suv tow vehicle

I recently purchased a R-Pod and am shopping for a SUV to tow it. We live in SLC and will be towing in the mountains and doing freeway driving that includes long sustained climbs.  I would be interested to hear from owners about their experience with the mid size SUV (e.g. Toyota 4 runner, Explorer, Acadia, etc.) with wind (headwinds, and cross winds) and the adequacy of their power. Please specify your vehicle and engine.

Thanks,
Roger

Welcome.  Most here have found that vehicles with 3500 pound tow ratings are underpowered with the conditions you describe.  Back roads at slower speeds is ok, its just that the pod has a lot of drag once you get above 55 mph.  I had a 2003 Toyota Sienna with about 215 horsepower.  Now I have a 2010 Chevy Suburban with 320.  

Hi Roger & welcome to the forum. I too live in SLC and take the Pod throughout the state.  I'm not technical as many on this forum so I'll tell you what I have and my experiences.  I pull with a Mitshubishi Montero 3.5L. It's a V6. Basically it does ok though on several long sustained climbs I wish I had a stronger vehicle though truth be known I enjoy driving fast so if I could pull it at 65 mph uphill I probably would, though we get there never less. This year I installed a transmission cooler on the Mits so that should help keep the tranny cooler. 

We used to tow our 182G with a Montero V6, and it was always pushed to the limit and underpowered. We traded it in for an F-150 with a V8 5.4L and now towing is no longer a worry and a hassle. It was definitely worth the extra peace of mind to have more power on those long grades going over passes. Just my experience.

Roger:

We use a Ford Ranger V6 4.0 liter, 4WD.  Stock it was 207 HP.  We put a chip in it to boost it up to 267.  It towed fine before but then we wanted some more boost on the hills/mountains.

Whatever you get, be sure to use a brake controller and a weight transfer hitch.

We also use a stabilizer as we live near the Columbia River gorge and can get some unexpected and fierce winds here.  Be prepared.

BTW, there are many great formulas for selecting tow vehicles.  One, add 1000 lbs. to your trailer as that is about what you will put in it.

Subtract the payload in your actual tow vehicle from the tow  vehicle GVWR.  Then, if your selection is too close to capacity, get something with more towing capability.

Our Ranger rates at 5600 towing capability and 880 lbs payload.  Subtract 880, now we're at 4720 towing.  The 171 is 2000 lbs.  Subtract that.  2720.  Now subtract the 1000 lbs.  1720.  We're within the range and OK but then we do take more stuff sometimes.  We figure that we end up with about 800 to 1000 near limit sometimes.

Best to overdo it with the tow vehicle.

Another thought:  Use non-ethanol gas when you expect to tow up hills.  It's has more power per gallon than the crummy corn fuel they sell us now.

My thoughts are that when we search for a towing trailer, we just look at the weight and think that is it.  Easy to make that decision.  Then, knowledge and experience kick in and you have to go backwards and re-think stuff.  You're wise to ask this question first.

Good luck with your choice and smooth roads to you!

Burt