SUV Help

[Roy_Lynne]

Okay, pretend your old aunt, whose claim to fame is that she has been driving a standard shift all her life, and has driven just about anything, Class A's, C's, but has never towed, has decided she wants to buy an untra light trailer like a Casita but needs a vehicle to tow it with. She doesn't want new because she would have a heart attack paying that kind of money, but she doesn't have clue about tow packages or tongue weight. Also she really wants an SUV, not a truck because the look pretty.
Could you give her some advise? She has learned that dealers will tell you anything to make a sale so she would like to go to a dealer with the right questions.
And remember she is your favorite aunt, not one who your expecting to inherit from?
Thanks

[Jebby14]

privet sale will result in less dealer sanctioned sodomy

[Roy_Lynne]

Again, thanks all. Auntie is on the prowl, now she is going to see if she can find a dealer who will take her Class C in as a trade.

[Jebby14]

My Jeep WJ (4.7L V8) is rated for 6500 lb and tows the older (heavier) prowler 19E in my sig. Its close to capacity on payload though (only 1000 lb payload) so we have to watch what we pack. Good luck it can be done

[tatest]

When I said Land Cruiser, that would include the Lexus GX470, a Land Cruiser with luxury fittings and an extra $10,000 on the price tag. The Lexus is probably easier to find used, as the price of the Land Cruiser tended to put it out of range for non-luxury buyers, and luxury buyers don't mind the extra cost for the Lexus nameplate.

4-Runner is a mid-size, finding it with the V-8 would be good, as with Explorer or TrailBlazer/Envoy, but for any of those the six cylinder is also adequate for a Scamp or Casita. All of these six cylinder 21st century SUVs are more powerful than small V-8 sedans and wagons we used for towing inthe 1950s, actually more powerfull than many of the GTs we were running in endurance races in the 1960s.

[camp-n-family]

If she wants a smaller sized SUV with a V8 I would suggest a Toyota 4Runner, pre 2010. They stopped making it with the v8 at the end of 2009. It has a 7k tow rating and will handle the tt with ease. We had both a v6 and a v8. The 6 would tow what she is looking at too, but the v8 is so much smoother and more powerful feeling. The 4.7l engine is bullet proof and was only 1mpg worse than the v6 daily driving but bettered it while towing.

.

[Roy_Lynne]

You all are wonderful and auntie is appreciative. What I read is if auntie can find a V8 SUV with a tow package she should be okay regardless of what she chooses.

[SpeakEasy]

Toyota 4-runner.

The limiting factor is the payload capacity, so you have to be mindful of how much gear you lug along.

-Speak

[BubbaChris]

Just tossing this out there: Lexus GX470, roughly 10 years old. They look pretty, have a very comfortable interior, and have V8 engines. Should be well under $20K now.

You'd typically need to add the hitch receiver and brake controller, but the backup camera will help will hooking up.

We thought we'd tow our TT with my wife's GX470, but super-sized the TT out of the comfortable weight range. A Casita would do beautifully behind the Lexus.

[tatest]

A Casita, even the heaviest, is well within the towing capacity of a five or six-cylinder midsize SUV (or crossover) like Explorer, Trailblazer/Envoy, Highlander, Pilot, Pathfinder, Journey. Also GM's Traverse/Enclave/Terrain (which replaced both minivan and midsize SUV). I'm not sure which models from the Korean manufacturers. Assumption here is it doesn't have the 4 cylinder engine option, does have factory trailer tow package (I got caught on that when I bought a Durango).

Any full size SUV (Expedition, Tahoe/Yukon, Durango, Armada, Land Cruiser or their luxury-car twins) would be more than capable with the smallest V-8 offered. Again, look for factory towing package.

That's for Casita (or Scamp) which are exceptionally towable with small frontal area and maximum GVWR of 3500 pounds. Other larger "lightweight" trailers you might have to check on actual weights (lightweight is only relative to a heavier trailer of that size) and frontal area issues for the midsize SUVs, as well as capability of SUV structures to handle weight distribution hitches.

A couple in our RV club successfully towed an AmeriLite 19-footer with a Highlander for several years, but not very far and never very fast.

[Fireballsocal]

For a casita, any V6 SUV with available towing package (At least hitch and automatic transmission cooler) and a tow rating of 5000 pounds or more will be a comfortable and easy to drive combo. The casita ready to roll will weigh slightly above 4000lbs and have a tongue weight a bit over 400 lbs. assuming their longest model at 17' with most options. If she wanted a smaller trailer like the 13' patriot or another brand closer to 2000 lbs., most of the 4 cylinder cute utes with 350lb. tongue weight and 3500lb. towing capacity will make a great tow. I'm partial to Toyotas myself but there are a host of choices in this vehicle segment.

Now if you need any more info, we need to talk about how good of a cook Auntie is. 😉

[coolmom42]

Roy&Lynne wrote:
Okay, pretend your old aunt, whose claim to fame is that she has been driving a standard shift all her life, and has driven just about anything, Class A's, C's, but has never towed, has decided she wants to buy an untra light trailer like a Casita but needs a vehicle to tow it with. She doesn't want new because she would have a heart attack paying that kind of money, but she doesn't have clue about tow packages or tongue weight. Also she really wants an SUV, not a truck because the look pretty.
Could you give her some advise? She has learned that dealers will tell you anything to make a sale so she would like to go to a dealer with the right questions.
And remember she is your favorite aunt, not one who your expecting to inherit from?
Thanks

The smaller Casitas can be towed with a properly equipped Toyota Highlander, and any of them with a Sequoia. Also look at Ford Explorers. The hard part will be finding a used Highlander or Explorer with a tow package, they are not common. She is much more likely to find a used Sequoia with a tow package, but they are pricey.

Others that would work would be a Chevy Traverse, GMC Acadia, Acura MDX, Nissan Pathfinder or Nissan Armada.

And BTW, I'm with your aunt, I prefer a SUV to a truck. 😄 And I know the SUVs that would work, because I'm looking at doing exactly the same thing. 😄 She should also look at the smallest Jaycos and Gulfstreams.

[Bumpyroad]

I towed my Ascend 17rd with my 2011 Highlander, adequate, a casita would be easier.
bumpy

[colliehauler]

Needs to decide on a camper first and then get a suv capable of towing it.

I agree with camp-n-family.

[RavensFan24]

I'm definitely an advocate for the Tahoe with the heavy duty towing package. It's pretty, rides nice and does a great job of towing, esp if she'll have a small trailer.