Anyone Towing using a Mazda 6 sedan?

[MC1]

Good day Dennis. Many of us are towing trailers with cars. Getting professional help (towing specialist) with the plan/setup is highly recommended.

[MC1]

Hi Dennis. Did you finally set up your Mazda for towing? How did it work out?

[Pam Garlow]

Originally Posted by MC1

Hi Dennis. Did you finally set up your Mazda for towing? How did it work out?

He hasn't been on since this past April. Maybe send a PM to him. Would be interesting to know how his camping season went.

[MC1]

Thnxs Pam. I will try a PM.

[dlt123me]

Originally Posted by MC1

Hi Dennis... Wondering how you made out towing with your Mazda 6... Some of us on the forum are wondering.

thnxs, Wayne

Hi Wayne, after having a hitch put on the car, I've decided that I need a better TV. I have opted to sell my Mazda6. I have it running an ad now on Auto Trader.

Cars for Sale: 2007 Mazda MAZDA6 Grand Touring in Newberg, OR 97132: Sedan Details - 352171836 - AutoTrader.com

I initially thought about building a small Teardrop trailer, but after counting the cost of building one and the comfort level it would afford considering the cost, I decided it wasn't for me.

I am going to buy a Toyota 4 Runner and get a 20-24 foot travel trailer instead.

The car now has a hitch that has not been used. It will be fine for a small lightweight trailer, but nothing more.

Also, I didn't know anyone had posted in my thread or I would have responded sooner. I have it set up to send me an email when someone posts, but I never received any emails from here letting me know the thread was still alive. Sorry.

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Lastly... I want to thank EVERYONE for all the excellent tips, suggestions and help I've received here. I did take your advice. I apologize for not getting back sooner to give the final episode in this story.

There are a lot of great people here and again, I thank you all for your help.

Dennis

[MC1]

Thnxs for the update Dennis. Your Mazda is very nice. Just an hour ago we test drove a 2008 Mazda 6 GT with the 3.0. It is very similar to our Infiniti G35 but the Maz has less power. We did like the 6 speed auto though. Note we are towing a 23' with the G.

The 4 Runners have a great reputation for reliability but beware. I was at a towing seminar a few years ago and the speaker (who had set up many 4 Runners for towing) commented... "if you want to design a tow vehicle that has everything wrong for towing the 4 Runner is perfect".... food for thought.

Apparently switching to LT tires really helps and or using a high end Hensley or Pro Pride hitching system.

Some good info here that may help.... http://forums.trailerlife.com/Index....g/1/page/1.cfm

[Pam Garlow]

Originally Posted by dlt123me

Hi Wayne, after having a hitch put on the car, I've decided that I need a better TV. I have opted to sell my Mazda6. I have it running an ad now on Auto Trader.

Cars for Sale: 2007 Mazda MAZDA6 Grand Touring in Newberg, OR 97132: Sedan Details - 352171836 - AutoTrader.com

I initially thought about building a small Teardrop trailer, but after counting the cost of building one and the comfort level it would afford considering the cost, I decided it wasn't for me.

I am going to buy a Toyota 4 Runner and get a 20-24 foot travel trailer instead.

The car now has a hitch that has not been used. It will be fine for a small lightweight trailer, but nothing more.

Also, I didn't know anyone had posted in my thread or I would have responded sooner. I have it set up to send me an email when someone posts, but I never received any emails from here letting me know the thread was still alive. Sorry.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lastly... I want to thank EVERYONE for all the excellent tips, suggestions and help I've received here. I did take your advice. I apologize for not getting back sooner to give the final episode in this story.

There are a lot of great people here and again, I thank you all for your help.

Dennis

Dennis, I hear that the Fiberglass Escape 21 footer is a great trailer. Good luck on your search.

[dlt123me]

Originally Posted by MC1

...

The 4 Runners have a great reputation for reliability but beware. I was at a towing seminar a few years ago and the speaker (who had set up many 4 Runners for towing) commented... "if you want to design a tow vehicle that has everything wrong for towing the 4 Runner is perfect".... food for thought.

Apparently switching to LT tires really helps and or using a high end Hensley or Pro Pride hitching system.

Some good info here that may help.... Trailer Life Magazine Open Roads Forum: Travel Trailers: 2005 4Runner with V6 Engine

Well, I read the link and one guy mentioned the Sequoia, but from my research it doesn't have the pulling power of the 4Runner.

I was planning on getting the V8 rather than the V6 4Runner. Now after reading that thread, I'm wondering what I should now do.

I could get a Tundra V8, which would probably be better for a trailer, but I liked the idea of the 4Runner since it's a SUV. The truck seem limited unless you have a canopy and then it's not as manageable as the 4Runner.

What do others think? This will be my only vehicle, so I want to get one that doesn't have terrible gas mileage and is a good ride.

Man not sure what to do... I think I might have my car sold this Monday. I'll be without a car and if I ditch the 4Runner, I have to start looking again for another TV.

Decisions, Decisions.
Dennis

[dlt123me]

Originally Posted by Pam Garlow

Dennis, I hear that the Fiberglass Escape 21 footer is a great trailer. Good luck on your search.

Thanks Pam... After buying a new TV, my funds are going to be limited. The Escape will be out of my price range at this point but I would really like a fiberglass trailer.

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by dlt123me

Well, I read the link and one guy mentioned the Sequoia, but from my research it doesn't have the pulling power of the 4Runner.

I was planning on getting the V8 rather than the V6 4Runner. Now after reading that thread, I'm wondering what I should now do.

I could get a Tundra V8, which would probably be better for a trailer, but I liked the idea of the 4Runner since it's a SUV. The truck seem limited unless you have a canopy and then it's not as manageable as the 4Runner.

It's hard to imagine why a Sequoia would be less capable than the much smaller 4Runner.

The Sequoia and Tundra are the same vehicle, from the front to behind the front seat. From that point back, the Sequoia has an SUV body on an independent rear suspension, while the Tundra has a pickup cab end and box on a leaf-spring suspension. The Tundra would be better for towing due to greater wheelbase, but for only two or three tons of trailer it's hard to imagine any issue with the Sequoia.

[dlt123me]

Originally Posted by Brian B-P

It's hard to imagine why a Sequoia would be less capable than the much smaller 4Runner.

The Sequoia and Tundra are the same vehicle, from the front to behind the front seat. From that point back, the Sequoia has an SUV body on an independent rear suspension, while the Tundra has a pickup cab end and box on a leaf-spring suspension. The Tundra would be better for towing due to greater wheelbase, but for only two or three tons of trailer it's hard to imagine any issue with the Sequoia.

That's what I thought, but when comparing the two, they were about the same in towing capacity, 6000 lbs. It would make sense the that Sequoia would be better, but I thought i read someplace that it wasn't. It might be that maintenance is more on the Sequoia over the 4Runner.

I'll have to find where I read that... You know after reading so much everywhere, you get flooded with info and it all starts to melt together.

I am talking with a towing specialist tomorrow to see what he recommends for my needs. I'm sure I'll have a better understanding after tomorrow.

Dennis

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by Brian B-P

It's hard to imagine why a Sequoia would be less capable than the much smaller 4Runner.

Originally Posted by dlt123me

That's what I thought, but when comparing the two, they were about the same in towing capacity, 6000 lbs. It would make sense the that Sequoia would be better, but I thought i read someplace that it wasn't. It might be that maintenance is more on the Sequoia over the 4Runner.

The current 4Runner has up to 4700 pound towing capacity according to the current Toyota website specs. It may be that the previous generation V8 4Runner was higher, since a major limiting factor to tow ratings is the engine.

Maintenance for the V8 vehicle will be higher than for the V6 vehicle, and in the long run the independent rear suspension of the Sequoia might drive maintenance costs up somewhat as well.

[MC1]

There is a very convincing article somewhere that explains why the Toyota "Sienna" trumps the Sequoia when it come to towing.

[dlt123me]

Originally Posted by MC1

There is a very convincing article somewhere that explains why the Toyota "Sienna" trumps the Sequoia when it come to towing.

If anyone knows of this article, please add a link to this thread. I am sure others who venture into this thread would find it interesting.

BTW, I'm sure others are aware of this link, but this is where I am getting my towing facts...

http://www.trailerlife.com/trailer-towing-guides/

Dennis

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by MC1

There is a very convincing article somewhere that explains why the Toyota "Sienna" trumps the Sequoia when it come to towing.

I assume this is a reference to RV Lifestyle - Hitch Hints (issue 35-2), one of Andy Thompson's columns in RV Lifestyle (which is virtually the Can-Am RV newsletter). It was interesting, but I'm not sure I would call it convincing. The full text is not offered online; Can-Am might provide it.

Originally Posted by dlt123me

BTW, I'm sure others are aware of this link, but this is where I am getting my towing facts...
Trailer Towing Guides | Trailer Life Magazine

The Trailer Life list is a useful starting point, but is neither complete nor consistently correct.

[dlt123me]

Originally Posted by Brian B-P

I assume this is a reference to RV Lifestyle - Hitch Hints (issue 35-2), one of Andy Thompson's columns in RV Lifestyle (which is virtually the Can-Am RV newsletter). It was interesting, but I'm not sure I would call it convincing. The full text is not offered online; Can-Am might provide it.


The Trailer Life list is a useful starting point, but is neither complete nor consistently correct.

Thanks Brian. I contacted CanAmRv and i'm waiting for an article they wrote to be sent to me.

Dennis

[MC1]

We are still looking for a replacement for our aging 97 Nissan Mini Van.

Looked at a couple used Mazda 6's lately. They are good value for the dollar as many folks these days are wanting SUV's.

Here was an 07 and an 08. Both 6 cyl. The sedan is actually a hatch back with fold down rear seats so it has a fair amount of utility. Not sure what their towing abilities are but they are fun to drive and handle like a BMW (seriously).

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by MC1

Not sure what their towing abilities are but they are fun to drive and handle like a BMW (seriously).

I'm not surprised; Mazda's "Zoom Zoom" slogan wasn't just a creation of their advertising agency.

[emers382]

Our zoom-zoom is an 09 Mazda6 but only with the four cyl. but it goes zoom-zoom not too bad and great mileage around 40 MP(imp)G. It says however that towing not recommended. Perhaps the earlier - they changed quite a bit in 09 - ones with the six could tow a small trailer - certainly one of the smaller ProLites although cpaharley does not recommend them.

BTW do you live near Caledonia MC1 or just car shopping there?

Adrian

[MC1]

Adrian... We reside near Niagara Falls Ontario. The black wagon looked interesting so we drove up to Caladonia to have a look. Are you familiar with that area, "the Oasis"??