Smaller tow vehical

[Wish-I-Were-Fishn]

My lease is coming to a close and I'm looking at getting a smaller SUV. Thinking about a Ford Escape, but I've read the stopping distance is horrible. Have they improved that for '09?

What else might be worth looking into? I currently have a '06 Pathfinder, which I love, but want something more economical. Don't want any pickups though.

[Wish-I-Were-Fishn]

Mike,

I also took his lead and checked out the Rav4. Biggest issues I saw were the way the back door swings open from the side. Can't use it while towing.

It was dang fast! It did ride somewhat choppy because of the size.

Personally I ended up buying another Pathfinder because my business needed the tax deduction and it qualified do to the weight factor. I would have preferred something smaller, but didn't want the new prez to get my hard earned money.

[CJH]

Here's a curveball, how about the 3.0 diesel Grand Cherokee? That should be able to tow it without a problem and get you better mileage than most SUV's. Of course gas is significantly cheaper right now, but who knows where that is going to go in the future?

Or how about Subaru Forester? I would think it could handle that boat.

[nofishfisherman]

I haven't heard anything positive about the Grand Cherokee's while I was researching SUV's last summer. What is your experience with them?

We ended up going with a 2005 Mazda Tribute, same car as the Ford Escape with better styling and a few upgrades to improve handling. We were able to get one with only 30,000 miles on it and even with the 3.0 V6 it gets up to 25ish mpg on the freeway without a load. It also has the towing capacity of 3600 lbs so it should handle a wide range or applications.

So far I've hauled up to 3000 lbs approximately and I couldn't even feel it behind me except a little while braking while going down hill. Good balance of power and fuel efficiency atleast for my needs. When gas was $4/gal you could find them for under $15,000 used.

[Trollin226]

I second a Trans cooler, something else to consider would be adding surge breaks to the trailer. Although not required you can get them added to most any trailer. This will make a huge difference is stopping distance. As far as ride and tung weight goes making sure your boat is loaded evenly goes a long way...

[Joe's Kid]

Thanks. guys.

Yeah, I looked at the Forester, but it was not a good fit for me. I'm more inclined toward something larger. I don't need a full sized truck anymore, but still want to go up some logging roads. My boat and trailer are under 1000# so that's not a big deal. I just want to not get stuck in the back country.