Real life Hybrid towing experiences

[Mike_E_]

Hi folks,

Looking for some insight from those who have towed with a mid-size SUV hybrid.
DW and I are a single-vehicle household and are hoping to get into a slightly bigger vehicle than our current '13 Honda CRV.

With a son living/working in Europe with no intentions of returning, we are going to have to afford trips to see him....especially after his upcoming wedding and potential grand-babies shortly after. She's already made such noises.....yay!!

That said, I've told DW that I am not willing to completely give up on camping as I simply miss all the fresh air etc.
With that, I'm thinking we'll end up with a pop-up or very small TT.
We're looking into a Toyota Highlander Hybrid with 3500lbs towing capacity as well as the Ford Explorer Hybrid with 5000lbs towing.

Trust me, I'd love to have a truck/5th wheel again, but that simply isn't in the cards.

So, anybody out there using their Hybrid in such a fashion?

[alexleblanc]

i would shy away from any hybrid with a CVT for towing purposes.

[valhalla360]

Is there a reason you need an SUV? A 1/2ton pickup (4door) will do anything an SUV will do and cost should be similar.

[lane_hog]

I can't imagine it would be a problem. You'd simply run on the gas engine more than you would in non-tow mode.

But... if saving money is the goal, the hybrid version of the Escape will usually run about USD20K more on a new vehicle. No idea about the Toyota.

You might be better off getting a used gasser with the tow capacity you want. It's going to take a lot of miles to offset that much of a price difference, especially if electricity isn't that much cheaper on a per-mile basis.