Cars that can tow?

[Duster929]

I'm in the market for a new car, and one of my criteria is that it needs to be able to tow my trailer and a couple of bikes. It's a steel trailer, so with a couple of bikes on it, I'm guessing the loaded weight is 2,500 - 3,000 pounds. My current car tows about 2,000, so I don't want to push it.

I don't want to get a giant SUV or pickup truck because most of the time I'll be driving by myself with no trailer, and that seems like a waste of fuel. The biggest I'd be willing to consider is probably something like a Ford Escape or small SUV like that.

Anyone have any recommendations for small SUVs or cars or station wagons that can tow a medium load like this? What are people out there using to tow their bikes/trailers, besides pickups or big SUVs?

Thanks for the advice.

--- D

[infernobuster]

im in the same boat .. but i have a truck now and it sucks back its fair share of gas.

Ive been looking at a few options .. but the one that seems to be half decent is the new VW CUV they are releasing early next year ...
By this time next year they will be releasing it with a diesel engine .. and it should be cheaper than Chryslers Grand Cherokee with the diesel in it.

[Duster929]

The best I've found so far is the new Volvo XC70, but that is an expensive station wagon.

--- D

[lawnboy1956]

I don't think you will find a car to tow with. I think your best bet without going to an SUV would be a van. You can get a Dodge Caravan for a reasonable price that can tow up to 3500 lbs.

[tat2]

What about small pick-ups?

[Martin]

Thats a big misconception. There are plenty of cars in the (worldwide) market that can tow phenomenally well but not too many in our market.

I have a VW jetta tdi (turbo diesel) and I have nearly 20,000 kms worth of towing on it of two bikes aluminum trailer. Let me tell you the car hauls with the load I can maintain 120 km/hr through all the in Kentucky smokey mountains, Tenessee, etc. I get 8.0 L/100 kms in full tow with two people and the a/c on. Ticks like a clock, never had anything close to a problem (except a broken window regulator) and I ain't goin back...

If you consider the fuel savings over the first year alone it will be worth it to sell your steel trailer, get yourself a nice Triton all aluminum and a Jetta tdi.

[Duster929]

Thats a big misconception. There are plenty of cars in the (worldwide) market that can tow phenomenally well but not too many in our market.

I have a VW jetta tdi (turbo diesel) and I have nearly 20,000 kms worth of towing on it of two bikes aluminum trailer. Let me tell you the car hauls with the load I can maintain 120 km/hr through all the in Kentucky smokey mountains, Tenessee, etc. I get 8.0 L/100 kms in full tow with two people and the a/c on. Ticks like a clock, never had anything close to a problem (except a broken window regulator) and I ain't goin back...

If you consider the fuel savings over the first year alone it will be worth it to sell your steel trailer, get yourself a nice Triton all aluminum and a Jetta tdi.

I need the steel trailer for other reasons than just towing the bikes. I need a car that can tow the trailer I have plus the bikes.

--- D

[ArthurGray]

Tow about 2500lb with my CR-V.

[Duster929]

Tow about 2500lb with my CR-V.

I was interested in that vehicle, but the specs say that its towing capacity is only 1500lb... Have you had any problems?

--- D

[ArthurGray]

I was interested in that vehicle, but the specs say that its towing capacity is only 1500lb... Have you had any problems?

--- D

manuals... it says I can load it with 550lb I moved a 1000 once, that day I moved almost on my rims With towing I always have to go overdrive even on small uphill. I towed same boat next day on Ram 3500 - totally different experience. I would not recommend CR-V for a daily towing, but once in a while it’s ok.

[gybeman]

Not too many cars that can safely tow 2500+ lbs now. Most mid size SUV's are only in the 3500lb bracket too. I use a Suzuki XL7 to tow an enclosed trailer and 2 bikes (or sometimes loaded with firewood). I can tell you from experience those 4's or small 6's don't have the torque needed to tow something that heavy in hilly areas and gas mileage really suffers.
The diesel Jetta is a good choice for its TORQUE. Nothing else but a V8 puts out max torque at 2K rpm or less. All the rest have max torque at about 4800 rpm.

[FiReSTaRT]

I'd go with a TDI as well. I used an older one to literally drag a car with siezed up wheels without any problems.

[twowheelchic]

1. Chrysler Pacifica: Not everyone can live with a truck or truck-based SUV. If you're one of those people, but still need to do some towing, the Pacifica and its 3,500-pound towing capacity are worth noting. Add to this the fact that the Pacifica offers all the amenities of a luxury sedan and this big Chrysler is clearly one of the best "cars" when in comes to towing stuff.
2. Hyundai Elantra: No, this is not a typo. The Elantra offers 3,086 pounds of towing capacity when trailer brakes are used (without the brakes, it tops out at 1,000 pounds). That's not much by truck standards, but for a budget-priced compact sedan, it's exceptional. Note that this is 1,000 pounds more than full-size sedans like the Cadillac DeVille and Mercury Grand Marquis are rated to carry.
3. Subaru Outback: The Outback is all new for 2005 and with a 3,000-pound towing capacity, Subaru's all-terrain family wagon offers some fairly serious grunt for a midsize car. Its standard all-wheel-drive system should also come in handy when looking for the most remote campsite.

[twowheelchic]

RAV4 has a car engine and has 3500 lbs of towing capacity.. that's my choice.

[CdnVStar]

The best I've found so far is the new Volvo XC70, but that is an expensive station wagon.

--- D

It is a great car, but yes a bit on the expensive side. Volvos have lots of great saftey features and are all all wheel drive (me sounding yuppie-ish here), which is great in the winter. You could get the new Volvo V70, which is basically the same as the XC70, just a little less SUVish. It has the same towing capacity and is $7,000 cheaper.

I have the XC90 (towing capacity of 5,000lbs) if you are looking for something over the top. I have three kids in car seats and it fits three car seats great in the second row and has TVs to keep them quiet on long trips.

[bitzz]

"I'm guessing the loaded weight is 2,500 - 3,000 pounds."

That must be some trailer. Two 600 sport bike weigh no more than 1000#. I have one of those Snow Bear trailers that will hold 3 bikes no problem, the trailer weighs 660#.

I just pulled a 26ft float with a '67 Coronet on it with a Safari. Other than the trailer brakes didn't work there was no problems.
If you get a "little" car be sure to get a trailer with at least surge brakes. Little cars will pull a trailer... but they're not great at stopping them.

[romey]

my buddy had a late 90's civic coupe and he had no problems towing his boat around, aluminum. if it's for just a bike then most cars will do, actually i went to a cottage with a family on a cavalier, loaded plus trailer with gear, no probs. just gotta make sure your brakes are solid to stop all that weight...

[Brian P]

My open steel trailer is really heavy duty and weighs about 600 lbs. Add 2 bikes and some cargo, and the trailer weight is about 1500 lbs, and I tow it with my Jetta TDI no problem.

The Hyundai Elantra is an interesting choice. I wonder if you can get a hitch for it that will allow the full capacity to be used, though. The same car as my Jetta in Europe is rated 600 kg (1320 lbs) without trailer brakes and 1200 kg with trailer brakes, but there's no hitch available in North America that will make use of that. The Euro hitches mount to the places where the North American impact-absorbing bumper attaches, and you can't have both at the same time.

[biggie636]

My sister used to tow her bike to the track in an RSX. Check out Hitch City for their recommendations...

[K4GSXXXR]

I used a 2000 mazda mpv it would take me half a tank of gas each way to pull my 5by8 enclosed trailer to cayuga from mississauga. Same distance on a Pathfinder it takes a quarter tank to use. Some reason I think rear wheel drive vehicles will pull better then front wheel drives. I never once felt any hesitation on my pathfinder.