Economical tow vehicles

[Hersbird]

Originally Posted by Taylor95

Funny enough, the suburbans around here are all priced high. I could get a similar year expedition for a lot less, which may work for me. The excursions are a bit expensive too, but that isn't too unexpected.

What's nice is that it seems that most of these SUVs changed to a newer body style in 2007 or so. That is still old, but it wouldn't feel old.

The Expeditions are cheap because the 2003 up 3 valve 5.4 is a complete peice of garbage.

We bought a 2009 4x4 Expedition knowing this at the auction for $1500. They may be garbage but $1500 for a 4x4 2009 just couldn't be beat. Around here a 2005 Silverado 4x4 will bring $6000 all day (if not $10,000 for a clean one) while the same year Suburban will struggle to bring $4000.

[Taylor95]

Good news:

My wife now thinks a shorter 3000 lb trailer would work for her business, so my Jeep can tow that. That saves on buying an extra vehicle!

[Ecky]

That's definitely the most economical way: what you already have.

[sikbrik]

It's not helpful since you're no longer towing 7500 lbs but I came here because I was stunned to find out that many Porsche Panameras are rated to tow over 7700lbs. Perhaps not "economical" but certainly better than a truck.

[Noahfreak]

I know you've decided to stop looking at options, but I felt the need to chime in in case someone else needs this info. I actually own a short bed F250 with the V10 in it. It actually gets very good towing mileage for a gasoline powered vehicle, and save for the spark plug issue (which has been well addressed by the aftermarket), it's an extremely reliable engine that rivals diesels in that department. Towing that heavy I get 7-8mpg. Not what anyone would consider fantastic, but when you consider that maintenance costs are so much lower and the initial cost of the vehicle is so much lower, it actually ends up being cheaper to own and operate for someone like me who only tows and hauls with it occasionally. Since I switched it to 3.73 rear gears it actually gets 14+ mpg on the highway. Again, not fantastic, but for a gas engine that's really good in a 4x4 straight axle vehicle that weighs almost 7k lbs and can tow 10k+ lbs with a good safety margin. This is a better option IMO than a newer half ton towing the same weight because the trailer will push those trucks around a lot more.

[E.Roy]

In addition to pickups, an economical tow rig is a Ford E-350 van or GM 3500.

I have always been a truck guy, I like Dodge with Cummins, but I just bought a 2002 E-350 powerstroke 7.3 diesel and it is a bear. I find it comfortable and nice to drive for a Fullsize vehicle.

Rated to row 10,000 lbs trailer, and should do 8,000 comfortably

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by sikbrik

I came here because I was stunned to find out that many Porsche Panameras are rated to tow over 7700lbs.

Does it also apply to the USA and Canada?

Perhaps not "economical" but certainly better than a truck.

Economical is something I would probably never say about a Porsche.

[Taylor95]

I was thinking about a van initially too but I wasn't too sure about which ones to look up.

There is one more thing I would like to mention: we will be getting a Rav4 Prime (if we can find one) in the near future. That has a tow rating of 2500 lbs. If We can find a trailer light enough, the Rav4 would definitely be very economical, especially because I might be able to tow with the electric only driving capability.

Does anyone know how tow ratings are determined? Are there any negatives to towing above the capacity by a few hundred pounds? I assume that the Rav4 Prime would be limited in the areas of suspension and perhaps the frame. I would think that there is plenty of pulling and braking power to tow well above 2500 lbs.

Edit: Supposedly the only relevant difference between the Rav4 Prime and the Rav4 TRD Adventure (tow capacity of 3500 lbs) is that the latter has a transmission cooler. Would simply adding a transmission cooler be sufficient to tow a little more?

[Ecky]

I have towed more than 2000lbs in my Insight. It has no tow rating at all. Some factors that seem important:

-Being able to stop - trailer brakes basically make this irrelevant
-Being able to control the load - the weight of the tow vehicle and distribution of weight in the trailer are hugely important here
-Drivetrain needs to be able to handle the cooling load. In a manual, transmission temperature is a non-issue.

Tow ratings for the same vehicle are vastly different in different countries.

I'm inclined to believe that tow ratings are (at least to some degree) political and subjective.

[freebeard]

Does anyone know how tow ratings are determined?

It's political. The same vehicle will have a tow rating in one country and none in another.

The Lexus LX400h/Toyota Highlander electric rear axle had an oil cooler option. It was a towing package option, and standard in Korea for some reason.

1/4 ton trailers are sorta standard. How often would you need something heavier?





I have a Westfalia like the last picture. The wheels are out for powder coating right now, But I don't have car with a trailer hitch at the moment.