Towing Vechicle for 3500 lbs

[Diamondpilot]

Any small SUV with a V6 should do the job. The Cherokee and Explorer are what the postal guys use around here. That says a lot because those vehicles take a beating.

Chris

 

[check]

Go with the Honda pilot. It has more room than the other midsize SUVs, and of course it has the Honda reliability. We had a 2008, and now we have a 2010, and it has serviced us very well. Also, if you buy new, look for at least a $5000 discount from the MSRP. Also, here in Canada, they are clearing out the F150s big time, because the brand-new 2015 is coming out very soon. Thus you can get a nicely equipped XLT super crew with the 5 1/2 foot box for less than $400 per month in the 4 x 4, with zero down. And my 6 seat 2010 F150 with the big 5.4 litre V8 gets about the same mileage as my Honda pilot.

 

[radioman]

a kia sedona can do what you are asking. seat 5 people and tow 3.5k lbs. 4k if WD. I do it all the time.

 

[Topkicker]

Why not a Chevy Traverse or GMC Acadia? Slightly larger than an Explorer or Cherokee and seats seven. Tows up to 5200lbs.

 

[tcartwri]

V6 Highlander or Explorer would be my choice. However you can buy a full size pickup and have some change leftover for what they cost. The V-6 RAM or GM would get roughly the same fuel economy as well...

edit ... Sorry, missed the part about wanting to stay away from pickups..

 

[3930dave]

For towing, I prefer the longest wheelbase that I can afford. That's partly from a comfort standpoint, but more so safety. You didn't mention your intended towing distances (I think)..... towing Max Load with a short wheelbase vehicle is doable, but can get to be a PITA driving through high winds for hours.

Some of the sport-cutes I've driven have a bit of a hobby horse ride to them, given the condition of roads around here.

Last I looked, many minivans will tow 3500#, and will ride better than many things out there, towing or not.

For a road vehicle, only towing 3500#, 4wd is not a priority for me.

:2cents:

Rgds, D.

 

[Travelover]

..........Last I looked, many minivans will tow 3500#, and will ride better than many things out there, towing or not.............Rgds, D.

Minivans make outstanding tow vehicles and are also very versatile. Just not very macho.

 

[3930dave]

Minivans make outstanding tow vehicles and are also very versatile. Just not very macho.

Yeah, I know, the Marketing Werks !

That said, this reminded me of he Chrsyler ad.... "Need to prove your manhood ?" or something to that effect. Picture one was the stereotypical guy loaded up with gold chains, standy beside a red Ferrari.

Picture beside it was a Caravan, a Regular Guy+Wife+3 kids.

I don't own a minivan, or have kids, but I got a chuckle out of that ad.

Rgds, D.

 

[downslope]

...Plenty of other mid-size SUVs as well, but pay attention to the tow ratings, as many of the FWD-based models don't tow a lot...

I was wondering about that. Isn't it better to tow this kind of weight with a vehicle that started life as a RWD and not use a FWD or Crossover type vehicle? The recommendations here are running all over the place, Escapes, Explorers, Tacomas, MDX, Ridgelines, minivans, etc. etc.

Kubotafan is looking for a used, 4wd capable vehicle to tow 3500 lbs. My friend has towed occasionally a small 1800# sailboat trailer with his 3.8 Grand Caravan; in the mountains it is disappointing to say the least. If it was 4WD option it would be even worse.

If it was me wanting to tow 3500# day in and day out I would stick to a RWD based SUV or truck. There's a big difference between an Escape/RAV/Highlander and an Explorer/Cherokee etc. A V6 Tacoma, Supercrew, or the likes would also do the job. Even with the V6 option in the crossovers you are still bumping right at the 3500# limit and towing with a FWD unit body vehicle.

The thing is when all is said and done the mileage may not be much better than his current F150 unless the 150 has a big engine. We'd all like to have a little 4-cyl all-wheel drive that gets great mileage, can tow 3,500 lbs every day, be super reliable and able to find a nice used one. I don't think it exists right now. Maybe Ford will come out with an Ecoboost 4 cyl in a RWD truck or somebody else with a 6 cyl diesel.

I would stick to RWD based truck or SUV to tow 3500 lbs regularly and reliably. If they still made something like the small Chevy Astro van that was around until about 8 years ago, that would do the job as it was 4.3L V6 and available AWD.

 

[Travelover]

......... My friend has towed occasionally a small 1800# sailboat trailer with his 3.8 Grand Caravan; in the mountains it is disappointing to say the least. If it was 4WD option it would be even worse............

A lot of how a vehicle tows has to do with having the trailer set up properly. You want to tow level and keep the heavy parts of the trailer inward toward the trailer's center. Obviously, you want the weight forward biased, but not with excessive tongue weight. In some cases a weight distributing hitch is called for to move weight to the front wheels. A bigger tow vehicle will be more tolerant of a bad trailer set up, but a minivan will tow 3500 pounds well if properly set up.