Tow vehicle for 2017 sport 16'

[Jalayton]

I am considering buying a new sport 16' (3500 weight) and have gotten some conflicting advice about Appropriate size SUVs for TV. I want the smallest SUV that still does a great job. Would something like a Ford Escape or the new RAV4 adventure both having tow capacity of 3500 work? Also Jeep Cherokee with 4500 capacity. One airstream rep advised at least 4500 or a 5000 capacity while another said the 3500 was fine. He said any vehicle using regular gas is going to tow about the same regardless of size if the tow capacity of the vehicle if it has at least 3500. He said Any difference in power would be gained by a vehicle using diesel. Please advise! Thanks.

[MsTara]

Not sure if this will help, but here are my thoughts:

Porsche Macan S pulling 2017 16' Airstream:
Macan 4409 lb towing capacity
Macan Hitch capacity 441 lbs
Airstream: 3500 lbs
Airstream Hitch: 350 lbs

- Pulls like a dream
- amazing power
- excellent stopping power
- Pulls like a dream

Lessons learned: The Airstream doesn't have the hitch weight that is advertised once it is loaded :-) Was 500 lbs!

Pulling the 16' Airstream with a 2017 Toyota Tacoma TRD Truck (7700 lb tow capacity)

- Lacks power
- You feel the Airstream behind you
- Not a great driving experience

So, my opinion of the person who says it will tow the same regardless of the vehicle...

- I would not want to pull with only a 3500 lb tow capacity. Your mileage may vary and I was told a LOT of stories about what I could pull/not pull with my vehicle. Most of them were telling me that my capacity didn't matter.

- The tow capacity is the same unless you go to a diesel. I also disagree. I am not saying a diesel wouldn't be a nice pull, but you definitely want to look at the power of the vehicle. I have driven a Rav 4 (never towed with one) and I can't even imagine pulling a trailer with one. I don't think I would have enough power to get out of trouble and THAT is why you go with greater capability. Not for the standard towing, but getting out of trouble (which I hope you never get into).

One other element in regards to my rig: I regularly tow at 8k elevation as well as going from 1k elevation and mountain driving up to the 8k elevation. Your "needs" may be different based upon what you are requesting your vehicle to go through.

Please note, this is just anecdotal based upon my own experience. I am not saying you need to get a Macan S, just that you want to seriously consider the power of your vehicle as well as not being on the "edge" of your vehicle's capability

[Jalayton]

Thank you for your reply and yes it does help. I think you are correct that 3500 capacity is too close to the "edge" of what is needed. I can't believe your little Macan can tow your Sport so nicely. Impressive! Given the fact that your truck doesn't tow so well does make me a bit nervous in that you really don't know totally how it's going to "feel" till you try your vehicle. So any info I can gather ahead of time may help in the process.

I am seriously looking at the Jeep Cherokee because it is the only small SUV in this price range that can tow 4500. All the others are 3500. It has kind of a jittery ride though when test driven so am still hesitant. (Any Cherokee owners out there?). Regarding the RAV4 the Adventure is supposed to be more equipped for towing and is coming with tow package standard, although it is still 3500 capacity.

Thanks again to you any any help from others to this novice!!

[Countryboy59]

Originally Posted by Jalayton

Thank you for your reply and yes it does help. I think you are correct that 3500 capacity is too close to the "edge" of what is needed. I can't believe your little Macan can tow your Sport so nicely. Impressive! Given the fact that your truck doesn't tow so well does make me a bit nervous in that you really don't know totally how it's going to "feel" till you try your vehicle. So any info I can gather ahead of time may help in the process.

I am seriously looking at the Jeep Cherokee because it is the only small SUV in this price range that can tow 4500. All the others are 3500. It has kind of a jittery ride though when test driven so am still hesitant. (Any Cherokee owners out there?). Regarding the RAV4 the Adventure is supposed to be more equipped for towing and is coming with tow package standard, although it is still 3500 capacity.

Thanks again to you any any help from others to this novice!!

Go up a size to the Grand Cherokee.

I have an Escape and wouldn't use the hitch receiver for anything but a bike rack. I did talk to a guy who towed a light SOB with one and he said it was great. They call it an SUV, but I don't care what they call it. The Escape is a compact car.

I'd be suspicious of too light of a hitch weight. Make sure nothing's misloaded. If you sway with one of those small vehicles you're done.

[mrdfred]

Just a thought...
IMHO get the smallest trailer you can enjoy and the biggest TV you can afford. Too much trailer for the TV is dangerous, too much TV for the trailer is security

Just my rule of thumb.

[Johnnyooo]

My Personal opinion is that the first airstream dealer you spoke to was correct..You want to be in the 4500, to 5000lb. Class... I have a 2016 bambi 16'... My TV is a 2011 Toyota 4Runner...500# tongue weight... 5000#tow capacity It tows very easily..But I wouldn't want to tow with anything smaller...The two you mentioned are too small...The Rav and the escape are not gonna give you enough of a cushion... Too close to the limits of the vehicles

[greenflag]

Good advice from mrdfred. Never push the limits of your tv. You will not be satisfied with the result.
Grand Cherokee is probably a good choice. If you don't mind trucks take a look at the GMC Canyon with the 2.8L Duramax diesel.

[chelli]

I've towed my 2015 16' sport with both my 2013 Lexus r450h and our 2015 Dodge diesel 1500. No problems with either but I feel more comfortable in the Dodge. I have an unnatural love affair with my Lexus and while it's only rated for 3500# and the dealer said I could go up to 4800#, after seeing a sway with another rig and eventual roll over, I moved to the Dodge. I wholeheartedly agree - get more than you need. You can't have fun with your trailer if you're dead.

[MsTara]

Originally Posted by Jalayton

I am seriously looking at the Jeep Cherokee because it is the only small SUV in this price range that can tow 4500. All the others are 3500. It has kind of a jittery ride though when test driven so am still hesitant. (Any Cherokee owners out there?). Regarding the RAV4 the Adventure is supposed to be more equipped for towing and is coming with tow package standard, although it is still 3500 capacity.

If it isn't a "nice" drive without a Trailer, then it is going to be worse with a trailer.

Also, your WD/Sway package does make a difference. I love my Blue Ox, but once again I don't use my package to stretch my vehicle's capability.

[Doc Foster]

You might want to look at a Toyota 4Runner with a towing capacity of 5000 lbs. The 4x4 version is very capable off road as well. You get the Toyota reliability which I believe is much better than the Jeep.

[LiveStreamn]

For what it's worth...I am pulling a 2018 Sport 22 with a 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee LTD. We have about 800 miles on it so far and it ties very well. No issues thus far. We lose about 9 mpg when towing.

The only thing I cannot get used to is the screeching from the equalizer. Drive me nuts.

[maeisinger36]

Here is my story. Had a brand new 19 ft airstream flying cloud which i pulled with a jeep grand cherokee. My unit had only been on 4 short trips. It was only 6 months old when (while not moving and waiting for traffic to move) i was rear-ended by a big truck which totaled by beautiful 2015 airstream.... I am now also wanting to buy a 16 foot airstream and drive a lexus rx350. I am wanting the same info on the ability of the lexus to tow that size. Note. My grand cherokee pulled the 19 foot like a "dream", didnt even know it was behind me.

[TLHough]

Earlier this year, I purchased a 3.3 L V6 2016 Kia Sorento to pull my 2016 AS BaseCamp and on all my various adventures to date (even to Missouri and back), it's worked out great, with all the towing power and then some needed to get it up some pretty steep hills and on busy highways and streets. It has a rating of 5,000 lbs. of towing capacity which gives me a cushion of 1,500 lbs. over the GVW listing for the BC of 3,500 lbs. I wouldn't go with anything less then at least a 5,000 lbs towing capacity for a similar GVW AS.

[Daquenzer]

I had a Jeep Cherokee. I didn't like the transmission. It did not shift well. It was good on power with the V-6. But I'm not sure I would want to pull a trailer loaded with stuff. Consider a Ford F-150 with the new 2.7 Liter Ecoboost? Probably about the same price as a well equipped Jeep Cherokee. And you have a truck bed and better payload. If you want to take bikes etc. you have more options.

[tjwoods1]

I have a 16' Bambi Sport and also found the tongue weight to be heavier than the specs say. I tow with a Toyota Highlander XLE (it has 5,00lbs tow capacity and 500lbs tongue weight). I have an aftermarket Curt tow hitch and brake controller. It tows the Bambi beautifully and I love the Highlander in general.

[1811SAR]

As has been mentioned on this forum in the past... pulling is only part of the equation.

What happens if somebody cuts you off? Is the TV going to be hardy enough to handle the evasive maneuver/escape the accident? Is it going to be able to accelerate or stop or just maybe part of each?

Contingency planning consideration:
When you decide on a TV make sure it will stop the AS without the trailer brakes. Position your brake controller where you can get to it most riki tik...

From experience, in a crisis, you want performance right now, not in a little while.
A good friend of mine got pushed under a tractor trailer by the trailer that was too big for the TV...

How you pack your trailer is probably covered in another thread somewhere, I'm new here.

Load balance/CG (center of gravity)/tongue weight are huge when weight shifting occurs. You'll want to make sure your load won't shift under excessive G loading due to an abrupt stop or lane change maneuver... I've seen aircraft crash because a load shifted.

When your load (AS) starts dictating your direction of travel you are headed down an avenue less traveled. The only way out may be your throttle and rapid acceleration/torque to your escape route, while dragging your trailer brakes to help straighten out/neutralize the undesirable G forces attempting to ruin your trip may save the day.

Situational Awareness (SA) is improved by a view from a taller seating position. We taught our Special Agents to practice High Visual Horizon, it might be covered here as well, not sure. If you can see better, you can anticipate sooner and slow your roll smoother. When you spill my Iced Tea, I get cranky...

This is a fantastic forum, thanks for allowing my opinion here...

Cheers mates,
G

[dkottum]

We love our small diesels (RAM EcoDiesel and VW TDI) for towing, extraordinary fuel economy and range, and everyday comfort.

Here's the newest one from Chevrolet that will tow a small Airstream "like it's not even there". Spend time researching and setting up a highly capable weight distribution system.

http://www.foxnews.com/auto/2017/08/...eavy-haul.html

[WestieHouse]

Originally Posted by Jalayton

Thank you for your reply and yes it does help. I think you are correct that 3500 capacity is too close to the "edge" of what is needed. I can't believe your little Macan can tow your Sport so nicely. Impressive! Given the fact that your truck doesn't tow so well does make me a bit nervous in that you really don't know totally how it's going to "feel" till you try your vehicle. So any info I can gather ahead of time may help in the process.

I am seriously looking at the Jeep Cherokee because it is the only small SUV in this price range that can tow 4500. All the others are 3500. It has kind of a jittery ride though when test driven so am still hesitant. (Any Cherokee owners out there?). Regarding the RAV4 the Adventure is supposed to be more equipped for towing and is coming with tow package standard, although it is still 3500 capacity.

Thanks again to you any any help from others to this novice!!

When we purchased our 2015 23FB the Airstream sales person tried to sell me the 25', which we actually preferred. But since we had recently purchased our 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee EcoDiesel we did not want to buy a bigger tow vehicle. As others above have said, I would NOT trust the AS dealer/sales person. None of those I spoke with even owned an Airstream.

Also, as others above said, the tongue weight published in the manual is no where near accurate. we are almost 50% higher, and I do check the tongue weight with a tongue weight scale before our trips.

The Jeep GC diesel and the V8 hemi have the same towing capacity, 7,200 lbs and 720 lbs. tongue weight. The diesel has 420 ft lbs of torque and 240 hp. I average 16.5 mpg towing. Today we drove 450 miles into a headwind across the high planes and got 13.6 mpg. I have measured 20 mpg with a good tailwind.

We have logged over 90,000 miles on the Jeep, including about 35,000 towing our 23FB (dry wt about 4800 lbs. and actual towed weight as measured on CAT scales is usually 5400 lbs).

The Jeep has been a great tow vehicle, including multiple trips across the Cascades, the Rockies, the Grapevine, and Siskeyous. Our 2nd trip was rt Seattle - St. John's Newfoundland (about 15,000 miles) and the Jeep was terrific in all kinds of weather, wind, and terrain. The biggest downside is payload capacity. We can only load 1,050 lbs on the Jeep, and that includes the hitch, tongue weight, any gear, and passengers.

We never feel any sway even with semis passing us at 75 mph (their speed as I stay between 60-65 except for brief periods when I am not paying attention and drift up to 75 mph. The Jeep really does handle the pulling weight so well you do need to remember you have a trailer behind you.

I would pay close attention to the following when considering any tow vehicle:
1. definitely get the tow package - to prevent over heating
2. towing capacity
3. tongue weight limit
4. axle limits (see the door label for the specific vehicle you intend to purchase)
5. payload
6. hitch attachment to the vehicle
7. wheelbase (shorter is more maneuverable, but longer is more stable going down th road).
8. A good weight distribution hitch and anti-sway hitch is critical.
9. Can the rear tailgate or hatch open fully while you are hooked up?

I love the Jeep, especially when we unhitch and go exploring locally. And the Summit model is very comfy. But I am considering a truck to gain more payload capacity. After upgrading to AGM batteries (they are heavier on the tongue) and carrying solar panels (37 lbs) in the Jeep, we would like to have more capacity.

That's a bit more than requested, but I sure have learned a great deal from folks on this forum and am glad add my experience to the mix.

Enjoy ascending the learning curve - it does flatten out just a bit over time!

D2

[1811SAR]

Originally Posted by WestieHouse

The Jeep has been a great tow vehicle, terrific in all kinds of weather, wind, and terrain. The biggest downside is payload capacity.

I would pay close attention to the following when considering any tow vehicle:
1. definitely get the tow package - to prevent over heating
2. towing capacity
3. tongue weight limit
4. axle limits (see the door label for the specific vehicle you intend to purchase)
5. payload
6. hitch attachment to the vehicle
7. wheelbase (shorter is more maneuverable, but longer is more stable going down th road).
8. A good weight distribution hitch and anti-sway hitch is critical.
9. Can the rear tailgate or hatch open fully while you are hooked up?

I am considering a truck to gain more payload capacity.

That's a bit more than requested, but I sure have learned a great deal from folks on this forum and am glad add my experience to the mix.

Enjoy ascending the learning curve - it does flatten out just a bit over time!

D2

Has there been any more movement on the Jeep ~ Dodge Ram Diesel emissions front? Apparently the same group that found the VW culprits have now implicated FCA. My brother has the TDi Touareg, upgraded from his Kia Sorento V6, and loves it of towing his 16' tag-along but VW got caught cheating on the emissions front. He's still awaiting the results of the law suit.

http://autoweek.com/article/diesel/u...ore-road-tests

[Tinbox]

I pulled my 27 ft with the F150 3.5 Eco boost and was surprised at the ease of pulling the unit. It is rated for 12000 lbs however I have found when it comes to pulling your rig more is better than less.