Choices for a vehicle

[jmg]

I have asked for ideas on this before, but now I need to get serious about finding a vehicle. I am hoping to find something that does it all-within reason. I need good milage(25+on hwy) for 50 mile daily commute, along with ability to pull my boat, currently a 16 ft. about 900-1000lbs loaded, but hope to upgrade to 1,200-1,500 lb. wider 16 ft. model in couple yrs. I would like something with 4wd or all wheel drive. Thoughts have ranged from Subaru Outback or Forester to 4 cyl. Escape or Equinox or Rav4 or CRV or Kia Sorento or Hyundai Sante Fe, all 4cyl. I know it is asking a lot with a 4 banger, but I need to watch my monthly gas bill and I only use the boat about 6-10 times a season, with most trips at 100 mi. or less round trip. Is this do-able or I need to get a 6 cyl model, if avail.? Thinking about a 2009-2010 model. Any help would, as usual, be appreciated.

[CJH]

Not sure the 4Cyl's are going to be very good towing, even a light boat.

I think the Ford Edge FWD is rated at 27hwy w/ the 3.5L V6. That might be a good option for you.

[fish_eat_sleep]

My opinion is that gas mileage is over rated.. buy a less expensive vehicle and save money. or buy for a "green" car and pay a lot more up front. buy an unreliable car that costs hundreds, maybe thousands a year in repairs and all of the gas savings go out the window.. Either way a 4 cylinder escape with a 16ft boat will not get that much better mpg while towing on the freeways, in the city, or up the hills than a v6. maybe 2mpg if that. keep in mind when your on the freeway on ramp, you might want the v6 after all. many tow ratings for crossovers don't factor in each passenger and the additional weight of gear. front wheel drive sucks on a wet ramp.. so AWD or 4x4 is better. if i was looking for a vehicle heres what my choices would be..

1. subaru forester 2.5L (good 4cyl tow rating)

2. rav4 v6 (good v6 mpg)

3. highlander v6 (reliable)

4. pilot v6 (reliable)

5. edge v6

keep in mind that having plenty power when towing is more of a safety issue than bragging rights in some cases. 4x4 saves you from embarrassment on the ramp. and a reliable car will save you more money than a few MPG ever will.

Overall, buy what you like. Don't short yourself on horsepower or 4x4. reliable cars are better than the ones with high MPG. Just imagine being broken down on side of the freeway with a full tank of gas, paying for a Tow truck!!

[Scott K]

I would purchase the most comfortable, best millage vehicle you can afford, but save $500, and buy a cheap truck as well to pull the boat. Dont try to combine them. You will have to sacrifice from each and wont get what you really want.

[SpecialK]

I would purchase the most comfortable, best millage vehicle you can afford, but save $500, and buy a cheap truck as well to pull the boat. Dont try to combine them. You will have to sacrifice from each and wont get what you really want.

+1

[Hoey]

The key consideration in towing is the ability of the transmission to handle the load and heat. I have a Volvo wagon. Wanted a boat that could handle bigger water and 4 persons, but small enough to be pulled with the Volvo, since I could not afford a boat and a truck. I ended up with a 16.5' Lund ProV. On warmer days, the transmission would over heat and go into limp-home mode. Not good.

The boat itself may not weight a lot, but when loaded down with gear and people, it was over loading the transmission.

Sustained towing capability is the key. Wish you the best in your decision!!!

[20lbSloughShark]

A ford ranger with the 4 cylinder and 5 speed could tow twice the boat you have, and gets over 24 mpg.

[delcecchi]

Toyota Sienna is rated at 3500 lb towing and gets pretty good mileage, plus will haul a lot of stuff. Even available in AWD. Are you secure in your masculinity?

[jmg]

Thanks, everyone, for your input about vehicles. Have any of you had any experience with a 2010 or 2011 Subaru Outback with the H4 engine and CVT transmission as far as towing a boat about 1,000 lbs like mine? So far, this vehicle looks to be one that might meet my needs, since I don't tow that far nor that often. It is supposed to have a 2,700 lb. towing capacity, but I always figure that's dreaming so I usually cut those figures in half,esp. with all the extra junk/equipment we take along. Any thoughts?

Have a safe Holiday week!

[jmd1]

I bought a minivan for my daily 104 mile commute. best thing i did, my 16 yr old son makes fun of me but after his accident friday night, he wanted to know if he could drive it. i am secure enough with myself to not worry what others think about me driving a van. My wife has a dodge magnum, i still have my ram 4x4 but don't want to put the gas in it every week. Get what works for the things you need to do and don't worry about pulling up the launch in a van as long as it does the job and is comfortable.

[gunmunky]

I changed jobs and went from driving 3 miles round trip to 84 miles round trip. I bought a 2005 Subaru Outback with the 2.5 non-turbo with the an auto trans. With two of us riding in it I get between 31 and 34 consistently. It is rated to tow 2700 lbs. I have towed a small 4x8 trailer but not very far. I wouldn't be to concerned with the weight you plan on towing but the wind a wider or taller trailer it would catch. So far I am very happy with the Subaru.

[CJH]

Thanks, everyone, for your input about vehicles. Have any of you had any experience with a 2010 or 2011 Subaru Outback with the H4 engine and CVT transmission as far as towing a boat about 1,000 lbs like mine? So far, this vehicle looks to be one that might meet my needs, since I don't tow that far nor that often. It is supposed to have a 2,700 lb. towing capacity, but I always figure that's dreaming so I usually cut those figures in half,esp. with all the extra junk/equipment we take along. Any thoughts?

I'd be "cautious" about towing anything with a CVT. They use a belt vs traditional metal gears, and vary the distance of two pulleys to adjust gearing.

You'd probably be fine with it with that small of a boat, but I'd be concerned about long term wear and tear on the tranny/belt.

[jmg]

Thanks for the input regarding the CVT transmission. Has anyone had any experience(s) with this type of tranny. Do they last as long as most conventional ones or longer? Still undecided as to what to get, but need to make a decision soon.

[PurpleFloyd]

We have a CVT in my wife's Ford Freestyle and we have been very happy with it. The car is a 2005 model and it has performed flawlessly since we had it.

Both the freestyle and the outback use chains and not belts for their respective CVT's unlike a snowmobile or ATV. I imagine they can have a problem like any other transmission can. I think they are a great concept but with the development of the newer multi speed transmissions with 6-8 ratios I think it is more likely that gears will be the choice for some time to come, although I would suspect that the trend to go from 3-4 gears in a auto to 6-8 there will be a whole lot more shifting and thus more potential for wear and breakage and the extra gears will certainly mean more cost to replace/rebuild.

We have pulled my Polaris RZR from near the Iowa border to Ashland,Wi several times with the freestyle and it pulls that just fine on my utility trailer. Not sure if it is better or worse than an auto trans but with a CVT you are always running it at the best RPM and it changes the ratio in real time rather than shifting up and down with gears.

[JOHNBIGDOG]

Thanks for the input regarding the CVT transmission. Has anyone had any experience(s) with this type of tranny. Do they last as long as most conventional ones or longer? Still undecided as to what to get, but need to make a decision soon.

I bought and 05, 500. It had 250,000 miles on it when I bought it, has 260,000 on it now. CVT performs flawlessly. I cannot tell you if its the factory trans though.

One negative is one cant feel the "shifts" to get an idea on what speed your going soo have to get use to paying attention to that speed-o-meter.

A note on fords CVT ford recommends replacing the high pressure filter and fluid every 60,000 miles.

[Scott K]

I will have to say though, Ford does have a good CVT, I cant speak for the other manufacturers out there, as I know they were having some issues with them.

Ford did have some problems with the electronic part of the CVT tranny, but but that didnt have to do with durability.

[jmg]

Thanks again. Good to get a variety of responses. Still haven't made up my mind on a vehicle yet, but keep going back and forth between a Subaru Forester or Outback or a Toyota RAV4. Just don't know about that back door on the RAV4 that swings to the side. Don't know if I'd be able to open the door wide open or if it would hit the trailer winch post? Still pondering.

Enjoy the week!!

[20lbSloughShark]

I still think a ranger or s-10 pickup might be your best bet. Small cars like the rav 4 (not a suv, maybe a crossover?) are not designed for towing. Brakes, suspension, transmission are all weaker compared to trucks and vans. You can tow with them, but you are putting way more force on parts than it is designed for. A small pickup, or a mini van would be better. A ranger v4 5 speed can easily get 25+ mpg.

[Scott K]

If I drive my half ton nice, I can get 19mpg out of it, pulling my 18ft, with a 115 4 stroke, driving nicely, I can get 14-15 mpg. Driving hard with the boat, 10-12mpg.

I had an 01 Ranger with the 4.0 SOHC, and a 01 Sport Trac with the 4.0 SOHC, on their best days empty about 17. Pulling my boat nicely 8mpg, driving hard, about 6mpg.

Unless you are talking the 4cyl, which wouldnt be good for towing, the midsize Ford trucks arent a good option. I cant speak at all for the s-10

[Dave S]

I had a '98 Ranger with the 4.0L V6. Empty it would average 15. Towing the boat (most of the time....see below) I got 13 mpg. Hauling a '00 Polaris Sportsman in the back, I was getting 20 mpg.

I also had a day when I towed my boat to from Le Sueur to Shakopee (35 miles) and it burned 3/4 tank of gas. The truck was wildly inconsistent with the mpg.

[20lbSloughShark]

Unless you are talking the 4cyl, which wouldnt be good for towing, the midsize Ford trucks arent a good option. I cant speak at all for the s-10

My uncle had an '03 ford ranger 2x4 5 speed 4 cylinder. He averaged about 25 mpg on the free way, and that was full of his construction gear. A 4 cylinder is fine for towing, especially since the load will be under a ton. You will loose at least 5 mpg with 4x4, and 1 or 2 to an automatic tranny. Maybe in colorado you need a v6 to pull stuff, but not minnesota. I have pulled 10,000 pounds of scrap metal with my 4.0l v6 explorer, not far, but it was more than enough power.

[candiru]

Have you thought about going to a small 2 wheel drive pickup and use tire chains when you need them? You just have to drive smarter and know when to quit. I had small Toyota for a number of years and put a lot of cheap miles on it, including hunting, fishing, and pulling a 16ft boat.

fuellydotcom can be a resource for real-world gas mileage.