The best Wranglers for towing?

Fuel mileage on wranglers is not a strong suit. My 2015 Sahara 2dr HT auto averages around 19, better on long flat roads. Pulls great behind my F53 ( Ford ) based Newmar. If you need sleeping room for a small person you can take the back seat out and then have room. Otherwise look for the unlimited. As far as towing, all wranglers are easy to setup for being towed.

Why is braking a concern? The towed vehicle’s brakes stop the towed vehicle.

Base curb weight of a 2019 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited (4-door) Sport is 4,201 lbs. while the Rubicon comes in around 4,439 lbs. A two door (non-Unlimited) Sport is 3,970 lbs and the Rubicon 4,160 lbs.

The newer 2019’s do get better MPG, but if you are buying a Wrangler for MPG you are getting it for the wrong reason.

I suppose if you lay the rear seats down in an Unlimited you could sleep, but the valley between the seats and back in my 2011 would be awfully uncomfortable. I don’t know if the rear seats in the 2019 lean back, the other JKs didn’t as a result there were after market blocks to tilt them back a bit, to make longer drives more comfortable.

What are you looking to tow it with? your current setup? Or a Motorhome? What is the hitch rated for and what is the vehicle rated for.

I see a lot of both 2-door and 4-doors being towed, with the 4-door being more popular. Trying to get 3-4 people in a 2-door is not an enjoy able experience unless the top is off.

I'm thinking about getting one for doing Driveaway (bobtail, box truck,school bus, motorhome delivery / relocation. The toad would be to get between deliveries and pickups. I would also like to pull it behind my current rig, to CA at least once per year. The rep at Elkhart Hitches said 4k lbs is the limit for the clamp on hitch arrangement used in that industry. The overhang for my truck camper is 18inches, can you get an extended tow bar for that application rather than a supertruss hitch setup on the truck? Do the 6spd manual jeeps get much better mileage than the automatics?

One other consideration: cargo space. If you want to put ANYTHING in the back of a 2-door you need to fold up the rear seat, or remove it. That means you can only have seating for the 2 people up front. With the 4-door there is still a lot of cargo space behind the rear seats - enough that my wife's mobility scooter fits back there, along with any rear seat passengers.

joe&julie81 wrote:
There seems to be a myriad of Wrangler models and options. How much heavier are the 4doors than the 2dr? Are there any 4dr models that come in under or slightly over 4k lbs? It seems 4k is cut off weight, not sure if because of the hitch capacities or braking? Which model configurations make the best toads and get the best fuel mileage? Can one person possibly sleep in a 4dr version but not in a 2dr? Any other considerations regarding plus and minuses of the different models especially in terms of towing and all around versatility?

you're very wise to ask these questions before you buy a toad. but you need to know and understand the various actual weights and weight ratings of your motorhome and toad before proceeding.

the amount of weight you can safely tow will be the lesser of the following:

- the gross combination weight rating (GCWR) of the MH minus the actual weight of the MH as it is loaded and configured for travel. actual or rolling weight is determined by loading the MH as you would for a trip. fill the fuel, fresh water and LP tanks. add clothes, food, supplies, etc. don't forget people. find a scale and get individual axle weights at a minimum. compare the actual axle weight to the axle weight rating (GAWR) for that axle. each axle will have a different weight rating. for every pound your mh exceeds its gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) you lose a pound of available tow weight. don't guess or assume...know.

- the weight rating of your hitch. the amount of weight your hitch is engineered to carry should be in your owner's manual.

- the weight rating of your tow bar. check the specs of your tow bar if you already have one. if not i'd look for one that is capable of towing 8000-10,000 lbs.

once you determine how much weight you can safely tow then you can start shopping for a toad. since you’re talking about a wrangler (great choice, btw) all you need to do is ensure that be model CAN be flat towed (not all can) and know what the curb weight including whatever options you may order. if buying used or off the lot make sure to determine the gross weight of the car (including fuel at 6-lbs oer gallon) by taking it to a scale.

Assuming you can tow a Jeep, go to a dealer and check them out. If you will ever want to have more than the driver and one passenger, the answer is easy. Don’t ever expect an adult to climb into the back seat. So get a four door..

The New Wranglers with the 2.0 turbo 4 cylinder is amazing! Might want to check into that.

How far back, what years, does the 8 speed automatic transmission go. How long have they offered it?

For reference, our stock 4dr Sahara with the hardtop weighted 4520 with about 8 gals of gas. And, that was without the base plate etc.

Gary