Tow Vehicles.....Pathfinder vs Grand Cherokee

[Wayne Riley]

I am currently towing my Nitro 901 CDX (tandem axle trailer) with a Chevy Trailblazer. The end of the lease is approaching and I am looking at two other vehicles, the Nissan Pathfinder and the Jeep Grand Cherokee, as I want to downsize without sacrificing towing ability. I have done research on both these vehicles and my question is this......does anyone use either of these vehicles to tow their Nitro 901 CDX (tandem axle trailer) and if so, does the rear end of either of these vehicles experience sagging in the back end when hooked up to your trailer?



Thanks for your replies.

 

[Jim Corson]

I am towing an 882 with an '01 Grand Cherokee, and have little problems hauling it. pound for pound, i believe the GC hauls my 882 better than my '00 Dodge Ram Q/Cab, as the 4.0L I-6 develops it hp @ low RPM, which is when you need the torque. I was looking at a Trailblazer before i purchased my GC, but was unable to swing the monthly payments, as i had to rollover $$$$$$$$ from my Dodge. I would think any midsize SUV will drop a little, with our heavyier boats, my 882 lowers my Jeep GC, and it lowered my Dodge Ram as well. I would think about keeping the Trailblazer or possibly check out a Jeep GC with the 4.7L V-8, but gas mileage will suffer a bit, being a V-8. I get about 14 mpg hauling my boat with the 4.0L. Hope you resolve the issue at hand, its a tough one, gas mileage vs towability..... It always seems like a tandem trailer tows easier, so a Jeep GC might be allright.

 

[Peter Wulfekotte]

I have a friend in my club that tows an older Nitro (I don't know the model) with a new Pathfinder and he says he hardly knows the boat is there. He was using a Jeep Cherokee and the boat was taking a toll on the suspension. It was saging badly. I tow a lighter boat, a Pro 17 and it did the same thing to my Explorer. Do you have to have a SUV? I just got a 2001 Tundra with the TRD package. My mileage with this small 8 is better, both towing and not towing, then the V6 Explorer. One of the things that influenced me was, while fishing the Ever Start last year, I saw a lot of Tundras. It seemed to be what the guys used if they didn't have the big heavy duty trucks. If you go Edmunds.com you can research the vehicles pretty good and see some discussions people are having. I was considering the Liberty at one time and got one of my suspicions confirmed. These Jeeps (all models) sometimes come out with troublesome transmissions. IF you get on of them you're done. Jeep (Chrysler) either can't or won't get it straightend out. Tough decision. Good luck.

 

[Larry Harp]

I tow my PT-185 with my 01 Jeep GC, 4.0 6cyl, 4X4. I pulls the light tin boat without a whimper. Sometimes I'll almost forget it's back there until I glance in the rear-view mirror and think someone's tailgating me. Not sure what the added +1000 pounds the 901 would do to the suspension. With the tamdem wheels on the trailer more weight is distributed back on the trailer. I have no idea what the differance on the tounge weight would be. If you experance sagging, you can always beef up the rearend with heavier shocks and spring helpers. Another thing to consider is stopping distances can get longer with big loads on smaller vehicles. Not sure if you have trailer brakes or not.



Yes, I have had three trips to the shop with transmission trouble with my Jeep. Once when it was still in factory warranty and two on my dime. It's always the same problem....a pressure sensor and a relay....costs about $275 at a local independent tranny guy I use. He says he see the same problem in all brands with about the same regularity. However, even when the tranny is working fine I don't get a warm fuzzy feeling from it. It never seems to know what gear it wants to be in, downshifts are sometimes pretty harsh, and kicking down into passing gear on the highway is a real adventure. Overall though, it's been a pretty good vehicle. It has 157K on the clock and drive the dog ---- out of it.



Harpo

 

[Teri C.]

I tow a Triton F&S 19' with a 2005 GC with a Hemi. Tows like a dream but forget about gas mileage. Get about 11-12 with the boat on the interstate. I only get 12 around town without the boat and 16/17 on highway. Sucks the gas! I was looking for the 4.7 but ended up finding a used loaded Hemi so I bought it. Don't ever buy a new one or you will lose your ars on resale. Let someone else take the hit. Only issue I have is with the brakes....stop way ahead of time and you will be ok. I drive extremely fast so slowing down always takes me longer.



Towed with a 2004 Pathfinder and the rear sagged pretty bad. It pulled it ok but I was never fond of the sag. Not sure if the 2005 redesign fixed that.