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bullydogs1's avatar
bullydogs1
Explorer
Jun 13, 2018

anyone towing a 2018 Chevy Equinox?

We are looking at the Chevy Equinox to tow...It would have to be the top of the line as we need the leather interior for the dogs...I am specifically interested in the diesel as there will be a time that I will have to make long hiway trips with it and the fuel economy is about 40 if not more on the highway. While there are plenty of 2017 and earlier Equinoxes out there...Anyone towing a 2018 Equinox and some feedback please....someone told me that there might be a problem with the towbar and the collision mitigation system...Please be specific as to the model you are towing...This seems to be the only car that meets my needs for flat tow, business and dogs with an AC vent in the rear seat. The Ford Edge can also be towed but the gas mileage is not nearly as close as the diesel... thanks
  • jhilley,
    Motorhome magazine shows that the gas model is towable in the front-wheel-drive model only. The diesel model is towable in the front-wheel-drive AND all-wheel-drive model.

    Here is what is listed in the Motorhome magazine towing guide:

    Equinox 3,327 lbs, 65 mph/None N/A Yes 26/32 $24,575-$38,225
    Front-wheel-drive (1.5L gas FWD/ 1.6L diesel) and AWD (1.6L diesel only) vehicles can be towed. Shift transmission to Neutral. Ignition to ACC. Turn off accessories. Run vehicle at the beginning of each day and at each fuel stop for about 5 minutes. See owner’s manual.

    Safe travels,
    MM.
  • It's a good thing you want the diesel, it is the only model that is towable in 2018. Found out the hard way. Bought a gas 2018 Equinox 350 miles from home. Got it home and looked at the owners manual and found that the gas model wasn't towable. The dealer took it back in trade for the diesel model. We haven't towed it yet, but we did get 45 1/2 mpg on 149 mile run from Albany, MN to Fargo, ND. We get 38 mpg most of the time on the highway.
  • bullydogs1 wrote:
    We are looking at the Chevy Equinox to tow...It would have to be the top of the line as we need the leather interior for the dogs...I am specifically interested in the diesel as there will be a time that I will have to make long hiway trips with it and the fuel economy is about 40 if not more on the highway. While there are plenty of 2017 and earlier Equinoxes out there...Anyone towing a 2018 Equinox and some feedback please....someone told me that there might be a problem with the towbar and the collision mitigation system...Please be specific as to the model you are towing...This seems to be the only car that meets my needs for flat tow, business and dogs with an AC vent in the rear seat. The Ford Edge can also be towed but the gas mileage is not nearly as close as the diesel... thanks


    Stu,
    For the toad, I like simple, simple, simple..:p As you know, our diesel coaches 'need attention' with so many components and nothing is as easy as the simplicity of a gas engine for the toad. You won't need to buy DEF and as you know, the cost of diesel fuel is generally more than regular fuel. I would think the increased cost of the diesel engine itself along with adding DEF would not be a huge savings over just the running costs of a gas engine. The 'regeneration' system is another item that could need attention.

    Honestly, I don't know if our 'Ford product' has electric or hydraulic power steering, we have never had any kind of wobble. There are not any fuses that need to be pulled, just follow the procedure on the instrument cluster and 'voila', the car is in 'neutral tow mode' (the car has a push-button transmission) Easy peasy. :)

    A couple of weeks ago I met a nurse who lives 93 miles from her job, so, she's driving 1.5 hrs. each way to work (wow). I asked her what she drove and she said she just traded a '09 Chevy Impala with 325,000 miles on it on a new Hyundai Santa Fe. She said the Impala just started to use a little oil and she never had any mechanical issues with the car. She should have been in a GM commercial! LOL!

    Safe travels! Hi to Stella!
    MM.
  • jplante4 wrote:
    Electric steering. I did see that 16 vs 32 post somewhere, but it just cemented my decision to just put a charging line to the toad.

    Even with the charge line on, I did get the "Equinox death wobble" once when I jerked the toad off the road into a pulloff in a hurry to keep from getting hit. I think if you're careful about accelerating until after the Equinox is in line you'll never see this problem.


    HERE is my post on that. I experienced it once on the interstate where they had our side closed and we had to do an "S" maneuver. The roadway was torn up and patched terribly. When I traversed the S I developed the wobble and had to stop on the interstate to allow it to settle down before continuing. Fortunately the trucker behind me observed what was happening and stopped too. It was pretty nerve wracking and hence my insistance with GM for a fix. The above post was in response to my continued ranting and raving. I think they thought I was nuts enough to be scary.. :) .....Dennis
  • Electric steering. I did see that 16 vs 32 post somewhere, but it just cemented my decision to just put a charging line to the toad.

    Even with the charge line on, I did get the "Equinox death wobble" once when I jerked the toad off the road into a pulloff in a hurry to keep from getting hit. I think if you're careful about accelerating until after the Equinox is in line you'll never see this problem.
  • jplante4 wrote:
    My 2014 Equinox manual has me pulling fuse 32, but I ran a charging line to the toad instead.

    Search this forum for Equinox. There are several threads on towing this vehicle (although most likely none on the 2018 model year).


    Jerry, is your 2014 hydraulic or electronic steering? If electronic, the newest version from Chevy is to leave #32 in place and pull #16....Dennis
  • Did you check the owner's manual under "recreational towing"? There is probably a fuse to pull to disable the radar for the collision system. My 2014 Equinox manual has me pulling fuse 32, but I ran a charging line to the toad instead.

    Search this forum for Equinox. There are several threads on towing this vehicle (although most likely none on the 2018 model year).