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Old 05-27-2020, 03:31 PM   #1
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Towing a 21 with a Mid Size Suv

We currently own a Acura MDX and are in the market for a 21 and was wondering if anyone has experience towing with a mid size suv or hopefully an Acura MDX?
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Old 05-27-2020, 04:00 PM   #2
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Yes- John (LosAngeles) did. Don't think he liked the performance as he spent a bit of time here sounding out replacements. It didn't have enough torque for his expectations it seems. Finally sold the 21 and has a truck camper now with an F-350.
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Old 05-27-2020, 04:33 PM   #3
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Will the MDX tow a 21 safely - depends on where you are going to travel. A 21 fully laden would be towards the upper end of the tow rating of the MDX. Generally flat terrain at modest elevation - sure. Lots of elevation gain at altitude - maybe not the best choice. However, sensible driving and careful maintenance will play as big a part as ratings. You will definitely want to watch brake wear closely, use tow mirrors (or rear camera of the 21) and keep the speed down vs. unladen travel. We tow a 19 with a Cayenne diesel which is similar in size to an MDX but has a more robust suspension and tow rating (7700) plus a lot more torque and we feel very confident towing nearly anywhere. Good luck.
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Old 05-27-2020, 08:25 PM   #4
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We tow our 21 with a Jeep Grand Cherokee Trail Hawk version.Base 3.6 liter V6, 295 hp. Rated to tow 6,200#

Living in Colorado, we have driven most of the high mountain passes, the Ike tunnel, Vail Pass, etc. Never an issue. Now we’re not the first ones to the summit: I leave that to the folks driving the F-350 pulling the 40’ fiver. More of the turtle vs hare story.

Lots of people on this forum tow with the Toyota Highlander and seem quite happy.

Since just 5% , or less, of our use is towing, a daily driver that we like was our priority.

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Heading for our first camping trip of this year on Sunday. The mountains are calling. From 6’ away of course.
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Old 05-27-2020, 08:49 PM   #5
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Thanks for the input everyone. It's very helpful to learn from those who have experienced what we want to experience.
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Old 05-27-2020, 08:55 PM   #6
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Over the years more than a few on this forum have started with a mid size for a 21 & 5.0TA - and now a heavier Gen2 19- and then upsized. Main complaint was too much work and uncomfortable rpm's.
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Old 05-28-2020, 01:44 AM   #7
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This is a matter of opinion.

I towed my 2007 Escape 17B with a 2017 4Runner. We towed from Toronto through Colorado onto Los Angeles. It was a pretty hard push through the higher elevations of Colorado and Utah, harder than I liked to push my tow vehicle. We recently purchased a 2019 Tundra 4.6L DC to tow our new Escape 19. Did we need to, no, the 4Runner would have done it no problem, but I prefer a higher margin of ability.

Towing is really hard on your vehicle. I often advise people to stay around 50% capacity for a travel trailer. We spend some pretty long days towing many miles. If your towing a boat up to the lake 45 minutes away, the advise is different.

Take into consideration elevation. Every 1000' you go up, you lose 3% horse power. We took the Escape over Loveland Pass. I had to leave it in 2nd gear past 9000'. My 4Runner with 276hp at sea level had 186hp going the top. This is where the engines with Turbos shine.

Will a Toyota Highlander do it, Yes, but I would rather have a F250.
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Old 05-28-2020, 01:59 AM   #8
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If it takes me an extra minute or two to reach the Coquihalla summit after a 17 kilometre climb up an eight percent grade, I'll be a happy camper. It's lot better than spending ten minutes circling the mall parking lot, looking for a large enough parking space.
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Old 05-28-2020, 01:13 PM   #9
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Towing

Abilities, attention to detail, confidence, planning ahead, and the fact that when I’m driving I am only focused on driving not a couple dickey birds in a courtship dance in the field, has allowed me to tow 19 and 21 foot Escapes Tens of Thousands of miles over the past 7 years from South Carolina to British Columbia and from Niagara Falls Ontario to Arizona without incident, mechanical failure, a ticket from law enforcement, or an obscene gesture from a fellow motorist with our 2012 and now 2018 Toyota Highlander.
Q. Why did the chicken cross the road? A. To show the armadillo and the raccoon that it could be done.
YMMV
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Old 05-28-2020, 01:28 PM   #10
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Abilities, attention to detail, confidence, planning ahead, and the fact that when I’m driving I am only focused on driving not a couple dickey birds in a courtship dance in the field, has allowed me to tow 19 and 21 foot Escapes Tens of Thousands of miles over the past 7 years from South Carolina to British Columbia and from Niagara Falls Ontario to Arizona without incident, mechanical failure, a ticket from law enforcement, or an obscene gesture from a fellow motorist with our 2012 and now 2018 Toyota Highlander.
Q. Why did the chicken cross the road? A. To show the armadillo and the raccoon that it could be done.
YMMV
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Thanks for the info
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Old 05-28-2020, 01:29 PM   #11
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Thanks
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Old 05-28-2020, 03:29 PM   #12
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Originally Posted by Bluesky View Post
We currently own a Acura MDX and are in the market for a 21 and was wondering if anyone has experience towing with a mid size suv or hopefully an Acura MDX?
Hi Bluesky, What is the tow capacity of your Acura MDX? (A quick search online gives me a max of 5000lbs?) BTW the GVWR of the E21 is also 5000 lbs. Hummm, this would be too close for comfort for us. We've owned several trailers and several tow vehicles over 20 years and learned the hard way not to flirt to close to that upper # tow capacity. Can't tell you how many times we did and my heart pounded, barely making it up mountain passes, with my foot glued to the floor on the gas pedal with my eyes dreading the RPM's, engine temp and declining speed. Oh, so nerve wracking!! Even wore out some alternators in the process. By being so close to our tow capacity, I know we got to many a cg on a wing and a prayer.

We now pull our Escape 21 with a Ford Expedition (3.5L EcoBoost V6) that is rated to tow 9000lbs - oh, what a relief it is! Love this combo. So yes... your Acura MDX may be 'doable', but I would like to echo the words from Camp Doug2000 and others here - great advice. Perhaps you may want to consider a smaller trailer or larger TV for safety and peace of mind? IMHO, I now tell my friends, interested in towing to try keep their RV's GVWR 50%-70% of their max tow capacity, if possible. -Bea
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Old 05-28-2020, 04:09 PM   #13
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Hi Bluesky, What is the tow capacity of your Acura MDX? (A quick search online gives me a max of 5000lbs?) BTW the GVWR of the E21 is also 5000 lbs. Hummm, this would be too close for comfort for us. We've owned several trailers and several tow vehicles over 20 years and learned the hard way not to flirt to close to that upper # tow capacity. Can't tell you how many times we did and my heart pounded, barely making it up mountain passes, with my foot glued to the floor on the gas pedal with my eyes dreading the RPM's, engine temp and declining speed. Oh, so nerve wracking!! Even wore out some alternators in the process. By being so close to our tow capacity, I know we got to many a cg on a wing and a prayer.

We now pull our Escape 21 with a Ford Expedition (3.5L EcoBoost V6) that is rated to tow 9000lbs - oh, what a relief it is! Love this combo. So yes... your Acura MDX may be 'doable', but I would like to echo the words from Camp Doug2000 and others here - great advice. Perhaps you may want to consider a smaller trailer or larger TV for safety and peace of mind? IMHO, I now tell my friends, interested in towing to try keep their RV's GVWR 50%-70% of their max tow capacity, if possible. -Bea
Thank you for your advise and the advise from all the others. It is what I expected to hear and confirmed that we will have to move up to a bigger suv to tow with peace of mind. We are actually going to wait for the 23 to be built and base our next suv choice on the weight that the 23 will come in at.
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Old 05-28-2020, 04:12 PM   #14
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For those that have actually measured the tongue weight on a trip ready 21', what did you come up with?

The chart that's floating around the internet is old and limited with E21 figures.

Thanks

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Old 05-28-2020, 04:37 PM   #15
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The spreadsheet version has 18 21's listed, with 6 2nd generation weighings. Average for all - 4368/479. Average for 2nd generation - 4735/505.
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Old 05-28-2020, 05:57 PM   #16
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....We now pull our Escape 21 with a Ford Expedition (3.5L EcoBoost V6) that is rated to tow 9000lbs - oh, what a relief it is! Love this combo.Bea
Have same TV- it is awesome! Everyone rates the Gen4 Expedition at the top of the heap for its class. No deciding on engine; 3.5 EB is only one. Get the HD tow package for even better performance with it's 3.73 rear end.
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Old 05-28-2020, 06:35 PM   #17
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You will definitely want to watch brake wear closely,
Have others found this? I keep my trailer brakes adjusted and my controller set so that I know they're working. Had an oil change, went to Baja and back and had another oil change. Gotta keep that turbo happy. My brake pad measurements showed virtually no measurable wear.

What I love most about towing with the F150, aside from the turbo, is the 10 speed transmission. For years, with 5 speeds I'd first loose 5th pretty quickly and then 4th on steep hills leaving me screaming away in 3rd. Glad those days are over.

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Old 05-28-2020, 06:52 PM   #18
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The spreadsheet version has 18 21's listed, with 6 2nd generation weighings. Average for all - 4368/479. Average for 2nd generation - 4735/505.
Thank you.
Good information.

Ed
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Old 05-28-2020, 08:07 PM   #19
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Have others found this? I keep my trailer brakes adjusted and my controller set so that I know they're working. Had an oil change, went to Baja and back and had another oil change. Gotta keep that turbo happy. My brake pad measurements showed virtually no measurable wear.Ron
At about 80K miles with a 2013 Yukon I need rear brakes while the front pads looked new. Mechanic said he had the same thing on his 2008 Tahoe. This seems counterintuitive, yet there is a lot of web chatter regarding this issue when towing.
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Old 05-28-2020, 08:21 PM   #20
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At about 80K miles with a 2013 Yukon I need rear brakes while the front pads looked new. Mechanic said he had the same thing on his 2008 Tahoe. This seems counterintuitive, yet there is a lot of web chatter regarding this issue when towing.
On the 2012 Highlander I went 80,000 on the fronts and 100,000 on the rears. Use the tranny.
On the 21 I’m running 87% on towing capacity of the Highlander and 500 lbs on the tongue.
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