Front wheel Drive vehicle for towing?
My wife and I are looking to purchase a vehicle to tow a trailer camper + or - 19 feet. There are a number of front wheel 6 cylinder..300+hp cars..which have a tow rating of over 5,000lbs... Example: ...
Forum Discussion
FWD is not a problem. Using a weight distributing hitch returns the weight to the front wheels for stability and traction.
However, any FWD crossover is limited by about 500 pounds of tongue weight which means at most a 4k loaded TT. Many also are limited by frontal area which is less than a 7' wide high walled travel trailer.
Keep in mind as you shop both TT and TV that for longer trips you'll have more stuff. The average RVer adds about 1200 pounds to the MFR dry weight. Couples that camp long weekends less, families and longer trips will be more.
Towing a high walled RV is hard work. This is why they tend to get 8-10mpg towing instead of maybe 20mpg on the highway otherwise. This means you are towing at 2200-3000rpm on flat highway at 65mph with hills requiring a gear or two lower, 4000-6000rpm. This is not generally a problem for the vehicle, but many RV owners call this "struggling". Do you?
Why an SUV? The rear seat space of the F-150 Supercrew when seats are folded up provides far more than the second row of any SUV ever made. And you get a place to keep all the rough and dirty gear (truck bed) for RVing and pet ownership. Pickups also cost $5-10k less than a similarly equipped SUV. A really nice bed cover is $500-1000. I miss my truck!
Consider your goals and what type of TT you want. If you plan to tow a lot of miles, then the compromises of a better tow vehicle vs. non-towing is not as important as many weekenders. 10mpg in an Acadia or 10mpg in a V8 half ton SUV is far more comfortable with more space.
You might be a interested in a diesel mid-sized SUV like the Jeep Grand Cherokee or one of the Euro imports from VW/Audi, MB, BMW. They seem to be getting more like 14mpg towing with 400+ lb-ft of torque under 2000rpm offering a far more enjoyable towing experience than most V8 SUVs.
However, any FWD crossover is limited by about 500 pounds of tongue weight which means at most a 4k loaded TT. Many also are limited by frontal area which is less than a 7' wide high walled travel trailer.
Keep in mind as you shop both TT and TV that for longer trips you'll have more stuff. The average RVer adds about 1200 pounds to the MFR dry weight. Couples that camp long weekends less, families and longer trips will be more.
Towing a high walled RV is hard work. This is why they tend to get 8-10mpg towing instead of maybe 20mpg on the highway otherwise. This means you are towing at 2200-3000rpm on flat highway at 65mph with hills requiring a gear or two lower, 4000-6000rpm. This is not generally a problem for the vehicle, but many RV owners call this "struggling". Do you?
Why an SUV? The rear seat space of the F-150 Supercrew when seats are folded up provides far more than the second row of any SUV ever made. And you get a place to keep all the rough and dirty gear (truck bed) for RVing and pet ownership. Pickups also cost $5-10k less than a similarly equipped SUV. A really nice bed cover is $500-1000. I miss my truck!
Consider your goals and what type of TT you want. If you plan to tow a lot of miles, then the compromises of a better tow vehicle vs. non-towing is not as important as many weekenders. 10mpg in an Acadia or 10mpg in a V8 half ton SUV is far more comfortable with more space.
You might be a interested in a diesel mid-sized SUV like the Jeep Grand Cherokee or one of the Euro imports from VW/Audi, MB, BMW. They seem to be getting more like 14mpg towing with 400+ lb-ft of torque under 2000rpm offering a far more enjoyable towing experience than most V8 SUVs.
