Need help selecting a vehicle to tow a boat - RWD vs. AWD? Toyota or Nissan?

[bassmantweed]

I am looking at the following vehicles:

1. Toyota Highlander - V6 - AWD and rated at 5000 lbs towing
2. Nissan Pathfinder - V6 - AWD and rated at 6000 lbs towing
3. Toyota 4Runner - V6 - RWD with manual 4WD rated at 5000 lbs towing

I am looking seriously at the highlander as it is the most family friendly car and sharpest looking in my opinion. My old school mind is thinking that RWD (4Runner) SUV's were better for towing than AWD SUV's...... with all of the advancements in technology is this still true?

I will be pulling a 2800 lb boat a 500 lb trailer and 180 lbs of gas outside of the car. (approx 3300 lbs)
I will be pulling a 700 lbs of family, dogs and gear in the car.

What would you do considering i want a car that will do the job without going monstrous ?

 

[jasperboy]

Re: Need help selecting a vehicle to tow a boat - RWD vs. AWD? Toyota or Nissan?

Honda Pilot, or if you would consider American made, Ford Explorer, Chevy Traverse, Dodge Durango, Jeep Grand Cherokee, etc... I agree that if you can find RWD, that would be a better towing vehicle. Less weight overall should mean better MPG and capacity.

 

[Bondo]

Re: Need help selecting a vehicle to tow a boat - RWD vs. AWD? Toyota or Nissan?

so please do not suggest buying anything other than the 3 mentioned.

Ayuh,... Ok,... I guess yer into White Knuckle rides, eh,..??

 

[bassmantweed]

Re: Need help selecting a vehicle to tow a boat - RWD vs. AWD? Toyota or Nissan?

Ayuh,... Ok,... I guess yer into White Knuckle rides, eh,..??

not sure what you mean?

 

[bassmantweed]

Re: Need help selecting a vehicle to tow a boat - RWD vs. AWD? Toyota or Nissan?

Honda Pilot, or if you would consider American made, Ford Explorer, Chevy Traverse, Dodge Durango, Jeep Grand Cherokee, etc... I agree that if you can find RWD, that would be a better towing vehicle. Less weight overall should mean better MPG and capacity.

pilot is rated at 4500 lbs and I thought about a jeep but every jeep i ever owned (3) rusted out so i am done with them.

 

[mpsyamaha]

Re: Need help selecting a vehicle to tow a boat - RWD vs. AWD? Toyota or Nissan?

the newer model nissan pathfinders, frontiers, and xterras that use the 4.0l engine are great for towing. Tons of power and a nice sturdy feel. I like the toyotas too, but they are more pricey for the same thing. and yes i would also stick with something rwd personally.

 

[dockwrecker]

Re: Need help selecting a vehicle to tow a boat - RWD vs. AWD? Toyota or Nissan?

None of the vehicles you've selected are adequate. Using the #'s you provide, the boat/gas and trailer are 3500 plus what you intend to pack which is a combined load of 4200. Tow ratings aren't standardised yet (that's coming) so most of them are pretty optomistic. I have a Jeep Cherokee 4.0L "rated" to 5000 lbs that no way would I consider towing anything more than 2500. No where near enough brakes and too short of wheelbase. It's the same size as anything you're looking at, in most cases a bigger motor and more bottom end torque. I move my 6200lb boat in and out of the driveway with it, but no furthur. Until SAE standarization hits for towing capacities, it's a consumer crapshoot. If you want to wring the neck out of one of those motors that develops it's horspower around 4-5000 rpm to move that load, go for it. You won't be doing it for long and God help you when you hit the brakes. You're not looking at near enough truck.

 

[rallyart]

Re: Need help selecting a vehicle to tow a boat - RWD vs. AWD? Toyota or Nissan?

AWD is always better, unless the purpose of the truck is specifically for off road use. You have better stability, handling, and poor weather performance. Getting AWD or 4WD adds weight to a 2WD vehicle and expense when you purchase or maintain it.
I've been using AWD's since 1986 and swear by them.

 

[bassmantweed]

Re: Need help selecting a vehicle to tow a boat - RWD vs. AWD? Toyota or Nissan?

None of the vehicles you've selected are adequate. Using the #'s you provide, the boat/gas and trailer are 3500 plus what you intend to pack which is a combined load of 4200. Tow ratings aren't standardised yet (that's coming) so most of them are pretty optomistic. I have a Jeep Cherokee 4.0L "rated" to 5000 lbs that no way would I consider towing anything more than 2500. No where near enough brakes and too short of wheelbase. It's the same size as anything you're looking at, in most cases a bigger motor and more bottom end torque. I move my 6200lb boat in and out of the driveway with it, but no furthur. Until SAE standarization hits for towing capacities, it's a consumer crapshoot. If you want to wring the neck out of one of those motors that develops it's horspower around 4-5000 rpm to move that load, go for it. You won't be doing it for long and God help you when you hit the brakes. You're not looking at near enough truck.

this is what i was afraid of......

Maybe i will consider the jeep with the V8 after all - this looks promising at 7400 lbs

http://www.jeep.com/en/2011/grand_cherokee/capability/towing/

 

[3gsdad]

Re: Need help selecting a vehicle to tow a boat - RWD vs. AWD? Toyota or Nissan?

I tow my 18' bowrider, wife and 3 kids with a 98 4runner. It has a 4.3 V6 and is 4WD. It does a good job towing, and is my daily driver. I have had no problems with it and it has 185K miles on it so my vote is the 4runner.

 

[jigngrub]

Re: Need help selecting a vehicle to tow a boat - RWD vs. AWD? Toyota or Nissan?

I tow my 18' bowrider, wife and 3 kids with a 98 4runner. It has a 4.3 V6 and is 4WD. It does a good job towing, and is my daily driver. I have had no problems with it and it has 185K miles on it so my vote is the 4runner.

... but you live in the flat lands. How far do you have to tow? Have you tried towing your rig through the Apalachain Mountains?... or 2000 mi. on a trip?

Some people feel it is better to skimp on the boat rather than the tow vehicle, and I'm one of those people. I also feel that if you have enough money to buy a boat, you have enough money to buy a proper tow vehicle and the fuel to operate it.

I'm glad your 4 Runner works for you, but that same vehicle and boat won't work for everyone.

Overkill on the tow vehicle is worth the price, for the safety of your family and other people traveling on the same road as you when you're towing.

I personally won't tow a boat with anything less than 4WD and a v8 engine... but that's prolly just me.

 

[NHGuy]

Re: Need help selecting a vehicle to tow a boat - RWD vs. AWD? Toyota or Nissan?

Hi, I am a bit of a towing geek and I work in auto repair. I second the full size with V8 attitude. Example, my travel trailer is 6k, my wife's 6k rated Durango has enough drivetrain to pull it, but I took it over the continental divide. That was a lot of 3500 RPM running. And the suspension just barely handled the load.
So I got an F150 with the long wheelbase. It handles the travel trailer well, but it positively shines with the boat. My trailer & boat weigh 3250 and the truck handles them with ease. It's very comforting to head home after a weekend away and not feel that I have to be on guard for every imperfection in the road or some joker pulling out in front of me.
In fact I just put some upgraded rotors on the truck because the oe style kept warping.
If you can't go big maybe do a 4 Door Tundra, or a 4 Runner, even though you'd get the 4wd they have the benefit of traditional rear drive when you are on the road. It's less likely to break and the pieces are separate, so if something does break you aren't into an all wheel drive trans repair. Oh and if you are a standard transmission person-good. They take more effort to operate but are simpler to fix, cheaper to fix and give you more vehicle control.
Everyone who tows needs dimpled, slotted or cross drilled rotors! I try very hard to go easy on brakes, but I am so fussy that any pulsation has me out there fixing things. Aside from my boat, dimpled rotors are the best money I've spent in years.

 

[roscoe]

Re: Need help selecting a vehicle to tow a boat - RWD vs. AWD? Toyota or Nissan?

AWD is always better, unless the purpose of the truck is specifically for off road use. You have better stability, handling, and poor weather performance. Getting AWD or 4WD adds weight to a 2WD vehicle and expense when you purchase or maintain it.
I've been using AWD's since 1986 and swear by them.

ummm, not when you need 4 wheel drive, or when you need to lock in all 4 wheels.

No AWD with these tow limits can do that, as far as I know.

 

[zagger]

Re: Need help selecting a vehicle to tow a boat - RWD vs. AWD? Toyota or Nissan?

When I got my new boat I towed it home from the dealer with Mitsubishi Limited Montero, same power, 4wd, etc. as the choices you mentioned. Half way backing up the driveway I smoked the transmission and all electronics associated with it. My tow was 1500 lbs under the truck rating. I now have a Toyota Tundra 2nd generation with 5.7 iForce and can comfortably tow up to 11+K and still get 18+ in town. If you can swing it definitely go as big as you can. It will definitely cost much less down the road.

 

[FreeBayliner4Us]

Re: Need help selecting a vehicle to tow a boat - RWD vs. AWD? Toyota or Nissan?

I have to jump in to this one. While I understand the argument for a big V8 and a full size rig for towing there are other factors to consider here. How often is the vehicle going to be towing and what will it be doing the rest of the time? Is it going to hook to the boat and tow it 20 miles to the lake 6 times a year? Or is it going to be used every weekend to haul the crew and boat on a 200mile round trip to a favorite boating location?

If you are only towing short distances once or twice a month during the boating season (5-10 times a year), then I see no problem with any of the vehicles you originally mentioned.

If you are going to be going on longer trips or frequent mountainous terrain regularly then you may need to consider a larger tow rig.

That being said I use a 2002 Isuzu Trooper to tow my 3200lbs camper all over the country with no trouble. It has been modified with an auxiliary trans cooler and temp gauge, electric brake controller, and upgraded stiffer rear springs to help in this. This is my choice. I am within the manufacturer's suggested load and trailer limits and since 80% of my driving is just commuting I see no reason to get a bigger truck.

Good Luck!!

 

[bassmantweed]

Re: Need help selecting a vehicle to tow a boat - RWD vs. AWD? Toyota or Nissan?

i am leaning towards the 4runner..... i like the fact that it is built on a truck frame and it has rwd.

 

[H20Rat]

Re: Need help selecting a vehicle to tow a boat - RWD vs. AWD? Toyota or Nissan?

ummm, not when you need 4 wheel drive, or when you need to lock in all 4 wheels.

No AWD with these tow limits can do that, as far as I know.

did you read the rest of his post, after the part you highlighted in red? I've owned 4 different AWD vehicles from 3 different manufacturers. I've also owned 3 different 4x4's, all 3 different mfg's. A GOOD AWD system outperforms 4x4 in almost all conditions, but it excels in stability, handling, ice, and all around slippery stuff. (by good AWD system, I'm talking one with 3 limited slip differentials, with the capability to lock the center diff. There are some bad ones out there also that are more or less FWD until about .1 seconds before its too late.)

Just as the guy you quoted said, 4x4's are better in true off-road conditions. Especially when you are likely going to have vastly different traction per wheel. 4x4's don't even come close to a good AWD system on ice though. (and for snow, its a toss up, tires and clearance are more important than AWD vs 4x4.)


Think of it this way, my AWD car with nokian snow tires takes off like a violated ape on ice. All 4 tires will break lose at the same time if I get on it hard enough. A typical 4x4 truck is going to spin 2 tires, IF the owner was able to lock it in 4x4 before the slippery stuff started. (currently I own 2 4x4's, and 1 AWD car. The car is by far the most competent on moderate snow/ice.)

 

[bouttime007]

Re: Need help selecting a vehicle to tow a boat - RWD vs. AWD? Toyota or Nissan?

I agree with you SC.

Our 05 Escape was superb in the Maine winters.

 

[roscoe]

Re: Need help selecting a vehicle to tow a boat - RWD vs. AWD? Toyota or Nissan?

did you read the rest of his post, after the part you highlighted in red? I've owned 4 different AWD vehicles from 3 different manufacturers. I've also owned 3 different 4x4's, all 3 different mfg's. A GOOD AWD system outperforms 4x4 in almost all conditions, but it excels in stability, handling, ice, and all around slippery stuff. (by good AWD system, I'm talking one with 3 limited slip differentials, with the capability to lock the center diff. There are some bad ones out there also that are more or less FWD until about .1 seconds before its too late.)

Just as the guy you quoted said, 4x4's are better in true off-road conditions. Especially when you are likely going to have vastly different traction per wheel. 4x4's don't even come close to a good AWD system on ice though. (and for snow, its a toss up, tires and clearance are more important than AWD vs 4x4.)


Think of it this way, my AWD car with nokian snow tires takes off like a violated ape on ice. All 4 tires will break lose at the same time if I get on it hard enough. A typical 4x4 truck is going to spin 2 tires, IF the owner was able to lock it in 4x4 before the slippery stuff started. (currently I own 2 4x4's, and 1 AWD car. The car is by far the most competent on moderate snow/ice.)

Obviously you want to take this in a direction other than towing, and retrieving a heavy boat.
I didn't see where the OP asked what would be best for winter driving without his boat in tow.

Well, my vehicles are not "specifically for off road use."

Actually, they never go off road except to launch.

And I do launch and load at unimproved launch sites.
I also launch and load off the beach about 10 times a year.
And also pull one or two stranded or ditched motorists back onto the roadway every year.

I have not run across an AWD that does this, or an AWD owner that feels confident his rig could do it.

But I have seen several AWD fail in these situations, either not enough traction/power, or actual parts failure on one occasion.

If anyone wants to test their 20 or $50k AWD, I will gladly park my 5000# truck at the bottom of a sand launch, or in a 3' ditch, and you can come try to pull it out.

I never said AWD was a bad thing, but it certainly is not "always better."

And yes, your AWD is going to be better on snow and ice 99% of the time, but I don't know to many people that tow their boat on snow and ice.

 

[rallyart]

Re: Need help selecting a vehicle to tow a boat - RWD vs. AWD? Toyota or Nissan?

roscoe, I launch and load my boat at unimproved launch sites several times a year and I am confident doing this in remote areas with my AWD. Now you've met one. Glad to know you. I've also pulled my boat on snow and ice but that is a location hazard that Canadians have.
The reason that AWD is better than 4WD for towing is it adds stability to the tow vehicle by distributing tire load and traction in dry conditions as well as loose or slippery conditions. A 4WD does not do this. In fact you are often better to tow with your vehicle in 4WD if you are towing on gravel roads instead of 2WD if that is an option. Again, there are a lot of gravel roads up here. On a sandy beach or a dirt/mud launch the tires will make a bigger difference than anything else as smokingcrater suggested.
The boat I tow is almost 5000# with trailer and gear so it's quite a bit heavier than than the OP, Bassmantweed, is looking at and it is easily towed with a Saab 9-7x with a 4.2 which spends over 95% of its life as a daily driver. The trailer is a tandem axle so that helps stability some but sway is not a problem with my relatively short wheelbase vehicle. I have complete confidence that he will survive towing without a lifted diesel dually crew cab and will enjoy parking something smaller at the mall. The AWD will help it tow, and as a daily driver.
I competed in Pro Rally for more than a decade in 2WD and AWD vehicles. AWD's can be very good. Sorry for the long post.