Toad Suggestions

[Gizmo]

We are considering the possibility of switching to a motorhome and looking for help on a toad. We currently have a 2015 Honda Fit. As it is automatic I understand from the manual it is not towable 4-down. We would prefer not to go the tow dolly route, so essentially looking at a different vehicle. We could consider a manual transmission as both my wife and I have had manual transmission experience, but my wife as a travel nurse having to drive in congestion conditions all day long would prefer an automatic. So my question is are there vehicles with auto transmissions that can safely be towed 4-down? We prefer smaller cars. Any recommendations on an on-line guide that lists all 4down towable vehicles by year and make.

 

[olesonb81]

Downloadable Dinghy Towing Guides | MotorHome Magazine

Get MotorHome's annual guides to dinghy towing in PDF format for free. Our flat-towing guides include automobiles, SUVs and trucks built between 1990-2018

www.motorhome.com

Hope this helps. The guides are listed by year and you may have to scroll down about half way to get to the vehicle listings.

Not a lot to choose from for smaller cars, especially automatics. Chevy Sonic might be your best bet. I'm sure others will have more or better ideas. I'm not an expert by any means.

 

[Isaac-1]

The Chevy Sonic would be on my short list for smaller reasonably current production models that have an automatic transmission and is flat towable. Though keep in mind that even DIY you are looking at another $2,500+ dollars to set it up for TOAD duty (base plate, tail light wiring, braking system, tow bar, etc.), buying some stuff used can cut that down to the $1,8000 ballpark

 

[Gizmo]

Thank you olesonb81 & Issac-1. Will look into the Chevy Sonic and perhaps my wife will be willing to go with a manual transmission, but we have plenty of time to work it out.

 

[donn]

Budget? Depending on what you like a 4x4 although auto and a tral transfer case would work. Suzuki Grand Vitara is a sweat car. Light, reliable and a real transfer case. If you want something newer look at a jeep wrangler.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

There aren't many towable automatics in the last couple years, but if you are willing to buy a 2010-2014 model there is a decent selection. Even a 2014 Honda CRV is towable 4-down and they are plentiful.

 

[BTownBiker]

Wait.... wut? My wife and I are shopping for a Class A and are planning to tow our new car. Am I reading correctly, that not every car can be towed behind an RV?

 

[Isaac-1]

Yes that is right, the majority of current cars can not be towed with all 4 wheels on the ground at once, some can't even be towed on a tow dolly with 2 wheels down (most 4 wheel drive or All Wheel drive cars must be trailer towed only). Many, but not all manual transmission can be towed 4 down, but the list of automatic transmission cars which can be towed 4 down seems to be getting shorter and shorter every year. Google Motorhome dinghy towing guide for your model year car.

 

[Ex-Calif]

Budget? Depending on what you like a 4x4 although auto and a tral transfer case would work. Suzuki Grand Vitara is a sweat car. Light, reliable and a real transfer case. If you want something newer look at a jeep wrangler.

Not all Grand Vitaras are towable - There is a manual and auto transfer case version. I have one with manual trans case.

As you said it’s a great vehicle. For some reason my kid hates it but I love it - LOL...

 

[steveblonde]

I hate to say it but the CRV is bullit proof that lasts forever and retains resale value. Its really hard to knock the Honda engineering

 

[steveblonde]

Wait.... wut? My wife and I are shopping for a Class A and are planning to tow our new car. Am I reading correctly, that not every car can be towed behind an RV?

I hope your joking?

 

[donn]

Not all Grand Vitaras are towable - There is a manual and auto transfer case version. I have one with manual trans case.

As you said it’s a great vehicle. For some reason my kid hates it but I love it - LOL...

Huh? Never seen a GV with an automatic transfer case. Now my last GeeVee had a switch on the dash that allowed me to switch 4x4 hi, 4x4 lo and neutral. My first GeeVee had a lever on the floor to select transfer case position. Whether it was switched manually with a lever or electronically with a switch the transfer case was still a manual transfer case.

 

[Lou Schneider]

Most but not all transfer cases splash lubricate their gears when the rear wheels rotate. American transfer cases have always been made this way and as long as they have a selectable neutral position they can be towed 4 down without any problems.

However, Japanese automakers seem to prefer lubricating the transfer case from the input shaft. This means the gears only get lubricated when the engine is running, i.e. not while it's being towed 4 down with the engine off. Toyota flatly refuses to let their 4WD vehicles be towed 4 down, Suzuki says it's OK as long as you don't exceed 55 MPH and stop and run the engine for a few minutes every 200 miles. I don't know what Nissan or Honda says.

The same holds true for a manual transmission on a 2WD vehicle. It can be towed 4 down if the output shaft lubricates the gears. If it needs the engine rotating the input shaft, it can't be towed 4 down unless it's kept from turning by either a driveshaft disconnect or in the case of 4WD, by a transfer case in neutral.

Almost all automatic transmissions need the engine running for lubrication, so almost without exception they can't be towed 4 down unless there's a way to uncouple it from the driveshaft so the parts don't rotate.

I just got a 2003 Chevy Tracker, which is a re-badged Suzuki Grand Vitara. According to the owner's manual it can be towed 4 down with the transmission in gear (Park) and the transfer case in neutral, as long as you don't exceed 55 MPH and stop every 200 miles to let the engine run for a few minutes with the transmission in gear to spin the transfer case's input shaft and lubricate the gears..

 

[Ex-Calif]

Huh? Never seen a GV with an automatic transfer case. Now my last GeeVee had a switch on the dash that allowed me to switch 4x4 hi, 4x4 lo and neutral. My first GeeVee had a lever on the floor to select transfer case position. Whether it was switched manually with a lever or electronically with a switch the transfer case was still a manual transfer case.

I don't remember what year(s) but it may have been the last ones. As you note if you have the manual lever on the shift console you should be good to go.

I came across this as I already had the GV and was looking to tow it.

 

[phil-t]

It's a simple answer - nearly all owner's manuals (available on line) list information reguarding recreational (4-down) or (dolly towing). We've had two late model, automatic AWD, cars that were/are 4 down towable. 2016 Cadillac SRX (65 mph limit, run the engine in park 15 min./day). A 2020 Buiclk Envision (no restrictions). Both were simple setup to get into tow mode. There are cars out there, gotta look and get reliable information from the manufactiurer, not opinons or heresay. Yup, there are the old standbys that simple, manual trasmission, transfer cases, lockout fron hubs that are good. It really depends on what you want your towed vehicle to do for you.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

We owned and towed two Chevy Tracker 4-door automatics, badge sisters to the Grand Vitara. A 2000 and a 2002. Both had a manual transfer case. The front hubs were automatic, not the transfer case. Earlier Suzuki/Trackers had manual hubs, so that might be a source of confusion.

As for towable automatics, GM & Ford jointly developed a new 6-speed, front drive auto for model year 2007, and one of its design requirements was to be towable 4-down and adaptable to AWD. It did both and the 2006 Acadia/Enclave/Outlook as well as the Explorer/Mountaineer. Within a couple years A cost-reduced version was created for less-expensive models and both the 4-down towability and AWD were eliminated. And when the next generation of 8 speeds came out, they weren't towable at all.

 

[Ex-Calif]

Here is what the Suzi owner's maual has to say about it...

The transfer switch (if installed) is on the center dash.

 

[timjet]

From my experience many tow vehicles are:
Jeeps, some but not all,
4 WD pickup trucks
Honda CRV, 2014 and prior.

One exception will be the Ford Maverick front wheel drive pickup truck. The base engine model is 4 down towable but limited to a 2000 lb tow capacity. The beefer eco-boost engine tows 4000 lbs but is not towable. The Maverick may be a game changer because of it's starting price of about $20,000.