Shopping for something to replace our '07 Santa Fe, which is a great wagon but comes up short in an area we didn't expect to consider when we bought it.
Me and the missus are fairly avid autocrossers with a small fleet of Miatas. We run a lot locally but got a wild hair to go to the SCCA Solo National Championships in late August. These take place in Lincoln Nebraska which is a pretty good haul from our HQ in the shadow of the nation's capital.
Not wanting to drive a stiffly-sprung (and old) Miata that far, we want to tow it. The Santa Fe isn't equipped with the tow package, and even if it were it would only be rated to tow 3500 lbs, which a Miata on an open trailer might eclipse. So it's off to find something that'll get the job done.
At first I was leaning towards a Highlander (5000 lb towing rating), but the more thought I put into it, maybe going with something with a frame like the 4Runner would be a smarter move. Some people say if the tow rating is high enough, who cares how they pulled it off. I don't necessarily subscribe to that theory.
My concern with the 4Runner is how it drives during the time we're not towing anything. If it'll be a comfortable wagon to putt around town in, that'd be great. We can live with a somewhat stiff ride but within limits.
What gets me is how similar Highlanders and 4Runners are. They're very close size-wise, gas mileage-wise, price-wise, etc etc. I'm surprised they still make 4Runners frankly.
Anyway our decision will probably come down to our being able to more easily find a 4Runner set up the way we want since we have trouble finding Highlanders with all the towing goodies on dealers' lots. We'll be doing test drives in the coming weeks and hope to have our new wagon somewhere around April.
I'd love to hear about what 4Runners have been towing, and where, and what issues you've run across if any. If anyone has any experience towing with a Highlander I'd appreciate that info as well.
Me and the missus are fairly avid autocrossers with a small fleet of Miatas. We run a lot locally but got a wild hair to go to the SCCA Solo National Championships in late August. These take place in Lincoln Nebraska which is a pretty good haul from our HQ in the shadow of the nation's capital.
Not wanting to drive a stiffly-sprung (and old) Miata that far, we want to tow it. The Santa Fe isn't equipped with the tow package, and even if it were it would only be rated to tow 3500 lbs, which a Miata on an open trailer might eclipse. So it's off to find something that'll get the job done.
At first I was leaning towards a Highlander (5000 lb towing rating), but the more thought I put into it, maybe going with something with a frame like the 4Runner would be a smarter move. Some people say if the tow rating is high enough, who cares how they pulled it off. I don't necessarily subscribe to that theory.
My concern with the 4Runner is how it drives during the time we're not towing anything. If it'll be a comfortable wagon to putt around town in, that'd be great. We can live with a somewhat stiff ride but within limits.
What gets me is how similar Highlanders and 4Runners are. They're very close size-wise, gas mileage-wise, price-wise, etc etc. I'm surprised they still make 4Runners frankly.
Anyway our decision will probably come down to our being able to more easily find a 4Runner set up the way we want since we have trouble finding Highlanders with all the towing goodies on dealers' lots. We'll be doing test drives in the coming weeks and hope to have our new wagon somewhere around April.
I'd love to hear about what 4Runners have been towing, and where, and what issues you've run across if any. If anyone has any experience towing with a Highlander I'd appreciate that info as well.
