Good flat tow vehicles not named Jeep?

[Atlee]

Thinking about good vehicles to tow behind my Redhawk 22J. Beginning to think about a TOAD.

Currently have a F150 4x4 truck that used to be my toe vehicle before selling the trailer. It can be towed 4 down, but it large. 21 feet long and weighs nearly 6,000#.

Also have a 2018 Ford Fusion. Nice car, but it can't be towed 4 down. Thinking of moving from the Fusion to a smaller car, preferably a hitch/station style that is towable 4 down. Any suggestions that wouldn't break the bank.

[Grumpy]

Here's the list:

https://images.goodsam.com/newmotorh...yGuide2020.pdf

and here's the previous years

https://www.motorhome.com/download-dinghy-guides/

[Mnwelsh]

I flat tow a 2018 F150, with the aluminum body and a v6 engine they are a lot lighter than they used to be in the day of V8’s and steel. I had a Jeep but it did not drive well in strong cross winds we sometimes get up north and it would not haul my snowblower. Check out the weights of the newer f150 with what your thinking may be a good toad. F150s ride great.

[Atlee]

Unfortunately, my MH isn't nearly as large as your Seneca, and my F150 is a 2014 model, the last of the all steel bodied trucks.

Originally Posted by Mnwelsh

I flat tow a 2018 F150, with the aluminum body and a v6 engine they are a lot lighter than they used to be in the day of V8’s and steel. I had a Jeep but it did not drive well in strong cross winds we sometimes get up north and it would not haul my snowblower. Check out the weights of the newer f150 with what your thinking may be a good toad. F150s ride great.

[MikeUSNRet]

2019 Chevrolet Equinox works well for us. Fairly light and good cargo capacity. Very easy to hook up and tows great behind our Redhawk.

[Stavman]

Love my 2004 honda pilot

[Ender on the road]

I tow a chevy Colorado 4x4 diesel. 5200 pounds full of fuel, Canopy on the back. My Seneca doesn't know it is there. My 27' Sunseeker did, but it only changed the mileage on that unit by 1/2 mpg.

[Camper_bob]

LOTS of choices in the links Grumpy posted.

The Good Sam lists are made up of vehicles that outline a flat-tow capability in the owner's manual. Several additional vehicles can be flat-towed, but you may have to work a bit harder to make that happen.

For MANY years, the Honda CRV was hands down the most popular TOAD out there. The newer models are no longer recommended for flat-tow. So I see A LOT more GM toads out there (Traverse, Equinox, Colorado...)

I believe on your rig, you're looking at max tow of 5,000 lbs, so that may be a limiting factor, though I wouldn't want to tow more than that with my rig anyway, even though by the numbers I can go up to 7500.

Just curious, what's your aversion to Jeep? I mean, they're relatively overpriced (but hold their value exceptionally well), and some people find them uncomfortable to drive (primarily those previous to the current generation; the JLs actually ride pretty darn nice for a light-weight 4x4 with solid axles). But they're arguably some of the easiest vehicles to flat-tow. And they're not right for everyone for a variety of reasons. Again, just curious...

[rockymountainchicks]

I tow a 1998 Chevy Tracker. It's my 2nd Tracker and I LOVE the little thing. Can't tell I'm even towing it, has serious 4 X 4 capability and I get a lot of compliments on it.

[Vicr]

2014 Honda CRV or prior year (2015 Honda changed transmissions). We towed our CRV with our Precept for 4 years and 15,000 miles and I never felt it. Now went to a 2020 Jeep Trailhawk we're just getting set up to tow.

[gjkids]

2014 honda crv for us. We found a used one with only 21k miles.

[Atlee]

I will have to look into this model.

Originally Posted by MikeUSNRet

2019 Chevrolet Equinox works well for us. Fairly light and good cargo capacity. Very easy to hook up and tows great behind our Redhawk.

[alvinator]

How about a 2013 KIA Soul with a 6 speed rowboat tranny? Only weighs about 2600 lbs so it tows like there is nothing there.

[Bullitt6283]

I've had two toads, and I would recommend them both.


2009 Smart (very easy to tow, very popular at the campsites)
2000 Jeep TJ (current)


.

[GaryNK]

I went with a 2015 Forrester, 3300 # 6 on the floor and a real clutch. It's a jewel to tow and takes all of 6-8 min to hook up and take down.

[norty1]

We have a 2017 GMC Terrain, same as the Chevy Equinox. I think they changed the transmission after 2019 and the new ones can't be towed.

[Dgibbster]

I looked and thought a bunch of different other tow vehicles but it all came back to a wrangler for me, easiest vehicle to set up and tow.

[craigav]

If you want something in a similar or smaller size than the Fusion, then check out the Chevrolet Sonic. I had been towing a 2014 LTZ Turbo Sonic Hatchback (the Hatchback has lots of room for 2 dogs with the rear seats folded down) and it has always been easy to tow and fun to drive, no loss of power in the mountains. I recently changed over to a Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 4x4 which is also fun to drive on the highways as well as off road in the mountains. One thing a lot of people debate is dolly vs flat towing, both of these I mentioned can be towed either way. I went with a dolly tow to start with as I knew I wasn't going to toad the Sonic for too long and didn't want to invest in the flat tow setup on it. Now I have purchased everything to flat tow the Chev Colorado but haven't installed the tow bars, fortunately that 4x4 can be dolly toad as well where as I understand many 4x4's (I think Jeeps included... not sure), in any case not all 4x4 can be dolly toad with the front axle on the dolly and rear axle on the ground. I would suggest using a dolly first until you are sure you have a toad you will use for many years, then invest in the tow bars to flat tow it when you are sure you will keep it. ~CA

[Love To Travel 2]

We pull a 2018 Chevy Equinox with our 2018 Greyhawk 29MV. It weighs in around 3,300 pounds and drives nicely. There is a strange procedure you have to follow to first put the Equinox into neutral, then hook up the emergency braking system. But you get used to it. We really wanted a Honda for a TOAD, but as you know by now you can't flat tow them anymore. If you look at the Equinox's, make sure the particular model of Equinox can be flat towed. In 2018, the FWD can but the AWD can't, the 1.6L can but the 2.0 can't, etc. And don't take the word of the sales people. Read the owners manual.

[Atlee]

Thanks all for the various suggestions.

Any toad I do get will need to be pretty late model since it is going to replace my 2018 Fusion as my wife's every day driver car. This also means it must be automatic.

I'll look into each of the suggested vehicles, just using later model instead of the older models.

And yes, I always read the owners manual to determine which models are flat towable. I never trust a salesman.

The simplest thing, and less costly way to go, would be to just get a tow dolly with surge brakes, but I suspect I would get tired of loading and unloading the dolly during my next proposed trip up thru Lower and upper Michigan, across northern Wisconsin, Minnesota to Teddy Roosevelt NP in ND and the drop down for a revisit to Yellowstone and the grand Tetons.