New Highlander Tow Vehicle Recommnedations? - Escape Trailer Owners Community
Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×

Go Back   Escape Trailer Owners Community > Escape Tech > Towing and Hitching
Click Here to Login
Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
 
Old 03-15-2022, 10:20 AM   #1
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2019
Location: St Louis, Missouri
Trailer: 2021 21NE F2
Posts: 235
New Highlander Tow Vehicle Recommnedations?

We are considering purchasing a new Highlander to tow our 21NE. Of course we will need the V6 and not the hybrid. What trim level, other equipment, or options are recommended when we order from the dealer and what will we need to add after market to make this a good tow vehicle for our 21NE? Thank You!
mfschu is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-15-2022, 10:27 AM   #2
Site Team
 
John in Santa Cruz's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2017
Location: Mid Left Coast, California
Trailer: 2014 Escape 21
Posts: 5,122
Toyota does not offer any 7 blade trailer connectors or ebrake wiring for the Highlander, so that has to be done aftermarket, and if done poorly could void warranty coverage.
John in Santa Cruz is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-15-2022, 11:08 AM   #3
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2021
Location: Calgary, Alberta
Trailer: 2023 E19
Posts: 289
How many people/how much cargo do you intend to carry in the tow vehicle while travelling? I would keep payload capacities in mind when looking at the different trim levels/option packages. The more features, the less available payload. The non-hybrid Highlander looks to range from about 1500-1700lbs (with the AWD option responsible for the greatest payload reduction) . The “real world” tongue weight of the 21NE is likely going to be in the 500-600lb range. That leaves 900-1100lbs left for passengers/cargo…..
Selkirk is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-15-2022, 11:16 AM   #4
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2019
Location: St Louis, Missouri
Trailer: 2021 21NE F2
Posts: 235
2 to 4 people, so roughly 600 pounds there. Maybe a couple of kayaks on top. Most of our gear goes in the Escape. I think we will be OK on payload. I'm not sure if we need AWD or not. Sounds like it would reduce the purchase cost and increase the available payload to just go with FWD if that will work.
mfschu is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-15-2022, 11:33 AM   #5
Senior Member
 
EscapeBoulder's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2018
Location: Boulder, Colorado
Trailer: 2018 Escape 19'er + 2018 Highlander
Posts: 300
We tow our 2018 19'er with a 2018 Highlander. Since we're in Colorado I put a ScanGauge in to monitor the tranny temperature, and sure enough, the tranny was getting hot on our long mountain passes so I had an aftermarket tranny cooler installed. No more problem. I also installed a tire monitor, just to be safe.

I'm really happy getting 15 - 16 mpg towing. And I drive very conservatively.
__________________
... Greg
2018 Escape 19'er & 2018 Highlander
Not all who wander are lost
EscapeBoulder is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-15-2022, 12:47 PM   #6
Site Team
 
John in Santa Cruz's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2017
Location: Mid Left Coast, California
Trailer: 2014 Escape 21
Posts: 5,122
Quite the FWD Highlander has almost no tow capacity at all, 12 or 1500 lb Max, no way you would tow any sort of escape with that. You have to have the AWD Highlander to gain adequate tow capacity, and a 21 will be pushing it. A 4Runner or a sequoia is a much better towing vehicle, rear-wheel drive, full frame, larger engines. Yes they don't get very good gas mileage when you're not towing such is life you can't do everything with the same tool
John in Santa Cruz is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-15-2022, 01:07 PM   #7
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2021
Location: Calgary, Alberta
Trailer: 2023 E19
Posts: 289
Quote:
Originally Posted by John in Santa Cruz View Post
Quite the FWD Highlander has almost no tow capacity at all, 12 or 1500 lb Max
Correction: According to the US Toyota website, a 2022 FWD V6 "L" trim Highlander is rated for 5000lbs towing (same as the AWD version) and roughly 1700lbs payload (about 80lbs more than AWD) . That actually makes it the most capable model for towing in the Highlander line.
Attached Thumbnails
Highlander.jpg  
Selkirk is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-15-2022, 01:11 PM   #8
Senior Member
 
gbaglo's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: North Vancouver, British Columbia
Trailer: 2009 Escape 17B 2020 Toyota Highlander XLE
Posts: 17,136
I had a Subaru wagon running front wheel drive, towing a tent trailer. Got half way up the hill on a gravel road and came to a stop.

Had to back down to the bottom and take a run at the hill.
__________________
What happens to the hole when the cheese is gone?
- Bertolt Brecht
gbaglo is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-15-2022, 01:12 PM   #9
Site Team
 
John in Santa Cruz's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2017
Location: Mid Left Coast, California
Trailer: 2014 Escape 21
Posts: 5,122
With a pure FWD tow vehicle, which undoubtedly has Street / highway tires, pray you never have a back in space where you have to pull up hill to get out of there on a dirt or grass or gravel slope and it gets a little wet. Even with my rear wheel drive truck that has all terrain tires I've had to use 4x4 a couple times to pull the trailer out of a space under those conditions. Of course I live in camp in the mountains west, if you spend most of your time in the flatlands this might not be an issue. Absolutely for sure you are going to need a weight distribution hitch for that rig to keep that tongue weight balanced across all four tires instead of just the rears. Without a wdh, your tongue weight actually lifts your front wheels and leave them with less traction. The farther the hitch is behind the rear axle the worse this effect is.
John in Santa Cruz is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-15-2022, 04:20 PM   #10
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: SLO County, California
Trailer: 2014 Escape 21C 2019 Expedition
Posts: 5,210
Any Highlander is going to be at the top of its tow capacity with a Gen2 Escape21.

I am not going to say don't do it and antagonize those that already do, however you will most likely regret a FWD vs. AWD.

My first Escape was a 17 towed with a FWD Nissan Murano. Plenty of power, yet it didn't compare to an AWD Highlander I bought to replace it. Of course, six months later we got 4"-itis and it wasn't easy at the time to trade in a 6 month old vehicle for our new 21. However never regretted the Yukon and love the Expedition. I've owned a lot of Toyotas, however we had zero problems with the Yukon over 80K miles of mostly towing(we bought it with 22K) and nothing with the Expedition that has 33K miles- again mostly towing. That one is the bomb!
__________________
"We gotta get as far away as we can!"
- Russell Casse, Independence Day
Rossue is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-15-2022, 07:01 PM   #11
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 2017
Location: St Paul, Minnesota
Trailer: 2021 Escape 5.0
Posts: 168
We had an older Highlander, AWD rated 5000 lbs. We wanted a 21 but with our experience in the mountains towing a Scamp 16, we felt the Highlander just wouldn't have the oomf. So we upgraded to an F150 and were "forced" to get the 5.0 instead. Such is life.
Shearwater is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-15-2022, 09:34 PM   #12
Senior Member
 
Mike G's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2018
Location: Tulsa, Oklahoma
Trailer: 2012 E19
Posts: 1,733
Back when I bought the 2008 Highlander (new), a tow prep package option was required for the 5k lb tow rating. I guess it's included on the newer model years, which is a nice improvement.

I agree with previous posters that weight distribution will be important to avoid excessive rear end sag, unless there's air suspension (no idea if they have that). Heck, even if there is air suspension I think I'd want WD for that much hitch weight. WD with built-in sway control, probably the Andersen No-Sway would be my choice because it's light weight and relatively easy to move around (it uses fairly light weight chains instead of heavy bars).

With a 21', figure on slowing to 35-45 mph on long steep grades. You're less likely to overheat the transmission that way, than if you stomp on it and try to maintain 60 or more.

I still miss the Highlander, but my wife complained about the seats cutting off circulation to her short legs. It was a base model with no power seats, which would have helped.
__________________
Losing weight puts one at much greater risk of becoming thin.
Mike G is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-15-2022, 10:08 PM   #13
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2011
Trailer: 2012 Escape-19
Posts: 383
I towed a 17 Casita with 2017 Highlander. Recently I bought a E-19 and have only towed it short distances but think I will be OK. I sold an E-21 a while back because I did not really want to tow it with the Highlander. With most of my towing on the east coast I don't have issues with excessive transmission temperatures with mostly flat land towing. As stated earlier the 7- pin wiring is an issue for the Highlander. The factory hitch lists for about $600 and the Highlander roof racks are really light duty. A few people here started towing the E-21's with Tacoma's but soon upgraded to full sized pick-ups. If you are starting from scratch towing an E-21 I would really consider at using a full-size pick-up.
elongest is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-16-2022, 03:46 AM   #14
Senior Member
 
Doug2000's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2016
Location: London, Ontario
Trailer: 2020 Escape 19
Posts: 1,117
After years of towing close to the capacity of vehicles and one close call, I now have a tow rating of 10,000 lbs.

Keep in mind towing is really hard on a vehicle and shortens its life span. Go big.
__________________
Had 2 Escapes, 17b, 19, went back to a pop up that fit in the garage. 2018 Coachman Clipper RBST HW AFrame
Doug2000 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-16-2022, 10:28 AM   #15
Senior Member
 
HABBERDABBER's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Madison area, Wisconsin
Trailer: 2016 Escape 19 Chevy 2012 Express 3500 Van
Posts: 1,734
Subaru

Quote:
Originally Posted by gbaglo View Post
I had a Subaru wagon running front wheel drive, towing a tent trailer. Got half way up the hill on a gravel road and came to a stop.

Had to back down to the bottom and take a run at the hill.
I thought ALL Subaru's, for all time, were AWD, except for the BRZ sports model.
HABBERDABBER is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-16-2022, 10:43 AM   #16
Senior Member
 
gbaglo's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: North Vancouver, British Columbia
Trailer: 2009 Escape 17B 2020 Toyota Highlander XLE
Posts: 17,136
Quote:
Originally Posted by HABBERDABBER View Post
I thought ALL Subaru's, for all time, were AWD.
Mine was front wheel drive. You had to stop and move a lever to put it into 4x4. To get it out of 4x4, you had to stop and back up about ten feet, then shift the lever back.
It didn't have enough power to turn a corner in 4x4 if you were scrubbing a wheel ( as on dry pavement ).
__________________
What happens to the hole when the cheese is gone?
- Bertolt Brecht
gbaglo is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-16-2022, 01:50 PM   #17
Bea
Senior Member
 
Bea's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2018
Location: Northern California, California
Trailer: 2019 Escape 21
Posts: 759
Quote:
Originally Posted by Doug2000 View Post
After years of towing close to the capacity of vehicles and one close call, I now have a tow rating of 10,000 lbs.

Keep in mind towing is really hard on a vehicle and shortens its life span. Go big.
Doug, we had a similar experience and echo your advice. After 20 years of pulling various trailers with different tow vehicles, all close to capacity, I vowed that our 'next' TV would be able to tow near double our gross trailer weight. Our current 2017 Ford Expy has a tow rating of 9,200 lbs - oh, what a difference! As Rossue once said, "The Expedition is the cat's meow...and the bomb!" Such a pleasure to tow our E21 now. If you can....go big. -Bea
Bea is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-16-2022, 02:48 PM   #18
Senior Member
 
Small but Sweet's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2020
Location: Hillsboro, Oregon
Trailer: 2022 21C, our second Escape
Posts: 322
We're happy so far pulling the new 21C with our Highlander. Camper weighs in at 4075lb coming home from camping, and 425lb tongue weight including weight distribution hitch, bike rack and one bike. Our Highlander older model with tow package can tow 5,000 and has a 500lb max tongue weight. A truck would be nice to have just for towing but for all the rest of our driving I'd rather have the Highlander, which is also a capable tow-er even if not considered ideal by some. I did try to minimize option weights while choosing our build, and we don’t bring a ton of gear. Some 21s are right up around 5,000 when loaded for camping.

Also yes wiring it was a royal pain but just for an hour or two.
Small but Sweet is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-16-2022, 05:02 PM   #19
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Edmonton, Alberta
Trailer: 1979 Boler B1700
Posts: 14,935
Quote:
Originally Posted by HABBERDABBER View Post
I thought ALL Subaru's, for all time, were AWD, except for the BRZ sports model.
No, that didn't start until about 1996; Subaru started with 2WD (front wheel drive) and then had 4WD optionally starting in 1972. When I bought my first car in 1984 I considered a Subaru (the Leone model, but they didn't use that name) I don't recall even considering 4WD, which was a part-time system at the time - the same one that baglo had.
Brian B-P is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-23-2022, 10:45 AM   #20
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 2020
Location: Mesquite, Nevada
Trailer: 2022 Keystone Cougar 29RLKWE & RAM 2500
Posts: 158
I had a supercharged 4Runner. I listened to people on this Forum and bought an F-150. Glad I did. Plenty of power, load carrying capacity, gas mileage, no tongue weight issues, doesn't get pushed around by cross winds too much or 18-wheelers and is very comfortable. No modifications needed. I did install a hard locking bed cover. I wanted more than the 5k lbs towing capacity than on Toyota models to be EXTREMELY safe when towing.
dlakeman is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off




» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Disclaimer:

This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by Escape Trailer Industries or any of its affiliates. This is an independent, unofficial site.


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 06:47 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Copyright 2023 Social Knowledge, LLC All Rights Reserved.