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Old 12-12-2019, 09:49 AM   #1
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WOW SUV tow rating surprise

Hi all,


I was amazed here at the Mount Pleasant/Charleston KOA to see a huge Airstream dual axle trailer with a small SUV parked in front of it.


I commented to my wife as the all knowing male person "Hey look at that, really odd, clearly "THAT" is not pulling that huge rig."


WRONG O Bucko...


As we walked closer I saw to my surprise a hitch on the small red SUV and sure as shoot'n it had Wash. state tags so it did pull it to S.C. As we got closer I noted it was a Porsche Cayenne. A quick internet search shows that this SUV has the highest towing capacity for small SUVs at 7,700 lbs!


WOWSER.


Poop, we just recently upgraded our TV from our FWD only Ford Flex to an AWD Ford Escape. Still need to find a dealer when we arrive in Florida for the 5K oil change and tune up. So we will not be in the market for a new Cayenne any time soon.



Also I noted that the MSRP for the Cayenne's range between 3-4+ equivalents of new Escape Trailers LOL.


Will post some travel updates in the relevant section.


Cheers,
Bad Dude and family
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Old 12-12-2019, 10:05 AM   #2
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A Chevy Tahoe can pull 8400 pounds in four wheel the two wheel version can handle 8700 pounds.
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Old 12-12-2019, 10:05 AM   #3
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It's similar in size to the VW Touareg, which also has a pretty substantial rating. Don't know if the Cayenne has a diesel option, but the Touareg does and it makes a very competent tow vehicle. Myself, I can't quite get past VW's diesel shenanigans, outrageous parts, glitchy electronics, and snooty dealers...

Porsche is ranked among the manufacturers with the highest cost of ownership, no surprise.

I wouldn't exactly call the Cayenne small, either, but that's relative, of course. Park it next to your Escape...
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Old 12-12-2019, 10:07 AM   #4
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I agree, it's shocking the tow ratings on some SUVs.
I have a 2001 BMW X5 and I was shocked to find out it can tow 5,000 pounds, the newer (2019) can tow 7,000.
Seen below, my tow vehicle barely breaking a sweat hauling the 13' Standard.
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Old 12-12-2019, 10:16 AM   #5
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Are those tow ratings per SAE J2807? If not, they're manufacturer claims, which balance the need for marketing (high tow rating) with the need for warranty coverage (lower tow rating),compounded by the likelihood the vehicle is actually used to tow heavy loads.
Pretty much all tow ratings on new cars will be to the standard, which is quite robust.
With the Cayenne/Touregg, my concern would be the shorter wheelbase pulling a big long Airstream. A diesel Touregg would be on my short list of TVs were I not concerned with reliability. So it's a gas 4Runner for us...
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Old 12-12-2019, 10:24 AM   #6
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Yes but can the others make it to Walmart at 150+ MPH to retrieve that critical dinner ingredient that was forgotten?


Or depending on model? and has > 335 BHP?


OK these specs are not a key issue as a TV LOL.


Having grown up learning to drive very very rapidly on road racing tracks in Germany before I was licensed to drive highways I am still interested in the performance aspects of vehicles. ;-).


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Old 12-12-2019, 10:25 AM   #7
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tow vehicle

In Canada we bought the Jeep Grand Cherokee 3.0 with the v6 Mercedes -Benz diesel tow rateing of 7500 lbs.
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Old 12-12-2019, 10:36 AM   #8
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I too tow a 1982 Boler with our BMW X5 2006 with no issues.
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Old 12-12-2019, 10:48 AM   #9
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Other great SUV tow vehicles

We recently purchased an Audi Q7 W/ the 3.0 turbocharged engine. It has a tow rating of 7,600 pounds. We are only towing a 17 foot Casita but some time in the future we are considering an Oliver travel trailer. We towed with a Honda Odyssey prior to purchasing the Audi and it did OK but struggled up inclines. The Audi doesn't even know there's a trailer behind it, all be it, it's only 3500 pounds.
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Old 12-12-2019, 11:21 AM   #10
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One of the things that drew me to these smaller trailers was that I didn't need to buy a truck just to go camping, despite what you may be told on these forums. And you don't need to drop $70,000 on a Cayenne to have a suitable multi-purpose vehicle.

The Nissan Pathfinder is a notch above most mid-size SUVs at 6,000 lbs. We looked at an Audi Q7 and Jeep Grand Cherokee, both rated for over 7,500 lbs. Certain Dodge Durangos are rated up to 8,700 lbs. They are on a stretched Grand Cherokee chassis with an optional 3rd row, providing a nice family alternative to the Jeep.

Thank you for having the guts to admit you may have been wrong, unlike a multitude of other all knowing persons on this board insisting anything less than a 3/4 ton is a marginal TV and a safety hazard on the road.
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Old 12-12-2019, 11:45 AM   #11
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That is why we originally sought a smaller trailer that could be towed by a vehicle with at least 3500 pound tow rate (2016 Casita ). We traveled at least 10,000+miles and was satisfied and felt safe. But as our Odyssey got older (2015) and getting up in miles we decided it was time to trade it in. After looking at all the various brands of cars (don't like trucks) and looking at features, it became apparent that any car (SUV) with tow package and all the current amenities were all were in the $50,000 to $80,000 range and that was Toyota, jeep, gmc, and others. So the Audi Q7 with after trade in cost us around $50,000 I figured it was not a bad deal. It has every nicety (also all wheel drive) and safety device know to man. It is also wonderful to drive. So why not enjoy our trainer trips in comfort?
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Old 12-12-2019, 03:15 PM   #12
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We tow our 4,000lb Escape 19 with a VW Touareg Diesel and only have 40K mi on it but no problems so far and it tows wonderfully. 2nd gen Cayenne/Touareg/Q7 (2012-2018) were developed together in same project and share much of the same chassis and engines including the Audi 3.0 TDI. We also had the smaller Audi Q5 with the same diesel engine and have made several delightful 6,000 mi trips with each TV and they just burble along at <2,000 rpm getting 18-22 mpg. Q5 was lighter and peppier and got better mpg, but the Touareg is heavier and it's steering is rock solid and less affected by trucks and crosswinds at 70mph. Bought each one 2 yrs old with low mileage and each have been delightful!
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Old 12-12-2019, 04:02 PM   #13
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Do not tow with this vehicle

We just purchased a Chrysler Pacifica with a factory tow package rated to pull 3400 lbs. We towed our 16" Scamp on a trial run two hours. It chugged and jerked the whole way shifting from gear to gear trying to find which one it should be in. We did not have it loaded with our gear yet. We are so disappointed! Chrysler says if we pull it to Florida doing that it will burn up the transmission. With only 17,000 miles on it we need to keep it around for a while. Now we have $28,000 into a vehicle we can only use to tow locally. It is such a good looking vehicle but not for towing! Our old Caravan was great. Too bad we sold it!
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Old 12-12-2019, 04:32 PM   #14
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WOW SUV tow rating surprise

Quote:
Originally Posted by anne myette View Post
We just purchased a Chrysler Pacifica with a factory tow package rated to pull 3400 lbs. We towed our 16" Scamp on a trial run two hours. It chugged and jerked the whole way shifting from gear to gear trying to find which one it should be in. We did not have it loaded with our gear yet. We are so disappointed! Chrysler says if we pull it to Florida doing that it will burn up the transmission. With only 17,000 miles on it we need to keep it around for a while. Now we have $28,000 into a vehicle we can only use to tow locally. It is such a good looking vehicle but not for towing! Our old Caravan was great. Too bad we sold it!
Is there a manual mode allowing you to limit the top gear and prevent unwanted shifting? Most newer multi-speed automatics have this feature. I'd recommend reading the transmission and towing sections of your owner's manual carefully.
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Old 12-12-2019, 04:34 PM   #15
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Originally Posted by anne myette View Post
We just purchased a Chrysler Pacifica with a factory tow package rated to pull 3400 lbs.

Have you read the owner's manual?
My RAV4 owner's manual say to tow in 4 rather than Drive. Keeping it out of overdrive prevents the transmission from searching.

I suggest you see what your manual says about towing.
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Old 12-12-2019, 05:48 PM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by anne myette View Post
We just purchased a Chrysler Pacifica with a factory tow package rated to pull 3400 lbs. We towed our 16" Scamp on a trial run two hours. It chugged and jerked the whole way shifting from gear to gear trying to find which one it should be in. We did not have it loaded with our gear yet. We are so disappointed! Chrysler says if we pull it to Florida doing that it will burn up the transmission. With only 17,000 miles on it we need to keep it around for a while. Now we have $28,000 into a vehicle we can only use to tow locally. It is such a good looking vehicle but not for towing! Our old Caravan was great. Too bad we sold it!
Before we bought a used 2012 Touarge (a great tow car) we used our 2016 Town and Country minivan.
It did a great job with our heavy 16' Scamp, towing 9300 miles from Navarre FL. through the north from Bacus MN to Yellowstone and Glacier National Park and points between.
We had no problems towing the ~ 2900 lb Scamp and a fair amount of baggage in the van.
We towed ~65 mpg most of the time.
The biggest problem we had (and it is personal preference) was the downshifting on grades, but the car is designed to do that.
We just towed with the automatic just running as normal. When climbing a grade I would sometimes turn off the cruise control and just let the van run a little bit slower.
The Touareg is head and shoulders a better TV, but the T&C is completely adequate in my experience.
I has plenty of power and the 9 speed transmission in the Pacifica should be better than the 6 speed in the 2016 T&C.
The new 9 speed transmission in the Pacifica is designed by ZF .
Your dealer may have to reflash the transmission as this is a known problem with lurching and banging into 2nd gear, but that should not really affect towing.
Also the big downshift should be somewhat less with the 9 speed transmission.
Here is a link to the service bulletin on the transmission:

https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/20...38918-9999.pdf

Keep in mind the ZF9 transmission is not a FCA product. It was designed by another company (ZF) and is used in other vehicles including the Honda Odyssey. The issues I'm familiar with are primarily software based. The transmission design means it behaves differently and vehicle manufacturer's have been challenged in getting the right feel when shifting. FCA has done software updates for the Pacifica's transmission that have resolved most issues but some owners still have unsatisfactory performance.
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Old 12-12-2019, 06:28 PM   #17
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I like power....just bought a new 2019 Ram 1500 with the 5.7 Hemi and 3.92 rear with a tow package. I can to 11,700 lbs....which is not needed for the Casita but is for a car trailer with a tractor or crawler on it. This new truck drives like a dream....with the 8 speed tranny and MDS....this 385hp engine gets 21+mpg when not towing. Very nice.
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Old 12-12-2019, 10:22 PM   #18
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Originally Posted by jerrybob View Post
I like power....just bought a new 2019 Ram 1500 with the 5.7 Hemi and 3.92 rear with a tow package. I can to 11,700 lbs....which is not needed for the Casita but is for a car trailer with a tractor or crawler on it. This new truck drives like a dream....with the 8 speed tranny and MDS....this 385hp engine gets 21+mpg when not towing. Very nice.
We also have a 2019 Ram 1500 Laramie Quad Cab with the 5.7 Hemi engine , the 3.92 rearend and 8 speed transmission . Rides great , comfortable seats , very responsive and fuel mileage is relatively good . The truck has too much electronic junk that I will probably never understand or use but that’s the trend in most new vehicles
My wife just bought a new 2019 Chevy Equinox , the radio has its own owners manual . I would have been happy with a plain old AM radio .

I like trucks for towing and hauling and SUVs for shopping and getting groceries.
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Old 12-13-2019, 08:43 AM   #19
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I like power, but I don;t like parking a big truck and driving it all the time.
In my opinion the TDI Touareg is an excellent compromise with plenty of power, a high tow rating, easy maneuvering, and steady as a rock towing with the full independent suspension and AWD.
The guys at Can-AM RV in Canada are high on the "Sporty" cars towing as the suspensions are good and the center of gravity is lower.
When attending one of the egg rallies there was one straight from Can-AM that pulled in with a White 3.0 TDI Touareg and a medium sized Airstream. It looked great and when talking with the owner he said it was the best rig he had ever owned and towed.
Basically I lusted after the White Touareg since (I was towing with a 2.0 L. Jetta Sportwagen TDI at the time).
If you don't want to drive a truck all of the time then a good SUV could be the answer.
I wouldn't recommend the Touareg for everyone as it has a number of possible drawbacks, but for towing it is hard to beat.
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Old 12-13-2019, 11:14 AM   #20
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Still muddling along over hill and dale with a 2015 Ford Escape. Has 3,500 capacity towing a Scamp 13 that comes in under 2k add in some food inside and a cargo box on the rack for folding chairs and such and it does just fine.

Like the gas mileage in the mid teens while towing and had no problem in the Rockies on a 4,500 mile trip to Utah's Might Five national parks. Plus Monument Valley.

2015 was the last year the Ford Escape was a boxy SUV that looked like the Explorer. Since 2016 the Escape is lower and more curved. Looks like a Subaru or station wagon to me. Think they call it a cross over rather than SUV. Not to my taste, like being able to stack plastic bins 2 high in the back and still use the rearview mirror when I drop the trailer. :-)

I can't see putting a Porsche on my short list for tow vehicle, maybe on my if I win the Mega Millions Lotto list. Yep fits there just fine. Room for it and everything, right below 1966 Plymouth Barracuda as my grocery getter ride.
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