Tesla

Anyone towing with a Tesla? Model 3 preferably. I know it’s not officially possible, but then again....it is in Europe.

wondering what range is realistic. Looking at some videos, 8t looks like 150 miles maximum range. That’s almost a 50% decrease in range. This seems really like a huge increase in power...especially when it only costs about 3 to 5 mpg loss of economy in by Subaru....

 

According to the video below, Teslas (and by extension, all electric cars) don't carry a big enough "gas tank". Very efficient, but very little energy density (aka capacity) in the battery.

 

We do have one customer towing with a Model X. That seems to work well. That is about the only model though that really is rated for towing.

Cary

 

Rated versus capable. With Teslas warranty persnicketiness, this is a big worry. Right now I'm thinking for the 'next' car...More of an academic exercise at this point

To JohnC's post, its funny -- the trukk wasn't even on my radar until a Model S owner suggested it too me ... I figured it would be a $100,000 investment. I was quite surprised at how affordable it is. The Dual Motor would be the price point I do not throw up at. I wonder what $1300 lbs which is snuggled behind the gate would do....

In my F150 I often woulnd't even see it in my mirror...so you don't have the "wall" behind you as you do with a full size trailer. I understand laminar flow, and that the break between the bed and the campinn would not be smooth...

IF I would "only" suffer 10% I can live iwht that....225-250 miles of range is adequate. But the charge times are still long....long trips are still almost out of the question.

I am still convinced that Hydrogen Fuel cells are a better approach, the limitations of batteries is amazingly high still....
1] Low energy Density
2] High cost
3] Slow charge times (1 hour "fuel" stops are not acceptable)
4] Explosvie potential (Indianapolis family sues Tesla, says car defects caused crash victim to burn alive | Fox 59)

I suspect though I will still finmyself in a ford Ranger or similar vehicle....Cars today are just shit for quality...no robustness built in. $40000 throw aways.

 

@Sweeney - I'm a big hydrogen fuel fan myself. And it kills me inside at how much further the asian countries are so much farther ahead of us in their hydrogen infrastructure.

Its not that I'm against battery/electric vehicles, but IMHO the tech just isn't there yet. I know it works and makes sense in certain cases. At least for me, battery tech would need to make a quantum leap forward before it would be a technology I would consider for a vehicle I would purchase, especially to tow a trailer, even a small tear drop.

 

totally agree. And it won’t be electric.

 

I bought a hybrid 4 years ago and have been really pleased with it as a compromise on efficiency. Good mileage, good power.

 

I thought about that, but from an engineering point of view I am thinking twice the potential problems. Frankly the only company I would trust is Toyota. I am not sure, but I don’t think any of theirs is rated to tow....even on European models,

hoping hydrogen gets interesting....soon. Current cars all pretty much stink.

 

Mine is the Rav4 hybrid. It’s rated to tow 1750 which is actually 250 lbs more than the gas model. The Highlander hybrid is rated to tow 3500 lbs.

I’m going to see how it goes with the RAV. I don’t expect any issues but I have thought about a Highlander the next time I buy.

 

My 2021 Hybrid Highlander is rated to tow 3500 lbs. Does fine.

 

Looks like a pretty respectable vehicle. I am a little concerned about Hybrids in general -- you've got 2 motor systems now that need to be maintained and attention paid too. Either routinely, or catastrophically.

Besides mechanical complexity, Hybrids DO answer my #1 worry...recharge time. I spent a good number of weekends on long trips and don't have an hour to recharge when 10 minutes at a gas station will accomplish more.

How well does the battery survive rolling hills and long mountain climbs? I would imagine that both gas & electric are very much needed when heading up through the Appalachians, Rockies probably are a whole new world of fun. I have watch class A's making the trip up at wide open throttle doing 20 mph. I'd hate to think about an SUV pulling 3500 pounds up a hill with a 2.5 liter engine alone

At least on paper your right though, this isn't a bad option.

I assume you're a camp-inn owner -- which may not be true, there are dreamers too...and a regretter or two who foolishly sold theirs (Ahem!) What eceonomy do you REALLY get? Then, when towing...I would imagine your MPG dips to 22-25 with a CI in tow? This is what we saw with our Outback, we'd to from 27mpg down about 23

Time to explore the tehcnical details of the drive system... Is it prius like, Chevy Volt Like, or something completely different. Thanks for giving me something interesting to look at

 

Yes, I have a CI. Towed it with my Subaru Outback, 2.5, 173 hp. No issues, though you know it is back there.
Mileage goes from 23-26 down to about 18 with the CI in tow. Towed thru Colorado mountains.

Towed it with my Highlander, no issues. Hybrid, 245 total hp. Mileage goes from about 34 to 22-24 with the trailer. You know it is back there, but not quite to the same degree, as the Highlander is a heavier car.

Toyota hybrids are totally self contained, meaning there is no plug in at all. I've had 3 Toyota hybrids, loved them all. No issues ever, except when my wife totaled one of them.

 

I think an important factor not mentioned in the video I posted, is that if you are towing a teardrop or anything whose profile fits within the rear size of your tow vehicle you will probably do much better than if towing a trailer/RV that is taller and/or wider than your tow vehicle.

I did a lot of research before buying my Rav4 hybrid. Toyota has a terrific track record for over 20 years now in building these systems. It's my understanding that their hybrid powertrains are actually a less complicated system than the gas only models.

Here's a couple of interesting tests towing a 2,000 lb box sized trailer behind a Rav4 hybrid. Keep in mind this is over the 1,750 rated capacity and it is much larger and oversized than a CampInn or other teardrop. I've watched a lot of Alex's auto reviews. I think he is one of the most knowledgeable and best reviewers out there. (He also expalins a bit about the Toyota hybrid CVT which is in no way like the gas model ones.) YMMV.

 

Yah, I saw these ... Im
Putting rav4 on the top of my list....pretty impressive.

I know how CI pulls...had a 2012 that I sold...and regretted it from the time I saw it drive away....don’t even know they are there and that was pulling with a Jeep Liberty.....a really bad platform....

 

I'm trying to figure out how to compare the Highlander HV vs the Rav HV, relative to towing pros/cons. The Highlander has more HP than the Rav, but the Rav weighs less and actually has a better 0-60 time. Now I'm not concerned about getting off the line, but it seems like that would make the Rav (with more low end torque) more "nimble" in any situation requiring a little extra speed/power. But isn't a larger vehicle with a larger "engine" supposed to be more advantageous for towing? Hmmm.

So what am I missing? Will the Highlander battery regenerate better on climbs or other heavy usage? More so than the Rav? FWIW, I believe the powerplants are identical, but tuned differently.

 

Did check the owner’s manual to see what the towing capacity of each is? That should give you a good idea.

 

Either will pull a CI. 1750 for the Rav, 3500 for the Highlander.

 

Sound like the Highlander can pull almost twice are much with less strain on the engine and transmission. You will need to also consider how much weight you plan on storing in the CI and how much weight you will have in the TV. You could very easy reach the 1750 limit of the RAV4.

 

I wouldn't say it's less strain on the powertrain given that the Highlander weighs more and accelerates slower than the Rav with neither towing anything.

The rated towing capacity of any vehicle is exclusive of any weight carried in the TV. But either would carry all my gear (in the TV or trailer) with no issue on limits.

Either would work for me. I'm just trying to understand if the bigger vehicle actually provides a useful benefit to towing, other than being rated to tow more weight than I need.

 

I would focus on which vehicle you like better, how much interior room you want/need, noise level on the road, general feel, which you like better. Have you driven both? If not, do. Then look at towing capacities and 0-60 times.
Don't buy a vehicle based on specifications.