Good discussion. I was looking for similar answers in trying to match a vehicle to tow my small fishing boat. I’ve been using a Dodge Dakota 4x4 pickup. Our Hyundai Tucson is rated to tow up to 1500 lbs, which is probably close to what my boat and trailer weigh. In reality, a bicycle could tow this boat & trailer - downhill. The acceleration and the stopping are the key variables when matching a lead to a load.
Subaru a minor but successful US player has 2000-3000lb capacity with their Impreza, Legacy/Outback and Forester dependent on year etc.
I know at least 3 Impreza owners who have that car wanted something small and truck/suv that can tow their boats. All are beyond satisfied with the Subaru including its AWD on a ramp.
I was shocked when I found out the tow capacity of an Impreza exceeds many smaller SUV’s.
I think this video will help explain it. I believe the video was shot in Britain.
The basic thinking here in the USA is that when towing, you can never have too much power. I tend to agree to a point. I would prefer a minimum of a small V6 for towing rather than a huge V8. If you really want a good car for towing, look at all the models that are used as police cruisers. In fact, a used police cruiser makes a pretty good tow vehicle.
Other posters are correct about litigation. America; land of the free and the class action lawsuit.
Of course they’re cautious about what they say to you. One tiny word being miscontrued and next thing you know the lawyers are lining up at the door. Odds are these calls are also being taped; just in case.
Car makers are routinely sued for less than this.
With so many SUVs and pickupos on the market, US manufacturers lost interest in the towing capacity of their cars, it seems.
The last one I had was a rear drive Chevy Impala with a factory package rated at 5000#. It had HD radiator, springs, transmission oil cooler, special rear end, HD battery, alternator, and a proper wiring harness. The whole thing was only $300 extra.
Agree that you can still equip a Crown Vic to tow a decent trailer. But be prepared to spend some money beefing it up! Front wheel drive cars don’t tow very well, except small utility trailers. Most transmissions these days are so fragile that they would not survive one major trip with a trailer in tow.
If you enjoyed that video, you will like this one too.
Sad but true.
Way to many out there don’t know what they’re doing.
You ought to see some of them trying to spot a trailer in a campsite.
There’s the camper who took the awning off the side of the trailer because he didn’t remember to properly stow it for the road.
Or the one who removed the A/C, three roof vents, antenna and a fold down tv dish from the roof in one reversing shot, thanks to a low tree limb.
The way to avoid all this is to simply use that head for more than an ear separator.
Yep, some of these rigs are as large as a tractor trailer. Even the smaller RVs are as large as many small trucks that require a class B commercial drivers license. Yet you only need a special license to drive a class A motorhome. I think we should require more training and a special license for those who want to drive anything that large.
I suspect Ford marketing wanted to sell more Explorers.
Probably very true. Another factor is that the steering and suspension has undergone many tweaks and Ford may not have bothered to test the new stuff with the heavy weight. The big changes I can think of are the Watt’s link in the rear in '98 and rack and pinion in the front ca. 2004. Shock mounting has also been changed, axles and others, I am sure.
You got me thinking, so I went to the U-Haul and E-Trailer sites. I plugged in 2007 Toyota Yaris. They list hitches with a 2000 lb trailer weight. They state not to exceed the MFG rating, so the are covering their butts.
I would say towing 2000lbs from the local Home Depot or dump is a lot different than going cross country or up hills. I was happy i was towing with a F-250 when I lost the trailer brakes. Having a heavy truck makes the the longer tows much more comfortable and safer.
Having said that, I can see your point if you do infrequent, light, and short towing. Many of my fellow track mates tow tire trailers with their Miatas. but then again, racing has already voided the warranty.
The real deal is to ask the people who install trailer hitches. We, as regulators, do not put ourselves in the other guy’s shoes. I don’t want you towing with a Yaris but if I had to do it, it would be OK. You can tow the same as the Canadian Yaris because there is no difference. Somebody will always say that the warranty conditions have been violated.
Like the original poster, I’ve used a mid-sized car to tow. For 6 years I’ve used a 98 Ford Contour V6 (150 lb tongue / 1500 lb towing capacity) to tow a small sailboat (200 lb trailer + 200 lb boat), or alternately a 250 lb trailer + 100 lb of surfboards. Engines get hot in Arizona, so I added a transmission cooler, and don’t run the A/C under tow. No problems – the car’s long wheelbase and low center of gravity make towing very safe and controlled.
Responders to this thread have argued against towing a large boat or RV behind a car. I don’t think that’s the question here. My question is, why are so many modern small-to-medium-sized cars (Mazda3, mazda5, 09 Focus) not rated to tow even a 500 lb utility trailer?
And can anyone suggest a replacement for my aging Contour – say a wagon or hatchback with decent reliability and a 1K tow capacity, in the $15–20K range?
I bet the clutch would smell funny getting a heavy boat/trailer up a steep launch no matter how good the driver is. The automatics have a really advantageous feature called a torque converter. It does actually transmit more torque to the output shaft when the engine is turning faster than the output shaft. With a simple clutch, the excess energy is turned to heat.