Towing a 13' with a turbo 4 cyl.

[Bill Finch]

For the past 10 years, I have been pulling my 2008 13 foot Scamp with a 2003 Toyota Celica 5 speed manual. Trailer brakes are essential because in California I have a lot of mountain driving. The trailer weight has never exceeded 1700 pounds and the car has a 2000 pound tow rating. That is cutting it close for most of you, but I have never had problems with going up or down passes, including Sonora Pass which has >20 percent grade in places. I get a consistent 25 mpg with this combo, usually traveling at around 60 mph. The car averages around 33 mpg without the trailer.

[JMatt035]

I also live in Vancouver so totally understand the gas cost and parking challenges. My wife and I have a 2015 Escape with the turbo 2.0 litre (tow rating of 3500 lbs) and a 17’ Boler loaded around 3200 to 3300 lbs. We towed the Boler with the escape but had a alert about power being reduced pop up in the information center 2 times while climbing (once going up the cut in North Vancouver on hwy 1). I asked about this at the dealership and the tech suggested that the trailer was getting to the edge of what we should be towing with the escape. We opted to get another vehicle for towing but have kept the escape for use around metro Vancouver. The vehicle we bought to tow with was a 2015 F150 because we wanted to be able to tow bigger if we decide to “upgrade” from the boler. One last thought we get close to the same economy with the F150 towing through the mountain as we did with the Escape. Escape was about 17L per 100 Km and the F150 is around 18L per 100 Km. Around town (mixed driving) the escape is 10.5 L per 100 Km and the F150 is 13 L per 100 Km. I hope that helps with your decision.

[kramg]

FWIW, I have been towing an unbraked 13' Boler with my 2009 Tiguan (2L Turbo, AWD, auto) since the car was new and have had no issues with either acceleration or braking. It's a really nice combination. Unfortunately, as another poster has mentioned, while the older Tiguans were rated for 2200 lbs, the new Tiguans are only rated for 1500 lbs.


Something to keep in mind if you go the 2 litre turbo route - not all turbos are created equal so youmight want to look at both the torque produced and at what rpm.


Good luck finding your new ride.

[Anachron]

It does. Thanks! If we ever go up to a 17 footer, we'll definitely be upgrading to a pickup or a larger SUV. But for a 13 footer, we'd prefer a smaller daily driver. My wife is considering going new (Armadillo) vs an old Boler/Trillium. It's heavier, (~ 2000 lbs) and more expensive ($30,000 VS $10,000)

Decisions, decisions.

[Scampdoodle]

So we are seriously planning on towing our 13 scamp no toilet no shower with a Rav4. Just a regular Rav4 that has a towing capacity of 1500 pounds. We added an electric brake controller. We travel super light. We dont pack much for food and drinks and we aren't hauling any water. Any advice? The Rav4 is a 2018 and the Scamp is a 2014 not the deluxe model. Are we foolish?

[Anachron]

Originally Posted by Scampdoodle

So we are seriously planning on towing our 13 scamp no toilet no shower with a Rav4. Just a regular Rav4 that has a towing capacity of 1500 pounds. We added an electric brake controller. We travel super light. We dont pack much for food and drinks and we aren't hauling any water. Any advice? The Rav4 is a 2018 and the Scamp is a 2014 not the deluxe model. Are we foolish?

How much does the Scamp weigh? if yo give it a go, report back on whether it works or nor. I'd love to know. I have a 2014 i4 Rav4. According to the numbers I'm not sure if the Rav4 up to the task. Much if our gear is for backpacking and bicycle touring so we're pretty 'light' too.

[Glenn Baglo]

Towing a trailer is harder on any vehicle than not towing. You may not discover for several years that it was a really bad idea.

[JAB]

Tom,
Have you given any thought to a V6 Equinox? It looks like it has enough capacity to pull the camper you describe yet is smaller and less expensive than other SUVs. Gets pretty good ratings. We're looking at a used '16/'17 V6 to pull our CT13 UHaul fiberglass.
John

[Anachron]

Originally Posted by JAB

Tom,
Have you given any thought to a V6 Equinox? It looks like it has enough capacity to pull the camper you describe yet is smaller and less expensive than other SUVs. Gets pretty good ratings. We're looking at a used '16/'17 V6 to pull our CT13 UHaul fiberglass.
John

A reasonably sized SUV with a V6. I know. I owned a 2004 Chevy Venture van. Couldn't get comfortable in the seats. The dealer tried to charge me $1,200 for a leaking oil pan seal when the vehicle was still under warranty and at the end of the lease, tried adding all kinds of deficiency charges. They said the fender had been repainted the wrong colour when it had never been painted and that my touch up paint used for little chips was the wrong colour. I had to prove that I had bought the touch up paint at that very dealership. It completely turned me off GM. Maybe a different vehicle and a different dealer, but once burnt...

[Mike_L]

I've towed lots with an I4, just not very fast. I used a manual shift which let me, not the tranny, select the gear.
Now I use a 3/4 diesel. Better for power and much better for stability.
Not a lot of difference in fuel economy. The I4 worked very hard, the diesel never has to work hard.
My half ton is somewhere in between.