[VAL] Economical Tow Vehicles

["Randy Unter" <runter@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Vanessa, I have a 26' Overlander with empty weight of 4200# but tow weight
of 5K. When heading into the mountains, I use a Ford PS Diesel that pulls
with authority. However, most folks don't want to drive a diesel truck in
everyday use, including myself. Diesels aren't very efficient in stop and go
traffic.
Two years ago, my 960 Volvo was costing me more that I cared to deal with so
I sold it and searched for the ultimate "Swiss Army knife" vehicle. By that,
I wanted a vehicle that would provide the comfort, safety and handling of my
Volvo 960, have lower maintenance costs, be maneuverable in city parking
situations, get good mileage, go through the snow AND tow 7000#. For sure I
thought that vehicle did not exist. I poured over spec sheets for vehicles,
read highway and insurance test results, reviewed automotive and truck
testing magazines, until surprisingly I found a handful of vehicles that
appeared to meet the test.
They included the Lincoln Aviator, Mercury Mountaineer, Ford Explorer (all
with V8's), plus possibly the GM Tahoe and Yukon. I then headed to the
dealers to actually test drive the vehicles. The Aviator was beautiful and
expensive; the Mountaineer and Explorer performed nearly the same at much
lower costs. The Tahoe/Yukon were very nice but I found the brakes "spongy"
and not up to Volvo stopping standards (the Explorer/Mountaineer stop from
60 mph in 127 feet!).
So I bought the Mountaineer AWD with V8 and tow package, which I use for my
daily drive in Denver's awlful traffic. It's a great vehicle with the
comfort of a 960 or better, very maneuverable (36' turning radius, same as a
Honda Civic), averages 16-17 mpg in city, 22 highway,  drives on cheap
regular, and is very reliable.
Last summer I towed my Overlander, loaded up to the Rocky Mountian VAC rally
in Colorado Springs, requiring a tow up over 7400' Monument pass in 85+
degree weather. My wife was using the truck for her horse events, so I was
stuck with the Mountaineer. To my surprise, not only did the Mountaineer
perform well, but pulled the pass and handled the cross winds with stability
at highway speeds.
So if you are looking for a single vehicle that does it all, I recommend the
Explorer/Mountaineer (essentially the same vehicle) or the Aviator if you
want to splurge. In '06, the Mountaineer/Explorer V8 will have the new
6-speed automatic and 300 hp engine that gets better mileage, so it should
be a winner and tow even better. The Aviator will downsize to a small car
based vehicle in '06, unsuitable for our towing uses.
Randy Unter
VAC '05 RM Rally Rally organizer
VAC Region 11 Rep
VAC 3rd VP
'66 Overlander
'73 Sovereign