Maybe it’s just me but I recently had to help someone find a new 4 down towable toad. It seems the choices have diminished since we went thru the process 15 years ago. For those who have wanted to buy a NEW toad in the last year or two, was it difficult to find something you like?? What is the go to solution right now. As well, it is obvious now that we are at the very bottom of the S curve of electric vehicle sales that will play out in the next 10 to 20 years. None of the current manufacturers of EV’s make a 4 down towable toad. (We have to tow ours on a trailer). Do you think this may be an issue in the next decade or so. Will Dolly’s become more common as a result. The conversation is open. :)

plenty of gas options (Jeep for us) and we won't consider an EV until they have the same range as a gas vehicle and the batteries can be recharged in minutes, not hours.

“Tesla supercharging stations charge with up to 145 kW of power distributed between two adjacent cars, with a maximum of 120 kW per car. That is up to 16 times as fast as public charging stations; they take about 20 minutes to charge to 50%, 40 minutes to charge to 80%, and 75 minutes to 100%.”

You're right, the selection has dwindled. We were looking for something to tow behind a Class C-couldn't find anything that fit the bill for us, so we just bought what we wanted now and will deal with the towing later. I'm thinking maybe there is a conspiracy between the tow dolly manufacturers and the auto industry(???). This has to be the reason. :B :B :B

rk911 wrote:plenty of gas options (Jeep for us) and we won't consider an EV until they have the same range as a gas vehicle and the batteries can be recharged in minutes, not hours.Thats actually what they ended up with. They wanted New but ended up with a grand Cherokee a few years old. Nice shape though. But it seems to me the pool of vehicles towable 4 down is shrinking and will continue to with electrification. From what I understand some of it has to with the type of transfer cases used on ICE SUV’s now as well. That and standard transmissions are getting scarcer.

From the manufacturer's point of view, why take chances? Recreational towing puts a lot of additional wear and tear on vehicles that does not register on the odometer. Who is to say the vehicle owner took all the necessary precautions (putting the transfer case in neutral, then shifting to park on a GM 4x4. I am sure other vehicles have different procedures) before yanking the towed vehicle down the road. It's a yearly occurance that someone attempts to drive off with the wheels on the towed locked up for one reason or another. That has to be hard on the internal parts. I am also sure that the front end doesn't appreciate the wheels being locked to the left and the rig being towed forward (also a yearly occurrence). Recreational towed vehicles is just too small a market for a manufacturer to be overly concerned with serving. I am actually surprised any manufacturer specifically allows it.

Is the pool of 4 down towable vehicles diminishing??

Jayco-noslide
Explorer
Nov 04, 2017
I suspect that some vehicles where flat towing is not permitted according to the manual actually could be anyway but not sure how one would know without taking the costly gamble. I've towed a 2012 Chevy Sonic for 31/2 years and it tows great and is a great car also. They are still towable except the RS but the hook-up point is rather low. I think next I will go to Focus; a little bigger.
Jayco-noslide
Explorer
Nov 04, 2017
I meant without modifications. I assume many are flat towable with trans. lube pumps, etc.
Dutch_12078
Explorer II
Nov 03, 2017
Jayco-noslide wrote:
Definitely diminishing. Honda and Toyota have NO flat towables I'm pretty sure even the sticks. Same for VW, Mazda. Chevy has several models for now as does Ford. But you have to be careful and actually consult the owner's manual for different models and equipment. You can't go by the towing guides. Almost all of the towables have 1 model you can't tow; eg,, Sonic RS, Fiesta ST, etc. Some but not all of the problem is the spread of CVT's of which I think none are towable.

The 2017 Toyota Yaris is 4-down towable. As is with a manual transmission, and with a Remco lube pump on the automatic.
Jayco-noslide
Explorer
Nov 02, 2017
Definitely diminishing. Honda and Toyota have NO flat towables I'm pretty sure even the sticks. Same for VW, Mazda. Chevy has several models for now as does Ford. But you have to be careful and actually consult the owner's manual for different models and equipment. You can't go by the towing guides. Almost all of the towables have 1 model you can't tow; eg,, Sonic RS, Fiesta ST, etc. Some but not all of the problem is the spread of CVT's of which I think none are towable.
MRUSA
Explorer
Oct 28, 2017
lj2654 wrote:
The new car"the Elio" three wheeled auto with an 85 mpg fuel rate is supposed to go into production in 2019. And I have been questioning the engineers about that being four wheel down towing capable. They have now finally said it will be.

Hmmm... A three wheeled vehicle that can be towed four wheels down. Where does the fourth wheel come from?
hone_eagle
Explorer
Oct 26, 2017

chevy volt

Before anyone asked I looked him up ,smart guy .
hone_eagle
Explorer
Oct 26, 2017
hr_sea wrote:
With the resale value of the Nissan Leaf so low, I was looking at getting one to tow around as a portable battery pack. It has a 20 some-odd KW battery pack. Could run the motorhome roof AC for hours at a time at night when dry camping and still be able to drive around national parks, etc. (in practice it won't work because the 12V converter can only put out 74 amps at 13.6V, 1KW which isn't enough to run the AC)

I know a guy that is using Volt battery pack for just that purpose in his showhauler motorhome.
lryrob9301
Explorer
Oct 26, 2017
Speedy921 wrote:
So....other than Jeep. Too pricey. Which vehicles are 4 down capable without loosing battery etc. ? We really wanted a Wrangler but looking at car trader they want a lot of money for something with over 100,000 miles. I need one to have automatic transmission.

Look for a Chevrolet Equinox V6 or GMC Terrain V6. One fuse to remove, put in neutral, Key to off, ready to tow.
Speedy921
Explorer
Oct 26, 2017
So....other than Jeep. Too pricey. Which vehicles are 4 down capable without loosing battery etc. ? We really wanted a Wrangler but looking at car trader they want a lot of money for something with over 100,000 miles. I need one to have automatic transmission.
rjstractor
Nomad
Oct 25, 2017
From a vehicle marketing perspective, I don't think 4-down towability is on any manufacturer's radar at all. Just too small of a market. If car manufacturers thought that there was a significant market for 4 down towability, we might see options such as factory integrated baseplates and braking systems. The engineering would be relatively easy, but the market just isn't there.

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Is the pool of 4 down towable vehicles diminishing??

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