Smallest feasible tow vehicle???

[Sparky450]

We have an 07 Tahoe that my wife drove for years. We still have it for when we need a larger suv. We hated pulling our 07 Sunscape with it. And wouldn’t unless my truck was down. She now has an 18 Jeep Grand Cherokee. I would not even think about pulling the boat with the Cherokee Not because of getting it going, but trying to stop it. And the section of I5 that we pull down is very rough to say the least. It bounces my 3500 all over. Maybe we are just spoiled. 

[LarsJensen]

Thanks for al the resourceful information guys! You’re all the best. 

[Pnwrider]

Don’t rule out a 4Runner. Can be had with a 3rd row, built on the Tacoma frame (or used to be at least) and hold their value. Don’t expect to win any races towing or get the best fuel economy. That said, I would think it’d be way better than a highlander or pilot. My wife has a highlander and I can’t imagine towing anything with it would be enjoyable. 

[RyanB]

1 hour ago, Pnwrider said:

Don’t rule out a 4Runner. Can be had with a 3rd row, built on the Tacoma frame (or used to be at least) and hold their value. Don’t expect to win any races towing or get the best fuel economy. That said, I would think it’d be way better than a highlander or pilot. My wife has a highlander and I can’t imagine towing anything with it would be enjoyable. 

I've rented 4Runners.  They get worse MPG than my Yukon XL.  Not to mention being loud and spartan inside.

[Pnwrider]

3 hours ago, RyanB said:

They get worse MPG than my Yukon XL. 

I find that hard to believe. Either way, I’d rather commute in a 4Runner than a Yukon xl. 

[Eagleboy99]

If you have the space and can stomach the waste, and expense buy a beater 4x4 for the 2 mile journey.  Pretty hard to find a small, fuel-efficient daily driver that can tow decent loads.  Is there no way you can leave the boat at the lake?

[Cole2001]

My mom drives a 4Runner, it’s got a really nice ride actually. Not anything overly fancy on the inside but it’s proven and been great. Wouldn’t want to tow anything more than 5000 with it that’s for sure. 

I don’t know how much you’re willing to spend but the Mercedes GLE, it’ll tow 7200 and I’ve heard nothing about good things about towing. The luxury suv’s have tons of power, better suspension, and wider tires which all pan out to be better for towing. 

[obski]

We spent some time earlier this year looking into getting a new tow vehicle that could also be used as a more fuel efficient daily driver. It would have replaced both a 2001 Tahoe and a 2014 RDX. We test drove a Highlander, Pilot, and the new Subaru Ascent. I need to be able to tow the boat, get off our hill to work in the winter, get up to the mountain for skiing, and have a 3rd row for when the grandkids are visiting.

 We liked the Pilot and Ascent, but would not feel comfortable towing the boat with any of those vehicles. They would be right at their 5000# capacity with our VTX. I’ve been there before with a former boat and tow vehicle. It was iffy and I ended up burning out the transmission. That was when I bought the Tahoe.

 I concluded that the only vehicles meeting our requirements would be the ones already mentioned, such as the Audi Q7, BMW X5, etc.  We decided to keep what we have. They are all paid for and all run just fine.

[Nitrousbird]

2 hours ago, obski said:

We liked the Pilot and Ascent, but would not feel comfortable towing the boat with any of those vehicles. They would be right at their 5000# capacity with our VTX.

Over.  Member here measured his at 5160 on a single axle, with nothing more than an anchor and jackets in the boat.  Imagine a couple passengers and a day's worth of gear.  You could easily be 1k over weight. 

[Steve B.]

Slightly off topic, but this is why I use U Haul for the few miles to our lake. Got a fuel efficient car for everything else. Brand new trucks, $20 bucks plus .69 a mile. If I were to have an issue with boat or trailer, theyll come help.

Steve B.

[Eagleboy99]

3 hours ago, Steve B. said:

Slightly off topic, but this is why I use U Haul for the few miles to our lake. Got a fuel efficient car for everything else. Brand new trucks, $20 bucks plus .69 a mile. If I were to have an issue with boat or trailer, theyll come help.

Steve B.

I am getting to this point as well.  Once the Pathfinder goes, we will go smaller (I'm thinking Macan )and for the two or three times a year I tow I will pay the dealer or the marina.

[Falko]

Are you trying to save gas or just have a smaller vehicle? Be careful with some of the midsize utes, they don't do much better on fuel. I have friends with Merc GL's and GLE's and their fuel consumption is surprising high. If you can find one, a Touareg TDI would fit the bill. 

We ran into the same situation recently, my wife drives an Armada and I a Tundra. This worked well when our commutes were 30mi/day combined. My son going to school a bit farther away and it was an issue with gas. The Armada is our family vehicle and the truck isn't going anywhere, so we found an older Lexus with low miles for the cheap and use that for commuting my son around.  Surprisingly, adding a third car wasn't as expensive to insurance and everything else as most say. 

[cWonka]

On 12/15/2018 at 8:39 PM, Pnwrider said:

Don’t rule out a 4Runner. Can be had with a 3rd row, built on the Tacoma frame (or used to be at least) and hold their value. Don’t expect to win any races towing or get the best fuel economy. That said, I would think it’d be way better than a highlander or pilot. My wife has a highlander and I can’t imagine towing anything with it would be enjoyable. 

We have a previous gen Highlander (08-13) and I wouldn't even move the boat around the drive-way with it. We currently tow 30-60 miles each way every trip out in a Lexus GX460; same frame as the 4Runner, but air suspension and a V8. A little less spartan inside than the 4Runner, and WAYYYY quieter, but not going to help on the Gas mileage (<20 non-tow, <15 tow) and requires premium gas which offsets any savings you'd have anyways.

Good tow vehicle, but doesn't necessarily help solve your problem.

[Steve B.]

Thus summer our u-hauls used GMC trucks. Best brakes I've driven. I wonder if the tahoes and suburbans use those same brakes ? I think a 1/2 ton is about as small as i'd want to safely go.

Steve B.

[granddaddy55]

22 hours ago, Steve B. said:

Slightly off topic, but this is why I use U Haul for the few miles to our lake. Got a fuel efficient car for everything else. Brand new trucks, $20 bucks plus .69 a mile. If I were to have an issue with boat or trailer, theyll come help.

Steve B.

Read this before from you and I think your truck set up is very cool, $60 a weekend plus a little gas, awesome! And you could do chores same weekend with it, 

[oldjeep]

6 hours ago, Steve B. said:

Thus summer our u-hauls used GMC trucks. Best brakes I've driven. I wonder if the tahoes and suburbans use those same brakes ? I think a 1/2 ton is about as small as i'd want to safely go.

Steve B.

So do you have a mooring location? Or actually rent a uhaul truck every weekend? 

[ahopkins22LSV]

Towing capacity?! What towing capacity....?

 

Edited December 18, 2018 by ahopkinsVTX

[oldjeep]

9 minutes ago, ahopkinsVTX said:

Towing capacity?! What towing capacity....?

 

Tow rating on a hemi or 3.0Eco  Grand Cherokee was around 7500lbs last time I checked

[ahopkins22LSV]

24 minutes ago, oldjeep said:

Tow rating on a hemi or 3.0Eco  Grand Cherokee was around 7500lbs last time I checked

7050lbs boat and trailer weight per Supra. No thanks. 

[ID AX]

Our '18 GCTH with 3.6 is rated at 7200lbs but ain't no way I'm doing that.

[oldjeep]

3 minutes ago, ahopkinsVTX said:

7050lbs boat and trailer weight per Supra. No thanks. 

Out of curiosity, why? The gc probabally weighs more than your pickup and has more hp and torque. 

[Cole2001]

People will always be stupid, at least they do have electric brakes on that trailer. 

Our Tige RZX all loaded up with lead is pretty much at 9000lb or just over and personally I’d be cautious with just a 1/2 ton, yet I know I guy who tows ones with a Durango. These boats are getting huge and it’s crazy. We used our 4runner with our old boat and it actually did a better job going up the gravel ramp than our 3500 but highway different story all together. 

Edited December 18, 2018 by Cole2001
Fat fingers

[ahopkins22LSV]

12 minutes ago, oldjeep said:

Out of curiosity, why? The gc probabally weighs more than your pickup and has more hp and torque. 

1) short wheel base

2) unibody

3) brakes and suspension not made for that kind of towing

You of all people should know it’s not about power, it’s about controlling the trailer and being able to stop it. Can you imagine being in an “oh sheet” moment with that setup?

And no.. a GC does not weigh more than a 1500...

Edited December 18, 2018 by ahopkinsVTX

[oldjeep]

8 minutes ago, ahopkinsVTX said:

1) short wheel base

2) unibody

3) brakes and suspension not made for that kind of towing

You of all people should know it’s not about power, it’s about controlling the trailer and being able to stop it. Can you imagine being in an “oh sheet” moment with that setup?

And no.. a GC does not weigh more than a 1500...

1) 114.8" wheel base - pretty much the same wheel base as a Yukon

2) yup, and that is really the only reason that it is rated so low

3) 13" rotors front and rear  Silverado has 13/13.6, ram has 13.2/13.8   , so all are pretty comparable and way bigger than trucks of the not so distant past

GC curb weight with a hemi is 5300lbs

Heaviest Silverado 1500 in any configuration is   5400, so OK it is 100lbs lighter than a fully decked out long bed 6.2 silverado 

 

I've actually towed a pretty good sized enclosed trailer with a 3.0 GC (in the winter going into a ski area)  and they tow very well.

Edited December 18, 2018 by oldjeep

[ahopkins22LSV]

We had 2010 grand Cherokee and towed our TXi with it. It did ok, I wouldn’t want to tow my vtx with it. 

I thought we were comparing my truck to the GC not the Yukon?

Does it really matter if it’s one reason or multiple reasons why the rating is low? It’s low for a reason due to the design of the vehicle.

And one other point, we all know Malibu’s weights are quite a bit off. Are we going to trust Supras to be within 450lbs? Better always have zero fuel, no gear and no friends with you going to the lake. 

Anyway...