![]() Today, midsize SUVs, as the name suggests, slot neatly between compact and full-size SUVs, providing arguably the best of both worlds. But skyrocketing demand has ushered in a new era with seemingly endless variations on the SUV theme. ![]() Not too long ago, SUVs came in one size: large. So I guess this post did not really help the original poster but I felt it might be interesting for fellow car nuts on this forum to get some perspective about the fact that towing with a passenger car is not as outlandish as we stateside may think it is.Jump To: 3-Row Midsize SUVs | 2 or 3 row Midsize SUVs | 2-Row Midsize SUVs The VW hitch available in Europe is class II (up to 3500 lbs) but it’s not available openly in North America because it replaces the bumper I-beam and can’t meet the 5 mph bumper safety spec.” On some Passat internet forum I found the following info: “All the hitches available in North America are class I. I am pretty sure that this Passat towing package that I was talking about is not available in the US. the only pickup truck I could find was a Ford Ranger: If you look at heir website where they review lots of towing vehicles, 50% of those are passenger cars. I assume that “Practical Caravans” is a caravaning & camping magazine. ![]() It actually won (according to Wikipedia) “Practical Caravans Towcar of the Year Awards 2008 for its array of towing features such as its Trailer Stability Programme”. It says that the trailer has to have its own brakes. So according to these sources you can tow 3500 lbs on inclines up to 8%. This discussion sparked my curiosity and I googled a bit on some European websites and found that a 4 Cylinder Volkswagen Passat Wagon can tow 3500 lbs. It is - I believe - also a matter of towing in the mountains or on flat surfaces. So I guess to some extent it is a matter of perspective. With gas prices being as high as $9 per gallon people (like the original poster) just don’t see a point in driving a truck all year long just because the tow a trailer a couple of times a year, It is very common practice - and the engines there are much less powerful than what is sold here. People hook up camping trailers to their Passats or GM mid size vehicles and what not and drive hundreds (even thousands) of miles. Simply because in Europe they do it all the time and I have always wondered where that difference in perception is coming from. I used to live in Europe for many years so I always follow these discussions about not being able to tow trailers with a passenger vehicle with much interest. ![]() But your choice of cars that can handle a 3,500 lb trailer is very limited. Trucks have more powerful brakes and towing is expected and designed into the entire braking system.Ī used police intercepter packaged Ford Crown Vic might do fine with your trailer. ABS and traction control systems for cars are not tuned for towing either. Today’s cars do not have brakes designed for stopping heavy loads. Now cars are unibody (which means no full frame) while trucks and SUV’s have full frames.īringing a trailer to a stop is important. The full sized cars often had full frames under them the same as trucks. More wind drag just increased the work load on the tow vehicle.īack in '60’s cars and light trucks shared many more driveline parts motors, transmissions, rear ends, and axles were very similar with some different gearing ratios. ![]() There is the extra weight, but there is also a huge increase in wind drag. You have to realize that towing is tough on the tow vehicle. Modern cars also use gears and components that are strong enough for moving the vehicle but don’t have extra capacity for towing. As they make cars lighter to maximize mpg it takes away from the frame strength which makes cars poor tow vehicles. ![]()
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