What's a good towed for the Isata 3

[caswelld]

I got a PM from Pat regarding toweds for the Isata 3. He was wondering about my experience, so I thought I’d post this so others can chime in.

Hands down the most popular towed is the Jeep Wrangler. We love our Wrangler 4 door, but it is just too heavy (4500 LBS) for the Isata 3FW. From what I’ve seen, the new 2 door models come in around 3900 lbs curb weight. Older models, like a 2006 Jeep 2 door are even lighter. We decided to change to the Fiat because of weight & we didn’t need a second Jeep. I had a 1975 Fiat Spider convertible for about 20 years, so we decided on the Fiat. The Abarth model handles like a sports car and it’s fun to drive. But two vehicles I wished I’d never sold was the Fiat Spider and our 2000 Wrangler!

The Fiat 500 is big enough, I’m 6’2” and there is head & leg room to spare. But for Forest Service & BLM roads I think the ground clearance would be a concern. The Abarth is really a street car. We just got back from NM and I sure liked how easy it was to get around Santa Fe’s narrow streets and small parking spots. There is a 500X model that Fiat claims is an off road vehicle. At 2500 lbs, the Fiat 500 is an easy tow.

We just clicked over 12,000 miles on the Isata 3 and most of that was towing the Fiat. It’s a great towed, but my wife isn’t always excited about driving a standard transmission. The interior cargo room is adequate with the back seats folded down. I got matching carpet and cut it to fit the back area. We sometimes carry folding chairs there.

The list of toweds that weigh in under 4200 lbs gets pretty short, and except for the Jeeps, most of them are standard transmissions. But seems like I read that the Ford Fiesta automatic can be towed 4 down, I’m not sure what the ground clearance is. Here’s a link to a useful guide.

Downloadable Dinghy Towing Guides | MotorHome Magazine


Happy camping.

Dave

[Seeking70]

Originally Posted by caswelld

I got a PM from Pat regarding toweds for the Isata 3. He was wondering about my experience, so I thought I’d post this so others can chime in.

Hands down the most popular towed is the Jeep Wrangler. We love our Wrangler 4 door, but it is just too heavy (4500 LBS) for the Isata 3FW. From what I’ve seen, the new 2 door models come in around 3900 lbs curb weight. Older models, like a 2006 Jeep 2 door are even lighter. We decided to change to the Fiat because of weight & we didn’t need a second Jeep. I had a 1975 Fiat Spider convertible for about 20 years, so we decided on the Fiat. The Abarth model handles like a sports car and it’s fun to drive. But two vehicles I wished I’d never sold was the Fiat Spider and our 2000 Wrangler!

The Fiat 500 is big enough, I’m 6’2” and there is head & leg room to spare. But for Forest Service & BLM roads I think the ground clearance would be a concern. The Abarth is really a street car. We just got back from NM and I sure liked how easy it was to get around Santa Fe’s narrow streets and small parking spots. There is a 500X model that Fiat claims is an off road vehicle. At 2500 lbs, the Fiat 500 is an easy tow.

We just clicked over 12,000 miles on the Isata 3 and most of that was towing the Fiat. It’s a great towed, but my wife isn’t always excited about driving a standard transmission. The interior cargo room is adequate with the back seats folded down. I got matching carpet and cut it to fit the back area. We sometimes carry folding chairs there.

The list of toweds that weigh in under 4200 lbs gets pretty short, and except for the Jeeps, most of them are standard transmissions. But seems like I read that the Ford Fiesta automatic can be towed 4 down, I’m not sure what the ground clearance is. Here’s a link to a useful guide.

Downloadable Dinghy Towing Guides | MotorHome Magazine


Happy camping.

Dave

Jeep Cherokee with Active Drive II. We have the 6 cyl but the 4 cyl is probably even lighter. We try to tow with 1/4 tank of gas or less.

[milkman55]

Cherokee is 4500 lbs similar to the 4 door Wrangler.

We use a 2014 Honda CR-V. It’s 3500 lbs curb weight and we can carry an extra 500 lbs of cargo and still stay under the gross weight limit. We always put our bags and anything else heavy in the Honda to keep the weight off the Isata 3.

2014 was the last year you could get the towable CR-V but you can still find Honda Certified Used with fairly low miles. Ours had 33k miles when we bought it last Dec.

I did all the towing prep myself which saved a good deal.

[Seeking70]

Originally Posted by milkman55

Cherokee is 4500 lbs similar to the 4 door Wrangler.

We use a 2014 Honda CR-V. It’s 3500 lbs curb weight and we can carry an extra 500 lbs of cargo and still stay under the gross weight limit. We always put our bags and anything else heavy in the Honda to keep the weight off the Isata 3.

2014 was the last year you could get the towable CR-V but you can still find Honda Certified Used with fairly low miles. Ours had 33k miles when we bought it last Dec.

I did all the towing prep myself which saved a good deal.

The Grand Cherokee curb weight is 4500 and up. The "baby" Cherokee is 3600 to just over 4000 depending on options. Not sure if the new Compass, which comes in around 3300 is able to flat tow. We owned our Cherokee before our RV or might have gone lighter, but it has worked for us so far.

[dmatt13]

I'm planning on towing our 2000 Wrangler which is just under 3500lbs, a little more if I add a hard top.

[Sandiegodoug]

We tow a 2 door wrangler rubicon automatic and feel it’s a terrific choice. Goes anywhere, short so easy to find parking. It’s also a convertible, which I really wanted. Very few are towable.

[Barch]

Anyone have any towing or driving experience with the Kia Soul? It is highly rated and available with a manual transmission and apparently can be towed four down. Only criticism I can find is that the engine that is available with the manual transmission may be a little underpowered.

[FFred]

We chose a Honda CRV .

There is a timing CHAIN in the engine so frequent belt camshaft replacement is not needed.

There are changed on miles and /or age , so with few miles per year it gets expensive with rubber belt cars.

The older CRV can be flat towed with no harm to the automatic transmission. BEWARE the new ones can not be flat towed!!!


We only go about 200 miles before needing diesel due to the tiny fuel capacity of the Sprinter , so a min of CRV engine time every 200 miles is no problem.


The CRV weight is low enough that many Rubber made tubs can be carried , an important feature for snowbirds.

[chroniekon]

We also have a Jeep Wrangler toad. We have only towed about 20 miles on a test run, so have no real experience with how it's going to work out in the long run, but the test run went really well and have no reason to doubt our decision. And, it's pretty easy to find used tow and braking systems for Jeeps because of their popularity. Another reason for the Jeep is it will get used here on the farm and for our occasional wintery driving here in Oregon.
I've always thought that an all electric toad would be ideal if you're camping in camp grounds. Drive it around during the day and charge it at the campsite at night. I don't know of any that can be flat towed however.

[ETF]

It's all a matter of personal choice.

My towed is also my everyday driver and I didn't want to drive a Jeep every day. After much research a few years back I decided on the Cadillac SRX. It's a tad over 4k pounds but is really simple to set up to tow. Once it's hooked up you pull the boot off the gear lever, press a button and move it in to neutral. You're ready to go. That's it.

Unfortunately, I don't think that the SRX replacement can be towed 4-down. A pity.

[Rkloud9]

We have a Sprinter based Forest River product SunSeeker MBS 2400 W, and pull a 2017 Chevy Spark with a stick shift. Towed about 25000 miles, and driven another 12000 miles, all with no problems. At 2300 pounds, it is pretty easy on the Sprinter chassis. If I did it over, would try the Sonic, as there is a little more space, and weighs in at 2800 lbs. But I can get my bike in the Spark, which is easier on the bike than out in the elements on a rack. We installed the tow package ourselves, which saved some significant cash. Either of these vehicles can be had for fairly low prices, and come with a dedicated AT&T hotspot, which we use a lot ... worth the $20/month.

Let us know what you end up going with.

[Wolverine 1945]

Can a Smart car be towed 4 down ??? Never seen one !!!
How about the little Fiat ???

[tireman018]

We have just purchased a Chevy Equinox 2019 as our new toad.
The weight is 3400 lbs..is a front wheel drive automatic
Have only pulled for a short distance..but looks like a great choice.

[tireman018]

Our equinox is being towed with an Isata 3, Dynamax 2016
which i failed to disclose on above thread.

[Barch]

Originally Posted by tireman018

Our equinox is being towed with an Isata 3, Dynamax 2016
which i failed to disclose on above thread.

I have driven the new Equinox. Nice car. I think it would be a great choice if you are OK with FWD. Unfortunately, AWD is only available on the 1.6L diesel ($$). I am leaning towards trying to locate a 2012 - 2114 Honda CR-V. We live in NE Washington and AWD would be preferable.

[Barch]

Originally Posted by Wolverine 1945

Can a Smart car be towed 4 down ??? Never seen one !!!
How about the little Fiat ???

From posts on this board the Fiat 500 Abarth tows very well. From my research they also make a 500X which is larger and with more ground clearance (7" vs 4") and cargo space and both weight under 3,000 lbs (2,512 vs 2,889). However, for towing, both are available only in Manual FWD. No AWD. Really neat cars with great power trains. Cargo space is limited.

[Desertsquid]

We towed a 2015 Honda Fit manual tranny from California to Fla and then to Goshen this past summer. We had no problems and with the ready brute elite towbar that has an integrated braking system it's really easy to hook up. It has a lot of room with the seats down. We have a Sprinter MBS mh.

[ETF]

Originally Posted by Wolverine 1945

Can a Smart car be towed 4 down ??? Never seen one !!!
How about the little Fiat ???

I've seen a couple of Smart cars being towed but never 4-down.

[Wolverine 1945]

Thanks guys for your info !!!
I think a FWD 4cyl Escape would make a nice toad,,,
If it could be 4 wheel down toad ???

[caswelld]

I tried to find the Escape on the Motorhome towing guide, but I didn't see it.

All the other Fords listed could be towed 4 down with automatic transmissions. Seems like I remember researching the Escape when we were looking. I bet it would be a nice towed, under 4000 lbs, if it can do 4 wheels down.

Maybe a look in the Escapes manual will solve the mystery.