Kia Sedona as tow vehicle
I'm looking at a Kia Sedona (2011 or newer) as a replacement tow vehicle for my 2005 Ford Freestar minivans. Would be towing an 8ft box Viking pop-up. Curb weight is about 1600lbs, probably closer...
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Google tells me that the Sedona has a 3500 lb towing capacity so it should tow your 2000 lb setup without any issues. Our trailer loaded is about 1900 lbs and our Ford Escape (3500 lb capacity) tows it very well. - Lots of power and lots of stopping power. It is much nicer than my previous van because the trailer hitch is 18" off the ground. I only had about 6" of clearance to the ground with the van and its "hidden" hitch. I did a lot of scraping.
The best way to accurately determine capacity is to read an owners manual. I purchased a Ford Escape with the towing package and it is rated at 3500 pounds of towing capacity. Sounds great until you do some detailed reading with a calculator at your side.
Yes, it will tow 3500lbs but only with one 200 lb person in the Escape - no gear, no family before I hit the gross capacity. In reality, it will safely tow 2500lbs plus family and gear.
The other number that I hit is the Escape cargo capacity = 1013lbs = max vehicle axle/tire capacity subtracting the actual Escape weight. Since the tongue weight of my trailer with propane and battery is 290lbs and that is on the Escape, I am limited to people and gear weight of 723lbs inside the vehicle. That is okay because we load the trailer for the summer so it is carrying most of the cargo.
What the calculations above tell me is I should not be looking to purchase a small hybrid or a large popup. We really like our trailer anyway.
One final note. I did weigh my vehicle and trailer setup at a weigh station once so I could confirm we had not overloaded the trailer. I was always nervous about doing so - would I be fined if I was overweight. The station was closed, but the scales was on and pointed so I could read the display. I was all good.
The best way to accurately determine capacity is to read an owners manual. I purchased a Ford Escape with the towing package and it is rated at 3500 pounds of towing capacity. Sounds great until you do some detailed reading with a calculator at your side.
Yes, it will tow 3500lbs but only with one 200 lb person in the Escape - no gear, no family before I hit the gross capacity. In reality, it will safely tow 2500lbs plus family and gear.
The other number that I hit is the Escape cargo capacity = 1013lbs = max vehicle axle/tire capacity subtracting the actual Escape weight. Since the tongue weight of my trailer with propane and battery is 290lbs and that is on the Escape, I am limited to people and gear weight of 723lbs inside the vehicle. That is okay because we load the trailer for the summer so it is carrying most of the cargo.
What the calculations above tell me is I should not be looking to purchase a small hybrid or a large popup. We really like our trailer anyway.
One final note. I did weigh my vehicle and trailer setup at a weigh station once so I could confirm we had not overloaded the trailer. I was always nervous about doing so - would I be fined if I was overweight. The station was closed, but the scales was on and pointed so I could read the display. I was all good.
