Highlander vs a Pilot

[Scuba55]

Donna,

Great advice!!

[Viajante]

I tow a 15B with a 2004 Pilot. I plan to get a new vehicle next year and will give preference to another Pilot. Even going through the mtns in Colorado the engine temp never rose at all. My Honda did not have any prep for a brake controller. I assume newer models do, but something to check on. As far as weight goes, you can assume a trailer, even unloaded, weighs hundreds of pounds more than you might think from looking at spec sheets. Give yourself some room under the limit.

[CADreamin]

Donna is absolutely right ... pick your trailer first and then look for the tow vehicle. Of course, doing the opposite can have some positive aspects. We have a 2004 Tundra and, when we went looking for a trailer, found that our big ol' truck is a wimp when it comes to what it can tow. We spent nearly a year and a half researching light weight trailers when I happened, by chance, on this forum. After reading through the forum and visiting a nearby Escape (thanks Bob), we found our ideal trailer.

[Dave Walter]

Yea, we kind of lucked out also, as we had purchased the FJ before even considering that we may like to have an Escape. As it turned out, the FJ is well suited for towing the Escape 19' and everything is cool between our TV and trailer.

[Jrn56]

We changed our mind about which size Escape several times before settling on the 19. Once that decision was made we looked at the Highlander and the Pilot. I liked both of them but my wife liked the ride of the Highlander a little better. If we had gone with the 17 we probably would have purchased a used Rav4.

[Brian B-P]

So if I understand this correctly, some would suggest buying a trailer without regard to the required tug, and if it happens to require a pickup to pull it or a big SUV that's fine... even if that tug is entirely unsuitable in the family fleet. Can that be right?

The tug and trailer need to work together, and of course no one wants to ruin the enjoyment of their Escape by being unnecessarily limited by the tug; however, the tug will likely cost more than the trailer (if both are new), the tug will depreciate more every year, the tug will cost more to operate per year and for each kilometre... and in most cases it will be used far more times in the year than the trailer. It would be bad to be forced into the wrong tug. I think both are important choices, and it's great if one has the opportunity to choose them as a matched set.

Of course, if you can afford to dedicate a vehicle to just tug duty, and don't mind operating whatever the trailer needs (and those are actually true for many people), then definitely buy the trailer first!

[CADreamin]

I don't think that's what is being implied. If you already have a tow vehicle that you like (in our case, our Tundra ... which is probably more comfortable than most cars), then you must look for the trailer that best fits your needs and vehicle. However, if you are looking for a trailer with the idea in the back of your mind that you'll probably be adding a new tow vehicle as well, then you should try and "marry" the tug and the trailer to come up with a suitable combination. A car/truck can always be used; however, buying a trailer that is too small, too big or just can't be towed by anything sitting in your driveway could be a costly mistake.

[Jim Bennett]

For me too, even though the cost new is lower, the trailer choice is still more important. I am very limited in choices for what I want, and how I want to camp. There are dozens of tow vehicles that could fit the bill, and I just need to find the one of those many that fit my bill.

I had my eye on the Pilot, as it had a major rebuild in 2009, and after deciding to move on the new 19 Escape was going to make, made the move to buy it.

No different than if the 5.0 is you preferred trailer, you most definitely have to buy the tow to match in more cases than with a trailer pull.

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by CADreamin

If you already have a tow vehicle that you like ...
then you must look for the trailer that best fits your needs and vehicle. However, if you are looking for a trailer with the idea in the back of your mind that you'll probably be adding a new tow vehicle as well, then you should try and "marry" the tug and the trailer to come up with a suitable combination.

I agree.

Originally Posted by CADreamin

A car/truck can always be used; however, buying a trailer that is too small, too big or just can't be towed by anything sitting in your driveway could be a costly mistake.

The message I'm hearing from some sounds like "get the trailer you want then whatever tug you need to pull it" to avoid that kind of mistake.

Perhaps a better plan would be "confirm the trailer's towing requirements before committing to a tug purchase, or expecting an existing tug to handle it". If you are buying a used trailer, that may indeed mean actually buying the trailer to be sure of what you can get; if you are buying a new trailer, that's just a model decision... Reace and crew will build it for you when you are ready.

Perhaps the intention is just to avoid slightly missing the match: planning on a 17, buying a small van or SUV which can handle it well, then buying a 19 and being not quite well enough equipped for towing. That just means planning realistically: if the 19 is a likely option and you buy the tug first, buy a tug which can handle a 19.

[LeonardS]

I found the FGRV site while looking for something light enough to tow behind our Forrester, so had the tug first.... Then realized that we would likely need a bigger tug...as the Forester shouldn't pull much more than a 13 (or maybe a 15). ..

Later, on this site I learned of a really good sale that Nissan was having on leftover Frontiers from two years ago.

Having an idea of what size trailer you want to pull is a good idea before getting the tug. Getting a tug without really knowing what you want to pull may lead to under sizing the tug. And then trying to justify pulling more than rated...

[Brian B-P]

Yes, and having an idea of what size of tug you're willing to drive is a good idea before getting the trailer. Getting a trailer without really knowing what you will need to pull it may lead to over-sizing the trailer. And then buying a tug you don't want or trying to justify pulling more than rated...

It works both ways.

[yhbae]

Most of the mid-size crossovers can handle 5000lb and enough payload to handle Escape trailers, although some models require you to get a proper tow package to get there.

There are many options:
- Toyota Highlander
- Honda Pilot
- Nissan Pathfinder
- Hyundai Santa Fe LWB (NOT Sport)
- GM trio (Traverse, Enclave, Arcadia)
- Ford Explorer
etc

All of them features a V6 engine and roughly 5000lb towing capacity, plus at least 1300lb payload which is enough unless you plan to seriously load up your TV with more passengers and cargo.

[gbaglo]

I'll pass on the Hyundai, after my buddy's experience. Four months with a loaner because Hyundai couldn't come up with engine parts for his Santa Fe and 250 others.

[yhbae]

Originally Posted by gbaglo

I'll pass on the Hyundai, after my buddy's experience. Four months with a loaner because Hyundai couldn't come up with engine parts for his Santa Fe and 250 others.

I am curious - why did they need engine parts to get the towing package working?

Not going to try to convince you to get a Hyundai but in case of Santa Fe LWB, it come standard with 5000lb towing package - no work is needed to get there.

What year Santa Fe did he buy?

[gbaglo]

His Santa Fe is a 2009 I think. He got it just after I got my 2008 RAV4.
He wanted an engine noise investigated before the warranty ran out. They took it apart, discovered what was required to fix it, but Hyundai could not get parts from its supplier. They had no parts in North America and they had 250 or more customers with the same problem.
The dealer did what they could, but Hyundai was the hang up, lacking the desire to solve its problem.
He had a loaner Elantra for four months. The dealer finally sent it out to an engine re-builder who bored out the cylinders and installed a larger piston.
Got the vehicle back on Friday, engine warning light came on and he said, " it feels like I'm towing a 15,000lb. trailer with no wheels on it". Appears that they fixed that problem and he's almost made it to Palm Desert from Vancouver. It's unnerving, driving a vehicle that you don't trust. Especially when you are heading away from the dealer's shop.

So, it's not really about his specific vehicle, or the year it was built. It's about Hyundai's response. Which is why Hyundai won't be on my list, and won't be his next vehicle either.

[yhbae]

Ouch, I don't blame you for not liking Hyundai after hearing that kind of experience...

I have the opposite experience though - one of my friend bought a new LWB Santa Fe recently and without any additional options, he seems to be very happy with his towing experience... That's why I had it on my shopping list along with Highlander. For the money, I like the Santa Fe more than the Highlander. The Pilot just feels really dated compare to these two (which it is - new model will be out soon).

[gbaglo]

My buddy loved the Santa Fe, but Hyundai, not so much.

[Ruthe]

Thank you forum members for tow vehicle advice. We put a deposit on a certified 2009 Highlander with a complete tow package today. We learned a lot, chief thing is what someone said recently -- it's NOT as much fun to buy a car as it is to buy the trailer. We think we got a pretty good car -- but the haggling with the dealer was NOT fun. We had to question absolutely everything including the fact that they had one price on line and another on the car. We made them put it on the lift so we could check for (nonexistent) rust. We had to check his math. Finally we had to be unattached so we could make a clear decision. The new Highlanders are not automatically coming with tow packages and in fact we found very few used ones with tow packages. If we hadn't bought this one we would have looked for a Pilot and it would have been fine. This car spoke to us. The price was right -- the condition seems excellent (brand new tires, body looks new, hitch doesn't seem to have been used very much). Our last two tow vehicles were bought used and they were great, so we're hoping this one will be the same. Glad that is (practically) over. We still need to do the paperwork but it's basically done.

[float5]

Good choice! Hope you are happy with it. Should be a good TV.

[cpaharley2008]

Which model Ruthe? The spec's I found say 2000# towing?