When towing a 5,000-pound travel trailer with an SUV, selecting the right vehicle is crucial for safety and comfort. This article highlights five SUVs suitable for towing 5,000 pounds and outlines key considerations for your choice.
1. Ford Explorer
The Ford Explorer stands out as a popular choice for towing 5000 GVWR due to its impressive maximum towing capacity of up to 5600 pounds. This SUV’s robust power and capability make it well-suited for pulling a mid-sized camper trailer without breaking a sweat. Additionally, the Ford Explorer offers a spacious interior with ample room for passengers and cargo, ensuring a comfortable and enjoyable ride on long trips with a camper trailer in tow. Its smooth and refined ride quality further enhances the overall towing experience. It makes the Ford Explorer a reliable and practical choice for adventurers seeking to hit the road with their camper.
- Impressive Towing Ability: The Ford Explorer boasts a maximum towing capacity of up to 5600 pounds, making it a reliable and capable choice for towing a 5000-pound GVWR trailer. This allows it to easily handle mid-sized campers.
- Comfort and Practicality: In addition to its towing capabilities, the Ford Explorer offers a spacious interior with ample room for passengers and cargo, providing a comfortable and enjoyable ride on long trips.
Be sure to check out the guide for the new Ford Towing Calculator article.
2. Chevrolet Tahoe
When it comes to towing 5000 GVWR camper, the Chevrolet Tahoe emerges as a formidable option. Boasting an impressive towing capacity of up to 8400 pounds, the Tahoe is more than equipped to handle larger camper trailers efficiently. Thanks to its rugged construction and powerful engine, the Tahoe delivers unwavering reliability and performance when towing heavy loads. This SUV’s robust build and muscular engine ensure that it can effortlessly navigate challenging terrains and steep inclines while towing a substantial camper trailer behind it. Whether it’s a cross-country road trip or a weekend getaway, the Chevrolet Tahoe proves to be a stalwart companion, offering ease of use and dependability for your towing needs.
- Impressive Towing Capacity: The Chevrolet Tahoe showcases an impressive towing capacity of up to 8400 pounds, making it well-equipped to handle larger travel trailers efficiently. It provides ease of use and reliability for towing heavy loads.
- Robust Build and Performance: With its rugged construction and powerful engine, the Tahoe delivers unwavering reliability and performance when towing. It effortlessly navigates challenging terrains and steep inclines while towing, making it a steadfast companion.
3. Toyota 4Runner
The Toyota 4Runner is a versatile SUV that tows up to 5,000 pounds, ideal for travel trailers. With strong off-road capabilities and a powerful engine, it ensures a smooth towing experience for adventure seekers.
- Off-Road Capabilities: The Toyota 4Runner is renowned for its exceptional off-road capabilities, making it well-suited for easily and confidently towing a 5000 GVWR trailer through various terrain conditions.
- Durability and Dependability: The 4Runner has a proven track record for durability and dependability. Its smooth towing experience makes it a top choice for adventure seekers looking for a reliable and sturdy SUV.
4. Jeep Grand Cherokee
The Jeep Grand Cherokee combines rugged sophistication with a towing capacity of up to 7,200 pounds. Its powerful engine ensures a smooth towing experience, while the luxurious interior offers comfort on long trips. With advanced safety and entertainment features, it’s perfect for towing adventures.
- Towing Capacity: The Jeep Grand Cherokee showcases a high towing capacity of up to 7200 pounds, making it a reliable and capable choice for effortlessly handling mid-sized camper trailers without compromising performance.
- Luxurious Interior and Technology: Besides its towing capabilities, the Grand Cherokee offers a luxurious interior and advanced technology features that enhance comfort, convenience, safety, and entertainment during long journeys with a camper trailer, providing a seamless and enjoyable towing experience.
5. Subaru Ascent
The Subaru Ascent may be a compact SUV, but it offers an impressive towing capacity of up to 5,000 pounds, making it great for small campers. Its fuel-efficient engine keeps costs down while ensuring a smooth towing experience. With a surprisingly spacious interior for passengers and cargo, the Ascent is a practical and affordable choice for those looking to tow on a budget.
- Towing Capability: Despite being a smaller SUV, the Subaru Ascent showcases impressive towing capabilities with a capacity of up to 5000 pounds, making it suitable for towing without any difficulty.
- Fuel Efficiency: The Subaru Ascent stands out for its fuel-efficient engine, which offers fuel savings while ensuring a reliable and smooth towing experience. This makes it a practical choice for those conscious of fuel expenses during towing trips.
When selecting an SUV for towing, consider towing capacity, payload capacity, and hitch compatibility. Also, consider the camper’s weight distribution and its impact on the SUV’s handling and performance.
The Final Say: Finding the Perfect Fit for Your Adventures
The Ford Explorer, Chevrolet Tahoe, Toyota 4Runner, Jeep Grand Cherokee, and Subaru Ascent are excellent towing vehicles for travel trailers with a minimum GVWR of 5000 pounds. SUV’s offer unique features that enhance towing capabilities, ensuring a safe and comfortable experience with your camper.
The Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) is the maximum weight a vehicle is designed to safely carry, including its own weight and the weight of passengers, cargo, and fuel. The vehicle manufacturer sets this rating, and you can easily find it on a sticker inside the driver’s side door jamb. This information is readily available to keep you informed and prepared.
Understanding a vehicle’s GVWR is not just important, it’s crucial when towing with a tow vehicle. Exceeding the GVWR can lead to unsafe driving conditions, increased wear and tear on the vehicle, and potential damage to the vehicle’s suspension and braking systems. This could jeopardize your safety and the safety of others on the road, a risk that should not be taken lightly.
Towing a trailer that exceeds an SUV’s GVWR is strongly discouraged. This practice can place excessive strain on the vehicle’s engine, transmission, and brakes, leading to unsafe driving conditions and potential damage to the vehicle. It’s important to be aware of these risks to make informed decisions about your towing needs.
When towing with an SUV, it is important to stay within the vehicle’s GVWR. But don’t stop there. Empower yourself with knowledge by consulting the owner’s manual, which provides specific towing guidelines tailored to your vehicle. Additionally, ensure that the trailer is properly loaded and that the towing equipment is in good working condition.
