Which New Tow Vehicle Would You Choose?

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Which New Tow Vehicle Would You Choose?

Postby Esteban » Tue Jun 10, 2014 3:30 am

:thinking: If you were in the market for a new daily driver vehicle that can pull a teardrop trailer which one would you choose? Not looking for fantasy vehicles, or older vehicles, more interested in new realistic daily drivers.

I'm not in need of one yet. I am just beginning to think about what I might choose to buy.

:thumbsup: Today I looked at Subaru Foresters which can pull up to 1500 lbs. :thumbsup: Also looked at the Suburu Outback which can tow as much as 2700 lbs. Both were very comfortable with great visibility. Didn't take a test drive. I think of the two I slightly prefer the Forester. If I bought a Subaru I would probably get it with the less powerful 2.5 engine and a CVT transmission.

:( I'm too tall with wide shoulders to comfortably fit in a XV Crosstrek. I was told they have a 1000 lb. tow limit...which is low for my needs.

:thinking: What would be your preferred choices?
Steve - SLO, CA
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Re: Which New Tow Vehicle Would You Choose?

Postby rowerwet » Tue Jun 10, 2014 6:19 am

Ford Escape, I like the size.
Slow my non-tow rated Focus pulls a 5 wide at 75 with no problems, I barely know it is there.
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Re: Which New Tow Vehicle Would You Choose?

Postby jonw » Tue Jun 10, 2014 7:29 am

Mazda CX5 with 2.5l engine. Plenty of power, good gas mileage, comfortable, well built, and reasonably priced.
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Re: Which New Tow Vehicle Would You Choose?

Postby citylights » Tue Jun 10, 2014 7:42 am

My wife loves her Subarus. She has had an outback and now an impreza. Great, reliable cars. Love the all wheel drive in rain and ice. With it always being active, it helps all the time rather than a 4wd where you have to think about turning it on. I used to tow with the outback, but it was the larger H6.3. Compared to the competition, you do pay about $2k premium for the allwheeldrive.

For some reason, the forester never did anything for me... But I like my FJ.

For smaller, cars they are well suited to camping activities. They do use smaller engines for fuel economy and that is going to result in slower towing and struggles up grades fully loaded and towing. Don't be in a hurry! My wife didn't do it, but if it was me, I would go for the turbo models for the added power. Turbo engines really make a difference at higher elevations while maintaining good fuel economy.
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Re: Which New Tow Vehicle Would You Choose?

Postby Epbowen » Tue Jun 10, 2014 8:12 am

We use the escape, tows well, lots of roof room for toys. Reasonable gas mileage. 3500 lb tow limit.
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Re: Which New Tow Vehicle Would You Choose?

Postby Woodbutcher » Tue Jun 10, 2014 1:02 pm

Between the 2 I would choose the Outback. I want the extra power a towing capacity. I don't want to be running a vehicle at the top of it's limits.
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Re: Which New Tow Vehicle Would You Choose?

Postby Redgloves » Tue Jun 10, 2014 1:43 pm

I love my 2010 Subaru Outback with the 4 cylinder. Tows the Camp Inn teardrop like a dream. No power problems towing in the mountains and passes around Chattanooga, Tenn. I have not towed the teardrop in the Rocky Mountains.

The all wheel drive is great in the winter, able to drive thru a lot of snow, navigate a variety of "two track" roads. Use as the daily commuter.

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Re: Which New Tow Vehicle Would You Choose?

Postby tony.latham » Tue Jun 10, 2014 2:29 pm

Toyota Tacoma four-door with shell. No doubt about it. It gives you a five-foot bed to carry your extra camp gear like chairs, table, and dutch ovens. If your dogs roll in something dead, you can put 'em in the back! Great rigs.
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I've got 110,000 miles on mine and the only thing I've done to it is replace the tires, oil, and grease. If somebody stole it tonight, I'd have a new one next week.

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Re: Which New Tow Vehicle Would You Choose?

Postby dguff » Tue Jun 10, 2014 6:13 pm

If I was in the market I would give some consideration to the new Ram 1500 with the 3 liter EcoDiesel. Great torque with good fuel economy.

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Re: Which New Tow Vehicle Would You Choose?

Postby len19070 » Tue Jun 10, 2014 7:30 pm

Over the years I've had 3 of these 4 cyl Japanese Trucks. 2 Nissan's and one Toyota All 3 were club cabs. Tow capacity was up to 3500lbs....and I did.

I also liked the daily driver economy. The one Nissan got so close to 30mpg that I lied about it.

Never liked the idea of feeding a gas hog all year for the sake of towing a few days a year. Let it work a little on those few days.

Happy Trails

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Re: Which New Tow Vehicle Would You Choose?

Postby jstrubberg » Wed Jun 11, 2014 10:00 am

Not sure if you mean new, or new-to-me...

I wouldn't buy a new vehicle, period. The depreciation loss over the first three years is ridiculous. Let someone else pay that for you. Also, stop worrying about that odometer reading! On a modern, well maintained vehicle it means almost nothing. Look for something four or five years old on great shape, pay half the price and enjoy it for just as long as a new car. My current rig is at 189,000 miles. I'm shooting for 300,000.


Now, off of my soapbox....

What do you need out of your vehicle? You've talked about a daily driver and want to pull a tear, but what else do you do with it? Are you a DIYer around the house? Do you have pets? Kids? Pull a boat, haul canoes, etc?

Makes a huge difference what vehicle you go with. If you don't have any problems living with a car-based suspension and don't need open bed hauling capabilities, the Subaru Outback is tough to beat. Great fuel mileage, gets around very well in weather and if you take care if one, I bet you can get close to half a million miles out of it. If you need something a bit more SUV'ish, both the Honda CRV and the Ford Escape are good cars. I would lean to the Honda for longevity. If you need a pickup bed, it's really hard to beat the Ford Ranger/Mazda B-series trucks. Good economy and again, they last forever if you care for them.


It all depends on what you do with your vehicle. Even though I cry at the los of fuel mileage, there is no way I could get through a week without a pickup around the house. Others need more people space and less cargo room.
The more stuff I take along, the more time I spend taking care of my stuff!
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Re: Which New Tow Vehicle Would You Choose?

Postby jss06 » Wed Jun 11, 2014 3:18 pm

2014 Cherokee V-6 with tow package. 4x4 is optional. 4500 lb towing capacity and very comfortable. I love mine.

I have the TrailHawk model withV-6 and I get 26 mpg on the highway.
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Re: Which New Tow Vehicle Would You Choose?

Postby legojenn » Wed Jun 11, 2014 5:47 pm

What's the towing capacity of a Tesla Model S?
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Re: Which New Tow Vehicle Would You Choose?

Postby dguff » Wed Jun 11, 2014 7:22 pm

legojenn wrote:What's the towing capacity of a Tesla Model S?


Even if it has a tow rating it wouldn't much matter if you can only go 200 miles on a charge.
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Re: Which New Tow Vehicle Would You Choose?

Postby GerryS » Wed Jun 11, 2014 8:58 pm

We love our outback...the hatch area holds a lot of gear and we don't even feel the teardrop back there....and it still gets 24MPG when towing....28 when not. We've got the H6 engine.

Now on snow...it's boring to drive! Handles it better than my jeep!
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