BMW X5 35d as tow vehicle
I've been towing a 21 foot TT the last 6 years with a Jeep Liberty CRD. The trailer is 3860 lbs empty, and around 5,000 lbs loaded for a trip. This is at the Jeep's official weight limit, and while it...
Forum Discussion
This is an interesting topic. I just purchased a Santa Fe XL (V6) and a 21' Hybrid TT. The TV is rated for 5000/500lb towing capacity, the TT was rated 3500 dry/ 5000lb full. I had a local shop here who specialize in doing custom hitch work install a hitch, reinforce it, setup sway and WD, break controller, transmission cooler etc.
I just drove 2000 miles with this pair from the Toronto area to Lake Placid to Bar Harbor to PEI and back thru Quebec. I was amazed on how well it handled. I did not once have to floor the gas going up any mountains in Vermont, its handling and control was outstanding and stopping power was excellent even in extreme conditions ie down a mountain or in torrential rain in Montreal rush hour. The only criticism I would have is there seems to be a spot at abt 95-100km/h where gas consumption increases significantly, which is an issue for freeway driving, but driving on US2 from Lake Placid to Bar Harbor for close to 8 hours thru mountains, I would say my mpg barely went down 20%.
It shows that you do not need a big muscle Pickup truck to pull a small to medium TT, that many modern SUV's and Sedan's with a V6 are up to the task if paired with the right trailer.
The owner of the dealer I went to writes a regular article in an RV magazine on hitch setups. He has done a few extreme ones (ie Mini Cooper pulling an Airstream Bambi), but the articles show that there are more factors than just towing capacity/horsepower of the TV and that if paired right you can pull a decent trailer with anything from a Taurus to a Porsche. If you are interested in reading the articles:
http://www.canamrv.ca/hitch-hints/
I just drove 2000 miles with this pair from the Toronto area to Lake Placid to Bar Harbor to PEI and back thru Quebec. I was amazed on how well it handled. I did not once have to floor the gas going up any mountains in Vermont, its handling and control was outstanding and stopping power was excellent even in extreme conditions ie down a mountain or in torrential rain in Montreal rush hour. The only criticism I would have is there seems to be a spot at abt 95-100km/h where gas consumption increases significantly, which is an issue for freeway driving, but driving on US2 from Lake Placid to Bar Harbor for close to 8 hours thru mountains, I would say my mpg barely went down 20%.
It shows that you do not need a big muscle Pickup truck to pull a small to medium TT, that many modern SUV's and Sedan's with a V6 are up to the task if paired with the right trailer.
The owner of the dealer I went to writes a regular article in an RV magazine on hitch setups. He has done a few extreme ones (ie Mini Cooper pulling an Airstream Bambi), but the articles show that there are more factors than just towing capacity/horsepower of the TV and that if paired right you can pull a decent trailer with anything from a Taurus to a Porsche. If you are interested in reading the articles:
http://www.canamrv.ca/hitch-hints/
