What do you tow with?

MargaretB wrote:
We have abandoned our plan to buy a small hybrid and are looking at a number of hard-sided TTs, in the 22'-26' range. We have to buy a new vehicle to tow it with and are thoroughly confused. We've decided that we want an SUV instead of a truck. We've been looking at used vehicles.

A dear friend who tows a 22' Airstream does so with an MB diesel and insists that diesels are the only way to go, because they develop full torque at 2000 rpms instead of 3500 rpms for non-diesel cars. We can't afford an MB, so he recommends a VW Touareg.

We love he idea of smaller "regular" SUV because whatever we buy will tow for maybe 5-10% of the time and b a town car the rest of the time. A local dealer says that the Touareg certainly has the torque to tow at 6000-7000 lb. trailer, but probably does't have the braking power to handle it on a downhill slope. Touareg diesels are incredibly hard to find - we've found three used ones in all of California and can't afford a new one.

We've been looking at Toyota Sequoias and Ford Expeditions, which aren't diesel. Our friend is pooh-poohing those options.

We're hoping not to add another vehicle to the mix, but we're hearing good things about the Tahoe and the Silverado.

So my question is - what do you drive to tow a TT in the range we're considering? How is it working for you? Is there anything else you wish you'd bought instead? What are your thoughts with regard to diesel vs. gas?

While not an SUV, a crew cab short-bed pickup has comfortable seating for 5, and can seat 6. A topper or tonneau cover on the bed makes for covered storage similar to an SUV. You have a beefier vehicle that will not give you the "tail wagging the dog" feel.

I love my EcoBoost. The twin turbos of the Eco make for a torque curve similar to a diesel. On hills, instead of downshifting and revving to 4K+, it just hums on up at 2K. Fuel economy: towing-about 10mpg, around town-about 15, highway at 55-60-about 21mpg, highway at 70-75-about 18mpg.