Is AWD worth the upgrade on a new SUV?

[Silvertip]

I see lots of things going wrong here because: 1) you are not sure your wife will enjoy the experience. 2) You are unsure of the boat type you want/need which 3) plays heavily into the decision as to what tow vehicle capabilities are needed. Hear are the disasters. 1) You asked about tow vehicles and AWD. Good thing to do, but you cannot get valid responses until you have determined what type and size of boat you want or need. Why buy a vehicle that will almost certainly restrict what boat you end up with. Regarding your wife's ideas about boating, why not rent a boat a time or two to see if she finds this acceptable recreation. Seems to me you are doing this all backwards. You also made the comment about needing/wanting a 7-passenger for travel. Have you actually looked at the smaller 7 passenger vehicles???? The third row may be fine to toddlers but your older kids and teenagers will be very uncomfortable back there. And with that third row in use, cargo room disappears. Just playing the devils advocate here. Mistakes in recreation planning can be very costly.

 

[Scott Danforth]

Then I would suggest finding a friend with a boat and toss him/her $2-300 for fuel and go boating. or rent a boat first. if the Admiral doesn't buy in, it wont work.

 

[cdnNick]

Let me clear some things up, we know what size of boat we are looking for, it will be an 18' bowrider possibly a 17' if the price is right. I was only joking about the cruiser, because I wouldn't need a tow vehicle for it. We rented a boat over the summer and will be renting another one next week while we are in Florida. The part my wife is unsure about is the trailering and launching a boat in different locations, but until we do that for a summer I don't know of a way to create that experience, I have a feeling she will get more comfortable with it once we've done it a few times.

Right now we have a minivan (family of 4) and use the 3rd row the odd time, I'm not too concerned about it but my wife would prefer to have the option to put the kid(s) back there to fit another adult in the 2nd row. At the end of the day we can use 2 vehicles if the need arises it's not a must have, the majority of the time we only have 5 ppl and it's only for a short time. We test drove a Pathfinder and the 3rd row was roomy enough for our needs. I'm more concerned with picking the best vehicle for the job that will haul the 4 of us around for long drives, her family is 8 hours away, then cramming 7 ppl into the vehicle.

 

[smassey22180]

We tow with an AWD RX400h (yes a hybrid). The drivetrane is identical to the Highlander. For my 2006 the 2WD could only tow 2000 lbs. To tow 3500 lbs you need to get the AWD. Highlander may be similar with this. AWD also came pre-wired for the trailer lights. On the ramp AWD is nice to have. The front wheels are pretty close to spinning on damp steep ramps. We tow around 3000 lbs of 18' boat. Our last 17' boat was almost 1000 lbs lighter. My latest boat has trailer brakes. They make a big difference. Especially in emergency situations.

There are several other towing advantages to the hybrid AWD but I won't go into those here as you probably are looking at a normal one.

 

[theBrownskull]

I'd rather have a 20 year old full size true 4x4 than a new weird shaped minivan/car/crossover thing with toothpicks for axles

I agree with that.

 

[Simple_Man]

My 05 Explorer handles my 17ft bow rider just fine.

 

[bruceb58]

My 05 Explorer handles my 17ft bow rider just fine.

Exploders are completely different vehicles now.

 

[smassey22180]

Exploders are completely different vehicles now.

I have rented a few of the new FWD based Explorers. They are big heavy american tanks. I would have no issue towing with one.

 

[bruceb58]

Depends on what engine and package you have
http://www.ford.com/resources/ford/general/pdf/towingguides/14_Explorer_Sep11.pdf

 

[oldjeep]

Depends on what engine and package you have
http://www.ford.com/resources/ford/general/pdf/towingguides/14_Explorer_Sep11.pdf

The important part of that document is the footnote on the 5K towing weights that says it requires a weight distributing hitch to achieve that 5K

 

[cdnNick]

The important part of that document is the footnote on the 5K towing weights that says it requires a weight distributing hitch to achieve that 5K

I've seen a few of the SUVs and small trucks (Frontier) that have that requirement. The small truck have been if pulling over 5000lbs you need the WDH. We almost got a used Jeep that would have needed that to pull over 3500#, it wasn't expensive to get it installed at a local trailer dealer so it wouldn't be a deal breaker.

 

[bruceb58]

The important part of that document is the footnote on the 5K towing weights that says it requires a weight distributing hitch to achieve that 5K

Agreed. Just need to make sure the proper weight distributing hitch is used that is compatible with surge brakes.

 

[oldjeep]

I've seen a few of the SUVs and small trucks (Frontier) that have that requirement. The small truck have been if pulling over 5000lbs you need the WDH. We almost got a used Jeep that would have needed that to pull over 3500#, it wasn't expensive to get it installed at a local trailer dealer so it wouldn't be a deal breaker.

WD hitches on trailers that have surge brakes can be a little more challenging and not really something I would want to mess with on a garage boat if I used it very often. Just make sure that the WD hitches you are looking at are surge compatible and not designed for trailers with electric brakes (unless you actually have them).

 

[Slip Away]

4WD is always worth the upgrade if you tow with the SUV

 

[cdnNick]

WD hitches on trailers that have surge brakes can be a little more challenging and not really something I would want to mess with on a garage boat if I used it very often. Just make sure that the WD hitches you are looking at are surge compatible and not designed for trailers with electric brakes (unless you actually have them).

Good to know, I'll have to look into that. If it's something that we would have to fiddle with all the time then that's something I would like to avoid. I'm trying to make this as pleasant an experience as I can for the family.

 

[bruceb58]

WD hitches are easy to use.

 

[oldjeep]

WD hitches are easy to use.

Yes and no. If you keep your trailer in a garage with a typical sloped driveway it is a pain - since you need to pull it into the street to get the load bars hooked up properly (at least on the one I used to have). If you keep your boat in a nice flat field then no problems.

 

[cdnNick]

Our driveway is pretty much flat, it just has enough slope for water to run away from the house. But this is something I will have to look into more, which is why I've given myself months to get this all sorted out I didn't want to rush my decision.

 

[bigdee]

I believe the Xterra and 4Runner are truck based SUVs which would be fine with me, wife wouldn't be as happy but she'll get over it. We won't be pulling a massive boat so I think those would be more then capable tow vehicles.
l...

cdnNick Those 2 choices would be fine. It is only an 18' bow rider just make sure it has brakes. Any mid-size 4x4 SUV will do the job like Blazer,Trailblazer, Jeep cherokee etc. No need to over think this. Since this is your daily driver and occasional tow vehicle prioritize what suits your family for comfort.

 

[ihearth2o]

If we had the tow package, I would tow that size boat with our 2011 Explorer. Only thing I would worry about is overloading the rear axle but a wdh would mitigate those concerns. I believe you would need a wdh for anything over 3500lbs anyways and anything lighter than that, you'd probably be still within spec. While the EcoBoost engines are nice, I would go with the standard 6 cyl as you have more options for your final drive ratio. I believe you have only one option with the 6 cyl EB (3.16, I think). And yes, definitely get the AWD.

Just another thought but have you considered what would happen if you decided to upgrade boats to something larger? IMO, you should get the biggest tow vehicle you can afford, unless you don't mind shopping for a tow vehicle all over again should you decide to upgrade.

I would also look at the new Durango. It's got some pretty stout towing capabilities, especially for a crossover. Has 3 rows too.