Tow vehicle
What would be , in your opinion, the best 4 down vehicle to tow behind my 2009 Winnebago View. Thanks in advance.
Forum Discussion
Whatever is light enough and meets your transportation needs.
I'm towing a 2500 pound Honda Fit. Mine is manual transmission, but the 5-speed automatic can also be towed. Roughly a 70% scale minivan, Fit has good space for four persons, seating for five, huge cargo space when only two seats are needed. SIL carries 2-3 bicycles in his.
Similar packages include Focus hatch, HHR, PT Cruiser, Pontiac Vibe, Toyota Matrix, which are all 600-800 pounds heavier than the Fit without that much more room, and not all towable as automatics, though manual transmission versions of each can be towed.
Next step up is Equinox (and badge engineered siblings), Honda CRV, which are about 1000 pounds heavier. Toyota, Kia, Hyundai equivalent crossovers in this size are towable with manual transmission only. Probably also pushing towing limits of a C on the Sprinter chassis though within towing capacity of a Sprinter van.
If you don't need SUV or wagon space, most domestic and Japanese front drive subcompact sedans are towable with manual transmission, as are GM compacts with the 4-speed OD automatic (Cobalt, Cavalier and clones, compact Saturns). This transmission also reached up into mid-size cars like the Malibu, although there were other transmissions, not towable, used with larger engines in this body size. That's older cars, the 5-6-7 speed automatics and CVTs now used to meet the bigger CAFE targets are not necessarily towable.
My alternative tow is my manual transmission Ranger. It is an OK size for my E-450 based C (which can flat tow at least 5000 pounds) but would be pushing the limits for your C. Ranger and Frontier are two of the very few front-engine, rear-drive manual transmission vehicles OKed by the manufacturer for recreational towing.
If you need or want 4x4 off-road capability, look for a Tracker, or one of the Suzuki models on which the Tracker was based. These are about the lightest 4x4s with true off-road capability recently sold in the U.S. Even the lightest and most stripped down 4x4 Wrangler, Cherokee, or Liberty is going to be kind of heavy for a View.
I use one or the other, Fit or Ranger, or tow nothing at all, depending on the nature and destination of the RV trip.
I'm towing a 2500 pound Honda Fit. Mine is manual transmission, but the 5-speed automatic can also be towed. Roughly a 70% scale minivan, Fit has good space for four persons, seating for five, huge cargo space when only two seats are needed. SIL carries 2-3 bicycles in his.
Similar packages include Focus hatch, HHR, PT Cruiser, Pontiac Vibe, Toyota Matrix, which are all 600-800 pounds heavier than the Fit without that much more room, and not all towable as automatics, though manual transmission versions of each can be towed.
Next step up is Equinox (and badge engineered siblings), Honda CRV, which are about 1000 pounds heavier. Toyota, Kia, Hyundai equivalent crossovers in this size are towable with manual transmission only. Probably also pushing towing limits of a C on the Sprinter chassis though within towing capacity of a Sprinter van.
If you don't need SUV or wagon space, most domestic and Japanese front drive subcompact sedans are towable with manual transmission, as are GM compacts with the 4-speed OD automatic (Cobalt, Cavalier and clones, compact Saturns). This transmission also reached up into mid-size cars like the Malibu, although there were other transmissions, not towable, used with larger engines in this body size. That's older cars, the 5-6-7 speed automatics and CVTs now used to meet the bigger CAFE targets are not necessarily towable.
My alternative tow is my manual transmission Ranger. It is an OK size for my E-450 based C (which can flat tow at least 5000 pounds) but would be pushing the limits for your C. Ranger and Frontier are two of the very few front-engine, rear-drive manual transmission vehicles OKed by the manufacturer for recreational towing.
If you need or want 4x4 off-road capability, look for a Tracker, or one of the Suzuki models on which the Tracker was based. These are about the lightest 4x4s with true off-road capability recently sold in the U.S. Even the lightest and most stripped down 4x4 Wrangler, Cherokee, or Liberty is going to be kind of heavy for a View.
I use one or the other, Fit or Ranger, or tow nothing at all, depending on the nature and destination of the RV trip.
