Phev Tow Vehicles

Happy Holidays to everyone.

My family is close to paying off our current tow vehicle (Nissan Pathfinder / 6000lb tow capacity). With a kiddo about to head off to college, we are considering downsizing from a 3 row to a 2 row SUV family car, and would love to also make that a more green switch.

A fully electric vehicle won't do the deed, mostly due to intermittent long distance trips sometimes further complicated with towing. But, a plug in hybrid (PHEV) would seem to fit the bill - fuel free trips for the first 30 ish miles, gas power for towing and things further than 30 daily miles.

We considered a Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xE PHEV (6500lb tow capacity), but they are priced out of our range.

The current consideration is a Hyundai Santa Fe PHEV (2000 tow capacity). The Hyundai is considerably less beefy in the tow department than the Jeep (Jeep tow package includes heavy duty suspension, air bags, full size spare, heavy duty engine cooler, etc) but that's reflected in the tow capacity.

Anybody out there towing with a PHEV these days? I know a lot of CI folks tow with a 2k capacity TV, right at the limit of what the CI axle is supposed to roll. Any feedback? Thoughts? Regrets?

 

I'll just offer up this...

I have a hybrid RAV4. Rated to tow 1750. I've had no issues towing with it. Have towed at 70+ but have since learned to go slower (60-65) for my own comfort and peace of mind. I find it more than adequate. Before the pandemic I was considering the Santa Fe hybrid with a 2,000 lb tow. Even back then the plug in hybrids were pricey. I'd imagine they are really marked up these days. If the plug in meets your needs including pricing I think you would be extremely happy with it. But if price is an issue, a basic hybrid would do well too, IMO. Of course even the basic hybrids are now more costly than before. But I do believe a hybrid of one kind or another is the perfect compromise between ICE and electric.

 

Pefectly said JohnC!

 

The 2023 Toyota Rav 4 Prime hybrid plug-in has a towing capacity of 2500 pounds and seems well suited as tow vehicle.

 

That's pretty impressive. But it is a hybrid, you get the best of both worlds (and the problems of both.) So far my hybrid has been trouble free. I just hope the 250,000-mile battery is my reality

Do you own one?

 

Appreciate the thoughtful reply! Yes, compromise is what we are looking for. The tow vehicle is the family daily driver vehicle, so its 90% purpose is short around town trips. But it also needs the legs to drive a couple hours to get us somewhere on a day trip, or a full day’s drive to handle a family visit, or across country during a military move, and of course the towing. The Pathfinder has been great, and was perfect for the ruggedness of Alaska. But I’d prefer to save the gas on the 90% of the time trips - Pathy gets us 19mpg without towing. Plus, the Pathfinder has a CVT and I’m terrified it’s a ticking time bomb.

I’m unsure on how pricing is affected because we weren’t paying attention to it pre-pandemic. But I know the Santa Fe PHEV is in our price range, though it is really hard to find.

Totally agree - for our large family the Santa Fe is slightly larger (exactly halfway in between a RAV4 and a Highlander 3 row). That extra space is valuable to us.

 

Not yet, maybe some day....

 

IMO, I'd run far away from a Nissan CVT. Especially for towing. They have a very poor reputation for reliability. The Toyota and Ford hybrid eCVTs are not a belt and pulley system and are much more reliable.

FWIW, when driving "responsibly" I can get 34-35 around town not towing. Towing I'm now getting 24-25 but that's averaging around 60mph. Mine is a 2017 Rav.

 

Yes, the CVT has me worried for sure. Especially with the stress we have put on it over it’s 92k miles of life so far. I didn’t know the Toyota/Ford CVTs were different and more reliable, that’s helpful information.

If thr RAV4 Prime was a shade bigger I think we’d be in the hunt for one. As is, the downsize is a bit steep for what we are after. Probably. Maybe. Haha!

 

The RAV4 Prime was a really hot vehicle just before the pandemic. They couldn’t make them fast enough, even before everything came to be in short supply. I haven’t paid attention since back then but I’d guess they are going for obscene markups today.

 

After all that, we decided against the few available PHEVs and went with a JGC new tow vehicle. Downsized from 3 rows to 2, kept the cargo space, increased the mileage considerable, and the JGC has a lot of helpful tow capabilities that the (very capable) Pathfinder didn’t have.

 

Took me a minute...Jeep Grand Cherokee I've had my RAV4 for 25 months now. It does the job and I'll surely pull with it again. It stinks that you can't go this route today easily -- but there is no replacement for cubic displasement Turbo and electric --- Just not good for those of us who have a bigger suicase than most...they "can" do it - but I'm not sure they should.

I like my '98 Cherokee so much more....

 

Nice looking rig!
What year/model?

 

2023 Jeep Grand Cherokee

 

Thanks, we are excited. Not a Trailhawk version here, but this rig is clearly more capable and stable than the Pathfinder it replaced, which was no slouch itself. The Pathfinder never lacked for pulling power, but suspension and stopping power often felt a little shady. Not so with the Jeep so far. It’s a rock.

We don’t have a two speed transfer case - I believe it’s all variations of 4hi. But it is more than AWD for sure.

Prices are a pain. We got a good buy and a dealer that worked with us, and bought at the point where our Pathfinder had the highest value relative to the payoff.

Honestly, we would have kept the pathfinder until the wheels fell off. But that CVT felt like a ticking time bomb. A $9k ticking time bomb, consider the stress we applied to the transmission over 5 years of ownership. Best to upgrade capability/downgrade space at the same time as ensuring longevity at the same moment we had the most buying power.

 

Happy trails!

 

Being an owner of an old jeep -- I am looking for those non-so-offroad places I've made a point to own AWD or 4WD in any truck I've owned --- the low gear transfer case is an expensive luxury that I've only ever needed once. My concession trailer got stuck in mud and I needed to pull a little hard and with a little better control. A locking differential has usually been the piece that I generally missed. I had this in an F150 and it made a huge difference in low traction environments.

4WD is mostly used for snow in these parts, and I'll never drive what I have on snow because of the salt. I'm not even remotely interested in rock rawling adventures -- we have parks for that in Indiana.

I am hoping for a place where a car owner would say "Hell no!" and a lifted jeep would say "Seriosuly? You're wasting my time." too.

When I was driving home from picking it up the GPS took me down a sketchy side road going between two peaks. Signs warning that it was impassible for larger vehicles" and then being greeted by 6-8 inch ruts. Have to admit it was nice to pull that lever and simply drive through with confidence and common sense.

 

I just got a RAV4 Hybrid and was informed that they can't wire in the break controller because its a "Hybrid". Is this correct?