tow vehicle.

[pigeonlake]

Hey everyone I am in need of a tow vehicle to tow my 16 foot boat.  It has a package weight of 1800 pounds.  I would like a suv and have been looking at the kia sorento and hyundai santa fe.  I am wondering if any of you have towed with the 2.0 4 cyclinder turbo that comes on these vehicles.  It says 3500 pounds but i would like some real world feedback.  also any other suggestions are welcome

[Big Rick]

I towed my 18 ft G3 with my '13 Toyota RAV4 all over the country. It had a 2.4 non turbo 4 cylinder. I had no issues pulling nor stopping. I just had to use prudence on starting as it would spin a half turn if I hit it too hard at take off. My RAV was not 4 wheel drive either. Not sure what my boat weighs with all my gear but it's more than 1800 lbs. My Yamaha 90 outboard weighs nearly half that, lol!!

[slowworm]

I tow a 2400lb boat with a Ford Escape with no issues.  A very similar vehicle. 

 

You do need to check the owners manual for the fine print.  The Ford Escape with the 2.0 L Turbo and the factory tow package is rated at 1500lbs for an un-braked trailer, 3500lb for a trailer with brakes.  Yet you only ever see 3500lbs in the brochures.

 

I suspect the same is true of the Kia.  This matters if you ever have an accident.  Your insurance might be voided for overloading the tow vehicle.  It may also be illegal to exceed the book specs for towing depending on your state.

[TnRiver46]

Why not a truck? Walking through the bed when launching/loading is priceless 

[MN Fisher]

37 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

Why not a truck? Walking through the bed when launching/loading is priceless 

Unless, like me, you have a full topper. Makes it a bit hard to do that.

[MassYak85]

Probably depends on the specific ramps you plan to fish. Steep wet ramps you're gonna want 4WD. Some ramps also have a nasty lip at the end underwater the trailer wheels can get stuck on. That boat is light so pretty much anything with a hitch should tow it on the roads without much issue but you don't want to be stuck in a position where you can't get the trailer out of the water. 

[pigeonlake]

Thanks everyone.  I was planning on getting awd.  The reason I dont want a truck is because i want the interior room.  I have a truck now and find the truck box is more a catch all for crap than any use.   I use it very little plus I have a work truck if i need a truck

[jbmaine]

We tow our 16 ft. boat with a Ford Edge ( with a factory tow package), tows like a dream, very nice ride.

[Bass Whoopin']

Be careful with that. It's not pulling the load that's the issue it's stopping the load. I don't have that problem. I just bought a 2019 Toyota Tundra. Sold my 2017 Tacoma TRD Sport and went with the big ole 5.7L V8. However when i was a kid we got away with towing a pop up with a Toyota Sienna Van. That was pushing it though. Get the right tool for the job.

[HenryPF]

2019 Hyundai Sante Fe owner here towing an 1100lb boat package. I can feel it behind me vs. towing it with my old full size Tahoe. 2.0L turbo on the engine, AWD. Mileage drops down to 15-18 while towing (tows easily up to 85mph but do not recommend, safety and all).

 

Have zero issues towing this boat. Starting, stopping, passing. Note that the Sorrento still comes a V6 if you want torque, but at 1800lbs, I doubt you will need it.

 

I plan on using this vehicle to tow a 2300lb package in about 2 years but I am getting trailer brakes when I do that.

 

 

[papajoe222]

My boss HAD a KIa Sorento that he used for towing his 14ft. semi-V down to southern Illinois from Chicago on a regular basis. It lasted one year before the transmission gave out and that boat/trailer weight less than 1750lbs.

Yes, it was under warranty. No, he didn't keep it after it was fixed.  He bought a Honda Pilot. He's had it three years with zero problems.

[MassYak85]

11 hours ago, papajoe222 said:

My boss HAD a KIa Sorento that he used for towing his 14ft. semi-V down to southern Illinois from Chicago on a regular basis. It lasted one year before the transmission gave out and that boat/trailer weight less than 1750lbs.

Yes, it was under warranty. No, he didn't keep it after it was fixed.  He bought a Honda Pilot. He's had it three years with zero problems.

Yea make sure whatever you do get, get a transmission cooler. You can get them aftermarket but many vehicles come with one if you get the tow package. My father also has a Pilot and tows his 18ft Lund just fine. 

[Allen Der]

I'm towing a similar sized boat with a 2018 Chevy traverse 6cyl AWD with towing package.  I don't even feel the boat behind me.  Brakes are ok but I'd want trailer brakes for anything heavier

[Bird]

My wife's 2017 Santa Fe has the 3.3 with 290 hp and 5000lb towing capacity.....should yank a bass boat with relative ease.

[Log Catcher]

I would not pull a boat with anything that is front wheel drive.With the weight on the back end I would be scared of losing traction and getting stuck on wet boat ramps. I really recommend either 4WD or AWD.

[Bassattackr]

Most manufacturers recommend not exceeding 70% of the rated towing capacity.  That will help with your math equation..

[pigeonlake]

Thanks everyone I ended up getting a 2015 kia sorento awd with the 3.3.  An old man owned it and too super car of it with receipts to prove it.  so far very happy with it

[Way2slow]

I guess my problem is I know too much about cars.  I wouldn't dream of trying to use most of the vehicles in this thread to tow much of anything with, especially if it was for more than a few miles.  

I'll bet there not a one of them with a transmission temp gauge, which would be a critical item needed to have in most any vehicle used to tow with, unless you plan to be best friends with a local transmission shop down the road. 

That's just to get it moving down the road, not even going into the issues of stopping it in a panic situation.  

[ChelseaFisher]

30 minutes ago, Way2slow said:

I guess my problem is I know too much about cars.  I wouldn't dream of trying to use most of the vehicles in this thread to tow much of anything with, especially if it was for more than a few miles.  

I'll bet there not a one of them with a transmission temp gauge, which would be a critical item needed to have in most any vehicle used to tow with, unless you plan to be best friends with a local transmission shop down the road. 

That's just to get it moving down the road, not even going into the issues of stopping it in a panic situation.  

I don’t know a ton by any means, but in this thread the only vehicles I’d use to haul more than a little utility trailer would be the Tundra and the Tacoma.  Never would’ve dreamed of hooking up a boat to a RAV4, Sorento, etc.

[Tony johnson]

I tow my 16ft tracker with my 95 jeep grand cherokee v8 awd.. also have 2002 f150 and a 2002 ford excursion 4wd with a 7.3l diesel

[MassYak85]

On 9/17/2019 at 9:25 AM, ChelseaFisher said:

I don’t know a ton by any means, but in this thread the only vehicles I’d use to haul more than a little utility trailer would be the Tundra and the Tacoma.  Never would’ve dreamed of hooking up a boat to a RAV4, Sorento, etc.

Yea I owned a RAV 4 and wouldn't have towed with it. Maybe a Kayak trailer or a crawdad, tiny John boat but that's about it. 

 

I've got a 4Runner now which is much better set up to tow with. Right now I'm just using it with a rooftop Kayak rack but I've hauled my father's boat with the vehicle and it performed well. 

[Further North]

On 9/16/2019 at 4:00 PM, Bassattackr said:

Most manufacturers recommend not exceeding 70% of the rated towing capacity.  That will help with your math equation..

Why would they publish the actual ratings then?

 

...makes no sense...

[Further North]

Modern vehicles with built in anti sway and ABS, etc. are very capable...far, far more than the vehicles most of us grew up with. 

 

Applying old paradigms to current vehicles is worthless.

 

I towed a 2,400 boat with a 2.0 liter Ford Escape for years, zero problems.  Had a couple emergency stops and one deer jump out in front of me @ 60 MPH.

 

Worked much better than a full size truck from even the 2000s would have.

 

Towing the same boat now, with a Ford Edge, have the Escape as a backup...

 

Still no problems, and I tow 2-3 times a week.

 

Don't get stuck in the past.

[DanielG]

13 hours ago, MassYak85 said:

Yea I owned a RAV 4 and wouldn't have towed with it. Maybe a Kayak trailer or a crawdad, tiny John boat but that's about it. 

 

I've got a 4Runner now which is much better set up to tow with. Right now I'm just using it with a rooftop Kayak rack but I've hauled my father's boat with the vehicle and it performed well. 

My niece had a Tab trailer. It had it's own brakes too. That's a teardrop if you didn't know. You could move it by hand. When she got her Rav4 she purchased an older 6 cylinder one because the 4 cylinder ones that they are all now wasn't recommended to tow anything. She eventually even traded in the 6 for a larger toyota SUV.

[moguy1973]

7 hours ago, Further North said:

Why would they publish the actual ratings then?

 

...makes no sense...

They put the actual tow ratings because that's what the vehicle is capable of.  Not really what is safe.  

 

It's like they publish the top speed of vehicles but it's only because that's what they are capable of. It's all marketing.