Towing with Subaru Ascent

[MrLynn]

. . . 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.

If I were thinking of a class B/B+ I'd look at Coach House in Florida, the only company I've heard of that builds them with molded-fiberglass bodies:

Coach House RV

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[daveandalice]

You may want to research exactly what "dry weight" means, some manufacturers dry weight does not include roof top air conditioners, batteries, refrigerator, heater, propane cylinders, etc.
The true specification would be from other owners that have weighed them accurately on Cat Scales or similar.
Some manufacturers have too many options to list an accurate weight out the door.

 

[John in Santa Cruz]

re towing with the Ascent, I believe those have a CVT transmission, that is basically belt drive. I would NOT tow with that.

 

[Mike G]

Maybe the CVT needs a belt and suspenders...

 

[John in Santa Cruz]

ok, i would not tow heavy or long distances or frequently. the vehicle would probably survive an occasional cross county level trip, but towing for 10 hour at a time you'll be putting a LOT of stress on that CVT and it will grenade sooner rather than later.

 

[Randy in Maine]

We pull our 2022 21NE with an old first gen tundra. Small V8 with 245 HP. E2 WDH and it pulls well but it is work for the truck. When anything works hard, it drinks hard. 10 mpg pulling at about 60 mph or a little better. Especially in the mountains. We only drive a couple of hundred miles and then look around for a few days, but we are retired and have mountain bikes to noodle around on. If you have not pulled a trailer much before, it will be stressful for a while.

 

[John in Santa Cruz]

my Expedition, full sized SUV, towing our loaded E21C gets 13-15 MPG. 3.5L turbo V6 with a 10 speed automatic. I think its almost 400 HP, I'd have to look it up. OK, 375 hp at 5000 rpm, 470 lb⋅ft at 2250 rpm, its quite effortless going up long steep grades.

 

[Randy in Maine]

Towing a trailer is a lot of work on the transmission, the cooling system of the tow vehicle, and the brakes. Those 8, 9, and 10 speed transmissions are nice as they can help when braking coming down a mountain pass. The turbos help out going up hill when the air gets thin. Additional coolers help them last longer. A well thought out tow rig really pays off as you travel around and replacing stuff on the road is really no fun and expensive. It is worth investing a a well maintained set up, as verified by your own mechanic. I met someone towing last year using a very solid Lexus GX 460, but really most any full size truck or SUV can easily pull an Escape, (maybe not a 23 though). You see a lot of Fords, Rams, Toyotas, and GMs out there getting it done.

 

[RGL2]

I concur with the conservative approach to tow weight/vehicle. We have a new Ascent and bought it to tow either a 17b or a what has become a very expensive and no longer relevant 20' trailer made in Quebec.