way above the price class of the brands mentioned above.
__________________
Grumpy ole man with over 60 years towing experience. Now my heaviest trailer is a 7'x16' 5,000-pound flatbed utility trailer, my tow vehicle is a 2019 F-150 Lariat 3.5L EcoBoost SuperCab with Max Tow (1,904 pounds payload capacity).
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12-27-2018, 11:40 AM
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#13
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Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2018
Posts: 1,643
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I had a 2004 pilot with a factory tow package and towed a 3800lb boat with it. It worked great up over mountains and everything. Drove the pass over Mt. Hood to central Oregon many times. Engine had plenty of power if you use the gear selector properly. Duel over head cam 3.5 with 245hp and a 6500rpm red line. It ran 4500 to 5000 rpm in third gear up the mountain at 50-55mph with no problems. Sold the car with 165k miles still running strong.
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Professional mechanic.
2018 Ram 2500 HD Mega cab.
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12-27-2018, 11:45 AM
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#14
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Member
Join Date: Feb 2013
Posts: 46
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Go for a VW Tourareg. It pulls up to 7700lbs and has a built in transmission cooler and huge Brembo brakes as standard. Ive pulled a 5000 (dry) trailer plus all camping gear and family and it hauls like dream...Last produced in 2017 so some great low km used bargains out there
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