If you are going to pull a pop up, you
should consider its weight and the towing capacity of whatever vehicle you buy. My preference for towing is minimally a six cylinder vehicle.
PAUL -YOU KNOW WE REALLY LIKE THE MAZDA6
SportWagon -but the killer is, after checking out a hitch for it (200# tongue, 2000# gross), I read the owner’s manual…
Kiss of death: Pull thee not nothin’, o owner, sayeth the manual.
So we’ll be looking elsewhere for the vehicle to replace the Grand Cherokee, whenever that happens (it’s only got 80K on it), if we decide to go trailering… The greater issue is where we would store the trailer…
But while we looked at the Subies, we found the Forester tall, as well as having a couple of mechanics tell us they, and the VWs, didn’t have as good reliability as we might want. We also found the Outback taller than the Legacy Wagon, which we’d have considered, but the 6 or the turbo 4 want premium, and the regular 4 was anemic. We liked the Mitsu Outlander, with a gangbuster warranty, which might have been our first choice had it come in shorter, despite its somewhat funky interior styling.
And believe me, you’ll REALLY appreciate an Echo-height for your next hauler, especially when you’re toting the S-Pro, the OI, and anything else other than the SOF.
But before you go after any vehicle, be sure it WILL tow, and that it’ll be OK height-wise for as long as you own it and kayak -which I figure will be a LOOOOONG while…!
It’s really a lot easier and a LOT more convenient to have a smaller hauler height-wise when you
PADDLE ON!
-Frank in Miami
Subaru Legacy
– Last Updated: May-09-06 4:23 PM EST –
Plain-old Subaru Legacies are pretty cheap.
The Outbacks are expensive and the turbo engines are expensive but, if the Jetta diesel would work for you, the plain-old Subaru Legacy would too.
Toyota Tacoma With Camper Shell and Rack
I bought my little Toyota Tacoma ten years ago. I have 185,000 miles with no major repairs.
In a pinch I can sleep in the back, in fact, I lived up in the Sierras one summer in just that little truck.
Especially in mountain country
A 4-banger towing a pop-up would be a joke here. In flat country, maybe OK.
Apples to oranges
Small cars vs. trucks, the cars generally get higher mpg. Trucks’ heavier weight and bulkier wind profile cost mpg.
It’s also not fair to compare 4x4 with 4x2 mpg, especially 4x4 truck vs 4x2 car. The two are very different types of vehicles, each with their own advantages.
My '92 2WD Toyota truck with 3.0L V6, manual tranny, and heavy-duty suspension got 25 mpg highway AND could handle the mountains here. It also could tow up to 5000 lbs with a Class IV hitch. It might be worth hunting around for something like that. But it was definitely a hauler, not a passenger car–regular cab only, and a very firm ride.
Can’t have everything in one vehicle.
Go with the pick up.
If you really want to tow, go with the pick ups. Alternately the small truck based SUVs. These are built on frames, and are designed for towing. For the truck, you can get the lumber/ladder racks that will fit around and over the cab high camper shells. The kayak saddles will fit on the cross bars, and I would think the J cradles will also.
Since they are built on a frame, they are heavier, which as others note will affect mileage compared to small cars. But, you can sleep in the shell if you decide not to tow.
If you decide on a car, but want an off the ground type sleeping arangement, there is the roof top tents that pop up. See http://www.loftyshelters.com/IndexFrame.htm
Only problem is that they take your roof top where you wanted to put the kayaks. Otherwise even the bare bones tent trailer weighs 1200 pounds dry, like this http://www.vikingrv.com/2006/epic/1796e.htm
Happy truck hunting. Don
Trucks arn’t gas misers.
I’ve got a 2002 ranger 5spd auto cruise with the 136hp 2.3 four…
Best on highway mpg (and this is 55/60 with no kayak on top…only cap and using cruise)is a pathetic 23/24.
Stop and go…man it drops.
There is a reason Mitshibushi has that
gangbuster warranty, like the vehicles were trash on wheels for a number of years.
mileage varies with trucks as it does
with cars. More than about 27 on the hwy is difficult to get, even for granny drivers. Part of the reason some trucks get poor gas mileage is the gearing, but that can usually be changed out. Higer gear ratios mean better mileage. But, if pulling a trailer, you really have to pay attention to the tongue weight and towing capacity of the vehicle and match it to the trailer pulled. The small popups can be towed by a 4 cylinder, but you’ll sacrifice passing power and hill climbing and your mileage won’t be much better than with a truck or truck based camper. If your popup is a medium size or larger, ya gotta go with rear wheel drive and a larger engine if you want satisfactory driving.
Subaru
website shows the Outback sport at 19 grand. interesting.
Paul
You have to buy the RIGHT Subaru…
…what I mean by that is that the 3.0 head gasket problem is with the Outback, which is assembled in the USA. So is the Tribeca, Baja, and Legacy. I love this country but we cannot seem to get it together in the vehicle department.
On the other hand… the Forester and Impreza are both completely finished in Japan. Those are on of the most dependable (and safe) vehicles in the small wagon department. They are also less expensive than the Outbacks.
Stick with the boxer 4 cylinder and get a 5-speed… what more could you want from a car!
I agree, Mitsubishi is garbage…
…we had a Montero Sport and it was the worst experience we had with a vehicle. Everything from customer service to the vehicle itself was horrible.
Don’t get those new Raiders… just tweaked Dodge Dakotas.
MAYBE SOME, LIKE MONTERO, WERE BAD-BUT
Consumer Reports liked the Outlander, and that actually means something. They don’t necessarily evaluate panache and sex appeal, but review the mundanities which oft make the diffs in the long run, and the Outlander was more than OK. So we looked at it.
We liked it, and it drove surprisingly well, especially in some emergency maneuvers, when I took it out. But when we looked at the whole package (their rack plus roof rack bars) it was almost just as tall as the Jeep from which we wanted to escape.
So we ended up with our Mazda6S SportWagon -great in almost all respects save for the towing. And beacuse we’re not yet sold on the concept of pulling our hacienda on the road because of local storage constraints, we’re still happy to recommend it as a nice vehicle to use to “go paddling” as opposed to “going trailering” as we
PADDLE ON!
-Frank in Miami
Legacy
I’d go with the plain-old legacy instead of the Impreza (Outback sport) for a little more money. It’s a bigger car and gets the same MPG.
Legacy is bigger
and a couple of thousand more. coming from an Echo, this Scrooge is wincing at the 19 grand already but don’t really see many alternatives.
Oh well, it hurt when I bought the wife her Mazda MPV…whats a couple more scars on the wallet…
Paul
Not all Mitsus were bad
I had a 1991 Galant that was awesome, and Consumer Reports had every year of that model Galant recommeneded as a Consumers Pick. Had a 2.0L and easily carried two canoes at 75 anywhere. Had a buttload of miles before an errant deer stepped out onto the highway. Not much damage to the car, but the insurance co said they wouldn’t repair it. I’d willingly buy another of that model with low miles. Atruly great car!!!
PK
Better results with mine
I’ve got an '03 Ranger with the 2.3 litre 4 cyl, 5 speed manual and am getting great gas mileage whether empty or towing. Driving around town and back and forth to work I get 25-26. On the highway I get 28-29 and that’s running at mostly 75. If I backed it off to 65, I think it would break the 30 mpg barrier but just always in too big a hurry.
We’ve got a small Coleman pop-up (Taos model - total max loaded weight = 1,700 lbs) that I tow with the Ranger. We usually try to keep it as light as possible, but are probably pulling at least 1,400 lbs most of the time. Also usually have the Penob 16 loaded on top of the Ranger with a home-made rack when we’re pulling the pop-up. Still manage to get 24-25 mpg running at 65 on mosty flat highways. The 4 banger is just barely adequate for pulling the pop-up in the Ozark mountains and I wouldn’t even think about trying it in the Rockies.
It’s just a regular cab which is fine for the wife and I but there’s no room for extra passengers.
Forester blown headgaskets
– Last Updated: May-10-06 5:25 PM EST –
I know of two people who had Foresters that also had the headgasket problem. Not exaclty scientific. But I don't know that many Forester owners.
And I have to think the headgasket is an engineering problem, not something that can be blamed on the workers.
Small SUV- Kia Sorento
I’m in an '05 Sorento 4WD and it’s been great. I researched it carefully and it gets great quality feedback and good customer loyalty; nobody trades these things! Hauling capacity is good, easy roof loading for my canoe, plenty of cargo capacity and good comfort and performance.
The bad? Gas mileage! This is one of the heaviest small SUVs out there and it gets 20mpg highway with a light load and a tailwind. Other than that I’m converted… the long warranty is gravy as I’ve yet to have a repair after 45K miles. I even used their free roadside assistance for an idiocy-induced gas shortage (yes, I ran out) and they never chirped once about it. Good price too so you might want to test-drive or better still, rent one and haul your rig for a weekend.