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Old 08-22-2018, 08:59 AM   #1
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Toyota Rav4 Trail Edition - Tow Possibilities

We just brought home a new 2018 Toyota Rav4 Trail Ed. to be used as my wife's daily driver (replacing her Equinox). It does come with a 3500 lb tow capacity, which could be nice for taking short trips with the 15B, especially if there are no serious mountain passes on our routes. We didn't get the hitch and wiring harness from the dealership yet, as they wanted several pounds of flesh for that. Instead, I will likely go the aftermarket route for both hitch and wiring harness for about 1/5 the cost. In no rush for now, so I will likely plan on being setup for towing for next spring. Here is a picture of the new beast.
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Old 08-22-2018, 09:48 AM   #2
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That must be the same as what they call the Adventure edition in the US. I'll be interested to see how you like it. I've looked and looked for real-life towing reports on the Adventure model but can't find anything helpful.
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Old 08-22-2018, 10:22 AM   #3
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That must be the same as what they call the Adventure edition in the US. I'll be interested to see how you like it. I've looked and looked for real-life towing reports on the Adventure model but can't find anything helpful.
Yes, the American "Adventure" model is the equivalent to the Canadian "Trail" edition.
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Old 08-22-2018, 10:36 AM   #4
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Old 09-18-2019, 08:18 AM   #5
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Hi,

We are wondering about the Rav4 Trail pulling a Trillium trailer, about a 1500 lb load. Any thoughts?
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Old 09-18-2019, 11:35 AM   #6
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Hi,

We are wondering about the Rav4 Trail pulling a Trillium trailer, about a 1500 lb load. Any thoughts?

Suggest you ask this question over on FGRV where you'll be more likely to encounter Trillium.
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Old 09-18-2019, 01:21 PM   #7
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I think weight-wise it would be fine. I'm trading up in vehicles, though, as capable of towing and being comfortable to drive while towing are two different things. The Adventure/Trail tows up to 3500 pounds so even loaded you'd be under that. I looked into it as it has the higher capacity I was looking for- incidentally, the 2020 Outback will also tow 3500 properly equipped- but decided I wanted a larger vehicle. Also- it isn't flat here. I can't even tell my Escape 15 is there when I tow on a good, level highway with no bumps. So your mileage may vary. I found very little info on people towing with the Rav4 when I was looking for info on it but there may be more by now.
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Old 09-18-2019, 01:52 PM   #8
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I found the short distance between the hitch & rear wheels made the RAV 4 (at least a 2010 V6) a very stable tow vehicle for an Escacpe 17B. The brakes & transmission were adequate, and the V6 provided all the power one would ever want, although the tiny fuel tank and low ground clearance left a lot to be desired.

I'd be very interested to hear how the 4 cylinder does towing near its upper tow limit.
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Old 09-19-2019, 10:59 AM   #9
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I found the short distance between the hitch & rear wheels made the RAV 4 (at least a 2010 V6) a very stable tow vehicle for an Escacpe 17B. The brakes & transmission were adequate, and the V6 provided all the power one would ever want, although the tiny fuel tank and low ground clearance left a lot to be desired.

I'd be very interested to hear how the 4 cylinder does towing near its upper tow limit.
And was the too small gas tank changed? I recall complaints about limited range due to the small tank.
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Old 09-19-2019, 01:56 PM   #10
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Hi,

We are wondering about the Rav4 Trail pulling a Trillium trailer, about a 1500 lb load. Any thoughts?
My friends fried their transmission pulling a Trillium 1300 with their Element.

Read your owners manual about towing. It will tell you not to use OD. Use something to monitor transmission temps. I used a ScanGauge2 on my 4RUNNER.
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