Towing with Subaru Ascent

[Maria Sugarman]

Hi!
**** edit**** I'm considering the Nissan Armada...8500 GVWR...thoughts??
I will be picking up my 2023 21NE next month. I have a 2022 Subaru Ascent. It's GVWR rated 5000 lbs. I need to install tow bar/hitch. Any and all advice, ideas and links will be so appreciated. How well will my Subaru handle this weight? Dry weight is 3465. How about water tanks? Should i let them stay low? Recommendations welcome as I want to avoid any extra weight. I will use for over night stops and mostly at places with hookups for longer stays. I drive 600+ miles a day for my business. Adding a camper is so exciting but I have so much to learn. Looking forward to hearing from you....my new home on the road

Thanks in advance,
Maria

 

[brokeboater]

No advice just an observation. Towing a 21’ with a 5,000# rated vehicle 600 miles a day is something bad dreams are made of. I wouldn’t want to try those averages with a 10,000# rated tug. Good luck to you.

 

[Donna D.]

I could do the 600 miles a day, but wouldn't want to do it with a marginal tow vehicle. IMHO a 5000# rated tow vehicle isn't sufficient to tow any 21' Escape trailer on the western portion of the USA. Remember, dry weight is empty weight. Best of luck!

 

[GinoandLinda]

Traveling in a vehicle is completely different than traveling in a vehicle towing a trailer. Like brokeboater said, a 600 mile day in an Ascent pulling a Escape 21 is going to be a long, long day. Give it a go, but you should also have a plan B.

 

[Maria Sugarman]

Thank you. I definitely am busy researching new vehicles

 

[HABBERDABBER]

Do your due diligence on a more capable vehicle. A full sized van (tons of storage space that is somewhat secure) or a full sized pickup give you a good margin of capability for towing. Many can tow up to around 10,000 lbs.
An Ascent is likely OK for local or regional travel, but would stress the vehicle with frequent, long distance towing.

bon voyage,

 

[ChuckBC]

I can appreciate excitement for getting a great trailer, however, you need to be critical on your assessment for your tow vehicle to be a good match so they drive as a unit. Reading Subaru literature can sometimes skew your investigation by noting the maximum level of its ability. For example look at your sticker inside door to see the specific payload for your vehicle. Adding a hitch was it OEM and did your trim level have a tow package option? What I think is a lot of future trailer owners do is go shopping for the favourable responses to make their present or desired tow vehicle appear like an acceptable choice. They may even know that maybe this is't a good match but look to others to make it right. Even when you go shopping for a vehicle like me getting a F150 you find that they aren't all created equal.

My suggestion since it appears you are really going to tow a lot of miles and possibly terrain is to concentrate on safety for you and others on the road. Good luck with your search to help in making a choice and also in the travels ahead.

 

[Maria Sugarman]

Thank you

 

[GinoandLinda]

…A full sized van (tons of storage space that is somewhat secure) ..

Over the past couple of years, I have seen an increasing number of vans pulling bumper pull campers. The Ram Promaster seems to be the most popular choice.

 

[Mike G]

Subarus are nice vehicles. But it would not be advisable to tow a 21' without a weight distribution hitch with built-in sway control; by the time you add the weight of the WD hitch to the tongue weight of the trailer (when it's loaded for travel), I'm pretty confident that you would be well over the 500 lb hitch weight rating of the Subaru. Plus you'd be working the drive train really hard when you go up and down hills. I wouldn't have an expectation of long life for the CVT.

A longer wheelbase vehicle such as a full-size van or a pickup would be safer. My advice: look for a vehicle with a tow rating of 6500 lbs, hitch weight rating 650-700 lbs, and payload of 1400-1500 lbs at least. If you were going out for occasional camping trips close to home my advice would be different, but for that many miles you need a workhorse and not a hobby horse! And then you don't need to worry about water tanks being full and whatnot.

 

[occer]

When towing you will not be able to drive the same speeds. You will find that 70 is fast when towing. And a killer on mpg.
If you don’t have a lot of experience towing - SLOW DOWN. Stopping distances increase especially in rain - cross winds - passing or being passed by a semi truck. All the things you take for granted normally change when towing.

Towing 600 miles multiple days is a lot.

 

[brroberts]

Many, but not all mid sized trucks can also work well if you want something smaller.

 

[Fast31]

I have a 2024 Tacoma (4th gen) with a 21NE and it tows it very well, using a WDH. About 11-

12mpg doing 65mph. I previously had a 2019 Tacoma (3rd gen) and would not advise the previous generation of Tacoma for towing.

 

[MrLynn]

Besides pickups and vans, consider full-size SUVs, e.g. Ford Expedition, GMC/Chev Suburbans, etc., Toyota Sequoia, etc. Better for carrying more stuff, or people. Ridiculously expensive, though—as are even the pickups these days.

 

[Mike G]

I have a 2024 Tacoma (4th gen) with a 21NE and it tows it very well, using a WDH. About 11-12mpg doing 65mph. I previously had a 2019 Tacoma (3rd gen) and would not advise the previous generation of Tacoma for towing.

What makes the 2024 noticeably better for towing? I'd read some opinions previously of folks who thought that the older V6 did a better job than the 3.5L. But I'm sure there are a lot of possible factors, so I'm curious.

 

[DonBinSCUSA]

Hi!
**** edit**** I'm considering the Nissan Armada...8500 GVWR...thoughts??
I will be picking up my 2023 21NE next month. I have a 2022 Subaru Ascent. It's GVWR rated 5000 lbs. I need to install tow bar/hitch. Any and all advice, ideas and links will be so appreciated. How well will my Subaru handle this weight? Dry weight is 3465. How about water tanks? Should i let them stay low? Recommendations welcome as I want to avoid any extra weight. I will use for over night stops and mostly at places with hookups for longer stays. I drive 600+ miles a day for my business. Adding a camper is so exciting but I have so much to learn. Looking forward to hearing from you....my new home on the road

Thanks in advance,
MariaView attachment 740717

We are looking for a truck to pull a new Escape 23. GVWR is 6000 on the 23. Our requirements will be towing capacity minimum 8000, all wheel or 4 wheel drive. I owned an Ascent Touring. Don’t think it will up to the job for you. I might be wrong. Call your Subaru dealership to confirm. Your Ascent is 4cyl turbo right?

 

[brokeboater]

Armada seems a reasonable option. Is it the new twin turbo V6 or the 5.6 liter V8? The V8 has been around a long time and is a well proven engine. For my light towing duties I opted for a 2019 Nissan Frontier with the older, very proven, 4.0 V6 and a five speed transmission. It's proven to be a very good tug for my needs. I think an Armada would be the same in your case.

 

[Fast31]

What makes the 2024 noticeably better for towing? I'd read some opinions previously of folks who thought that the older V6 did a better job than the 3.5L. But I'm sure there are a lot of possible factors, so I'm curious.

I can't comment on the older V6 as they would be before 2016 and I would prefer to have a newer vehicle. The 3rd gen Tacoma with the 3.5 would be 2016-2023. The 4th gen engine with turbo has the torque and horsepower and a lower rpm range, coupled with the 8 speed transmission makes everything smoother. The previous Tacoma transmission was known for constantly shifting up and down.

 

[brokeboater]

coupled with the 8 speed transmission

I think I'd be inclined to give Toyota a bit more time to work out the kinks on that 8 speed transmission. The new nine speed on the Frontier was what kept me from buying new. Same with Ford's 10 speed. Modern transmissions seem to have become too complicated for dependability. Luddite perhaps but I prefer the older, simpler, proven technology. Being at the mercy of dealer inventory and service schedules is something I'd just as soon avoid. But we all make choices.

 

[John in Santa Cruz]

I towed a mostly empty E21 from Texas to California by way of Reno with a 2nd gen Tacoma 4x4 with the venerable 4.0L V6 and 6 speed stick shift.... it towed and drove just fine, but the gas mileage was atrocious and there was very little vehicle payload left over. so I replaced the Tacoma with a full sized truck, and have since replaced that with an 2019 Expedition 4x4 SUV rated to tow 9300 lbs. We used this rig to drive 9900 miles last year in mainland Mexico and were comfortable the whole way.

600 mile towing days are something I only want to do once in a while, not day after day. We generally prefer to go 300-500 miles, then spend at least a few days somewhere, then move on.

btw, my 2019 Expedition has the 10 speed ford automatic, but it seems that most of them have the bugs shaken out, we've had zero problems to date. the EcoBoost 3.5L gen 2 motor is incredibly powerful (375 HP, 470 ft-lbs), and I no longer feel the need to slam cars around at the limits, this will undoubtably help with transmission longevity.

I think if I needed to do 600 miles day after day, I'd be looking at a travel van like a RoadTrek. arrive, park, sleep, go in the morning.

Teacapan, on the mainland west coast of Mexico