You have to watch out for hitch weight, because that will top out at your rated limit (350 lbs or so?) before you hit your towing limit. That said, you could tow a Scamp, 16' Casita (not the 17, too tongue-heavy), Li'l Snoozy (factory direct from SC, and I know of a FL owner who has a used one for sale), Parkliner, or similar trailer. The rounded, narrower and lower profile of these molded-fiberglass bodies will tow fine behind your minivan and the hitch weights tend to be in the 250-300 lb range when ready for camping. Another possible lightweight (and affordable!) TT is the Eureka, built in TN; it is low and narrow but it will have somewhat more wind resistance because it's boxy.
Any TT you buy, look at both the dry weight and the dry hitch weight and figure you'll have to add the weight of a battery, full LP tank(s), options, gear, and probably some water (8.3 lbs per gallon adds up fast!).
I put 140,000 towing miles on a 2008 Toyota Highlander with pretty much the same engine output as yours. Mostly I towed a 6x12 cargo trailer or Lil Hauley (empty Snoozy body) cargo for work; in summers I had a 17' Burro followed by a KZ Escape E14RB. The molded Burro put much less stress on the HL and gave me almost 3 mpg extra than the blocky KZ. However, I had 5000/500 tow rating, so I could handle the 370-390 lbs I was carrying on the hitch from the KZ.
Mike G.
Liberty is meaningless where the right to utter one's thoughts and opinions has ceased to exist. That, of all rights, is the dread of tyrants. --Frederick Douglass
photo: Yosemite Valley view from Taft Point
