Cars that can tow

Really rather not buy a truck, SUV, or cross-over. Daily driver, highway commute, with occasional light towing (say up to 3000lb boat, on flat roads in FL). Bonus points if I could tow my Miata on a light single axle Aluminum trailer.

Suggestions on cars that can tow?

There's a whole topic of US ratings vs. Europe and Australia (see this link among others http://oppositelock.kinja.com/tow-me-down-1609112611 ). I'm more interested in practical limits and safety than what it is actually rated for.

I'd prefer if it were a mid-size wagon. Which of course there are more available in Europe than here. I have no interest in the full-size American barges from the 90s, and don't quite understand the P71 fascination here. Turbos (gasoline) are excluded.

Things which come up on google:

New

-Porsche Panamera. Not in the budget.

-Subaru Legacy & Outback. Other than 4wd drivetrain longevity, not sure why these would be better than an equivalent Accord/Camry/Mazda6 (weight, wheelbase, braking & cooling capacity). I don't like the jacked-up outback, and would probably buy a Legacy wagon with the 6cyl if they made such a thing. I guess at this point the Legacy sedan is in the lead.

-Volvo S60/V60.

Used:

-Dodge Magnum. Last made in 2008 and I'm not keen on buying an old Chrysler. Rated up to 3800 with a weight-distributing hitch.

-BMW 5-series wagon. E39? There is a factory hitch option which makes it chassis-integral, not sure if still available.

-Mercedes E wagon. Same deal on hitch. Older german luxo-wagons are neat to me but I don't need another maintenance project.

-Recent Ford Taurus. Shockingly this is only rated for 1k lb. Not sure on hitch availability.

-Honda Crosstour. As much as this looks like an abomination, I've seen one with Acura TL suspension bits that was decent. Only rated to 1500lb.

-Toyota Venza. Can't anyone just make a wagon at normal ride-height with 17" wheels? Rated to 3500 though.

-Volvo 240 wagon. I love these things, and will one day build a v8. Rated to 3300. But long in the tooth as a daily at this point. Nobody makes an equivalent vehicle today.

I wonder if these cars are rated so low due to relatively low rear spring rate, and lack of substantial rear sub-frame structure to fix the hitch to. Both are fixable.

Crown vic

Minivan

Roadmaster FTW.

Saab 2009 93 wagon and sedan. Mine is rated in the owners manual that came with the car for the Canadian market to tow 3500 lbs with trailer brakes.

The first three people that replied need to work on their reading compehension ...

Did you check the towing capacity of a late model 3 series wagon diesel? I have no clue what it is, but saw one in europe towing a smaller car.

Slippery wrote: The first three people that replied need to work on their reading compehension ... Did you check the towing capacity of a late model 3 series wagon diesel? I have no clue what it is, but saw one in europe towing a smaller car.

Buddy of mine visiting Germany sent me a photo of a 5 series towing a small horse trailer.

I hear a Chris Ledoux song coming on.

Coupe de Ville

JohnRW1621 wrote: Minivan

You deleted your comment, but I'll answer ...

First person answered Crown Vic ... I believe thats a P71, which the OP mentioned he does not want. I dont blame him.

Then you said Minivan, when he clearly said he wanted a car and for it to be low ... not a minivan ...

The third said something about a full size American barge, which the OP also mentioned.

In reply to Toyman01:

This...5,000lbs I believe

the Volvo 850 & S70/V70 can tow 3300 with trailer brakes on a 2" ball

In reply to Slippery:

Correct. I deleted shortly after as I decided I didn't want to encourage or insight Internet bickering.

Slippery, cars that tow = full size American to me.

I've pulled a 2500# boat behind a small car, it sucked. I've pulled a 3000# boat behind a mid-size SUV, it sucked. Also, boat trailer and trailer brakes don't belong in the same sentence, especially near salt water, because they don't last. That means something that can stop that 3000# boat straight up. That moves most of his list to the not acceptable column IMHO.

That leaves us with, American full size boats, like the Roadmaster and Crown Vic.

Might be time to consider a beater truck and a car to DD. That's what I did after I sold my Roadmaster.

It's no wagon but my new to me super daily 2011 E-350 has a tow rating of 3,500

Home › Cars › 2011 Mercedes-Benz E-Class E350 4dr Sedan (3.5L 6cyl 7A) › Q & A. What is the towing capacity of a 2011 Mercedes-Benz E-Class E350? According to our research engine: It can tow 3,500 lbs in base trim.

Mine is the bluetec which is the OM642 diesel same one used in sprinters etc 211hp and somewhere around 450lb ft of torque. It's almost electric on the highway.

I will also say I have not towed with it yet but it's brakes are amazing for stopping that car and its actually pretty fun to drive even when the road is twisty. I paid 26k for mine and it had 28k miles on it less than I would have a new accord with nav pretty good deal IMO and an under appreciated car.

Couple questions..

Why s60 but not S80? 6 cylinder versions have a more reliable trans than the s60s and it's the same basic platform as the later Taurus you mention. My mom has an 03 s80 and i would definitely tow with it.

Also, why not keen on an old magnum? The 5spd used with the 3.5s and 5.7s is the same basic transmission used in Sprinters and SRT8s if that tells you anything about ability to handle weight/load. NAG1 is a pretty durable unit and the rest of the car is not hard to work on. I had a magnum too and would definitely have towed with it if i'd ever found the damn mopar hide-away hitch i was so particular about wanting.

Also, semi-comedy option: I bought a Lexus GS450h and put a hitch on it as my first 'mod'. Next mod will be 285 rear tires so i can crack a 4.Xs 0-60. You didn't really state your budget.

I dunno. If you're looking for a new car to tow up to 3000lbs, you're almost asking a question that doesn't really have an answer. A lot of cars can tow a small landscape trailer type deal, but towing anything more is asking for trouble. While many cars have the tq and hp needed, their brakes and suspension weren't designed for it. Like it or not, if you truly want towing capacity without an SUV or truck, minivan is the best and safest bet.

In reply to Klayfish: Not exactly, but you're thinking of Japanese and American cars. Step over to German stuff and you'll find that when they build stuff to run 150 on the 'bahn then they have brakes and cooling systems to tow a couple thousand pounds without breaking a sweat.

My Allroad was good for 4,000 or more without a problem. While I don't use it for towing, the VR6 Passat is rated in Europe for 4,400 lbs. Midsize wagons from Europe generally have huge brakes and much more capability than people give them credit for.

Can't go wrong with a Wagon Queen Family Truckster

Toyman01 wrote: Slippery, cars that tow = full size American to me. I've pulled a 2500# boat behind a small car, it sucked. I've pulled a 3000# boat behind a mid-size SUV, it sucked. Also, boat trailer and trailer brakes don't belong in the same sentence, especially near salt water, because they don't last. That means something that can stop that 3000# boat straight up. That moves most of his list to the not acceptable column IMHO.

what part sucked? I towed by 3200 pounds displacement sailboat down from Lake Champlain atop a trailer of unknown weight to Atlantic City, except for a couple of climbs out of the Valley the lake is in, my "mid-sized" Disco handled it quite well.. especially considering the trailer had inoperable brakes.

As for brakes, I think anything over 3000ish pounds is required to have working trailer brakes.

Does a Ford Flex count as a wagon, or an SUV? Looks like it's configurable for up to 4500lbs of trailer weight: https://www.ford.com/resources/ford/general/pdf/towingguides/14_flex_sep11.pdf

Vigo wrote: Also, why not keen on an old magnum? The 5spd used with the 3.5s and 5.7s is the same basic transmission used in Sprinters and SRT8s if that tells you anything about ability to handle weight/load.

Funny... Sprinters have a reputation for transmission problems. A lot of the FedEx centers near me are phasing them out due to high maintenance costs, although a friend said the drivers generally like them compared to other vans.

In reply to MattGent: The Jaguar XJS was used to tow Caravans (British for camping trailers) with the addition of a hitch. They came in both the fuel thirsty V12 and the reliable and thrifty 6 . Interesting when Jaguar was being bought by Ford Jaguar sold it's six cylinder to GM and it wound up in the Trailblazer/Envoy SUV. only let down by the weak GM transmission.

The lighter six cylinder often beat the heavier V12 when a series was set up for just those cars in England..

Porsche 928?

One COULD get a six cylinder Legacy. I forget which trim it was.

IIRC, a well known rallyist used to tow his Impreza with another Impreza.

Also:

For what it's worth, my Volvo is rated to be able to tow 2000lb, but towing the same trailer with it versus, say, a Miata or RX-7, the Volvo feels less secure. Must be a front drive thing.

I'll reply with cars that I have used to tow boats in Florida:

2000 VW Jetta TDI 5 spd -Rated 2k#s Towed 15' Whaler (25mpg), 13' Whaler (32mpg), 16' Hobie Cat (39mpg) - MANY MANY MANY miles towing boats with this car. 2005 Corolla 5 spd - Rated 1500#s - Towed the same Whaler and Hobie just fine, no MPG figures. This is the current tow vehicle and we live closer to the ramp/haven't made any trips to the keys with it yet.

Other cars I don't have experience with are the Ford Fusion (1500# tow rating....might be 1k), Ford Focus (not rated in the US but 1500#s elsewhere....also my current vehicle), Mazda 3 (used to have a tow rating?) and the Subarus which actually have a pretty high tow rating.