Opinions on a new vehicle to tow a 1500lb boat

[ThomasL]

Well i will be in the market for a new vehicle very shortly that will be able to tow a 1500 lb

xpress bassboat but still get decent(25 mpg at least) on the highway but not smoke tires on

a boat ramp trying to pull it out.We are going to sell our 05 camry with 110,00+ miles and i have

looked at a few options.I looked at the subaru legacy allwheel drive that claimed 27 highway mpg

but the reviews aren't that good,i looked at several small suv's,mazda tribute-cloan ford escape but

don't know of there reliability,i like toyotas but the rav 4 is just too small and i had a highlander but it's

price has skyrocketed,don't know about the jeep patriot or the other small one they make and

it's reliability?I have to have good gas milege though we drive 100 miles plus a day and with gas

the way it is this is a must,what do ya'll think? :-/

[rondef]

I pull my boat with a 2007 4Runner and it pulls nice.  I do not have any problems at the boat ramps and it gets about 22 miles per gallon on average.  I would highly recommend this vehicle for the boat you are pulling, my boat weighs about 1,500lbs

[Matt Fly]

A nice V6 will handle that weight all day long.    One of the biggest factors on pulling a boat out is not to over rev the engine.   slowly apply gas on auto transmissions.    On standards, keep parking brake engaged while putting into gear and easing off the clutch and e brake at the same time prevents slippage.

[farmpond1]

I'm assuming you mean 25+ mpg without pulling the boat.  But even so, you'll be hard pressed to find anything that will get that kind of fuel efficiency in any vehicle capable of pulling a (heavy) boat.  It's something I've had to contend with as well.  So I kept my older (paid for) honda civic for my regular day in and day out driving and drive my pickup when I need a pickup.  I suggest you keep your Camry (unless you just can't afford the second vehicle) and buy a good used pickup.  Just my 2 cents worth.

[RAINCLOUD36]

I tow my 16' 6" Nitro (around 1800 lbs) with a GMC Envoy with no problem. Before that it was an Isuzu Rodeo which also did fine. Both got around 22-25 mpg but not while towing the boat. Any mid size suv should be okay but don't look for great gas mileage while towing

[Redlinerobert]

Get a Hummer H2!  I get a whopping 9.4 miles per gallon while towing my boat.  

[CGH]

I'd go with farmpond ideal and keep your daily driver and get you a used truck/suv just to pull the boat.

25 miles to the gallon pulling a 1500lb boat seams like a big stretch

[ThomasL]

I don't expect that kind of gas milege while towing the boat but i do need a vehicle that will get better than 25 highway miles per gallon as a daily driver with the occational use to tow the boat that is why

i am looking at the ford escape,subaru legacy allwheel drive,that size vehicle.

[fishfordollars]

I pull my Triton with a Ford Sport Trac v-6. Gets right at 24 w/o the boat and 17 with it. Unless I get in the hills and mountains of North Alabama and eastern Tenn. Then it is less. It tows great at 70. The v-6 has plenty of power.

[jeremyt]

My dad has an escape, its a good vehicle to tow with for a V-6. I think he gets around 25-27 highway miles and it has decent power.

[Team_Dougherty]

I agree with what some others have said. I have an older s10 blazer, with 180,000 miles, that is the boat tower. It does its job very well. I bought a saturn for the daily driver for the mileage. Both vehicles are paid off so the only "extra" cost if for insurance on a '91 blazer. Very cheap.

If you can afford it got with the "extra" vehicle. It does come in handy when the daily driver needs inspection or other stuff done do it.

[Diablos]

Check into the Subaru Forester...2400lb towing and very reliable.

[tntitans21399]

You should only smoke the tires at the boat ramp if you floor it.  My dodge dakota V6 has the limited slip in it and if I floor it will spin the tire but if you just give it a little gas it will keep gripping even with hardly any tread on the tires.  So just remember that because a 4cy can pull it out if you remember that.  But the 4cyl then would have more trouble going up hills.  You also need to remember even thou it says it gets a certain mpg it might not be completely right.  A old grandma might get 25mpg in my truck, and I get about 15mpg because I drive faster, and my dodge's market says it should get about 18-20mpg.  

I don't know anyone who has one and I haven't really looked to much into the new Chevy/GMC's trucks.  Not the hybrids but the regular trucks.  I'm not sure about the 6cyl, but the V8's are suppose to use all 8cyls when you floor it, going up hill, and when taking off but when cruising it only uses 4 or so cylinders to save gas when it doesn't need all 8cyls.  You might want to look at those, they might be to costly, but worth looking into.  Also a truck gets about 1-2 mpg better than a suv.

[ThomasL]

I called my credit union today and asked them a value for our 05 camry with 111,000 miles on it so i know what i am dealing with now.I have searched the highlander by toyota i had one before my fourrunners and on the four cyl i got 26-27 on the highway as a daily driver and with a weight of 4000 lbs it shouldn't be a problem pulling 1500 lbs out of most ramps,there are several in the 06-07 range with less than 30,000 miles on them as we speak.

[pbw]

I called my credit union today and asked them a value for our 05 camry with 111,000 miles on it so i know what i am dealing with now.I have searched the highlander by toyota i had one before my fourrunners and on the four cyl i got 26-27 on the highway as a daily driver and with a weight of 4000 lbs it shouldn't be a problem pulling 1500 lbs out of most ramps,there are several in the 06-07 range with less than 30,000 miles on them as we speak.

Why not just tow with your camry? They all can tow max of 2000. I tow with mine all the time 2000, 4 banger with 190,000 miles.

If you are against it look at Hyundai Elantra offers 3,086 pounds of towing capacity when trailer brakes are used (without the brakes, it tops out at 1,000 pounds).

[Cory20]

I have a 2001 Forester and I get 25 mpg on average (I keep a log).  

165 hp  166 ft/lb torque.  A little better than the CRV or RAV4.

I was also looking at a CRV and a Rav4.  After reading the reviews and doing the test drives, the forester was the quieter and smoother ride.  You actually go somewhere when you step on the peddle too (the rav4 just makes more noise).  The back seat is tight for an adult.  If you have kids that are getting bigger, the CRV is much more comfortable in the back.  The gas mileage won't be what you're looking for though.

I don't know if you have bad winter weather, but it's nice in that too.  

It does fine towing my 16ft alum.  An old farm truck might be nice if you put in at less than desirable boat ramps where you need higher ground clearance.  

If you're interested in one, look for a type S, it's a noticeably nicer ride than the L.

Looks like I'm up to 4 cents now.

Cory