Smaller vehicles with significant tow capacity

[kswalleyer]

Originally Posted by illinivet8

I currently pull a 20’ glass boat with a Tahoe or an f150. I was looking for a smaller vehicle for my wife and read specs for a vehicle with a 2.0 liter, 4 cylinder, 255 hp, 273 lb of torque that has tow capacity of 7700 lbs and a payload of around 1500 lbs. That tow capacity is above my Tahoe. Anybody have experience towing with a MB 350 GLE? (or a MB 450 GLS). I have hard time believing a 4700 lb vehicle can haul a 4500-5000 lb boat. Is a class 3 hitch a big issue for an occasional tow?

is that 7700 combined weight of trailer and truck loaded? .... I cannot fathom my 621 on the hitch of that 4 cylinder and its prob closer to 5000 lbs? to me its also not about getting the trailer going,its about stopping it on I35W in downtown Minneapolis at rush hour...let alone the plethera of ramps I see in Dakotas, MN etc.

Im not real good with this rating stuff, but I want to say my 3/4 is in the neighborhod of 12000 lbs GVWR? which bring me to about 7K tow weight maximum? It handles that 621 LIKE A BOSS.

[AV0801]

It seems like the German suv's are all rated at the same tow capacity based on chassis, my Cayenne turbo is rated the same as the 3.6 v6 engine base models even though it has much larger brakes and significantly more power.

I've never hesitated to tow anything under the weight rating for the Cayenne (516 ft/lbs) or the diesel Touareg (406 ft/lbs) and X5 (425 ft/lbs) I had before it but don't think you'd be happy towing with the much lower torque output from the 4 cylinder merc. If the budget will allow for it the v6 with the extra 100 ft/lbs of torque would make for a much nicer experience.

As far as stopping it I've never felt like any of them didn't have enough brakes/tire to slow things down when needed.

[DW]

Originally Posted by Deephaven

I towed a 6800lb boat with a 2007 MB ML63 AMG. It was brilliant at it. Enough so that I recently bought my wife a Jeep Grand Cherokee to be our tow vehicle. The connection? They both ride on the same chassis. Something Chrysler acquired during the time that Mercedes owned them. That being said I have no experience with the GLE, but it is the more modern ML so I would expect it to do fine. Obviously the AMG version with the larger brakes and more HP is an advantage, but for pulling a fishing boat I would expect you are just fine. Just be smart. It is a shorter wheelbase vehicle with less mass than a truck meaning you have to be responsible....not that I ever once felt it to be a concern, but regardless of tow vehicles the operator needs to use their brain.

Definitely put the Jeep Grand Cherokee on your list. For decades the GC has been capable of big tow loads. They are typically rated at 5,000 to 7,500 pounds depending on configuration. The GC has a short wheelbase so it is a relatively small vehicle but it has a lot of heft and high weight for good towing. I towed my rig about 50,000 miles and it tracked exceptionally well and is less susceptible to crosswind tracking than a pickup. I attribute that to the full time 4WD available in the mid to premium drive trains. Towing full time in 4WD is very stable.

[AsianAngler]

We have a 2014 ML350 Blu Tec and pull a 19' welded aluminum Kingfisher. Power and brakes have never been an issue for us. We have since purchased a RAM 1500. Biggest difference has been being able to see when backing up. The RAM is definitely easier in that respect, but other than that, not a lot of difference. Keep in mind, this is a diesel so it has quite a bit more torque than a comparably sized gas engine. My only complaint about MB? Expensive service and upkeep... but also very few problems or recalls.

[illinivet8]

Thanks for the replies. After talking to two people towing wake/ski boats I am actually starting to believe the GLE can perform pretty well. I am going to step up to the AMG version with a lot more hp, torque and brake calipers. I doubt it will get used often to tow the boat, but provides some options since my wife is NOT a fan of driving the pickup during the time we spend at the cabin and I am not a fan of frequently going to town or getting groceries

[RMBin303]

Originally Posted by illinivet8

Thanks for the replies. After talking to two people towing wake/ski boats I am actually starting to believe the GLE can perform pretty well. I am going to step up to the AMG version with a lot more hp, torque and brake calipers. I doubt it will get used often to tow the boat, but provides some options since my wife is NOT a fan of driving the pickup during the time we spend at the cabin and I am not a fan of frequently going to town or getting groceries

The Grand Cherokee will comfortably tow a wake boat as well.

[sportfish1]

You can tow a big boat with a lawn tractor. The questions is, do you want to?
We just bought a new Blazer with the 3.6l 6 cyl. and it's supposed to be able to pull 4500 lbs.
Not sure on the hitch weight yet. It would only be for an emergency if my sierra was in the shop.

[ohiojmj]

I had a Pilot 6 banger with 4500 tow capacity and pulling a 3000 17' boat package was a struggle up any incline and terrible to stop. The 5 speed tranny woukd drop to 3rd on modest NE ohio interstate incline and do 4800 on tach. Advertised tow capacities are exaggerated on some suv tow vehicle wannabes. Reduced vehicle life and dangerously long stopping distances should be in the unreadible small print in some 6 banger suv brochures.

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