tow vehicle
Recently purchased a small(25f) class c. Need help with a tow recommendation. would like the smallest,lightest, tow 4 on the groundI can get.
Forum Discussion
- Manual transmission Subaru. It must be the manual transmission though.
- Smallest, lightest tow on the ground you can buy in the U.S. today is SmartForTwo from the Mercedes division of Daimler. You have to decide whether that meets your transportation needs.
Type 1 Volkswagen from 1940s to 1970s was just a light and might be more useful (four seats). Indeed, most of the 4-seat subcompact imports (and some 2-seat sports cars, Lotus Seven weighed only 800 pounds) for the 1960s were lighter than the SmartForTwo because they lacked all the extra safety and ease of use equipment now mandatory for automobiles sold new in the U.S. My 1965 Renault 8 was actually lighter than the VW of the same year, and got about 10 mpg better mileage.
But realistically, you don't need a 1200 pound tow, you can readily tow almost anything under 3500 pounds (which covers most modern subcompacts and some compacts) and you can probably tow 5000 pounds, which gets you into mid-size sedans (but maybe not SUVs).
I'm towing a 2500 pound Honda Fit, about the smallest class of car you can buy here with 4-5 seats. Before that I towed a 3500 pound compact pickup truck. Nissan and Scion (Toyota) sell similar size MPV, and a Fiesta hatchback comes close, but when I was buying in 2012 the DFit was the least ugly car it its class. I looked at the next size up, but a Focus hatch equipped the way I wanted it was 600 pounds heavier and cost $7000 more.
The vehicle you tow has to first meet your transportation needs. That might not be the smallest and lightest available. - We tow a 2001 Blazer 4x4. Not light, but small, fits our family of 5 for exploring. And I don't care if it gets scrapped up if we go in the back country. Definately not the lightest, but fits all of our bills. Tows really nice 4 down. Once up to speed I really don't know it's back there. I usually set the cruise at 72~73ish mph. We ran in the hills of PA with it this summer and it really only slowed me down to 55mph on the free way, but that is expected with the lethargic Ford 2valve v-10 (sorry I am a GM guy). On the flats of MI and Ohio I have not problems pulling this. I am actually going to start pulling our 3 seat SeaDoo behind it as well.
- We tow a Honda Fit.
It's small but can carry a surprisingly large amount of cargo.
It's lightweight, very reliable, and a fun car to drive.
Must go with a pre-2015 model though as the newer ones can't be towed 4 wheels down. - Smart Car
Suzuki Samurai
Suzuki Sidekick
Suzuki Vitara
Chevy/GEO Tracker
Kia Sportage
VW Bug/Thing/Manx
Fiat X1/9
Fiat 2000
MG Midget - A Smart is smallest and lightest readily available car that can be flat towed....period.
- There are many different make/models of cars/SUV/trucks that are 4-down towable. You need to research and find one that suits your needs.
First, be aware that your Class C coach probably has a 5000 lbs tow limit....so that will reduce the selection a little bit. Also, keep in mind, the lighter the vehicle the better it will be to tow.
Jeeps are by far the most popular, followed by Honda CRVs (pre 2015), and then others that are mainly GM or Ford. Very few foreign car makers provide this capability.
We research extensively when we got our Terrain and the decision has turned out to be a good one.
Good luck and I hope this helps.
Ron
PS...Need to get the terminology correct. A "tow vehicle" is one that does the towing such as your Class C. A "towed vehicle" (aka: toad, dinghy, frog), is one that you tow behind the tow vehicle. placethefive wrote:
Recently purchased a small(25f) class c. Need help with a tow recommendation.
For my money, the 2 seat, 5 or 6 speed manual transmission, 2,500 pound, Mazda Miata, We have towed 3 of them (2000, 2010, 2012) over 75,000 miles.
If you choose to go with a Miata, PM me and I can tell you all you'll need to know about set-up and towing. I have helped more than 100 others to get set up.
Tim
- I tow a 2013 Ford Focus with a Roadmaster All Terain tow bar. I can hook up or unhook in well under 5 minutes. And it tows 4 on the ground no problem
