Economical tow vehicles - Page 5 - Fuel Economy, Hypermiling, EcoModding News and Forum

Isaac Zachary · 06-26-2021, 06:14 PM

As an eco freak I would tend more towards the Prius Prime before the RAV4 PRIME. It does have only 2,000lbs towing though and less leg room in the rear (but more in the front).

If there were a Camry Prime I'd get one of those. Or with just Camry vs. RAV4 non-prime I'd get the Camry. The Camry has more leg room front and rear and has better safety ratings. The RAV4 only has a 4 star overall NHTSA crash test rating but the Camry has a perfect 5 star rating. The Camry is also only about 50lbs lighter, so in the same weight category. The Camry also makes it onto the IISH's Top Safety Picks Plus list. The RAV4 barely makes it onto the Top Safety Picks list if you get it with certain headlights.

The Camry, however, has even less towing capacity (which is strange since it comes with the same engine and weighs pretty much the same). But still, I prefer leg room over head room. I'm more of a Lazy Boy kind of guy, not a kitchen chair kind of guy. That's what I love about my Avalon. I've been tortured sitting all day long in the rear of a RAV4 before. But I don't care who drives the Avalon, I'll have enough space in the rear even if I sit there.

PaulB2 · 06-26-2021, 06:16 PM

Porsche Cayenne diesel tows 7700 lbs. No serious issues but the factory service is ruinous every 5000 miles. Do it yourself...

Ours is 9 years old, still looks and runs great.

Taylor95 · 06-26-2021, 06:55 PM

Having a ~3000 lb trailer is a necessity for my wife's business. A lighter one likely would not have all the things that she needs.

Strangely enough, there was a Prius Prime at the dealership here. It looked nice, but there were two things I really hated about it: the horrible white interior and there was hardly enough room in the back for half a week's worth of groceries! Other than that, I am sure that it is a great car.

I suppose that the 2500 lb tow capacity on the Rav4 Prime is not really a limit then. I think I can just install a larger transmission cooler and be just fine with a 3000 lb trailer!

The Atomic Ass · 06-26-2021, 07:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Autobahnschleicher

The weirdest wheelbase to trailer ratio I've ever seen ws a Smart ForTwo towing a trailer with a glider inside it.
These trailers are almost 10 m long, it looked hillarious.

Note: That was *not* on public roads and you absolutely shouldn't do that.

Certainly my vehicle is a good bit larger than a ForTwo, but...

All I need is a slimp, and I'll be able to actually load it to capacity.

Usual disclaimer: amatuer driver, public roads, yada-yada.

The Atomic Ass · 06-26-2021, 07:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Taylor95

Having a ~3000 lb trailer is a necessity for my wife's business. A lighter one likely would not have all the things that she needs.

Strangely enough, there was a Prius Prime at the dealership here. It looked nice, but there were two things I really hated about it: the horrible white interior and there was hardly enough room in the back for half a week's worth of groceries! Other than that, I am sure that it is a great car.

I suppose that the 2500 lb tow capacity on the Rav4 Prime is not really a limit then. I think I can just install a larger transmission cooler and be just fine with a 3000 lb trailer!

As you can see from my pictures above, even un-modified, Toyota's HSD doesn't run into any cooling issues. Priinocchio now has over 300,000 miles.

Isaac Zachary · 06-26-2021, 08:29 PM

I tow with my hybrid Avalon over 5,000 to 12,000ft passes and have no problems. Then again, I limit my towing loads to less than 1,500lbs.

cRiPpLe_rOoStEr · 06-26-2021, 09:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Taylor95

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.

It's worth to remind the so-called e-CVT featured on many hybrids, such as the Toyotas with the HSD system, has a substantially different working principle in comparison to an actual CVT.