Towing small boat with Sportage or Tuscon

[TerryMSU]

Hello:

I am considering purchasing a small SUV. I have test driven both a Hyundai Tuscon and a Kia Sportage (V-6 AWD). I was not expecting to like what I found, but both were quite impressive given the price. I am looking at eventually towing a small fishing boat. (Wet weight on Trailer is approximately 1200 pounds, no trailer brakes.) The Kia claims towing capacity of 2,000 pounds. The Hyundai claims only 1000 puonds without trailer brakes. Anyone have any idea as to what the difference is? Both vehicles have very similar specifications. My understanding is that the difference is in the trim levels, and that they both come off the same production line (similar to, for example, a Ford Escape vs. a Mercury Mariner vs. a Mazda Tribute). I really like the bells and whistles in the Tuscon, although the Sportage is pretty cool too.

Thanks,
TerryMSU

 

[MikDee]

Re: Towing small boat with Sportage or Tuscon

Hey Terry, I towed this 89'- 19' Bayliner Capri/125hp Force combo (about 3000lbs) from Pa. to Charlotte NC 2yrs ago to deliver to my son, because I couldn't find, or rent, another vehicle to tow with A 2005 Tuson LX V6 4WD, It pulled, & stopped, better then my 96' Chevy S-10 4.3 2WD at the time, having 4:40 rear gears, 4WDiscBrakes, & AWD. Plus now I normally tow my recent 19' Bayliner Skiboat/125hp (about 500lbs lighter) about 40miles round trip to the lake, weekly, no problem. I now have 90k on the Tuc, and my wife, & I love it!

By the way, the Tucson came first, the Sportage is a clone, and can tow just as much!

 

[clarkbre]

Re: Towing small boat with Sportage or Tuscon

The difference could be between FWD and AWD or with or w/o trailer brakes. I know vehicles differ greatly. My parents have a Saturn Vue with AWD and a V6 and it's rated a lot higher for towing than the Saturn Vue with FWD and the 4 cylinder engine.

Looking at the site below, both vehicles are rated at 2000lbs:
http://www.trailerboats.com/towrating/

Either way, both of those vehicles should be just fine for pulling a fishing boat. Consider your whole package when figuring weight (ie: boat, trailer, engine, gas, gear) and then look to see if it's near or beyond your max capacity.

 

[jfachner72]

Re: Towing small boat with Sportage or Tuscon

Just get the Escape.......

It will tow 3500 lbs and last longer than both of the Korean cars.....

I have been towing my Glastron GS205 (2500 lbs dry) with my escape for 2 years now.

It goes good and stops great (4 wheel disk option on 2006 Escapes)

Jason

 

[H20Rat]

Re: Towing small boat with Sportage or Tuscon

**deleted**

 

[JB]

Re: Towing small boat with Sportage or Tuscon

I think the differences you are asking about are in the drive train, Terry.

I have driven and investigated the Tuscon and Sportage, as well as the Escape and Subaru Forester, when I get upset with the price of premium gas for my ML.

All are pretty impressive, but my choice would be the Forester Eddie Bauer or the Tuscon Premium AWD V6.

I bought my housekeeper an '05 Escape XLT AWD because that is what she wanted and she is very happy with it.

Daughter #1 has an '05 Forester Eddie Bauer with about 225K on it and it is still a new truck. Very impressive.

 

[MikDee]

Re: Towing small boat with Sportage or Tuscon

Well, The orig. poster. never replied back? So it maybe a moot point, but I had a lot of good info for him.

I was all set to buy a new Mazda Tribute (Escape/Mariner clones) in 2002, when the new Hyundai Santa Fe came out, looked at them all closely, took one ride in the Santa Fe, and I was sold! With the V6, & 4WD It was peppy as hell, could stop on a dime (with 4whl. discs), and almost turn in it's own length! On top of that it was plush all over, in, & out, with a Shiftronic 4spd auto on the foor, & comfy bucket seats, with a great quiet, & smooth ride for long distance hauls. Even closing the doors was solid sounding, much better then the chincier Tribute or it's clones, available with only a bench seat, and a column shifter (which used to interfere with the radio)

On the Santa Fe test ride, I was talking with the salesman, and took it out on a local highway, I happened to glance down, and noticed I was doing 80, in a 55 zone! and realized, it was so smooth, quiet, & zippy, I didn't even know it? Looking over the hood from the drivers seat, with the slightly upswept front fenders it reminded me of driving a Corvette (If you were ever behind the drivers seat of one, you'd know). I said to the salesman, what do they mean by no power? It's fine!, He said, it's just hype by the other manufacturers!

Needless to say, I quickly came back with the wife, and bought a nice Crystal Blue (Slate blue) one with a gray interior, an LX V6 Auto 4WD, totally loaded, for $24K out the door! It was the best vehicle I ever had! We loved it, and my wife, & I, used to volley to drive it, we put 87k miles on it, in 3 1/2yrs, & got 20-24mpg around town, & 24-30mpg on the highway, without a lick of trouble, and still had the orig tires on it when we traded up for a new similarly equipped Nautical blue 2005 V6 AWD Tucson LX, which is even better! I kidded the wife, previous to this saying, either we gotta buy new tires before winter for the Santa Fe, or get a new car!

 

[maxxman04]

Re: Towing small boat with Sportage or Tuscon

one of the biggest things to keep in mind is at some point, the vehicle has to stop, both the suv and boat. exceeding towing weight could be hazardous to brakes.

 

[TerryMSU]

Re: Towing small boat with Sportage or Tuscon

To MikDee: The original poster (me) was on vacation camping in a (semi) primitive campground on a campsite overlooking the lake. Thus no electricity or internet.

To everyone (including MikDee): We are still in the research phase. When we finally make the decision, I will let you know. In the mean time, I will monitor this thread for more input.

One comment... The place where we like to camp has quite a steep (but short, less than 1/2 mile) road down to the boat launch. I assume that the Sportage or Tuscon can handle the steep roads as long as we keep it in first or second gear.

Thanks,
TerryMSU

 

[MikDee]

Re: Towing small boat with Sportage or Tuscon

I originally took a test ride in a Sportage first, because the Kia dealer was close by, and I didn't want to commit myself to buying pressure for a Tucson from my regular Hyundai dealer, until I was ready price wise. I figured this way I could remain anonymous, and get to try out basically the same vehicle.

I was so impressed with the test ride in the Sportage, that I was ready to buy on the spot, and, I wanted to upgrade to a Sunroof, and a few other new options available on these vehicles then I had on my Santa Fe, plus keep at least the same options I already had, BUT, at the time, when I told them I wanted the medium green, or medium blue color, fully loaded Sportage, they said No! That fully loaded model, only comes in charcoal gray, or metallic brown! I didn't care for either color, but I wanted it fully loaded, so I was very disappointed, and that was the dealbreaker for the Sportage!

I then ended up getting a new nautical blue Tucson LX V6 AWD fully loaded, for about the same price, and have been very happy since. Both of these vehicles, are a bit lighter, & sportier handling then the Santa Fe, and have the same, or more passenger room, but a bit less cargo space, and are 5 star crash rated, & offer a switchable Electronic Stability Program as standard equipment.

As a footnote, I was able to rent a newer green Sportage from Enterprise, a couple years ago, (just like the one we wanted, of course it was not the top luxury model) and we found it was just like the Tucson, it was OK, but seemed chincier then the Tucson, and we lost our desire for it after that, and figured we did the right thing originally. To our surprise, Enterprise called, 1/2 way through the rental period, & wanted the Sportage back to sell, and offered me a few other bigger vehicles at the same price, even a new style Santa Fe! So, of course I took that option, and found that this was truly an even better vehicle Though a bit bigger then the Tucson/Sportage twins, it seemed to move out better with the same 2.7V6? and of course rode better, and was more comfortable, due to it's size, while delivering similar gas milage! It had a nifty new neon blue instrument display, & XM radio standard equipment plus all the same options I was accustomed to, it was really a pleasure to drive, and I was sorry to return it after the rental period. I have since been trying to convince the wife to trade up to the new Santa Fe, because our Tucson is getting old, but she wants to hear none of it

P.S. The Shiftronic feature in all these tranny's is like stick shift, without the clutch, & lets you hold it in gear as long as you want. Plus, the satandard final rear gearing is in the 4:00 series, for great out of the hole, & pulling power in low gears, making them moderately good off road, for what they are, as reviews have proven.

 

[jfachner72]

Re: Towing small boat with Sportage or Tuscon

I know numerous people that have owned escapes for a year or less, they couldn't afford to keep them running any longer. From what I've heard escapes have had HORRENDOUS failure rates, at least some of the earlier years, they might have improved. And not just little things either, they like to eat transmissions at an alarming rate. Ford has had numerous transmission recalls, and there is a class action lawsuit starting up over it.

(the wife has a kia sportage that has had next to nothing done to it, other than a set of warn manual locking hubs. It will probably run long past the point of me actually wanting to keep it!)

Kia/hyundai have a 10 year/100k mile powertrain warranty. Ford Escape has a 5 year/60k mile. Not hard to tell which one is built better when the manufacturer doesn't have much confidence in it even.

I am not too sure where you are getting the "HORRENDOUS FAILURE RATES" information from, but I have been a Ford Employee for 16 years and yes there has been some issues with some transmissions BUT no more or less than any other manufacturer...

The new 6- speed in the escape is a "Mid-Range" transmission. Designed for bigger cars (Edge-Flex-Taurus) it is really OVERKILL in the little Escape but durability wise it is a bulletproof piece of equipment...

As far as towing I know that Ford builds in 10-15% overage in the tow capacity. Not to say that you should try to tow 4000# everyday with your Escape, but I feel much more confidant towing 3500# all day every day with my Escape and I see some of the guys down at the launch with the other "Compact SUV's" and they ALL struggle getting out of the water!!!!

Towing capacity is one thing but compare the "Rated Tow Capacity" with the (GCWR minus Curb Weight) and make sure you got some room there...

When I figure it for the Escape I have about 300# more than the 3500# it is rated for. With 2 Adults in the car I feel more confident.

According to "How Stuff Works" the 2008 Santa Fe has a GCWR of 5327# and a curb weight of 3727# giving it a tow capacity of only 1600#

The Tuscon has a GCWR of 4390# and curb weight of 3240# leaving only 1150#

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/auto-parts/towing/towing-capacity/vehicle/curb-weight15.htm

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/auto-parts/towing/towing-capacity/vehicle/gcwr14.htm

The 2008 Escape has a GCWR of 7240# and a curb weight of 3578# leaving 3662# (direct from Ford training book)

I am sure these numbers are different on every site, just an idea!

 

[NHMike]

Re: Towing small boat with Sportage or Tuscon

The max towing capacity for a Santa Fe Limited (3.3L engine) is 3500 lbs, not 1600 lbs. It's less with the smaller engine.

http://www.autoweb.com/content/shar.../article_page_order_int/9/article_id_int/2033

I own a 2007 Santa Fe Limited and an 18ft Stingray. The Santa Fe tows it just fine. Has for 2 years. Hyundai puts a transmission fluid cooler in which I'm sure helps somewhat. I never struggled to get out of the water on even a steep ramp. I also have the option of switching from AWD to full time 4WD under 25 mph. Nice to know it's there if I need it.

I believe in buying American whenever possible, but unfortunately when it comes to cars, my experiences with American car companies have been pathetic. I own this Hyundai which has been flawless for 45,000 miles, and I own a Toyota Corolla which flipped 182,000 miles last week and is still in great shape. My last American car's transmission died at 62,000 miles and I wasn't towing anything with it ever. It was a Pontiac. I'm not gonna sit here and knock Ford. I've never owned one. I CAN tell people from my own experiences with the Santa Fe that it will do the job and do it safely and well. If American car companies start building a better product, I'll be more than happy to buy them again. Since the Government now seems to own GM, I'm not holding my breath with them.

 

[MikDee]

Re: Towing small boat with Sportage or Tuscon

AMEN NHMke! I agree about American cars Plus in the owners manual it says, the Tucson V6 AWD can tow 1000lbs, or 2000lbs with trailer brakes. FYI I had 87k miles at trade in with my 2002 Santa Fe, and 90k miles on my 2005 Tucson right now, without a lick of trouble with either! The Santa Fe had a 4:56 gear final ratio, and the Tucson has a 4:40 final gear ratio standard, and both had 4WDiscs with ABS, so I have no problem towing!

Here checkthis link: http://www.campinglife.com/towratin...=HYUNDAI&model=Tuscon&min_tlimit=&max_tlimit=

 

[nitrosteve]

Re: Towing small boat with Sportage or Tuscon

Mikdee what hitch are you using. We have a 2005 Sportage EX V6 AWD and we want to tow a similar boat. By the way what is the weight of your boat w/trailer? Thanks.

 

[MikDee]

Re: Towing small boat with Sportage or Tuscon

Mikdee what hitch are you using. We have a 2005 Sportage EX V6 AWD and we want to tow a similar boat. By the way what is the weight of your boat w/trailer? Thanks.

My 89' Bayliner Ski Boat model weighs about 2000lbs with the motor, and the trailer is about 500lbs, so it's about 2500lbs total, according to NADA I have a hidden hitch frame hitch I forgot the model # it's been on there about 3 yrs.

http://www.edmunds.com/reviews/list/top10/102426/article.html

Check this out: # 9- The Hyundai Elantra, which the Tucson/Sportage is based on, only it doesn't even come with the 2.7V6, or AWD, so I'm pretty sure it's safe to tow 3000lbs as well, as long as you have trailer brakes.

 

[nitrosteve]

Re: Towing small boat with Sportage or Tuscon

My 89' Bayliner Ski Boat model weighs about 2000lbs with the motor, and the trailer is about 500lbs, so it's about 2500lbs total, according to NADA I have a hidden hitch frame hitch I forgot the model # it's been on there about 3 yrs.

http://www.edmunds.com/reviews/list/top10/102426/article.html

Check this out: # 9- The Hyundai Elantra, which the Tucson/Sportage is based on, only it doesn't even come with the 2.7V6, or AWD, so I'm pretty sure it's safe to tow 3000lbs as well, as long as you have trailer brakes.

Are you running trailer brakes?

 

[meals on reelsjello2]

Re: Towing small boat with Sportage or Tuscon

just to let you know i have a 15' MFG dry weight without motor is 1000 lb i have a 60 hp johnson on it and a duel axle 16'roller trailer it sits on..and i pull it with a 91 subaru legacy 4 door...and it does an ausome job....but you should see the looks i get puting it in and taking it out of the water allot of people jut scrach there heads...its so funny

 

[meals on reelsjello2]

Re: Towing small boat with Sportage or Tuscon

oh ya ...no trailer brakes ether

 

[MikDee]

Re: Towing small boat with Sportage or Tuscon

Are you running trailer brakes?

No, not yet,,, but I change the tranny fluid regularly, & put on premium brake pads all around, & haven't really had a problem, look at post #2. It's about 20miles to the lake, & mostly side roads where I never get above 50mph anyway, I do intend to get them though, but I haven't done anything with my boat yet this year, too many other annoying things getting in the way so far!

I'm so glad I got a 95' Chevy S-10 2WD 4.3V6 pickup for towing,,, Not! Talk about a hazard on the road, it's powerful enough, but having the wrong factory stock 3:08 gear ratio, it struggles getting up the hill in my community, and backing into my sloped driveway, also the disc front/drum rear brakes, are notably a issue on these trucks, so I've been kinda forced to use the Tucson so far, or give up boating? which thankfully handles these problems surprisingly with Ease!

Sure the pickup needs a set of 3:42 gears, which I bought, and haven't had a chance to put in yet, nor have I found a fix for the brakes, even for average around town driving, much less even towing,,, It's been delegated to towing my jetski only for now!

 

[nitrosteve]

Re: Towing small boat with Sportage or Tuscon

Well I bought my 1st boat today. Its a 1986 Mark Twain MB 175 (17ft.) I/O 140 I plan on hauling it with my Sportage. We live 2 miles from the lake and all the ramps are very shallow. I just purchased a Class III hitch,ball,Wiring etc. This boats dry weight is 2300 lbs so with the trailer its pushing 2800 lbs. Also has no trailer brakes. Do you think I will have issues pulling it out of the water since its such a heavy boat? This is a temporary hauling vehicle unless it really surprises me with its towing abilities.