Looking for a vehicle good for towing

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zakarya

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Joined
Sep 3, 2013
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11
Hi,

I'm new to the towing experience and I've been told that if I had questions I would find a friendly and experienced community here.
I have a trailer Gross WT: 5000 Lbs  Unladen Weight: 3125 Lbs.
To tow it i have my Sport Jeep liberty 3.6L v-6 4WD automatic transmission, which according to the Manufacturer's manual and the Trailer Life Towing Guide can tow up to 5000 Lbs.
But when I gave it a test, the Liberty did not do well going up small hills (I had a very long line of cars behind me as I slowly went up the hill). It also felt much lighter than the trailer, so when I slow down, I kind of feel the trailer actually pushing the jeep.

I am now looking for a vehicle that can tow my trailer. I know that there is no such a thing as a fuel efficient vehicle that can tow, but I would like your suggestions as fuel efficient as towing can go.
 
There are many trucks now that get good mileage when not towing, but hook up a trailer, and they're not much better than any other.  But you definitely want a half-ton (F-150/1500) truck with a V-8 minimum to tow your trailer.  What you want to do is take your GVWR of the trailer and get a truck that will be capable of that.  Most of the half-tons will do nicely.  If you want to go a little overboard (maybe plan for a future bigger trailer), go for a 3/4 ton (F-250/2500).  The diesels will get pretty good mileage towing and not towing, but could be too much for where you are in your RV life.

Good luck.
 
As edjunior said, mileage while towing is pretty much independent of the tow vehicle.  That's because the mileage is mostly determined by the frontal area of the trailer and the combined weight of the TV and TT.  You can pretty much figure 9-10 MPG while towing. A diesel will get better MPG, but you're also paying more per gallon of fuel.

There are a number of European vehicles that can reasonably tow 5000# gross and still get decent non-towing MPG. Mercedes GL and VW Touareg come to mind.  I'm sure there are others.  But with these total cost of ownership may not be in your budget.

On this side of the Atlantic, some modest SUV's and crossovers (the Traverse comes to mind) are capable of towing such a trailer with decent non-towing MPG.  But for my money I would go with a 1/2 ton truck as edjunior mentioned.  Guaranteed stability while towing a TT of that size, while getting about 18-19 MPG around town and 21-23 MPG on the highway.
 
As mentioned, a good modern half ton pickup will tow your trailer nicely.  You could also opt for a full size SUV, like an Expedition or Yukon/Suburban.  If you REALLY need a lot of room, the Ford E350 van would work very nicely.

Your Liberty is too lightweight, and has too short of a wheelbase to be a good tow vehicle.
 
Even a good used 3/4 ton diesel power pickup is a excellent chose and allow you to tow just about anything with better fuel mileage than most gas powered vehicles.
 
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