Modern Wagons That Can Tow?

Weight isn't the whole picture with towing either.  Weight distribution of the trailer, length of the trailer (primarily distance between the axles and hitch ball), amount of weight behind the trailer axles, and windage all impact how well or not a given trailer tows.  Even at equal weight, some trailer and load combos are much harder on the tow rig than others as far as stability goes. 

In general, longer trailers are more stable.  Adding tongue length only helps you, as it reduces the tongue weight if nothing else is changed, but without hurting stability.  Plus the extra length helps stability some too.  A longer trailer also makes it easier to reduce the weight behind the trailer axles, as weight back there is bad for stability (more momentum for the tail to wag the dog).  In the ideal case for a car trailer, you'd have the trailer axles fairly far back and a long tongue.  Heavier end of the car goes over the axles, with the car wheels somewhere either between the trailer axles or over the rear axle depending on how much overhang, etc.  But you need a fairly long tongue for that positioning not to give excessive tongue weight. 

In reply to codrus (Forum Supporter) :

Only if you don't know what you are doing. 

I tow about 10k miles a year with everything from a DP motorhome to a H3T. The Touareg fits my present needs much better than the trucks it replaced and gets better fuel economy. 

Over the last 40 years I've towed with everything from a F700 to a Corolla wagon and hauled loads from 500 pounds to 30k pounds. To say a truck is the only way to tow is to not know the capabilities of your equipment.

The Touareg with 6k pounds behind it drives with 2 fingers. My last run was 600 miles towing about 2500 pounds on the above trailer into the mountains of NC and back. Towing that at 75 it gets 25 mpg and drives like a car. Why would I trade that for a huge lumbering truck to live with day to day when it's no better at towing. 

Hard pass. I do suggest you drive what you are comfortable with though. 

Toyman! said:

The Touareg with 6k pounds behind it drives with 2 fingers. My last run was 600 miles towing about 2500 pounds on the above trailer into the mountains of NC and back. Towing that at 75 it gets 25 mpg and drives like a car. Why would I trade that for a huge lumbering truck to live with day to day when it's no better at towing. 

As I said, I believe in using the the right tool for the job.  A truck is the right tool for towing, a sedan is the right tool for commuting.  So why buy a $70K SUVs to do both instead of a $45K sedan and a $25K used truck?

And unibody SUVs definitely do not tow as well as trucks.  A couple friends of mine had the exact same model of race trailer, with very similar race cars in them.  I followed them both on the way to the track -- the one behind the unibody diesel Mercedes was waggling all over the place, despite being well within the weight limit and using a fancy weight distributing hitch.  The one behind the 15 year old Chevy 2500HD truck was rock solid.

FWIW, European towing ratings assume lower max speeds AND lower tongue weights. Trailers tend to be balanced differently. 

I know a guy who tows an in closed trailer with a vintage big block Corvette road racer with a Dodge Durango .I don't recall the model but without the trailer it hauls...donkey.

In reply to codrus (Forum Supporter) :

You are partly right, in its important to have the correct tool

Your exposure to tools that tow trailers is much narrower than it should be, though. 

Although the two examples are WORLDS apart, unless that was. 8' tall 28' enclosed trailer, behind the Benz, it was set up COMPLETELY wrong. 
Granted, a 15 year old 2500HD can overcome a poor set up. 

In reply to codrus (Forum Supporter) :

So what you are saying is your friends know nothing about towing.

Why would I spend $70k on two vehicles with the associated maintenance costs when I can buy one $20k vehicle with more than enough capability to do everything I need? 

Like I said, you do you. Big trucks can cover up all kinds of towing mistakes and I would hate for you to pile a load up on the side of the road due to a loading error or being in a hurry. 

This has been enough of a thread jack and I've reached my post limit for a discussion like this. You aren't going to change your mine, and I'm not going to change mine.

I'll leave you with this. This is a Super Duty Diesel F250. As loaded it tipped the scale at about 6800 pounds. The trailer is right at 1500. That's about 500 over the rated capacity of the Touareg so I kept the speeds under 55 for the 4 miles I towed it. And yes, it towed this load just fine as well. It's all about knowing what you are doing and the capabilities of the equipment you are using. 

If we're still talking about wagons that tow, a Ford Flex could apparently tow 4500 with the right configuration.

In reply to Toyman! :

It's all about knowing what you are doing and the capabilities of the equipment you are using

Well said! Towing is not a "one size fits all" proposition! 

Sure, it can be done.  I towed a 4500lb camper with a FWD unibody Dodge Caravan.  But it was 4 miles across town in a minor emergency.  And it was clear from the way it handled I should not push it farther.

Grassroots right?  I have less than $15k in my 2015 Ram 2500 tow vehicle.  It's not pretty, it's not a good daily driver, but it works great for towing.  Leaves plenty of $ for a small fun car as a daily driver.  I don't understand all this talk about $70k vehicles that are too big to be fun drivers, and too small to tow well.