Choosing the right tow vehicle

[Aaron-Laura]

We just purchased a used 2016 22' Bambi Sport. We are looking for a used vehicle to pull it and are tying to decide on a V6 SUV or V8. What are your experiences?

[dkottum]

What are you driving now?

[Aaron-Laura]

Originally Posted by dkottum

What are you driving now?

Will be trading in our 2010 Honda CRV. Not able to pick up trailer until March :-( Traveling back to NJ from Kansas to pick it up. Have some time to get the right vehicle.

[dkottum]

Use a V6 and full independent suspension, SUV, van, or Honda Ridgeline would be nice. Learn about weight distribution hitches and setting them up properly, that is often the difference between a good and bad towing combination.

[GMFL]

V8 nuff said

[GMFL]

Less is not more. More is more

[dkottum]

Originally Posted by GMFL

V8 nuff said

Good to know, I didn't think they made a V8 small enough for a 22' Bambi.

[dkottum]

Originally Posted by GMFL

Less is not more. More is more

Not these days.

Our 3.0 V6 has more torque, more transmission gears, lower axle gears (read more pulling power) than our 5.7 V8 we traded in.

[NorCal Matt]

I tow a 25' with a v6(though twin turboed). I would think it's a vehicle by vehicle decision. What do you like? Can that handle it?

[GMFL]

It's not all about motor but also about the vehicle the motor is in. Payload. Not many with an acceptable payload are going to have small displacement motors. Having to have the frame reworked in order to carry the tongue weight is not what I would call safe. Most " crossover SUV's are in fact cars with easy riding light weight suspension systems. Sure an aluminum twin turbocharged 5 cylinder EFI 19 speed transmission eco boost solar powered "car-truck" can pull an airstream. But what about wheel base of TV. Longevity of the transmission. Thinks like transmission coolers, oil coolers. I just think a tow vehicle should be designed to TOW not forced to TOW

[moosetags]

My suggestion would be to do your research and crunch the numbers. With a 22 Sport, you will want a tow vehicle that can pull 5,000# and accommodate a 500# tongue weight. With these numbers, I am adding slightly to the Airstream specs as the manufacturer's numbers are always tilted in their favor.

There is one consideration that you should not overlook. The 500# tongue weight uses up a portion of the tow vehicle's carrying capacity. This capacity includes everything that you are carrying in the tow vehicle including the weight of the passengers. Significantly overloading the tow Vehicle's capacity will have a negative impact on you towing experience.

Brian

[rostam]

As for a used tow vehicle for a 22' Airstream, I would suggest 2012 Mercedes Benz GL 350/450/550. You can buy a first generation Mercedes GL (2012 was the last year) for a very good price now. GL 350 (we have one, tow a 26' Avion with it) has a great 3.0L Turbo Diesel engine and gets fuel economy in high teens when towing. GL 450 has a good V8 engine, and GL 550 has a monster V8 that lets you go up the grades at 80 MPH They obviously won't get diesel's MPG.

These vehicles are super comfortable with air suspension (the most comfortable vehicle I have ever driven) and are great for long travels. They are heavy and have a relatively long wheelbase, both of which help with stability -- you can get a very stable tow with a $200 hitch. The tow hitch has 2 large support arms that make for a very stout hitch unibody connection and provide leverage for weight distribution. Unlike some other unibody vehicles weight distribution hitch is allowed. You can use cruise control when towing in all but most extreme terrains, and it will not only downshifts, but also applies the brakes, which in turn applies the trailer brakes. The third row seats, if you ever need them, are more comfortable and spacious that some minivans.

The bad? Maintenance cost is higher (its a Mercedes be it a used one), the older models had a faulty tow hitch (2011 and earlier, if I'm not mistaken, stay away from those), and as a daily driver they are, IMO, too big for DC or NYC traffic.

P.S. GL is rated to tow 7500# and 600# tongue weight, so you can tow a 7500# boat (tongue weight is less than 10%) or a 6000# trailer (with 10% tongue weight). The payload is around 1200# for Diesel. GL450's payload is around 1350#. I don't know GL550's payload, but it should not be less than the Diesel. These are acceptable figures for what you are towing.

[dkottum]

If you would like to stay with the reliability and reasonable maintenance costs of your Honda, the Odyssey or Ridgeline are a good matchup with very decent carrying capacities. We have a forum member towing an Airstream 34 with a van and another who really likes towing his Airstream Sport 22 with his Ridgeline.

The range of experience here in this forum is extremely broad, and most people like what they have. Until they get something else.

Many of us have learned about towing our Airstreams from this second generation Airstream dealer and towing shop in Ontario. There is none better. They have an online questionnaire that can help you decide if your tow vehicle will perform well.

http://www.canamrv.ca/towing-expertise/contact/

[rostam]

A 22' has a gross weight of 4500. As others have stated, you'd be better off buying a tow vehicle that has some spare capacity. Less wear and tear on the tow vehicle and more relaxed experience for the driver.

Ridgeline is rated at 5000# and is a good choice (unless you see yourself moving to a larger trailer in the future). Odyssey is rated at 3500#. Personally, I would stay away from any vehicle that is underrated or requires after market modification.

As for the Odyssey towing a 34... well there is more to than story and I just won't go there.

Good luck!

[Llittle54]

Just drove our 2017 22 from the Olympic Pen to Hood River on winding icy hilly roads with a 2015 Tacoma. Have the tow package and blue ox with 750# bars. Didn't know it was there by feel. Probably couldn't stop that fast so kept it slow.
Looked at a lot of advise in the forums before we upgraded to the 22 from the 16. Was a little worried til I tried it myself, not now.

[TwoSporks]

We shared our experiences with choosing a tow vehicle in a detailed two-part post on our blog. You can find the first part here: http://www.naturephotoguides.com/tra...vehicle-part-i.

[Tom_T]

I can't speak specifically for all vehicles, but in the 2006-14 that we looked at between the Toyota/Lexus & VW/Audi/Porsche mid-sized SUVs that we looked at, the V8s were better suited to towing.

We're looking for a nice used 2008-14 Cayenne S with the normally aspirated V8 ourselves (the VW Touareg & Audi Q7 "cousins" are the same deal), because the V6 version is only about 1-2 mpg better city/hwy, but gets worse mpg than the V8 when towing because the V6 is working harder - but both have the same 7716 lb. Tow Rating & 700 lb hitch wt. rating. since we'll be using the Cayenne as much or more for towing, than not - I think it will be a wash for us on overall mpg.

That said, the newer V6 turbos have more HP & Torque kicks in lower in the RPM (engine speed) & stays there longer, than the older V8s - so they're probably more capable, but may still have a lower mpg while towing. I know this is the case for the Porsche/VW/Audi trio.

Then there are also V6 TDI diesels out there with really good towing power, but unfortunately the VW Diesel Cheating Scandal has put those all in limbo for owners as far as smog compliance & the ability to re-register them at some future date, & they had stopped sales on them since it broke in 2015. So they're a "no go" IMHO until & unless resolved with California's CARB & US EPA & the States' & Federal courts.

There is some good info on these 3 & a bit on other import tow vehicles at this topic below FYI -

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f463...rs-134917.html

You should be okay towing the 22' with a newer well powered V6 turbo, or Diesel or a V8 - & even the non-turbo gas V6s may still be capable of towing it, but you'll notice it on the hills.

In 2013 we were renting the truck based Nissan Pathfinders with their 4.0L V6 to pull our "vintage kin" 1960 Avion T20 (only about 3000-3500 lbs loaded, so lighter than your "modern" 22' AS), & it was capable of towing the load, but ran at high RPMs on even modest grades with lots of downshifting/upshifting constantly (this was in SoCal & Central Coast with only modest hilly terrain), which we felt would drive us nuts on longer trips in hilly or mountanous country.

The Pathfinder V6s also got about the same 15-17 mpg while towing, as the humongous Ford F250 & Dodge 2500 3/4 ton crew cab pick-ups with V8's that we've been renting since then, & the V8 trucks get about the same 17-18 mpg whether towing or not for our trailer.

On a personal note, we also found the Nissan Pathfinder, Toyota 4Runner V8s & Lexus GX470/460 to be rougher riding, more "tippy" & the GX470/460 surprised us by having very hard & uncomfortable seats like planks - so we dropped them from our search.

We're looking at mid-size SUVs with V8 power for towing, due to space constraints at our 1921 home & in the narrow "Old Towne Orange" streets in front & in this area. The big trucks/SUVs are just too much of a PITA in maneuvering here, & I can only open the driver side doors about 18" when backed-in to hitch-up into our narrow 8' wide driveway with walls & obstacles just 18" away on each side (or on opposite side doors when nose-in). So a big truck is not in our target!

Hope this helps some.

Happy Holidays!
Tom
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[USAtraveler]

I like Doug & Cheryl's advice...very logical and reasonable. An economical and torquey V6 can be a better match than a small V8 for your 22' Bambi. Whatever vehicle you decide to buy, make sure you order it with the factory tow package. You get much more than than a hitch receiver and cable connector. It will also include a transmission cooler, a larger alternator, a larger battery and often a larger radiator. The rear springs and onboard computer may also be calibrated for a heavier load (load sensing).

[jtwind]

It's about torque and at at what RPM. Having your max horsepower or torque at 5 thousand rpm isn't goint to do you much good. So V6 or V8 isn't the question. My Ram ecodiesel v6 has more torque than the Hemi v8 and way better mileage. Add in towing capacity and payload etc. it's a all a balancing act with your checkbook. You need to do the research on what you need, with a bit of a margin and then the sort of vehicles you like and what they cost. This is your decision to make.

[ericpeltier]

Part of an answer to your question is this: what will the vehicle need to do when it's NOT towing? Many vehicles can tow this, but they all have different capabilities when not towing.