It’s no secret that Americans adore towing things. We hitch up mammoth campers to nearly as gargantuan pickup trucks and then hurtle them down highways at 70 mph. Other times, you’ll see trucks hauling other trucks, motorcycles, cars, construction equipment, building materials, bales of hay … anything that can be hitched to the back of a vehicle, really. Some vehicles tow better than others, of course, and there are lots of machines out there with tow ratings, so tell us: What does your dream setup look like?
I have towing on my mind this week. I just completed a real-world towing test of a 2025 Chevrolet Silverado EV Trail Boss pulling a 37-foot-long, 7,700-pound camper. I was able to make it from Oshkosh, Wisconsin, back to Illinois on a single charge with the trailer hooked up. I have a story about this later today, and it also has me thinking about what my dream tow rig would be.
My answer to this question is somewhat complicated. I already own one of my dream tow vehicles, a 2006 Volkswagen Touareg V10 TDI. Everything about the Touareg V10 TDI is truly bonkers. This is a vehicle that makes the horsepower and torque of a diesel pickup truck, but does so in a more compact midsize SUV package that’s draped in luxury. Oh, and I forgot to mention that the Touareg sounds like a Lamborghini eating bolts for lunch.
The Touareg even has a great tow rating for its size, as it’s able to handle a 7,716-pound trailer. However, for as much as I love my “Treg,” it’s not the ultimate tow vehicle. Its hitch cannot carry a trailer tongue that weighs more than 770 pounds, and its payload is a paltry 1,250 pounds. A Touareg is great for towing cars, medium campers, and the occasional Boeing 747, but you’ll need something even more beastly if you want to go bigger.
The question of my absolute dream tow vehicle is a hard one to answer. On one hand, I adored the 2025 Ford F-350 Super Duty Platinum Plus and its plush interior, 500 horsepower, and 1,200 lb-ft of torque. This was a truck that was a work vehicle and a luxury car in one, and did both surprisingly well.
But for as much as I loved that truck, it still loses out to what I feel is the king: the Ford F-150 FP700 (you can read my review here). If you’ve forgotten, because let’s be honest, 2023 feels like it was 10 years ago, I’ll give you a quick reminder. Ford allows you to plop a 3.0-liter supercharger onto your 5.0 Coyote-equipped Ford F-150, turning it into a tire-shredding 700 HP and 590 lb-ft of torque street truck. I’m not exaggerating about the tire-shredding part, either. Just breathe on the gas pedal, and it’ll willingly convert tires into smoke.
My FP700 test truck an XLT 4×2 with a regular cab and a short bed – a basic work truck, really. But add the FP700 supercharger, wheels, and decals, and it became a stunner on Woodward Ave in Detroit.
This was a work truck that was so fast that it could leave legitimate sports cars in its rearview mirror. Yet, it’s still a truck, so it can tow trailers, haul lumber, and do general truck stuff. Yes, I’m the person with six Smart Fortwos, and I’d just love to do burnouts in a regular cab, short-bed 700 HP truck. And then tow with it.
So, what about you? If money were no object, what would be your dream tow vehicle? Do you have a dream towing setup? Would you love your flashy truck to tow a trailer with all of your favorite cars? Or maybe a color-matched fifth wheel is your thing? Perhaps fantowsy is a BMW wagon with a trailer hitch that hauls a teardrop? Anything goes, it’s your dream!
Top graphic image: Ford
98-02 Ford Econoline High Top w 7.3 Powerstroke and Quigly 4×4 drivetrain. Tow rated 10,000lbs.
We have a similar tow vehicle. 2003 E-350 7.3L with a Quadvan 4×4 conversion. No high top. We used it to tow an enclosed 26′ trailer over 4,000 miles at 10,000lbs (if you round down). We’ve also towed a 28′ open deck trailer across the country numerous times when purchasing cars. Even though ours is extended length, it tows well.
It does not make my list of best tow vehicle because exhaust gas temperatures get excessive due to the lack of an intercooler. Also, it has no engine brake. And it only has a 4-speed transmission.
I don’t own one; I have a lifted AWD Astro. But I am jealous of the built econoline rigs I see in the ski area parking lots. Some of them are so friggin cool. What kind of MPG did you get with the 4×4 conversion and 7.3? My Astro only gets 13mpg.
Vans are just awesome for long distance travel if you can rig up a decent place to sleep for the night; drive until you’re tired, pull over and pass out. Saves so much time vs searching for hotels that often can’t do super late check ins, and then you’re just blowing $100+ to pass out for 8 hours. And then if you’re in a sketch area of town, you have to factor in the time of hauling in and out all the important cargo.
I went to look at a Type 2 Ambulance (high top, not box body) E350 a few months ago; total basket case, but it has a 7.3, crazy commercial grade suspension, and a hitch for 10k towing. Only RWD tho. Haven’t pulled the trigger but that doesn’t stop me from thinking about it often.
The only other vehicle I’ve been thinking about is a Cayenne TDI. 30mpg and better driving dynamics sound SOOOOOO nice after 12 hours driving a lifted van.
I have 3.73 gears and get 15 mpg. I drive really fast though. Most 4×4 conversions cut the fuel tank down to 29 gallons to make room for the transfer case. I have a 46 gallon TransferFlow tank, but they don’t stock them anymore. They will do a special run if you order 10 or 20 of them though.
I have a Touareg TDI that I bought new on the last day the Volkswagen officially sold them in the US. Never got 30mpg, but it does do 26 mpg all day long. I drive really fast though. It tows up to its max tow rating extremely well. I use weight distribution, but apparently it is not officially rated for that. The Cayenne is a better buy because they spec a 5,000 mile oil change interval versus 10,000 miles for VW on the same engine. These engines don’t like 10K OCIs
If towing under 7500lbs, I choose the Touareg every time. More efficient. More comfortable.
I have a 99 Tahoe (GMT400) that will eventually get completely rebuilt and engine swapped. Beefing up the frame, axle and diff upgrade to 3500 running gear, and engine swap to a 4.8L single turbo backed by some flavor of wide ratio 6 speed.
I have no need to tow more than 10k lbs, since a 10k gvwr trailer + non-diesel truck won’t hit that number in stockish form. The four-point-great with a single turbo can make plenty of steam when you wind it up, and get great mileage on the flats. It would cover every one of my needs, along with mostly being repairable with a $10 tool kit.
I have a base 2016 XL F250. Reliable as heck, just over 3,000 carrying capacity, and it tows anything under 10,000 just fine. I use it for livestock feed, landscape materials and towing a 32′ 8,000 lb. travel trailer. It fits my use fine and, as a big plus, I work remote, or, when I do have to go in office I use the train, so it is not a daily/commute driver.
I’ve got less than 100k on it and am only pulling 5,000 miles a year with it so It’ll most likely be my last truck.
If I got the option to upgrade to anything though, I’d go F350, long bed, SRW and the 6.7 diesel in a Lariat trim. That’ll do everything I’d ever need in comfort and style.
We have a similar deal, but our F250 is 20 years older. For what that engine rebuild cost, it dang well better last as long as our horses do. But yeah, it just sits unless we’re towing, or moving over a 1/2T of something.
A Sprinter-scale PHEV hybrid with capacity to tow a faltbed with a full-size truck on it. Drive around town on EV mode. Travel and tow in hybrid mode. Camp using the HV battery (auto-engine start when HV gets low), as a quiet generator. I have the trailer and the truck tow to get restored.
My current tow vehicle is a Crown Victoria Police Interceptor, I use it to pull a little Viking Express 9.0 camper, and occasionally a U Haul car trailer with either a Fiero or a Corvair on it, it works fine for those jobs
But, I think I’d really prefer something more luxurious and stylish, like the old Cadillac Fleetwood I used to have, or maybe a Roadmaster
My needs are:
Towing 10k
Cargo 2.5K
My wants are:
Reliable
Comfortable with a few features, Android Auto, Heated seats and Steering Wheel, Brake controller.
Low load height.
My dream tow rig would be a 3/4 ton van with a 10k towing capacity and room for 5 passengers when needed. The closest thing out there today is a Chevy Express/GMC Savanah Cargo van with the 6.6 V8 and 5 passenger option. It checks most of the boxes, but is lacking in the comfort department for the long road trips I would want it for.
I keep coming back to a Ram 2500 Bighorn with the 6.4 Hemi and a few options. It’s essentially a newer and lest rusty update of my 05 Dodge Ram 2500 (5.7 Hemi/G56) which has been meeting my needs for nearly 20 years.
At a recent event I think I counted 20 times a day that I had to crawl up into the truck bed and get something out. I have a step, but it’s still a pain and without fail the item I need is always buried at the front of the bed, requiring half of the truck to be unloaded to get at something. For hauling car parts, tools etc a van is just much nicer for access. I wish my old Caravan could tow more.
I think my compromise will be a newer 3/4 ton pickup and buying an enclosed car trailer which would have room for much of the cargo as well as whatever car I’m hauling on the open trailer today.
The specs on the Ram Ramcharger REV are appealing and on paper it sounds good. It could replace my current pickup and the car I daily drive. Errands and day to day stuff on electric and still have the range when towing seems like a win-win. Also would be interested if they come out with a heavy half ton on that chassis that might have more cargo capacity with a conventional drivetrain.
My dream tow vehicle would be a PHEV truck, so I can commute on electric and also use the truck as a generator for our RV.
I currently haul a 23′ Airstream Safari or a 1966 vintage “canned ham” trailer.
The vintage camper is up for sale as of Sunday in the Detroit area. You can check it out in the “Wheel Estate” channel on the Autopian Discord (shameless plug)
I think my dad’s choice for towing their 34′ Prowler in the mountains and deserts of the southwest US was just about perfect: 2010’s vintage F250 king cab 4×4, standard bed with 5th wheel/gooseneck, gas-fueled with tow package / auto transmission cooler, extended mirrors, brake controller. Dually rears on airbags.
Dad and mom were both 70+ years, but hooking and unhooking the trailer required little effort thanks to the gooseneck and airbags. Sure, it was a big truck, but still usable for getting around town / campgrounds / Forest Service “roads” without excess hassle. Enough power to go up hills without gearing down too much, and enough braking and transmission cooling to keep long downgrades from being a white-knuckle affair.
It was comfortable up front, with the usual Ford luxuries inside. Since it was Ford, service was easy to find in just about any small town. The only real gripe was that mom needed a step stool to enter/exit the truck. Unfortunately, health reasons made them give up the “nomad retiree” life a few years ago.
“What Is Your Dream Tow Vehicle?”
For the vanishingly few times I need to tow? A borrowed (or if necessary rented) truck/SUV.
I don’t care what it looks like, I don’t care how big it is as long as its big enough for that one job, I don’t care about its features past A/C and gas mileage is not a big consideration in a vehicle I might only drive a few miles.
What I DON’T want is to own a bigass truck or SUV when I never have use for a bigass truck or SUV. The drawbacks far outweigh the benefits.
“And What Are You Hauling?”
Probably a borrowed (or if necessary rented) trailer.
In the distant past I have (very slowly) towed broken down cars home with a 4 banger Pinto and a piece of rope. I don’t recommend it but it does go to show one doesn’t need a full sized pickup for every towing job.
I am torn on this. I tow at least once a month, and I haul stuff in the bed pretty regularly. Probably not enough that I couldn’t get by with rentals < car note.
Dang.
Your post has given me food for thought.
FWIW I manage to haul quite a bit in my Mazda5. Full sized appliances, construction scrap, multiple full beer kegs, 5 kids + crap on a field trip, a week’s worth of camping gear, a few hundred bucks of groceries, 4 bikes two others and a weekend getaway of luggage.
A LOT can fit in a little.
I’m with you. Can’t imagine being saddled with an inefficient and wasteful, poor handling vehicle as my daily driver. When ever I need to make a dump run, I rent or borrow.
Have you considered an Astro van? Fantastic non-daily driver. Small on the outside, way shorter in length than any modern pickup, but big on the inside. Tows 5700lbs. I love mine, and I can’t really think of a vehicle that could replace all the stuff it does in my life, without it being a LOT bigger.
My Mazda5 serves me quite well. Plus it fits in my garage under all my bikes.
I do not dream of towing. In a past life I did some really dumb towing things, out of need, poverty, and ignorance.
I had a side business of flipping and parting RWD Volvo cars. When I got a line on a freshly deceased car, I’d hitch my 400lb tow dolly to whatever 245 was running at the time, and go pick up a car of the same weight as the tow vehicle (plus the dolly). So I’m towing 3600lbs with a car rated to tow 3200lbs. And that was when it was new, not when it was a 250,000 mile car on death’s door.
I do not dream of towing; I have nightmares about towing.
I’m already living the dream:
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53279073650_a6d22436d6_c.jpg
Way cool rig, man! There was a solid but ugly one for sale in the mountains a few years ago; def had dreams of driving up a pass in a snowstorm in one of those things with rally lights on it
V10 TDI is high up on my list, but I want a reliable tow rig. Since I only want to tow a light enclosed trailer, with a lightweight race car (Miata or FK8 Civic Type R) i don’t need a super high tow capacity. a current Gen F150 Raptor would rule. I have borrowed a friend’s more than once and it’s a riot to drive.
I always thought a period-correct tow vehicle for our ’66 Aristocrat trailer would be cool. But not a truck, like a Galaxie or a Fury or something. Updated to power disc brakes, of course.
I know someone with a matched set like that, even to shade of green!
Audi Q7 with the V12 TDI, all I have to haul is a utility trailer but with that thing I could tow, well darn near anything
Single cab SRW long bed squarebody K3500 with a tool side utility bed, stock height so in can still run a gooseneck if I want.
Swap to a 6BT with a 4L80 and an NP205 or an Atlas.
King pin D60 and 14 bolt.
I would tow whatever I wanted and never worry about anything breaking.
I doubt I’ll ever get a chance to see one, let alone drive it, but to me the ultimate towing machine is a Kenworth C500 with a Miller Industries M100 rotator body. It’s the largest tow truck on the planet and is friggin awesome. I wish Mercedes or David would do a deep dive on them, because the engineering that went into those beasts is incredible.
I saw a rig yesterday that is bigger than any tow rig I’ve seen, by far.
Maybe yours?
Honda Odyssey, silly as it sounds.
Can haul 4’x8′ sheets of plywood. Can be used as a place to sleep in a pinch in lieu of a trailer. Can tow up to a 3500 lb. trailer. Can throw a kayak on the top of it. Good highway cruiser, not completely hopeless in the handling department, the Honda V6 is a good blend of power and economy.
Not silly.
Truth.
For moderately sized tows, of course.
And with a trans cooler.
And upgraded brakes for those downhills.
Current gen Land Cruiser towing a capable teardrop trailer (no specific preference, as long as it’s well built to handle dirt) with my gravel bike on the back.
My dream tow vehicle is a GMT-800 3/4 ton Suburban with Quadrasteer and a 6.0 LS. I’d be towing an aluminum frame cargo trailer that I have custom converted into a much more durable and high quality camper than I can buy.
My buddy keeps tempting me with that exact truck. The Qudrasteer even works, but it will need a new 6.0 soon.
Oh man! For the right price, it’d be worth it.
It totally is, unfortunately for me he offered it after we just traded in the wife’s car for a new one, so the funds aren’t readily available. Plus, I have nowhere to work on it currently but his place.
Bummer. I’d ask for more details, but I’m broke right now myself 🙂
My choice too. I’d often tow an 8-9000Lb enclosed trailer so Tuareg wouldn’t work, however have used a V6 TDI Tuareg for short trips that weren’t fully loaded. I’d ditch the quadrasteer though and get the 8.1L V8. Had a 2001 Yukon XL 2500 and it’s best feature was that it’s 1/4-1/2″ shorter than my garage door opening, and 1.5″ shorter than the length of my garage. If it fits, it sits, sadly anything more modern doesn’t fit.
There are no bad choices there. I’d be delighted to have one without Quadrasteer, but I’d really prefer the 6.0 to the 8.1.
A grail truck IMO
No doubt.
There’s a Quadrasteer Suburban in my neighborhood. The first time I saw it, I audibly gasped.
We have a non-Quadrasteer 6.0 Suburban 2500 that won’t die. 280k miles and still towing boats.
But a clean Quadrasteer suburban or Quadrasteer CC Sierra has always been on my wish list.
I used to know someone who used this as a tow vehicle, and it was hilarious, so my answers are, in order: an Alvis Stalwart, and whatever the fuck I want.
Had to Google that, it is the penultimate answer.
I’ve driven my dream tow vehicle, though I’ve yet to convince the owner to sell it to me. ‘96 ECLB Chevy K3500 dually, with the 454 and a ChooChoo interior conversion . Drank fuel, but damn I loved hauling with that truck. I have a ‘99 K2500 that’s my tow pig, but if that K3500 ever is available, I need to add it to my fleet. What a fun truck.
What would I haul? I’m a farmer, so all the things. Hay, tractors, cows, whatever.
Start with a crew cab 10th gen F-150, but lop off the 5.5′ bed (only option on the CC) and graft on the standard 6.5′ bed (actually not a hard conversion). Dark blue FX4 with cloth seats is honestly fine, add a modern 2 din radio. The 2V 5.4 is a fantastic truck motor, but better motors exist now, the HO 3.5 Ecoboost would be more than I’d ever need, but we’re dreaming here so lets drop in the 7.3 Godzilla plus a super charger and a built 10R80. Add lockers front/rear, level kit, 33’s.
Remember those weird crossover years when Ford built F-250’s on the 10th gen platform with the 7 lug wheels? Rob those parts for my build so I can bump my capacity up a little to heavy half/light 3/4 ton use.
We’re towing anything and everything. Boats, utility trailers, ATV’s, dirt bikes, campers, car trailers with project trucks, skid loaders etc. etc.
I bought my GMC Sierra 3500HD Denali Ultimate because it was my dream tow vehicle to pull our camper and anything else I may want to. The only thing I would do different is a long box instead of short box but that wouldn’t fit in our (current) garage.
I want an old 1940s Ford COE cab on a modern diesel car-hauler frame.
If money were no option I’d have to go with driving around one of the NASA Crawler Transporters towing Space Shuttles around.
With a top speed of like 0.000001 MPH I think time would be an issue too.