My wife and I just purchased a LilttleGuy Max for the two of us since our kids are all grown up and not following us anymore. We need to change our tow vehicle and are juggling with options.
We are not decided to either go on the pickup route or the small SUV although leaning more on the pickup side for now.
On the SUV side I was looking at something rated for 5000 lbs of towing capability. The Kia Sorento and Honda Pilot are my favorite because of their size. The Toyota Highlander, Enclave Avenir, Hyundai Palisade and Chevrolet Traverse are contenders. They pretty much all have 3.6L V-6 engines except for the Sorento with a 3.3L and the Pilot at 3.5.
On the pickup side I'm kind of fixated on the Ford Ranger with the EcoBoost engine. One of my neighbor has one and tows a large camp trailer and is very happy with it. It's not a big pickup and can be easily used as an everyday vehicle. I work from home and my wife walks to work so we put little mileage on our vehicles.
So what are you towing your LittleGuy Max with and what's been your experience ? Thanks for sharing your thoughts and experience.
Hey Andy,
We tow our LGMax with a Ford F150 with the EcoBoost Engine. I also use this vehicle as my day-to-day vehicle. All my kids are gone too, but I love the fact that I can tow anything, my boat, camper, a trailer, etc without worry. There's ALWAYS this thing about wanting something bigger though..... Anyway, I also love the fact that I can haul what I want when I want without renting a truck, or asking a neighbor. We live in the boonies in Texas, it's always nice to have a pickup. I put a flat hard cover on it for when we travel so everything is secure and dry. Now there's no need for an SUV. The EcoBoost is great for towing and running around town. I get 21 - 22mpg combined not towing and average round 10mpg when towing. Be prepared for that drop in economy. Had a Tundra before this, it worked really well also, just never got over 15mpg for anything. Also a Jeep Grand Cherokee and Suburban. Both towed very well if you wanted to haul a lot of kids and dogs.
Remember the LGM is a bout 3200lbs without equipment. Ours is now about 4000lbs with equipment. Just add water and and you could be over your 5000lb limit. I didn't want to take that chance. I'd make sure that whatever you buy is capable of towing 6 - 7000lbs and make sure the transmission is up to it. Some of the smaller SUVs say they are, but they aren't. Especially for long trips. Hope that helps.
@texaslgmax - Thanks for your feedback. The EcoBoost engine is really getting my attention. I bought a 2016 Jeep Wrangler with a 3.73 gear ratio in February of this year and it has a towing capacity of 3500 lbs. Buying a camp trailer wasn't in the plans at the time and getting rid of the Jeep is out of question! So the Wrangler is what I am currently towing the LGM with right now. Not the best experience. I don't go over 50mph with it, don't go too far, watch for flat roads and keep our weight down as much as possible. With doing all of that it's ok but not sustainable on the long run.
Andy
Andy, I'm hoping you have a 6 banger in there and not the 4. But even if you do, the newer Jeep engines are built pretty tough, the frames are made for this kind of stuff and surely the trainy is capable. Good luck.
We have towed many boats with 4Runners. This time, new LG Max, towing with 2018 Toyota 4Runner, 4WD, stock V-6, tow capacity, 5000 lbs.
No airbags or special shocks. No anti-sway pieces, hook up and go. Of course proper hook up for brakes, etc. If I needed special hitch pieces I would use it, no problems on xpwy at 65 mph. 70+ is fine, but what's the hurry. The 4Runner may be the last SUV with a real frame under it.
Tow back and forth to the storage place. Hoping things let up in 2021, used this LG Max only once since October '19.
I have to add my 2 cents. I also tow my LG Max with my F-150 Ecoboost. Best money I ever spent. The only thing I want to add is some air suspension to the rear to cushion the oscillation at lower speeds. Otherwise, it tows like a dream. Andy, I would not tow with a Wrangler. My wife and I own a Wrangler as well, and the 3,140 ib. dry weight is too close to the 3500lb. limit, and add a few things in the pass through, some bedding and a few things in the closet, fidge, and pantry, and you will be above 3500 in no time. If you want the best of both worlds though, you might consider a Gladiator. I have heard that their tow package can do 7,500 lbs.
I tow the LGM with a Ford F-150, 3.5L V6 (not Ecoboost). It struggles big time on grades. Even with a rated tow capacity of 7,800 lbs., I don’t recommend this truck for the LGM.
