Such a thing as a daily driver that tows?

[Campbell]

I am trying to figure options for my next vehicle.. I have a 2100 lb ITB that I have been towing with a tow dolly and my wife's Volvo wagon.. I would like to get a trailer to get the race car off the road. So, I can't afford to have a vehicle to just tow with, I would like something that is good on gas as a daily driver and also tow the race car on a trailer. It is just my wife and I so I don't need a "people hauler". I have never had a truck or SUV before so am not familiar with the plus's or minus's. Just what do I need to tow with? thanks

[dickita15]

Many of the midsize SUV’s or small pickups will tow 4000 – 5000 pounds. You may want to search for the thread on using minivans. One big help would be to spend a little more for a decent aluminum trailer. The 500 pounds saving can be huge.

[lateapex911]

I have a friend who tows his 2700 pound GT2 car won an aluminum trailer behind his VW Toureg. Seems happy with it.

[JoshS]

I have a friend who tows his 2700 pound GT2 car won an aluminum trailer behind his VW Toureg. Seems happy with it.
[/b]

The Touareg is rated at a nice 7700 lbs. But unfortunately it doesn't get mileage any better than many real tow vehicles which was a requirement for the OP. Of course, it blows away the mileage of my 8.1L gas Suburban!

[Jake]

Most people on this forum will most likely suggest something that is far overkill.

Dick is right on target. Get yourself an aluminum trailer and you'll be able to have a MUCH better daily driver.

Most car based SUV's will tow 3500lbs very well and safely. If you get a lightweight trailer you could stay under 3500lbs and get yourself something like a Toyota Highlander (which is really just a Camry Wagon) or Honda Pilot (ever wondered what happened to the Accord Wagon?)

I don't know what your price range is, but there are plenty of other good vehicles that fit the bill. If you are a Volvo lover you can get an XC90. I once travelled thousands of miles towing my MR2 on an aluminum trailer with a Lexus RX400h (Hybrid). Without the slightest problem. (and got 16mpg doing my usual extra-legal speeds)

If you think you'll be above that weight - a Nissan Pathfinder or Toyota 4Runner will do the trick.

Anything else is just wasting gas.

Jake

[eMKay]

Aluminum trailer or keep the dolly + Minivan =

[gran racing]

Jake, I know you've mentioned the Pathfinder to us a bunch of times. If one didn't have an aluminum trailer and a heavier car (2450 lbs), the weight quickly exceeds the 5,000 towing capacity rating with 8 tires, tool boxes, other gear.... I realize that is a rating primarily for cooling, but for longer tows it makes me nervous. It sounds like it would fit into Cambell's needs though with his lighter car.

Oh, there's also my need to fit two dogs (one rather big one) behind the rear seats.

[JeffYoung]

While I agree most people go overkill with a tow vehicle, let me suggest the flip side.

4 door pickups with diesels are now excellent daily drivers. I went from a 3/4 ton Suburban that got 10 mph to a new Dodge 2500 diesel pick up, with 4 doors and a short bed. The Dodge is still big, but shorter than the Burb, seats 5 comfortably, is parkable in mall parking lots, etc. and gets 20 mph unladen, 14 mpg towing.

Yes, it's way bigger than a Pilot, etc. but the gas mileage is decent, the bed is handy and it has the extra towing capacity if you ever need it. Plus, you can get one NEW for low 30s, and a year or two old one for mid to low 20s. The Ford diesels are even nicer inside, and the Chevys aren't bad either.

Just avoid duallies and long beds. They are what make the truck unusable as a daily driver.

[tom_sprecher]

While I agree most people go overkill with a tow vehicle, let me suggest the flip side.

4 door pickups with diesels are now excellent daily drivers. I went from a 3/4 ton Suburban that got 10 mph to a new Dodge 2500 diesel pick up, with 4 doors and a short bed. The Dodge is still big, but shorter than the Burb, seats 5 comfortably, is parkable in mall parking lots, etc. and gets 20 mph unladen, 14 mpg towing.

Yes, it's way bigger than a Pilot, etc. but the gas mileage is decent, the bed is handy and it has the extra towing capacity if you ever need it. Plus, you can get one NEW for low 30s, and a year or two old one for mid to low 20s. The Ford diesels are even nicer inside, and the Chevys aren't bad either.

Just avoid duallies and long beds. They are what make the truck unusable as a daily driver.
[/b]

+1

[joeg]

Diesels do not make good daily drivers--and I own one.

The best DD race haulers were my Dodge Dakota Crew Cabs. Good size, good mileage (no HEMI) and it also had 4WD.

My Duramax Silverado does not fit into the parking ram0 at work.

[pballance]

FWIW, I am lucky as I have a choice of DD's, Mazda RX8 and Chevy 2500 Duramax diesel. The chevy gets better mileage 20+ around town, 17+ towing with a hypertech. Not as nimble as the 8 but better fuel mileage and is pretty easy to manuver around town. No worse than the 'Suburban I replaced. BTW the 'Burb got a whopping 14 mpg on the highway and around 7-9 towing, even with an aluminum trailer.

I think you will find a diesel truck to be pretty nice for a daily driver and you can get a pretty good return on your money when you get ready to sell it especially if you buy used to start with.

[tom_sprecher]

Diesels do not make good daily drivers--and I own one.
[/b]

Do you say that because it does not fit in the parking deck at work or is there something more applicable to what the majority of people have to deal with?

Just curious.

[gran racing]

I've found my pick-up to be very useful around the house, much more so than I would have ever guessed. Mulch, dump runs, trips to Home Depot, you name it. The one downside is your gear is exposed when attending a racing event making the any nights at hotels a bit...hopeful no one takes anything. It is nice to be able to just throw whatever in the truck bed and not worry about it hurting it nor trying to keep it clean.

[JamesB]

Dave if your worried about that, buy a used cap or hard cover. I have just a soft cover for my bed, and I keep everything clothes and electronics in the cab of the truck. But the cover is enough to keep tires and tools from dissapearing while parked somewhere.

[joeg]

Do you say that because it does not fit in the parking deck at work or is there something more applicable to what the majority of people have to deal with?

Just curious.


Tom--Besides the current price of Diesel, I would say it is more my parking ramp that makes my Diesel a non-candidate as a DD

[gran racing]

I actually looked into that James, but need something to transport my pups (60 & 120 lbs) in addition to the baby. Oh yeah, my wife too. Sorry Campbell, didn't mean to hijack this but am in a similar position except need room for others.

[shwah]

I have no idea the budget you are working with, but I also know some folks that use a Touareg to tow race/track cars. Note that the V6 has the same towing capacity as the V8 truck, and will likely return better mileage. The v10 diesel gets decent mileage and can haul plenty w/500+ lb-ft torque, but costs $60k+

I think I heard that the Audi Q7 (lwb version of T-reg) will be offered with a v6 diesel.

I have seen guys tow with Jeep Grand Cherokee, and did tow with a Jeep Cherokee. If you go this route - get a dual axle trailer, and don't skimp on weight distributing and sway control equipment.

A buddy tows his 11 second drag racing Golf with a Eurovan (24v VR6 engine) and says it works very well - rated at 5000lb towing capacity.

[erlrich]

FWIW, I tow my 2,500 lb ITA car with an '03 Frontier and a 16' open trailer (steel/wood bed), and it does just fine. For the mileage it gets though (12 towing, 17 otherwise) I would just as well have gotten a full-sized Tundra or Titan. I would imagine either the Dakota and Tacoma are about as bad. It is nicer as a d/d; even with the crew cab and 6' bed it isn't much, if any, harder to drive than your typical SUV.

[gsbaker]

I have seen guys tow with Jeep Grand Cherokee, and did tow with a Jeep Cherokee.[/b]

I've towed about 3,500# on a single axle trailer with a Grand Cherokee and it performed well.

Mileage for the older models was not as good as the newer models, but if you are not putting that many miles on it the lower cost of an older SUV (any make/model) may make up the difference.

[JoshS]

4 door pickups with diesels are now excellent daily drivers. I went from a 3/4 ton Suburban that got 10 mph to a new Dodge 2500 diesel pick up, with 4 doors and a short bed. The Dodge is still big, but shorter than the Burb, seats 5 comfortably, is parkable in mall parking lots, etc. and gets 20 mph unladen, 14 mpg towing.
[/b]

Sorry, this is off-topic, that doesn't make sense. There is no 4-door full-size pickup that's smaller than a Suburban.

An '04 Suburban 2500 (like mine) has 130" WB, 219" overall length.
An '08 Dodge Ram 2500 QC SB has 141" WB, 228" overall length.

So just which part of the Dodge is shorter than the Suburban?

It's true that my Suburban 2500 with the 8.1L and 4.10 gears gets bad mileage -- I get about 13 unladen on the highway, 11.5 around town, and about 8 with the big trailer. But it's way better to drive around town and tows almost as well as the Duramax diesel truck it replaced.

But none of this helps the original poster. I agree that if he's willing to go with a lightweight open trailer, a good mid-size SUV will work great. In my opinion, the thing to avoid is short wheelbases. Long wheelbase makes for towing stability. Heavier tow vehicles are good too (but not so good for gas mileage).