2014 RAM C/V van, commercial version of a Dodge Grand Caravan, only 2 seats and LOTS of cargo room. 3.5 liter V-6, plenty of power, 3600 pounds of towing.
Our tow vehicle for the past two years is a 2013 Toyota Highlander V6. Next week we are trading it for a 2016 GMC Canyon V6. I would have preferred the full size Sierra but we do quite a bit of urban driving so wanted something a bit more maneuverable in town.
Our tow vehicle for the past two years is a 2013 Toyota Highlander V6. Next week we are trading it for a 2016 GMC Canyon V6. I would have preferred the full size Sierra but we do quite a bit of urban driving so wanted something a bit more maneuverable in town.
Did you have any issues with the Highlander? That's what we have (the Plus model with 5000 lbs towing capacity).
John and Henrietta, Late 2016 T@B S Max in Western New York
Hey, spruce1...I tow with a 2008 Honda Ridgeline...I was looking at GMC canyons V6 Crew cab 4x4 nice... Honda is coming out with new ridgeline early summer ?? The ridgeline pulls real well ,, I forget the T@B is back there.... Happy Campin....
Our tow vehicle for the past two years is a 2013 Toyota Highlander V6. Next week we are trading it for a 2016 GMC Canyon V6. I would have preferred the full size Sierra but we do quite a bit of urban driving so wanted something a bit more maneuverable in town.
Did you have any issues with the Highlander? That's what we have (the Plus model with 5000 lbs towing capacity).
Hi Photomom: No real issues to speak of. We have (for about 1 more week) the Plus model too. The main driver for the new vehicle is that I started a wood working business and needed something to haul projects around. While the Highlander did an ok job towing I did want something a little beefier as we'll be spending time pulling our T@b up and down mountains this summer on our way to the North Rim.
Hey, spruce1...I tow with a 2008 Honda Ridgeline...I was looking at GMC canyons V6 Crew cab 4x4 nice... Honda is coming out with new ridgeline early summer ?? The ridgeline pulls real well ,, I forget the T@B is back there.... Happy Campin....
Hi Manny: The new Ridgeline was on our short list. Timing unfortunately was such that I wasn't able to wait for the Ridgeline to be available. It does look like a great rig!
Our tow vehicle for the past two years is a 2013 Toyota Highlander V6. Next week we are trading it for a 2016 GMC Canyon V6. I would have preferred the full size Sierra but we do quite a bit of urban driving so wanted something a bit more maneuverable in town.
Did you have any issues with the Highlander? That's what we have (the Plus model with 5000 lbs towing capacity).
Hi Photomom: No real issues to speak of. We have (for about 1 more week) the Plus model too. The main driver for the new vehicle is that I started a wood working business and needed something to haul projects around. While the Highlander did an ok job towing I did want something a little beefier as we'll be spending time pulling our T@b up and down mountains this summer on our way to the North Rim.
Thank you!
John and Henrietta, Late 2016 T@B S Max in Western New York
Careful of the beds in some Toyota pickups and the GMC Canyon for 2016. They are supposedly made of a composite material. Ford is going to sheet aluminum. The Canyon with tow package is rated for 7000# (700# tongue weight). Hardly know the T@B is there.
2017 820R Retro Toy Hauler from 2015 Tabitha T@B from 2009 Reverse LG Teardrop (but a T@Bluver at heart)
First post, but I've been looking at these forums for several weeks if not longer, and I just bought my T@B. Here a pic of my tow car as well as my first over night stay.
I had been pulling with a Ford Ranger. Now have a sweet little Escape we love. Rated for 3500 lbs. Just finished trip from Lou,Ky area to Sarasota, Fla and back. Nine nights out. A few of them on my son's driveway in Destin. The Escape 4 cyl Turbo Boost did a great job, no "stress" but MPG cut in half..(sigh). It was a blessing that gas prices had dropped to the $1.70- $1.90 range. Attached pic file below.
what was your average mpg? I have the same escape and I've managed to keep mileage with tow vehicle in the 18-19 mpg range (limiting myself to 55 mph - the legal rate in California where I'm centered). The Escape is pretty peppy with the T@B behind it in my case.
Generally around 68-28 on freeway. Pxlated is right, there is a significant price to be paid for the additional mph. I also try to use cruise control on relatively flat terrain as much as possible. Shift to sport mode in the mountains to anticipate terrain and proactively use gear changing to maintain RPM's as much as possible.
Went to Lassen (from SF) and back late season last season and averaged around 18 mpg. Would have been higher but went over the pass a few times when I was there (8500 ft). Same was true in for me in the redwood area, definitely hilly terrain.
Careful of the beds in some Toyota pickups and the GMC Canyon for 2016. They are supposedly made of a composite material. Ford is going to sheet aluminum. The Canyon with tow package is rated for 7000# (700# tongue weight). Hardly know the T@B is there.
are you using the GMC canyon?? what kind of mpg performance are you seeing
Up and down hills with the "tow mode" setting on (prevents excessive up and down-shifting on hills for the 2 overdrive gears 5&6), I get ~18-19 mpg. Flat country, 21-23 mpg. If I dropped my speed below Warp 10, I'd probably get better mileage. If I feel a lot of up and downshifting on flat lands and not in tow mode, it's nice to just hit a button. It's better than the manual shift way - then I'd forget to put it back in overdrive on flat-as-pancake road. The button doesn't turn off overdrive, just turns on the leveling sensor and shift sensor for the overdrive gears.
The internal leveling system in the truck autosense upshifts and downshifts when I'm driving in the hills *if* I have the tow button ON. There's a non turn-offable feature that detects when I am stopped on an incline and does some sort of "driver assist" preventing that 2-3" backwards motion until you step on the gas (like at a stoplight). I never let any vehicle go backwards (old school bus manual trannies). I think it's funny when the message popups up periodically.
2017 820R Retro Toy Hauler from 2015 Tabitha T@B from 2009 Reverse LG Teardrop (but a T@Bluver at heart)
Longleafpine We are towing with 2011 Honda Odyssey with added Electric brake controller and transmission cooler. Tows great, and using Rear view camera can connect with out help or getting out of the van.
I am towing with a Subaru Forester, a little underpowered for the mountains out here (we did add electric break and transmission cooler on it). Anyway, we have started thinking about a new tow vehicle. I wanted to go back to an Nissan X-terra (loved the one we used to have), but found out Nissan no longer makes them, bummer. Any suggestions on reliability, good off-road capabilities as well as towing?
T@BOO - 2016 Outback Max S in New Mexico towed by 2016 Toyota Highlander (soon)
Comments
2015 max s outback, TV 2011 RAV4, V6, 4x4, & 2017 Tacoma Off-road 4x4
Soquel, CA
2016 Orange MaxQ
Henry's Fork River, Eastern Idaho
2019 Honda Ridgeline, AWD, V6, 5,000 lbs towing capacity
Minnesota
2019 Honda Ridgeline, AWD, V6, 5,000 lbs towing capacity
Minnesota
2019 Honda Ridgeline, AWD, V6, 5,000 lbs towing capacity
Minnesota
2014 T@B-S
2014 T@B-S
Went to Lassen (from SF) and back late season last season and averaged around 18 mpg. Would have been higher but went over the pass a few times when I was there (8500 ft). Same was true in for me in the redwood area, definitely hilly terrain.
2014 T@B-S
2014 T@B-S
The internal leveling system in the truck autosense upshifts and downshifts when I'm driving in the hills *if* I have the tow button ON. There's a non turn-offable feature that detects when I am stopped on an incline and does some sort of "driver assist" preventing that 2-3" backwards motion until you step on the gas (like at a stoplight). I never let any vehicle go backwards (old school bus manual trannies). I think it's funny when the message popups up periodically.
We are towing with 2011 Honda Odyssey with added Electric brake controller and transmission cooler.
Tows great, and using Rear view camera can connect with out help or getting out of the van.