Quote:
Originally Posted by Hersbird
We get screwed on towing capacity in the US. Too many lawyers and lawsuit friendly legislation. My Forester, made in Japan, is exactly the same as the one sold in say South Africa but with 1/2 the rating. It's not like at the time in 2002 Subaru had some other vehicle to upsell to you if you wanted more towing ability so I don't buy the argument automakers lower the ratings here because they want you to buy marked up SUVs and pickups. They don't want the liability. I remember when visiting Australia a guy took us fishing in the first generation Rav4 way up high in Tasmania towing a pretty good size 18' fiberglass boat, 3 full size men, and all gear. You would never see that in the US. I was impressed by the RAV4 and checked out the US ratings when we got back. It was like 1500 pounds with the factory tow package. That Aussie had at least 4000 pounds in tow and climbed the mountain with it.
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It goes the other way too. My Jeep maintains the US tow ratings, so it is out towed by Suzuki Samurai's (Jimny). The Isuzu MU/ Amigo I had before it was the same size and weight with double the capacity.
The plus side is it's possible to get them re-engineered for a more sensible tow rating by fitting rear disc brakes and 'heavy duty' rear springs/ shocks. I know that 4.0 will eat up those Tassie hills.