What can our Kia Sorento tow?
We are thinking about getting a small, lightweight trailer, either a hard-side or a hybrid. Pop-ups are not an option. We have a Kia Sorento SUV with a towing capacity of 3500 lbs. From what we can...
Forum Discussion
Your friend with the Casita is leading you in the right direction. A boxy stick-built TT will have a lot of wind resistance due to its large frontal area. A 13' to 16' Casita or Scamp (or similar) will be shorter, narrower, and have rounded edges & corners for good aerodynamics. Your Sorento, if properly equipped, should do well with one of these provided you take it easy going up long grades (figure 35-45 mph on some climbs).
Fuel economy is an indicator of TT aerodynamics. I towed a boxy KZ Escape TT for 3 years with my Highlander, and got 11-12 mpg. I towed a Burro for one season before that (my Burro was similar to but a bit wider than Scamp or Casita) and got 14 mpg. Now I have a folding Aliner (hardside popup) and so far on my one little camping trip I got 17 mpg. With no trailer the HL gets 22-23 mpg. So you can see how much easier the round, molded fiberglass trailers are on the drive train versus a boxy TT. And a popup is even easier to tow; I could tow the Aliner in overdrive most of the time, whereas I have to lock out OD to tow the others.
The 16' Scamp or Casita will probably weigh 2500-2800 lb loaded for camping, and they will be under your hitch weight limit of 350 lb too. (Avoid the 17' Casita with front bath, it's too heavy up front for you.)
I would not encourage you to get a boxy TT for your Sorento. Even the lightest ones are going to push a lot of air, and that is a huge factor in what you can or can't tow happily.
Fuel economy is an indicator of TT aerodynamics. I towed a boxy KZ Escape TT for 3 years with my Highlander, and got 11-12 mpg. I towed a Burro for one season before that (my Burro was similar to but a bit wider than Scamp or Casita) and got 14 mpg. Now I have a folding Aliner (hardside popup) and so far on my one little camping trip I got 17 mpg. With no trailer the HL gets 22-23 mpg. So you can see how much easier the round, molded fiberglass trailers are on the drive train versus a boxy TT. And a popup is even easier to tow; I could tow the Aliner in overdrive most of the time, whereas I have to lock out OD to tow the others.
The 16' Scamp or Casita will probably weigh 2500-2800 lb loaded for camping, and they will be under your hitch weight limit of 350 lb too. (Avoid the 17' Casita with front bath, it's too heavy up front for you.)
I would not encourage you to get a boxy TT for your Sorento. Even the lightest ones are going to push a lot of air, and that is a huge factor in what you can or can't tow happily.
