The Hyundai Ioniq 5 starts at just the right price to qualify for federal and provincial rebates.Matt Bubbers/The Globe and Mail
We are looking at replacing a tow vehicle with a new hybrid SUV to tow a tent trailer weighing approximately 2,000 pounds fully loaded.
Our current vehicle is a 2012 six-cylinder Toyota RAV4. This has been a great tow vehicle and we are happy with its performance, but would like to improve our fuel usage.
My research and inclination is leaning toward the Highlander Hybrid but the CVT transmission is a concern. We have a 2017 Corolla and, while I like it, I’m not impressed with the transmission’s performance under load. Most of our travel is in B.C., Alberta, and the mountain states, so good performance climbing hills is desirable.
I have had a 2004 Sienna as a tow vehicle and was happy with its performance, but its clearance was lacking. There are usually only two of us when we go camping so the excess space and inferior fuel usage precludes this model.
Have you had any feedback on the use of hybrid SUVs to tow smaller trailers? What vehicles would you recommend? – Brian, Burnaby, B.C.
Mark Richardson: That V6 RAV4 is a great tow vehicle, but Toyota stopped selling it with the more powerful engine because buyers who wanted to tow stuff preferred the larger Highlander. Too bad.
Petrina Gentile: You own one, don’t you?
Richardson: Yes – mine’s a 2009 with a quarter-million kilometres on it. I was planning to replace it this year, but I think I’ll wait one more year. I know that if I get a hybrid or electric, it probably won’t have the towing capacity. It’s not because of the power, but the limits of the transmissions.
Gentile: Exactly, and this is a family that clearly likes Toyota vehicles. So let’s start with the Highlander Hybrid Brian mentioned. It’s available in four trims with all-wheel drive and a continuously variable transmission (CVT) that Brian isn’t crazy about.
The Toyota Highlander Hybrid is available in four trims with all-wheel drive and a continuously variable transmission (CVT).Courtesy of manufacturer
Richardson: I’m not crazy about CVTs either, and they don’t lend themselves to towing.
Gentile: True. But I don’t mind the CVT in the Highlander hybrid – it can tow up to 3,500 pounds. If he went for the gas-powered Highlander, then it’s up to 5,000 pounds.
Richardson: I killed the transmission in my old Mercury sedan by towing a camping trailer, which was my fault for not checking its rating. These days, my rule of thumb is for a rating that’s twice the weight I actually want to tow. The Highlander Hybrid would be okay for that and it holds its value well, but it’s expensive. The Ford Explorer Hybrid might be a better bet.
Gentile: The Highlander Hybrid ranges in price from $46,750 to $57,490. The Explorer Limited Hybrid model, on the other hand, has a 3.3-litre hybrid engine, which costs an extra $3,000 on top of the Limited’s $52,449 price. It comes standard with four-wheel drive and can tow up to 3,000 pounds. It’s more if you go for the gas model.
All-new Explorer Hybrid is a no-compromise Ford hybrid SUV designed to offer performance and capability in a fuel-efficient package.Courtesy of manufacturer
Richardson: It’s close, especially with the extra strain of driving in mountains, but it should be okay. Personally, I’d give up on a hybrid if towing is important. They get their best fuel consumption in the city and not out on the highway, where Brian often drives.
Gentile: I disagree. He’s not towing a lot – only a tent trailer weighing 2,000 pounds. A hybrid can handle it. But I’ll indulge you. What are you thinking?
Richardson: One of the magic numbers in towing is a capacity for 3,500 pounds, which a lot of capable light vehicles offer. If we stretch down my “double the capacity” rule, then that will suit Brian, and if he’s skewing to a hybrid, maybe he should start thinking about going all the way to an electric car. The Tesla Model Y and the Hyundai Ioniq 5 will both tow that weight. Just sayin’.
Gentile: I like the idea of an electric vehicle, provided he’s not in a rush to get it. There are long wait times for EVs nowadays because of the semiconductor chip shortage, so he’ll have to wait anywhere from four months to a year.
Richardson: There’s a long wait time for pretty much all new vehicles these days. In any case, I don’t think he’s looking for an electric car or he would have said so, but he should certainly be thinking about one.
Gentile: He should. A Tesla Model Y would do the trick. He can add an optional tow package that costs about $1,650. The towing capability is up to 3,500 pounds on all-wheel-drive models. But the Model Y doesn’t come cheap – expect to pay more than $75,000.
Richardson: A Hyundai Ioniq 5 has the same towing ability and about the same inside space, and it starts at just the right price to qualify for federal and provincial rebates. It’ll end up a lot less expensive than a Model Y, for sure.
Gentile: Just shy of $45,000, the Hyundai Ioniq 5 is a lot cheaper and because he lives in B.C. he can take advantage of up to $5,000 in provincial rebates plus another $5,000 in federal rebates. That drops the price significantly, but he won’t have the bragging rights of owning a Tesla.
Richardson: There’s another hybrid option though, if he can stretch his budget to the same $70,000 as the Model Y, and that’s the Volvo XC60 Recharge. It’s a lovely plug-in hybrid and will tow 3,500 pounds. If he spends another $10,000, the larger XC90 Recharge will tow 5,000 pounds. We’re expensive now, but I’d recommend the Volvo as a premium vehicle.
The Volvo XC60 Recharge is a lovely plug-in hybrid and will tow 3,500 pounds.Jason Tchir/The Globe and Mail
Gentile: He doesn’t need a big XC90 – there’s only two people usually in the vehicle. But a Volvo XC60 Recharge PHEV would work, or better yet the XC40 Recharge, Volvo’s first all-electric vehicle. It has 2,000 pounds of towing capacity and costs around $60,000.
Richardson: Nope. Remember my rule of doubling the towing capacity for the weight? I’m getting flashbacks to killing my old Mercury.
Gentile: OK. Fair enough. Skip it. My top pick for Brian is still the Toyota Highlander Hybrid.
Richardson: I prefer the Ford Explorer Hybrid, but Brian, if you want to go electric, the Hyundai Ioniq5 will do the job.
What car should you buy? Write to Mark and Petrina at globedrive@globeandmail.com and use ‘What car’ as part of your subject line. Emails with different subject lines may not be answered.
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