Don’t forget that most of the variants sold in Europe offer diesel engines that are well-suited for towing. 1.8L Turbo diesel will easily out torque a 2.0-2.5L N/A gas engine.
Another option would be to find a Sprinter van. I’m pretty sure those little 5cyl diesels get decent fuel mileage.
on second thought, after reading specs on edmunds, it says only 5000 pounds towing capacity
But the Sprinter can be outfitted as a camper and there is no need to pull a trailer.
I have a 2009 Pilot and I love it. I traded in a 05 gas guzzling Xterra which I don’t miss. The Pilot can tow 4,500 lbs with ease. I guess its a awd system but you can lock the diff which I did during some deep snow this winter and have no problem getting out of my unplowed driveway. This thing is huge inside and the third row is very roomy even for adults. Around towm I’m getting 17-18 and i have hit 24 on the highway. I’m very happy with it.
What kind of mileage did yout get with the Xterra? It’s only rated for 2 MPG less (overall) than the Pilot. A friend of mine has on 05 Xterra, with a 6 speed manual and she gets about 18 MPG overall with it.
My Xterra was only getting about 16 on a good day. It ran fine and was well taken care of. It was troublesome. My Xterra needed to be filled every 3-4 days and my Pilot goes a whole week on a tank. Everybody I talked to that had a Xterra also said the same thing I did. You could almost watch the gas gauge move.
The Pilot is more refined then the XTera. It’s also uni-body compared to Body on Frame. I wouldn’t want to do a LOT of towing (say 20-30 times a year) with a unibody. That’s one reason why the Pathfinder went back to the Body on Frame after only 3 years of a Unibody design (96-99). Unibody construction doesn’t hold up well to Off-Roading or a lot of towing…HOWEVER…For most of us it’s fine.
I was about to suggest the Sprinter myself. 5,000 pounds towing capacity meets what the OP said was desired, so what’s the problem?
You could almost watch the gas gauge move.
On my 67 Malibu SS with a 327 and the 4-barrel Rochester Quadrojet…You actually COULD see the gauge move when you floored it. When all 4 of those barrels opened up…it sucked in a lot of gas…It was a good thing that the time I owned it gas prices were under $1.
I agree that you may be asking a lot of some of those vehicles, particularly those that are FWD/AWD. I’d suggest the GMC Arcadia, if it weren’t for the drivetrain. The need for the 3rd row seems to make it tough–without, there are several great options (e.g., Grand Cherokee or possibly even the Liberty). If the third row is a must, how about a Jeep Commander or Chevy Suburban/Tahoe?
No AWD or 4WD maybe? And it’s pretty undepowered for the size of vehicle it is, and it’s pretty expensive (MSRP-wise) for what you get. Many features that are standard on most upper-end SUVs are options on the Sprinter (All-season tires are not standard.)
Look into the Toyota Rav 4. Some of the Rav 4’s have 3rd row seating. You can have your local Toyota dealer search and locate one with a 3rd row. The gas millage is also a bit better than 15/20.
Nobody has mentioned the new Toureg TDI? It isn’t really small, but it was on your list. It is pretty expensive ($42k I believe), but the new 6-cyl is a bunch cheaper than their last attempt at a TDI Toureg. 25 mpg highway and a whopping 7,700lb towing capacity.
I know some people say to forget the dodge, but a lightly used Durango will fit your needs and can be had at a really nice price. Unfortunately it won’t meet your 15/20 gas mileage goal though.
Read the OP’s towing requirements…the Rav-4 doesn’t even come close the towing requirements. It’s a class I…he’s looking for a Class III