QS10.0 secondary tow vehicle questions

[kevbec27606]

I just purchased a 2015 QS10.0 and planned on my 2010 Tacoma 4dr SR5 V6 being the primary tow vehicle.

Now that my wife has seen her birthday present, she wants to get rid of the Prius (thank God!) and buy a sedan or small hatchback to be able to make her yearly cross country trip.

If you own(ed) a QS10 and didn't own a truck or large SUV, please let me know what type of car you pulled with, and what your thoughts were on that vehicle.

Cheers!

Kevin

[david]

The QS10 has a GVWR of 1,500 lbs. Most small SUVs and minivans can handle that easily. Not all sedans and small SUVs even publish a tow weight rating. I think something like a Honda Accord or Ford Fusion could handle it ok. A Honda CRV or Ford Focus maybe not. When the trailer weight hits about half of the TV weight, I would be concerned. That criteria also applies to braking. At or even near it I would want electric trailer brakes which isn't normally available on the QS.

And then you need to think about wear and tear on the drive train, irrespective of safe towing.

Ford does indicate towing limits for the Fusion but not the Focus. The Fusion's curb weight is about 3,500 lbs so it meets the above criteria. But Ford specifies a 1,000 lb tow limit with the 1.5 and 2.5 L engines and 2,000 lbs with the 2.0 Ecoboost. I suspect that has something to do with better transmission cooling capacity or beefier transmission for the 2.0 Ecoboost than anything else as the 2.5 liter engine should be capable, but Ford obviously doesn't agree. You could do it with the 2.5 liter engine, but I would watch transmission temps to make sure and I realize that isn't an option when you are buying a new car. It used to be that you could easily add an auxiliary transmission cooler, but with today's tightly designed engine compartments, it is probably not possible.

FWIW towing often doubles the continuous horsepower required from the engine, and that heat has to be dissipated or bad things happen.

So, it is possible to tow with a sedan, but you need to be careful. Post specific vehicles you are considering so we can better evaluate.

And I would never think about towing anything with a Prius. It is optimized for mileage, which means that everything: unit body strength, rear end capacity, suspension, and the engine doesn't have any thing left for towing.

David

[pinstriper]

I bet a Crown Vic could do it.

But yeah, I think we're in Ford Escape or similar territory. Toyota Highlander certainly. Even the RAV 4, which the Hybrids actually take you from 1500 up to 1750. Not a particularly comfortable tow, however, being right at the limits.

[kevbec27606]

thanks guys.

I bought the 10.0 because it was such a good deal.  I didn't consider the additional weight since the Tacoma can handle it.  My wife doesn't want anything big, and def not a mini van.  she may have to take the truck to california this year

[sandyu]

I would get something that is rated for 3500 pounds. I'm thinking about all the other camping stuff that really adds up.  I'm always packing for four or five people, you may get by with something smaller. The mini van is not a "cool" vehicle, however it's hard to be it's ride and cargo capacity combination.

[admin]

I have personally towed my fully loaded 10.0 behind a 4cyl Jeep Wrangler 2 door. I'm not saying it was smart, but it is certainly possible. When we first purchased our 10.0 we had a Mazda 5 which I suspect could have towed it, however there was no manufacturers tow rating and trying to find a bolt on hitch was next to impossible. All in all I think you'll find that using a car or sedan to tow the 10.0 will not be ideal mainly due to braking. Just about anything can move the 10.0, stopping is another story.

Another factor you mentioned is towing over long distances. Trying to tow the 10.0 by a car that may honestly be smaller than the 10.0's footprint over long distances can get squirrely at times. I dont know if I would want to tow the 10.0 over long distances in a smaller car. Just my opinion from limited experience. I'd stick with a smaller SUV if possible.

-Sean

[kevbec27606]

wear on the drive train and brakes are my big concerns.

I have seen a post that says the Madza 3 GT has a 1500lbs towing capacity.

https://rideapart.com/articles/top-five-small-and-inexpensive-cars-that-can-towhaul

don't know how accurate that site is.

[jeanbenjaminl]

I towed a quicksilver 8 with a corolla without any problem. I drove thousand of mile with that setup. The best part was the mileage, I was doing 8L/100 km!!! (30mpg)

The Corolla only had a 1.8 litters engine and it had a 1500# tow capacity.

[admin]

Oddly enough the 8.0 and 10.0 have the same GVWR where the 8.0 has a higher load capacity. I suspect the 8.0 would be easier to tow with a smaller vehicle since its dry weight is already a couple hundred pounds lighter. Plus the 8.0 with its smaller size would be less impacted by wind.

Either way 30 mpg while towing anything is an amazing number

[chuck893]

We've towed our 2010 QS 8.1 since she was brand new with a 2007 Ford Escape with the 3-liter six. We towed literally thousands of miles. We towed in mountains, once over 10,000 feet. One single road trip we did 16,000 miles, 16 states, 30 camps. The little Escape did it all without breathing hard (geared down of course, uphill and down). Beyond regrettably, a few weeks ago the car found a patch of ice under snow and raced off to hug the nearest tree (a tree she didn't even know f'cryin' out loud) and got herself totaled by the insurance company (doesn't take much with a 9 year old car). 

We will resume towing duties with a 2015 Ford Escape, with the 4-cyl 2.0 Ecoboost because it is indeed, as David points out, the only 4-cylinder that Ford will even put a hitch on, which was why we chose the car. I believe the 2015 Escape is on a Fusion chassis and the 6-cyl is no longer even an option.

At this point of course I cannot tell you anything about how the whole rig works together. The trailer hooked behind the 2007 Escape was an absolute dream combination which we fully expected to continue until I could no longer handle it, but stuff happens, so we will see. The new car is TERRIFIC without the trailer, lots of pep, great acceleration, a four that feels like a six but with great gas mileage (averaging about 28). I've always been a conservative driver, and while the dealer was a little nervous about us towing up to 1,500 pounds with a 2015, he was actually surprised that we got away with it with the 2007, so there's that.

I will try to remember to report back once we start towing. It's snowing today here so it may be a while...       
[a href="https://flic.kr/p/8GbDqJ"]
[img style="max-width:100%;" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4127/5049234238_f2b19bbc81_z.jpg"][/a][a href="https://flic.kr/p/8GbDqJ"]Daisy and Rose at Lost Trail Pass[/a] by [a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/43619751@N06/"]Chuck Haacker[/a], on Flickr

And this is Daisy Too, complete with so-far-untested-hitch... Oh, did the color have anything to do with the choice? Ummmm...
[a href="https://flic.kr/p/FvAK8F"]
, on Flickr

[daplumbr]

You might consider taking a look at the Subaru Outback. With the 6cyl engine, the tow capacity is 3000 lbs and it tows small trailers well with a solid suspension and AWD. The 6 cyl has effortless acceleration and we are overall averaging 24 mpg with our '13. (Of course we don't tow our 16TBS with it!). The reviews on the latest generation ('15-'16) are excellent and they are really nice, versatile cars when not towing too. I have no experience with the 4 cyl Outback, but I know the towing capacity drops to 2700 lbs. I think the 6 cyl Outback would tow the QS10 just fine. 

[solds88]

My youngest works for Subaru in Lafayette Indiana. They are hiring 1200 more people as they can't build them fast enough to meet demand, and bringing in one new product line. The Outback, built here in Indiana, appears to be a very reliable product.

[catmanriff]

my wife has the same red 2016 Escape. I think it would tow the 10.0 just fine.



The Jeep Wrangler is nice

The Kia Sorrento

Hyundai Santa Fe

Rav 4 V6

Toyota Highlander V6

Honda Pilot is nice

Chevy Colorado

VW Tiguan

VW Toureg

Dodge Journey V6

Dodge Durango $$$

[rob]

[quote source="/post/19852/thread" author="@kevbec27606" timestamp="1458839629"]wear on the drive train and brakes are my big concerns.

I have seen a post that says the Madza 3 GT has a 1500lbs towing capacity.

https://rideapart.com/articles/top-five-small-and-inexpensive-cars-that-can-towhaul

don't know how accurate that site is.[/quote]That site appears to be using European stats and capacities.

My Vibe (2.4 manual), according to the owners manual, is rated for 1500 lbs.  That amount is calculated assuming no payload, no passengers in the car.  My car is at its limit when I load up for a family weekend trip.......................i know because I can feel it.

My suggestion for a vehicle would be a mid-sized SUV, rated for 2,000 lbs.................................and get that info from a North American web site. 

[subaruwx]

I tow my QS10 with a Subaru Outback 2.5i (4 cylinder).  The outback has plenty of power and brakes surprisingly well with the QS10 in tow.