Important options in a tow vehicle

[Lessmore]

There's obvious options that have to be considered in a tow vehicle. Off hand I would say things like tow rating, payload, final drive axle ratio, 4WD or 2WD, traction assist system, engine size and type, transmission, cooling system upgrades.

But as they say in those late night adverts....but wait....there's more !

People spend a lot of time in their tow vehicles and the ride shouldn't be like a hockey penalty box. At least not in my opinion.

So....my question goes...what about other options that should be considered ?

To me the sound system is important. Keeps you from being bored, sometimes keeps you more alert and can provide news/info.

I would say AM/FM radio, CD player, MP3 player...good speaker system.

CB radio with weather channel.

Comfortable for you and your family seats.

Quiet ride. Not every truck will approach Cadillac standards in road noise and comfort...but still this is important.

Ease of entry. I'm older now and find my body doesn't like to bend as much as it used to...also my wife is 5' 3" and she doesn't want to be a mountaineer in order to get in and out of vehicle. Maybe running boards will do the trick.

One of those little Magellan/ Garmin GPS deals to stick on your dash...although I'm more of a map guy myself.

Compass in the vehicle.

So add/subtract what you want, what am I missing and do you agree/disagree with my choices ? 😉

[JTrac]

As I get older I need all the help I can get. Our new one will have the safety alert driver seat, lane departure warning and forward collision alert. No idea how it works or if it is worth it but it came standard with the package so we will see.

[GoPackGo]

Positrac rear end.

Bilsteins.

Auxiliary fuel tank.

Factory 5th wheel prep kit.

And I really like that pull-out fold-down integrated step that Ford added to the tailgate.

[Fast_Mopar]

This is an interesting thread. Many people are discussing various bells and whistles, and nobody is concerned about payback on navigation systems and heated seats. But, as soon as someone decides to order a light-duty Ecodiesel on a Ram, everybody and his brother-in-law starts preaching about the payback on the upcharge over the gas engine.

Regardless, to the original poster, I just want horsepower. The older I get, the more I realize how important that is to me.

[Me_Again]

Sprink-Fitter wrote:

dennisgt60 wrote:
Power adjusted gas and brake pedals. If your wife drives, she can then move the pedals up.

Who said my wife is shorter than me?

Maybe he meant up forward! Chris

[Sprink-Fitter]

dennisgt60 wrote:
Power adjusted gas and brake pedals. If your wife drives, she can then move the pedals up.

Who said my wife is shorter than me?

[Tystevens]

Lots of nice options on vehicles. The backup camera makes hooking up to the trailer a nice party trick, especially when you have people nearby in the campground. They are amazed when I back right under the hitch perfectly, first try, no spotter!

[fla-gypsy]

I must be the exception. Most of that stuff doesn't interest me. I went for plenty of power, payload and a comfortable seat.

[NC_Hauler]

N-Trouble wrote:
THe one biggest thing for me that improved the towing experience was when I moved from a 2500HD gasser to my current 2012 Duramax. All the other bells & whistles like backup camera, heated seats, etc are nice to have but cant touch the experience the diesel brings. No more having to anticipate upcoming hills, dealing with headwinds, or worrying about passing slower vehicles. My wife likes the fact I am able to spend more time talking with her while on the road and not having to be so focused on driving so much like I was with the gasser.

It seems like these days bells & whistles are higher on peoples list than raw towing power. Honestly if it came down to $$, I would rather have a work truck with a diesel than a high end trim with a gasser. My $.02

Agree to some extent, I have the Cummins and Aisin tranny which offers 385 HP and 850ftlb of TQ, 14,000# GVWR and 37,600# GCWR...I got all the raw towing power I need, so for me, it was adding all the "bells & whistles" to make it all come together..:)

[N-Trouble]

THe one biggest thing for me that improved the towing experience was when I moved from a 2500HD gasser to my current 2012 Duramax. All the other bells & whistles like backup camera, heated seats, etc are nice to have but cant touch the experience the diesel brings. No more having to anticipate upcoming hills, dealing with headwinds, or worrying about passing slower vehicles. My wife likes the fact I am able to spend more time talking with her while on the road and not having to be so focused on driving so much like I was with the gasser.

It seems like these days bells & whistles are higher on peoples list than raw towing power. Honestly if it came down to $$, I would rather have a work truck with a diesel than a high end trim with a gasser. My $.02

[DavisK]

Some of the options on my truck that I love are these:

Satellite radio
Heated & cooled seats
Dual zone climate control
In-dash navigation radio with backup camera and Bose speakers
Bluetooth for cell phone
Integrated brake controller
Auto-dimming rear view and driver's side mirrors
Memory settings for seats, mirrors, pedal height, temperature and radio
Rear seat DVD player for when I have the grandchildren along
Duramax diesel and Allison transmission of course.

[NC_Hauler]

Sirius XM radio, Nav system, bluetooth, 110VAC plug in, plugs in's for ipods, USB ports to be used...heated steering wheel, heated front and back seats...ventilated front seats, (blows air conditioning through seats). auto lights, when it rains and you turn lights on, (as state law states here, your windshield wipers automatically come on). back up camera and sensors.....All hands free, just say what you want and it happens..leather upholstery, (never cared for it until I got higher end leather and found out I liked it:)). Truck has travel link, gives weather forecast as well as shows weather maps...you can program in your favorite teams, (if you're into that), and if on XM, you can listen to sports...lot's of storage space, also have spray in bed liner and tool box....guess that' s about it...bummer is, once you get use to all these creature comforts, you miss them

This truck is my daily driver as well as our TV, so comfort is right up there and for a 4 wheel drive crew cab long bed diesel truck it is very quiet and you're riding in the lap of luxury. For a dually, the ride really isn't bad at all...

also, the EB is awesome, the integrated brake controller is nice and as stated below, cept a tad different....The Cummins coupled to the Aisin Tranny is a great towing combo:)

[dennisgt60]

Power adjusted gas and brake pedals. If your wife drives, she can then move the pedals up.

[sidney]

Key-less entry and ignition.

Never thought it would be such a handy feature. But not having to fumble fishing for your keys out of a pocket is great.

[Dadoffourgirls]

Heated steering wheel, heated and cooled seats. Phone App to remote start, lock and unlock vehicle.

Wow - sounds like a 2015 GM HD or 2014 LD pickup.

[TucsonJim]

One option that was on our truck was Bluetooth capability to use our cell phone hands free through the stereo system.