Towing Capacity of Ford Explorer

We towed a 22' HTT with a 2002 Explorer with the V6 and towing package, and we did not want to even try taking it into the mountains (this is when we lived in the Midwest.) Towing it into a headwind while heading to the Badlands one year, mpg dropped to 6 mpg and it was all we could do to keep up to 50 mph on the interstate. (The headwind was stiff but not terrible, about 35 mph.) Traded the Explorer for a pickup before the next camping season. :)

Agreed that short wheelbase is a problem, even if a bigger engine would provide more power. I've never been enamored of the brakes on Explorers either; we had 2 of them, and were always getting the brakes worked on.