Potential Four Down Vehicles

Trying to decide on a four wheel down vehicle. Please share any experience with the vehicles below.

Newer GM pickups like the Colorado

2018 or 2019 GMC Arcadia

Ron

Trying to decide on a four wheel down vehicle. Please share any experience with the vehicles below.

Newer GM pickups like the Colorado

2018 or 2019 GMC Arcadia

Ron

Entering 'toad' in the search box may provide you with some answers. Entering Colorado or Arcadia was not very helpful. The subject of towed 'Toad' vehicles has come up before. 

And those new Colorado's are HUGE!  We have one in our employee lot, parks next to a ~2009 chevy silverado 1500. Same size. 

Here are your answers: http://www.motorhome.com/download-dinghy-guides/

Trying to decide on a four wheel down vehicle. Please share any experience with the vehicles below.

Newer GM pickups like the Colorado

2018 or 2019 GMC Arcadia

Ron

Not one that you listed, but I have been towing a 2012 GMC Terrain for years and love it.  Hooks up in minutes and tows great behind my PC.

Cheers 

Barry T

Not too happy about replacing the wife's 2017 AWD Ford Escape (a great car but not flat towable) with a 2019 AWD Buick Envision so we can flat tow behind our new 2018  4x4 PC 2252. Presently awaiting the tow bar manufacturers to design and produce 2019 baseplates for the new car. The 2018 Buick baseplates do not fit the 2019 design.
We will provide an update when we get the install completed in the next month or two. - Dick

Dick
 I am in the same boat. I have 2014 escape. Still considering a dolly for it but for down also an option.  If we do buy another vehicle we want it to be multipurpose...be able to haul bikes and kayaks and people...thus Arcadia or smaller pickup.

Ron

Ron - We think alike. The Envision now has a roof rack for the 16' carbon fiber canoe and with the back seat down 2 or 3 bikes and all the cycling gear fit fine. I competitively race bikes (which are too expensive and fragile to carry outside the vehicles) so when my wife Chris does not accompany me, I convert her bunk to carry the bikes and will leave the toad home. We looked at the Acadia as well but thought when loaded it was too close to the 5000 lb. weight limit.
Our first big trip will be this June when we will be in Albuquerque and Santa Fe, NM for the National Senior Games. We will be gone for a month and plan to spend time at the Grand Canyon and Sedona AZ. This will also give me time to get  acclimated to the elevation prior to racing. Since we live at 652 ft. above sea level and the course outside of Santa Fe is at 7500 ft., two weeks should be enough time to adjust. More to follow. - Dick

I don't look forward to the day retiring our 2006 Jeep Liberty 4x4.  Though I have my reasons to dislike it, it has met our RV travel and Irene's at-home needs.  We'll keep it for as long as is reasonable.  It recently turned 80,000 miles.  Given it's care and condition, I hope replacing it is 10 years away.  It's just a year older than our PC but at a much faster pace to retirement.

It seems brand new towable 4x4 vehicles are quite pricey, especially after being setup properly for towing.  The way it's heading, when we replace our Liberty, a new tow vehicle will cost more than our PC did in 2007.

Ron, I thought you were a car guy. Why not shop for a decent used jeep now and use the restoration as a home project?

Ron, I thought you were a car guy. Why not shop for a decent used jeep now and use the restoration as a home project?

Ha, ha, You are right in that I am a car guy which is why I hope to keep our Liberty road-worthy and tow-worthy for 22 years and 160,000 miles.  If it goes better than expected, then the time & miles would be extended.

We have a 2015 Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk. This model comes with the two speed transfer case (Low-High range) and lockable rear differential. The best part for towing is that there is a small push button on the console that you push with a pen or small pointy thing and the transfer case goes to neutral. I have not have any problems with "death wobble", use a RVI brake that plugs into the center console. For tow lights , I use a Towmaster light bar which is wireless and power it with a small jump start/compressor (Walmarts for $50). Jump start battery will power the lights for a week of driving if you shut them off a night. I have not looked but there should be some used ones coming up for sale.

Not too happy about replacing the wife's 2017 AWD Ford Escape (a great car but not flat towable) with a 2019 AWD Buick Envision so we can flat tow behind our new 2018  4x4 PC 2252. Presently awaiting the tow bar manufacturers to design and produce 2019 baseplates for the new car. The 2018 Buick baseplates do not fit the 2019 design.
We will provide an update when we get the install completed in the next month or two. - Dick

Dick
Did you get your Envision base plate? We are looking at CRV or Envision. 

Ron

Just today we bought a 2014 Honda CR-V. Looks and drives like new, even though it has 60,000 miles on it. Paid $16,200.   Next is to have base plate installed.

Here are your answers: http://www.motorhome.com/download-dinghy-guides/

This tow guide is the key. I'd only add that it is wise to chose the smallest, lightest vehicle that will do the job you need it to do when you get to your destinations. The E450 has a lot of power, but you will still "feel" the Toad back there.

I'd only add that it is wise to chose the smallest, lightest vehicle that will do the job you need it to do when you get to your destinations. The E450 has a lot of power, but you will still "feel" the Toad back there.

I agree on choosing the smallest, lightest BUT disagree on feeling the toad. I'm sure it might be noticeable climbing steep grades in the Rockies but otherwise we don't know she's back there. With car and cargo, we are probably at that 5k mark. I've read you can upgrade to a 10k hitch receiver so 5k is limit of the hitch, not the E450.