Quote:
Glenn
How do you find the Rav4 for towing your Escape in the mountains of BC. Now that's a real-life road test for anybody. My wife remembers driving out there on, gravel roads, in the 60's and thinks that I need a mega monster to tow with through the mountains. I'm trying to convince her that the Toyo would fit the bill perfectly.
Jim
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How fast do you want to go? Over or under the speed limit? The V6 delivers 269 HP.
I found myself doing 120 kph so I could get out of the passing lane after I passed a couple slow trucks on an uphill grade. You'll pay for it in gas though, if you drive like that.
There is a rest area that I pulled into that has a really short access going onto the highway. Vehicles were coming in the slow lane, but I didn't hesitate. I just stepped on the gas and merged easily. In fact it took them a while to catch up.
I haven't gone over a couple of the major climbs yet. There is the 17km climb to the Coquihalla summit, but I'm confident that it will pull my
Escape without difficulty given the hills we have climbed. I choose to use either Hwy. 1 or 3 when heading to the interior because I find the Coquihalla boring to drive. Only pain will be in my pocket book as gas consumption rises substantially for that 17K if I do take Hwy. 5. They've taken the toll off that road now, however.
I used to tow my tent trailer with my Subaru over these same roads and crawled up them in second gear wondering if I would make it. Now, the question is, should I pass this guy or save the gas.
With the equalizer hitch I've not experienced any problems with sway. I had to take evasive action once to avoid a pothole ( hit it anyway ) and realized after that the Toad was still following me. On that same road, I once found the tent trailer coming up to join me alongside the Subaru when my driving got too enthusiastic.
I think it's a great tow vehicle for eggs and it gets good mileage if you keep it down to about 90kph. Without the trailer, mileage improves substantially. Of course, I try to do my chores around town in the company car while I'm on shift, but I think the RAV does both jobs as well as anybody could expect.
I'm extremely happy with my choice of trailer and tow.