Best SUV to pull a 19' Sportsman trailer

How much money you wanna put on it? A BMW X5 335d, or a VW Tuoreg V10 diesel, or even a Mercedes ML350 Bluetec, all around US $60,000 would all be great choices. And being turbo diesels, and rated to pull more than that rig could possibly weigh, there are no grades on any hard-surface highway going up any mountain in North America that would thwart you.

You did ask for the best.

the best tow vehicle is a late model diesel 2500 from any of the 3 majors .
the reason is that 9200# gvw towing a 7500 # gvw trailer is better than 7500# towing 9200#.
many on this forum think that 7500# gvw towing a 9200# gvw trailer is fine.
with a 2500 diesel you get the LARGE disc brakes , high 2500# plus rear axle payload, and a significantly stronger drivetrain such as an allison transmission .
with a diesel because the engine weighs 400# more than a gasser you get more weight on the steering axle which reduces sway.
you further reduce sway by loading a heavier tongue weight on your trailer.
a higher percentage of weight behind your trailer axle increases sway.
spend the money to buy a 2500 pickup instead of a fancy 1500 .
leather seats , a moonroof , and nav system are nice but do not add to greater braking and handling .

There are several SUV's capable of pulling that trailer. You want one that doesn't have to work hard, to get the job done, get one of the larger 1/2 ton SUV's with a V8 engine.

I pulled a 20 foot TT, with a Nissan Titan. Didn't need weight distribution hitch and, except for rear view being blocked, I hardly noticed the trailer was there. Nissan's Armada is built on same frame with same engine as the Titan.

I'm sure Ford and Chevy have a few models and Toyota has the Sequoia.


Find out what the gross weight (not dry weight) of the trailer is. Then shop for an SUV that is rated to tow about 20-30 percent more than gorss weight of the trailer.

Example: if trailer gross is 5000 lbs, then look for something rated to tow 6 - 7000 lbs. Some of the smaller SUV's would fit in this catagory.

I wrote reply before you posted your weight numbers. Your gross weight is probably less than 4000 lbs.

If you look for something rated to tow 6500 - 7000 lbs, you should be fine. Any more power and tow capacity, is room for a bigger trailer.

My son-in-law pulls one with an aging Murano (CVT and all) but only on relatively level terrain. I couldn't identify a specific TV for you but about any V6 RWD or AWD should work. Also a cheep insurance policy is once you have chosen a TV is to install the biggest transmission cooler that fits. I got mine at Crappy Tire for about $130.

The easiest pull through the mountains is I 90 from Montana to the coast.
Choice # 2 is the Trans Canada;
# 3 Crowsnest Pass ( Hwy 3 from Medicine hat to Hope).


Hope all this rambling helps:

Stu

Lowsuv wrote:
the best tow vehicle is a late model diesel 2500 from any of the 3 majors .
the reason is that 9200# gvw towing a 7500 # gvw trailer is better than 7500# towing 9200#.
many on this forum think that 7500# gvw towing a 9200# gvw trailer is fine.
with a 2500 diesel you get the LARGE disc brakes , high 2500# plus rear axle payload, and a significantly stronger drivetrain such as an allison transmission .
with a diesel because the engine weighs 400# more than a gasser you get more weight on the steering axle which reduces sway.
you further reduce sway by loading a heavier tongue weight on your trailer.
a higher percentage of weight behind your trailer axle increases sway.
spend the money to buy a 2500 pickup instead of a fancy 1500 .
leather seats , a moonroof , and nav system are nice but do not add to greater braking and handling .

Tad bit over kill for a 4000lb trailer isn't it. Sort of like killing a fly with a shotgun.

We towed our 18ft Funfinder with a 98 Pathfinder V6. Worked great, very comfortable, towed 35,000 miles with it and never a problem. When we sold it three years ago it had 465,000 kms.

You don't need to spend a lot, have a daily driver and get good mpg while not towing. So much you read here is overkill. There is an array of V6 SUVs out there that will more than do the job.

Keep us posted on your choice.

V10 is no longer available in a Touareg unless you go with 08 or older. Any other T-Reg will handle that trailer. All are rated for 7700 towing capacity. And they are pretty darn stylish too.

Terryallan wrote:

Lowsuv wrote:
the best tow vehicle is a late model diesel 2500 from any of the 3 majors .
the reason is that 9200# gvw towing a 7500 # gvw trailer is better than 7500# towing 9200#.
many on this forum think that 7500# gvw towing a 9200# gvw trailer is fine.
with a 2500 diesel you get the LARGE disc brakes , high 2500# plus rear axle payload, and a significantly stronger drivetrain such as an allison transmission .
with a diesel because the engine weighs 400# more than a gasser you get more weight on the steering axle which reduces sway.
you further reduce sway by loading a heavier tongue weight on your trailer.
a higher percentage of weight behind your trailer axle increases sway.
spend the money to buy a 2500 pickup instead of a fancy 1500 .
leather seats , a moonroof , and nav system are nice but do not add to greater braking and handling .

Tad bit over kill for a 4000lb trailer isn't it. Sort of like killing a fly with a shotgun.

My sentiments exactly.

You're at the in-between weight for a 1/2 ton SUV like a Tahoe / Yukon / Durango or one of the lighter, newer unibody SUV's. But I'd prefer a full frame vehicle for anything bigger than a pop-up. YMMV.

Will a Terrain V6 SLT do the job. Want to stay with GM to get employee discount

well we are off to look at a Traverse. The salesman says it will do the job...hope he speaks the truth.. tows up to 5200lbs according to him can I trust him

you asked what the best tow vehicle was .
the terrain V6 and its cousins are not it .
i tow a boat that is about the same weight as your travel trailer .
it is a pleasure to tow with a turbodiesel / allison tranny .
low rpms and that makes the cabin noise level lower than with the 454 gasser i previously had.
you could consider a base 2500 gasser and that would allow you to move up in trailer size . locking fibreglass canopy on the short box and an extracab or crew cab configuration allows you to put dirty camping gear somewhere other than the clean passenger compartment .
plus modern extracab pickups are generally quiet .