Thinking of upgrading tow rig

[Mary Ann in MN]

I have a 13' Deluxe Egg. Does anyone pull their camper with a Envoy 6cyl 4.2? If so, does it have enough power up large hills or in the mountains? I just don't want to buy something if it doesn't have the power I need on the hills such as Duluth ect.

[MC1]

I talked to a guy in a campground a few years ago that was towing a pro set up 27'TT (5,000 lbs) with a 4.2 Envoy. He said it was fine with no issues. Here in Ontario we have hills.

[mmeyer]

I pull a 16" Uhaul Vt with a Trailblazer with the same engine. only issue I have is "going 70 mph up a Mountain in the Smokies" You will only know it is there if you have to Stop quickly if you don't have electric brakes on the Trailer.
Seriously that engine has 275hp and 275 # ft of torque , depending on the axle ratio and whether it is 2 or 4 wheel drive it is good for 5200-6000# of trailer.
I have a 2 wheel drive and I just got back from the coast of North Carolina and we ranged from just under 15 to just over 17 Mpg and I travel the speed limits. The 17 was when it was 55mph most of the way on the coast the 15 was through the mountains.
This is my second Trailblazer, my first on was passed to my daughter after 120,000 miles 2 years ago and is still going strong. I would buy another one or GMC tomorrow if they still made them.
Michael J.

[floyd]

I commonly pull my 13 deluxe front bath Scamp with a 4CYL Ford Escape and it does fine... The Envoy will do a great job, it is larger and has a hundred more horsepower.

[Thomas G.]

I think it really comes down to your expectations. If you want to drive through the Rockies and not know the trailer is there, that is one expectation. If you can accept slowing on steep grades, but maintaining minimum speeds, that's another.

The 13 footers were originally designed to be pulled by smaller cars, after all.

[john warren]

should do fine, though you may want to have a trans cooler and a few special touches added for long life.
our jeep liberty and my 3 L ford ranger pull our 13 around with out a problem

[Mary Ann in MN]

Originally Posted by Mary Ann in MN

I have a 13' Deluxe Egg. Does anyone pull their camper with a Envoy 6cyl 4.2? If so, does it have enough power up large hills or in the mountains? I just don't want to buy something if it doesn't have the power I need on the hills such as Duluth ect.

I pull my camper with my Chevy Venture 6cyl now, but any little hill, it really bogs down. I'm scared to go to Duluth or where there are any big hills, I don't know how it will do on big hills. I stick pretty close to my area here with it. I have a chance to get a good deal on a 2007 Envoy 6 cly 4.2 with only 75,000 miles on it. I'm just thinking it may pull the camper better than the van.

[mmeyer]

Depending on the year of your Venture you have either 185 or 200hp and 210 #ft of torque The Envoy has almost 100 more Hp and 60#ft of torque. It will hardly know that camper is back there. it will shift down going up mountains but you can run 55 in 3rd at about 2800rpm. I know where you are coming from about being under powered. I had an 86 dodge van with a slant 6. Could barely make 35 mph going through the smokies with a small pop up in tow. had to follow the big rigs in the right hand lane. once I got over the top it was a different story coming down.
Michael J.

[Mary Ann in MN]

Thanks for all the info...I will be checking in with them to see if they still have the Envoy for sale. I like my Van as it has so much room, but I don't like traveling on single lane roads with all that traffic built up behind me cause I lose power on any little incline. Happy Camping Everyone!!!

[Jim Hovind]

We pull our 16" Casita with a 3.5 Colorado extended cab and even across hilly Wisconsin it puulled just fine and got 16.6 MPG on a very windy day, so you should be fine.

[MC1]

Originally Posted by Mary Ann in MN

Thanks for all the info...I will be checking in with them to see if they still have the Envoy for sale. I like my Van as it has so much room, but I don't like traveling on single lane roads with all that traffic built up behind me cause I lose power on any little incline. Happy Camping Everyone!!!

Realize that the newer vans, Honda, Sienna, Grand Caravan all have the same power as the Envoy. In these parts we see these types of vans towing all sizes of trailers. They do well. A late model van is a more stable tow vehicle when compared to the Envoy.

Note: I am thinking you many have a problem with your current van causing it to loose power. For years we towed with a 150HP Nissan Mini Van and we were always able to maintain speed with the flow of traffic. (although it would go faster we stayed under 65MPH).

[paulw]

Should be no problem, towing seems to be what the Trailblazer/Envoy platform does best.
My experience has been similar to mmeyer's. I think rear wheel drive is the way to for towing.

[streetvan1]

A trailblazer should feel better towing than a venture. It has a more solid suspension, and will likely feel a bit better on the road due to its body on ladder frame construction, compared to the unibody build of the minivan.

I've never pulled with a trailblazer, but driving one empty, it's surprisingly torquey at low rpms, and feels pretty stable at highway speed, as far as SUVs are concerned. You'll lose fuel economy and interior space, but strictly from a towing feel standpoint, it should be a pretty major upgrade.