I have bought a 38ft Georgetown MH and am searching for a dinghy to buy in the next several months. I know I want something to tow "four down", but haven't decided what yet. It seems the most reasonable prices options like Ford Fiesta and Ford Focus have very little ground clearance. I would rather buy something that will get great round town gas mileage and come close to the trade/sale price for my used Pickup. I really would like a SUV, but can't imagine paying what one that can be towed four down is selling for. My real concern is that lack of ground clearance going to be an issue driving around most locations? I don't want to ground myself on a speed bump somewhere or a bad road. I don't plan on any "off roading" but I know some RV parks and state parks have less than stellar conditions on their roads. I have also been on a couple of highways that had not so great road condition. Will having that car that is only 6-8" off the road make driving difficult? I have driven a truck so long, I don't pay much attention to speed bumps/platforms and bumpy roads.*** I probably will buy a new vehicle planning it to be the last vehicle I purchase** I am planning to use it full-timing for 10+- years dependent on my health, and then using the same vehicle for driving when I am no longer confident driving the MH. So I am really not interested in something that is 5 or more years old already.

My Honda CRV has lots of ground clearance. These cars are very easy and popular to tow. Honda changed transmissions in 2015 so towing four down is only the 2014 or older.

We tow a Ford Focus behind a 30 ft. Class C. Clearance of the Focus isn't the problem but the rather low point of the Blue Ox tow bar hook-ups on the front of the Focus is a problem because I had to drop the hitch on the rear of the motorhome with a 4 in. drop hitch to be level. Therefore the hitch on the motor home drags easily because that's the lowest point; not the towed Focus. So, where the hook-up points on the dinghy is, is crucial. Blue Ox tells you how many inches high it is.

Chevy Equinox/GMC Terrain tow well and have some ground clearance. I went looking for a Jeep or CR-V when in the market for a toad, but I couldn't get past the price premium these units seem to demand. For the price of a 12 year old Jeep or an 8 year old CR-V, I got a 3 year old Equinox.

I used to tow a Saturn SL2, which was so low it seemed like you could barely put your arm under it. I once inadvertently ended up on a 40 mile excursion on Forest Service roads that were in places rocky and rutted. I went slowly and carefully through these spots without any issues. I now drive a VW Golf Alltrack wagon (not towable 4 down) with just over 7 inches of ground clearance and I have driven it places that many would swear needed a Jeep Wrangler to get to.My point is that if you plan on staying on mostly pavement with the occasional trek down a gravel or dirt road, the cars you mentioned will work fine.

I tow a Ford Edge CUV which has more ground clearance than the average sedan. Have never had an issue with any speed bumps or ruts in any campground. We do not boondock other than at racetracks so we never get much off-road. You can tow something 4 down anywhere you could drive it so gas stations, etc are not an issue as long as you do not drag the hitch. Our Roadmaster baseplate puts the attachment points 17" above the ground.

Ground clearance for dinghy | Good Sam Community

Gjac
Explorer III
Jul 14, 2018
To me GC is an issue if you drive on dirt roads. MPG, weight and using the car as a daily diver are also requirements. I tow a 2002 Corolla now and with a GC of 5 in it will drag on dirt roads were the tire tracks are deep so grass and weeds that grow between the tracks rub the under carriage along with the occasional rocks. It gets 40 mpgs on the hiway and weighs about 2400 lbs. I have looked at a number of new cars and every thing is a trade off. Vehicles with more GC get less MPG's. Trucks and Jeeps have the most GC but I would not want one for a DD due to poor MPG's. So to me a good compromise is one that has 7 ins of GC, weights less than 3000 lbs and gets 35-40 MPG. In this category a slightly older Subaru Crosstreck has the best GC. Chevy Cruse, Ford Focas, Elantra, and Corolla to name a few also fit this category.
Lancslad
Explorer
Jul 14, 2018
We tow a Dodge Dakota 4dr 4x4. Previous was an MG midget...that was low about 4" clearance but never a problem.
ThomBoles
Explorer
Jul 13, 2018
We're towing a Mini Cooper Roadster. I think we have between 5.5 and 6 inches of clearance. I can't say that I've ever had a clearance issue with the car on the back of the RV. As stated above with the Miata, there aren't too many that are lower so I'd say make sure it will tow 4-down and have at it with no worries.
IB853347201
Nomad
Jul 11, 2018
Chevy Colorado or GMC Canyons tow well and are easy to hook up. lots of clearance as well.
Healeyman
Explorer
Jul 11, 2018
wannavolunteerFT wrote:
My real concern is that lack of ground clearance going to be an issue driving around most locations?

I have towed 3 different Mazda Miatas over 75,000 miles in all of the lower 48 and most of Canada.

It is probably lower than anything that you will buy.

Unless you take your MH off-roading, you should never have a ground clearance issue with your towed.

I have never had one.

Tim
wildtoad
Explorer II
Jul 11, 2018
My Chevy Sonic is easy to tow and goes every where. I don’t give ground clearance a second thought or a first one for that matter.
STBRetired
Explorer
Jul 11, 2018
I tow a Ford Edge CUV which has more ground clearance than the average sedan. Have never had an issue with any speed bumps or ruts in any campground. We do not boondock other than at racetracks so we never get much off-road. You can tow something 4 down anywhere you could drive it so gas stations, etc are not an issue as long as you do not drag the hitch. Our Roadmaster baseplate puts the attachment points 17" above the ground.
rjstractor
Nomad
Jul 10, 2018
I used to tow a Saturn SL2, which was so low it seemed like you could barely put your arm under it. I once inadvertently ended up on a 40 mile excursion on Forest Service roads that were in places rocky and rutted. I went slowly and carefully through these spots without any issues. I now drive a VW Golf Alltrack wagon (not towable 4 down) with just over 7 inches of ground clearance and I have driven it places that many would swear needed a Jeep Wrangler to get to.

My point is that if you plan on staying on mostly pavement with the occasional trek down a gravel or dirt road, the cars you mentioned will work fine.
jplante4
Explorer II
Jul 10, 2018
Chevy Equinox/GMC Terrain tow well and have some ground clearance. I went looking for a Jeep or CR-V when in the market for a toad, but I couldn't get past the price premium these units seem to demand. For the price of a 12 year old Jeep or an 8 year old CR-V, I got a 3 year old Equinox.
Jayco-noslide
Explorer
Jul 10, 2018
We tow a Ford Focus behind a 30 ft. Class C. Clearance of the Focus isn't the problem but the rather low point of the Blue Ox tow bar hook-ups on the front of the Focus is a problem because I had to drop the hitch on the rear of the motorhome with a 4 in. drop hitch to be level. Therefore the hitch on the motor home drags easily because that's the lowest point; not the towed Focus. So, where the hook-up points on the dinghy is, is crucial. Blue Ox tells you how many inches high it is.