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Whats the best car to tow ??

Ozzie1
Explorer
Explorer
My wife and I will be buying our first MH in the very neat future and we have decided that we will need a car to get around in when the RV is parked, But I have read in this forum that there is some question about what you can tow and what you can't. We have looked at an MH with Blue OX equipment fitted, is this the best way to go ???? Thanks for any comments. O.
61 REPLIES 61

Yellowboat_
Explorer
Explorer
A Saturn Vue can be towed as is. GM doesn't make the Vue anymore. The last Vue’s were built in 2009/2010. They do make a Chevy Captiva that is mostly the same car. One difference between the Vue and the Captiva is you pull a different fuse when you tow the car. You can't buy a Captiva new as it is only sold to Rental Company’s but used Captiva’s are now on the market.

Whatever car you tow you will need to decide on a braking system.

Safe travels.

JD
2016 Winnebago Sightseer 33C on a 2016 Ford F53 Chassis
2009 Saturn VUE
Buddy our Bichon Frise
JD & Kathy

Heisenberg
Explorer
Explorer
I have two. The Equinox (2012) our daily driver and the Wrangler (2013) our playtoy. Both are easy to tow, one climbs well and one gets 30+ mpg and a little room.
2013 Winnebago Sightseer
2017 Colorado

RFCN2
Explorer
Explorer
In my humble opinion a Jeep Wrangler 4 door is the best tow car you can buy. We have owned ours for a year and 5 months. Goes anywhere. Simple to set up to tow. You do not have to leave the key in the ignition when towing. And you do not have to pull a fuse. No restrictions on speed or distance. Many Jeep owners wave when they pass. Without a doubt the Wrangler is not the best daily driver for long freeway trips. Uses too much gas and ride and self centering steering not as good as many other cars.

Today we took ours on a steep dirt road in the Olympic National Park. This Jeep is by FAR the best vehicle for this trip today.

Also my opinion - With some things you get a certain pride of ownership. Rolex watches, Apple computers and cell phones. And so on. When you own a Jeep, you own the best of something. It is the best off road car in the World. And currently the best tow car.

I did own a Saturn sedan before the Jeep. It was far less expensive and towed brilliantly for 4 years. I bought it used and it was/is a great tow car. Saturns tow without problems. If you want something inexpensive get a Saturn.
RFCN2
Country Coach
Jeep Wrangler Unlimited

Executive45
Explorer III
Explorer III
We towed an HHR for years...(last year of mfg 2012) and they are great toads. Weighs in at a bit over 3k pounds and seats fold flat for more storage. Seats five comfortably and is good on mileage. Unfortunately ours was a flood casualty several months ago and was totaled. We purchased the Equinox and found it to be excellent so far. Both vehicles needed a fuse pulled to tow, but I wired in a toggle switch for that, so I simply put it in neutral, leave the key in the aux position to unlock the steering and flip the switch.

As for the Blue Ox system, keep in mind each 'system' consists of two parts...the tow bar, that's the part that stays on the coach and the base plate, that's the part that stays on the car. IMHO, the nice thing about the BO baseplates is with the stubs removed, they are mostly hidden. Most tow bars are adaptable to their baseplates. For instance, I have the ReadyBrute tow bar from night shift auto with the BO ends. You can also buy them with Roadmaster ends etc. Easily interchangeable. The advantage of the ReadyBrute system is it incorporates a braking system in the tow bar itself eliminating the need for a Brake Buddy or similar external braking system.....Dennis
We can do more than we think we can, but most do less than we think we do
Dennis and Debi Fourteen Years Full Timing
Monaco Executive M-45PBQ Quad Slide
525HP Cummins ISM 6 Spd Allison
2014 Chevrolet Equinox LTZ W/ ReadyBrute
CLICK HERE TO VIEW OUR TRAVEL BLOG

tatest
Explorer II
Explorer II
There is no car that is the "best" car for everybody. The best car for each person is the one that meets their transportation/self-image needs and is towable or can be modified to tow.

I tow a Honda Fit. It works for me because I'm alone but occasionally have to carry other people and their stuff. Before that I towed a Ford Ranger, because it was towable, and it met some other needs, e.g. hauling maintenance equipment to and trash from properties I manage.

A lot of people like Jeeps. Some people even take them off road, but the rugged off road image is a driver in the choice. Honda CR-V and assorted Saturn models are popular because towable with minimum fuss and the brands have a feel good image. Almost every GM compact and mid-size car from the late 1980s until about 2008-2013 is towable with an automatic (the key is a particular 4-speed OD automatic transmission).

Some larger and some smaller GM cars are towable with little or not modification. Some compact and mid-size Ford sedans, SUVs and cross-overs fit this category, others don't. Most manual transmission front-drive sub-compact cars are towable, and if they meet transportation needs they are good tows because these are about the lightest cars we can buy, except for a few recently introduced models in the "city car" category like the Spark, Smart for Two and Fiat 500.

Where you start getting into trouble is when you want to carry a big load in your towed vehicle, passengers or cargo. Seating for more than five is hard to find in a vehicle that can be towed without modification. Vehicles this large also start pushing at the towing limits of many motorhomes, which might be 3500 pounds or 5000 pounds. If you can flat tow 10,000 pounds, this is less of a worry.
Tom Test
Itasca Spirit 29B

kab449
Explorer
Explorer
Honda CRV. Better get one this year as I hear the 2015 models will have CVT's and not be towable 4 down.
2017 Heartland Bighorn 3160Elite/2017 F250 Lariat Ultimate
2018 Coachmen Galleria 24Q Class B Mercedes Van
Keith & Brenda
Marley the Maltese
Central PA

LVJ58
Explorer
Explorer
For us it's our 2003 Suzuki XL7 SUV.
Jim & Sherry Seward
Las Vegas, NV
2000 Residency 3790 V-10 w/tags & Banks System
2003 Suzuki XL/7 toad

RayChez
Explorer
Explorer
The most popular is the Honda CRV-EX or EXL. They are a very good towing suv.

And the Blue Ox is one of the best towing bars and base plates.
2002 Gulf Stream Scenic Cruiser
330 HP Caterpillar 3126-E
3000 Allison Transmission
Neway Freightliner chassis
2017 Buick Envision

tropical36
Explorer
Explorer
JimM68 wrote:
We've towed my wrangler for years, great but small toad.

I recently put a blue ox baseplate on the wife's 2010 liberty and we have been towing that. Works very well, and plenty of room for the family.
Big plus, the bottom red taillight section on the lib is not used, cut the proper size hole and pop in a bulb socket, ran completely separate tow lighting, not tied into the liberty at all.

or.....mount your lights on a bar or hitch haul to use whenever needed. Just slide it in your hitch receiver and plug it in to a connector cord running to the toad's front.
"We are often so caught up in our destination that we forget to appreciate the journey."

07 Revolution LE 40E_Spartan MM_06 400HP C9 CAT_Allison 3000.

Dinghy_2010 Jeep Wrangler JKU ISLANDER.

1998 36ft. National Tropi-Cal Chevy Model 6350 (Sold)

Pass42
Explorer
Explorer
We tow a Jeep Wrangler Unlimited (4 door) more room & better handling than the 2 door. put the transfer case in neutral, off you go..........
2017 Montana High Country 375FL
2015 Ram 2500 Heavy Duty, Cummins 6.7, factory tow package, factory snow plow prep package

2gypsies1
Explorer II
Explorer II
Here's a 2014 Towing Guide:

2014 Towing Guide

If you are looking for an older year vehicle, there are older guides available by searching. Things change every year with cars.
Full-Timed for 16 Years
.... Back in S&B Again
Traveled 8 yr in a 40' 2004 Newmar Dutch Star Motorhome
& 8 yr in a 33' Travel Supreme 5th Wheel

tropical36
Explorer
Explorer
Ozzie1 wrote:
My wife and I will be buying our first MH in the very neat future and we have decided that we will need a car to get around in when the RV is parked, But I have read in this forum that there is some question about what you can tow and what you can't. We have looked at an MH with Blue OX equipment fitted, is this the best way to go ???? Thanks for any comments. O.

The best toad is your pick for a daily driver and one that can be towed of course. If your pick happens to be a 4x4 Jeep Wrangler, then you really have it made for simplicity of towing and for any kind of terrain when it's in use.
Check it out here.... DINGHY TOWING GUIDES
"We are often so caught up in our destination that we forget to appreciate the journey."

07 Revolution LE 40E_Spartan MM_06 400HP C9 CAT_Allison 3000.

Dinghy_2010 Jeep Wrangler JKU ISLANDER.

1998 36ft. National Tropi-Cal Chevy Model 6350 (Sold)

anconn
Explorer
Explorer
rivercity22 wrote:
Jeep Liberty are a good choice because you don't need to do anything to them before towing, just put the 4wd in neutral and go.


You also have to unlock the steering wheel so the front wheels will turn. A simple matter of turning the ignition lock one click and not engaging the electrics.
2002 Seabreeze 34' MH
2005 Jeep Liberty

JimM68
Explorer
Explorer
We've towed my wrangler for years, great but small toad.

I recently put a blue ox baseplate on the wife's 2010 liberty and we have been towing that. Works very well, and plenty of room for the family.
Big plus, the bottom red taillight section on the lib is not used, cut the proper size hole and pop in a bulb socket, ran completely separate tow lighting, not tied into the liberty at all.
Jim M.
2008 Monaco Knight 40skq, moho #2
The "68"
My very own new forumfirstgens.com

My new blog

mci7
Explorer
Explorer
Many choices, I tow a Ford F150 5 speed 2 WD on all 4 wheels, hauling a Canam ATV using the Blue Ox setup woth the Air Force brake system, no issues with either.
Ford says no can do, but checking found due to the Mazda transmission, no problem so have towed it over 40,000 miles no problems.
Dave M
Dave M
Central Virginia
Had MCI Conversion 20+ yrs
Presently 2001 Foretravel w/ISM500
Usual Toad 2004 F150 Ford w/Can Am 800 Max