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Old 01-31-2019, 05:13 PM   #21
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I miss the FJ but it was not adequate for the E21, the E19 was about it's limit. That said, the motor in the FJ is a lot better than the motor in the new Tacos.
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Old 01-31-2019, 05:28 PM   #22
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Changed car

we changed our 2007 Sequoia for a2018 Expedition the reason was much better MPG And much nicer interior and safety features. Plus less insurance costs .We tried the 4Runner nice SUV but terrible MPG the Expedition gets better then our Honda Pilot 06 and better then 07 Sequoia . We love our 3.5 eco boost with 10 speed tranny.19 city 25 hwy on a 5600 lb vehicle. Still haven’t towed yet but should do over 15mpg .
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Old 01-31-2019, 05:52 PM   #23
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Originally Posted by Donna D. View Post
And there's nothing wrong with wants either. I have a lot of them. Some I get, some I talk myself out of, some, if I wait long enough... something better will come along. What's important to me, is to NOT delay pleasure. I just need to make certain that it's justified and not because my blood sugar is low
Got it Donna . Yes and spending money on some of the finer things in life . I guess it about balance too. Believe me I understand life has no guarantee’s . Sometimes it’s ok to spurge too and we do . But our truck works for now but who knows down the road .And my daughters FJ sure looks good to me ! Pat
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Old 01-31-2019, 05:53 PM   #24
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Hi

Chevy Colorado or equivalent in GMC with the diesel motor will make you a happy camper.
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Old 01-31-2019, 06:03 PM   #25
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I've had F150 and now have 2018 GMC Canyon with Duramax. I've towed trailers on both platforms. Hands down for me the GMC Canyon is the perfect truck for my needs. Mileage much better than the my F150 either towing (average 19) or not towing (30 Hwy), but the main reason I went with the diesel option was for peak torque the engine provides at much lower RPM range.

As far as size, the Colorado/Canyon is not that much smaller than full size. I've very comfortable for long drives and I'm not a small person.

My advice look and test drive several different makes, models and size trucks. It's your money get what works for you.
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Old 01-31-2019, 06:53 PM   #26
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Originally Posted by Donna D. View Post
and the new features are sweet...
I'm not sure that all the new features are sweet. We're fully loaded, ready to head out at the crack of dawn tomorrow, or what usually happens, about 9:00 am

We have the hard tonneau cover. I just went to open the tailgate to add one little thing to the fully packed box. We have the electronic tailgate. Touched the button, nothing. Tried several times and still nothing. It was at this point that I realized that there isn't a manual way of unlocking the tailgate. Frantic reading of the manual etc. Then I tried using the button on the fob and it worked. Great sigh of relief and now the tailgate button is working. :confused

I can't take it a chance on it not working again because there's no access to the box cover unless the tailgate is opened. Well, there is now. Can't take a chance on having to pry open and damaging the box cover if the release doesn't work.

So it's looking to me that the electronic tailgate release is one new feature that I'd rather not have.

Ron
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Old 01-31-2019, 07:11 PM   #27
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Originally Posted by ichrisdr View Post
Hello. If this topic has already been discussed please just point me in the right direction. So I have been contemplating downsizing my tow vehicle from a GMC Sierra full size with the 6.2L V-8 motor (420 horsepower and 460 lb-ft of torque) to a mid size pickup like the Ranger, Tacoma or Colorado. I'm towing an Escape 19. During the summer months I travel full time with my wife and dog around Colorado, Utah, Montana, Washington, Oregon, Idaho etc. Places with real mountains. We hike, SUP, mountain bike, explore towns, explore wilderness. With that in mind here is my list of pros and cons:

My gut tells me downsizing is a bad idea but I figured it would be fun to have the conversation. Any thoughts or opinions are greatly appreciated. Feel free to add anything I may not have thought of. Thanks in advance.

Pros:
Mid size truck much easier getting around while not trailing the camper.
Theoretically mid size truck will have better fuel economy when not trailing the camper. I currently get 14mpg around town and 20mpg on the highway while not towing.
Something better offroad. My current truck is decent off road but I would get something like the Tacoma TRD Pro. Something that will make me more comfortable exploring off the beaten path.
Current truck easily pulls the camper and I feel secure knowing the truck is much heavier than the camper.
Cheaper maintenance costs

Cons
I'm concerned that I will get worse fuel economy with a mid size truck while towing the Escape 19.
My fuel range will be much shorter.
I'm concerned that coming from a full size truck I will feel like I just don't have enough power. With the full size I feel very comfortable merging onto highways or passing if I have to while towing. I usually drive 65mph even when the speed limit is 80mph while towing.
With the mid size truck I'll probably feel the trailer a lot more. Now I don't even know it's there.
Lower payload capacity although I don't think this will be an issue but something I need to consider.
FWIW, I pull a 2014 19' with a 2013 Nissan Frontier, crew cab.
No problems whatsoever, and with the rear doors and seat, we can throw an awful lot of stuff back there.
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Old 01-31-2019, 07:12 PM   #28
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I've had F150 and now have 2018 GMC Canyon with Duramax. I've towed trailers on both platforms. Hands down for me the GMC Canyon is the perfect truck for my needs. Mileage much better than the my F150 either towing (average 19) or not towing (30 Hwy), but the main reason I went with the diesel option was for peak torque the engine provides at much lower RPM range.

As far as size, the Colorado/Canyon is not that much smaller than full size. I've very comfortable for long drives and I'm not a small person.

My advice look and test drive several different makes, models and size trucks. It's your money get what works for you.
Which model Colorado / Canyon are you referring to ? . We parked next to one the other day and the Colorado / Canyon was considerably shorter in length , about 8” shorter in height and narrower than my full size truck . The differences in size was quite obvious to us .
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Old 01-31-2019, 08:27 PM   #29
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If compare to a full size truck yes it is smaller and shorter but it is comfortable.

Yes it is gonna be less spacious in the box...

But do not want to bash on Toyota but if pulling and gaz economie is a concern there are not the best.

My Canyon is not the best off road in his stock version.

You have the final word in choosing the best for you.
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Old 01-31-2019, 08:58 PM   #30
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Don't worry Laura your safe . Daughters FJ is the last year Toyota sold here . I am not bothered by the view , just Linda . Daughter has a camera in the rear view mirror . Probably if we needed to get another tow , it would be another truck . Though that FJ sure is strong and sturdy unlike the little Toyota truck ! Pat
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Old 01-31-2019, 08:59 PM   #31
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Originally Posted by cpaharley2008 View Post
I miss the FJ but it was not adequate for the E21, the E19 was about it's limit. That said, the motor in the FJ is a lot better than the motor in the new Tacos.
Jim that is a nice looking towing rig ! Pat
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Old 02-01-2019, 06:57 AM   #32
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ron in BC View Post
I'm not sure that all the new features are sweet. We're fully loaded, ready to head out at the crack of dawn tomorrow, or what usually happens, about 9:00 am

We have the hard tonneau cover. I just went to open the tailgate to add one little thing to the fully packed box. We have the electronic tailgate. Touched the button, nothing. Tried several times and still nothing. It was at this point that I realized that there isn't a manual way of unlocking the tailgate. Frantic reading of the manual etc. Then I tried using the button on the fob and it worked. Great sigh of relief and now the tailgate button is working. :confused

I can't take it a chance on it not working again because there's no access to the box cover unless the tailgate is opened. Well, there is now. Can't take a chance on having to pry open and damaging the box cover if the release doesn't work.

So it's looking to me that the electronic tailgate release is one new feature that I'd rather not have.

Ron
Ron,
Did you try the un- lock button inside, on mine which has the locking tailgate, once I unlock the doors, it also unlocks the tailgate, without the pressing the fob. Of course nothing works if the fob is not inside, mhmm, maybe time to check the fob battery.
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Old 02-01-2019, 07:12 AM   #33
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Originally Posted by ichrisdr View Post
This is a great point. Thanks.
hI: ichrisdr... After eight years of towing with a mid sized pickup I finally went full sized!!! It's got ride... it's got room... and diesel to boot, what a difference. Alf
escape artist N.S. of Lake Erie "Searchin' for my lost shaker of salt".
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Old 02-01-2019, 07:17 AM   #34
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This is something I too think about but in the opposite direction. I tow our 1st gen 21' with a 2012 4wd Nissan Pathfinder, I put a lot of miles on a car so it has 207,000 miles on it already. It seems to tow the Escape fine, towing up hills outside of Asheville got up to about 4300 RPM but was able to maintain good speed. Not getting the gas mileage I would hope, get about 16.8 all around not towing and about 12.5 towing. I also worry at this many miles how much harder is towing on the car itself?
I think worst case scenario and we are hoping in the future our grand kids will go camping with us more so for that reason really we like SUV's over trucks, have the dogs too.
I don't like to buy new cars but something a couple of years old, getting harder to find these days because cars are made so much better and people are holding on to them longer. We hope to full time more in the future so have considered a 1/2 ton van that I can add one bench seat for when the kids come and then build out the back area like I want it.
Those of you driving diesel's I get the value of that but that gets hard to even out because diesel few cost so much more these days does it not?

Funny how we all agree on travel trailers its the tow vehicles we all have our likes.

Enjoy the journey.

Steve
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Old 02-01-2019, 08:33 AM   #35
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I am an offroad guy and loyal Toyota customer. I ride dualsport motorcycles all over the country and tent camp in some pretty remote places. When I was replacing my much loved but wore out 2003 Tacoma back in 2016, I looked at everything, including a then new Tacoma, wrangler, and f150. We knew that our camping style was headed towards an RV and I wanted a way to carry my Dualsport bike. The Tacoma was ruled out as its was uncomfortable and was really underpowered. Loved the F150 and the aluminum body, but even with my family discount the f150 was very pricey. Wrangler was fun but not a real option as a tow vehicle long term. I drove the Tundra and thought this thing is huge, and really backed away from it. I started to look at Landcruisers which BTW are awesome! The cruiser has a great size and very capable offroad, but the price is just crazy. I started to get really confused by it all. At a family gathering I talked to a family member who is an engineer for Toyota. I was discussing my finding and concerns with spending 80K on a new Landcruiser. He said to me, "you know the Tundra is a Landcruiser from the back doors forward" and the rear bed and axle are built even stronger on the Tundra. The next day I took another look at the Tundra and it really grew on me pretty quick. The offroad package is available on the Limited package, has a built in brake controller, and the fuel tank is HUGE. I have the locking axle with 4wd. For a big truck the turning radius is very good and the truck has never let me down while offroad exploring. I would say the only real issue with the truck is the seats can get a bit hard on the butt after a couple of thousand mile days.
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Old 02-01-2019, 08:42 AM   #36
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Old 02-01-2019, 10:35 AM   #37
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I've been towing my 21 with a new model Tacoma for nearly two years now. No problems and no regrets.
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Old 02-01-2019, 11:09 AM   #38
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2017 Escape 21 with 2013 Tacoma. Tow cap 6400 lbs, so lots of room there. Cargo is only 1050 so with 2 of us, a large dog and the tongue weight we are near our limit in that regard. We try not to tow over 100kmh (60mph) and I am happy with how it tows. I go up mountain passes in the slow lane. I intend to replace the Tacoma with another Tacoma.
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Old 02-01-2019, 11:10 AM   #39
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I thought this thread was about downsizing your tow vehicle , not down grading your tow vehicle ?
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Old 02-01-2019, 12:12 PM   #40
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I've been contemplating this but the wife nixed the idea.
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