Top Picks for The Towing Crowd

Serious towing requires a powerful drivetrain, a durable chassis and a trailer hitch. We checked out SUVs, stations wagons, vans and pickups that might have the grunt for this sort of thing. We gathered dozens of contenders from our 2008 Best Bets and any new cars we've driven since. Considerations like towing and cargo capacity narrowed the list a great deal.

Best New Car for The Towing Crowd 2008 Toyota Tundra Starting MSRP $22,390 Besides a slick cabin with big buttons for easy use, the Tundra CrewMax offers one of the largest backseats in the business. The 5.7-liter V-8 is incredibly fast when there's nothing attached to the hitch. Slap on a trailer, and that same engine turns into a towing monster that can handle more than 10,300 pounds. Some competitors can haul the same amount, but not in this nice of a package or with the same amount of gusto during non-towing duties. Stick with the two-wheel-drive Tundra. Not only does it have a higher towing capacity, its reliability has proved much better than its four-wheel-drive sibling's.

Best Deal for The Towing Crowd 2009 Nissan Frontier Starting MSRP $17,460 Even with the base four-cylinder, the Frontier tows 3,500 pounds. Yes, the Toyota Tacoma tows the same and costs less, but it drops out as your needs increase. Nissan's burly 4.0-liter V-6 is optional; with it, towing capacity increases to 6,500 pounds. Here's the clincher: The Frontier can be equipped to tow that much for around $20,000. Other midsize pickups fall short of the mark, or they require you to upgrade to a pricey V-8. The Tacoma can tow 6,500 pounds, but equipping one to do so costs thousands more. If you need to tow serious stuff on the cheap, the Frontier is your answer.

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Chevrolet Avalanche (2009) Starting MSRP $34,960 No crew cab pickup is quite like the Avalanche, whose midgate lets you choose between passenger space and cargo-bed length. A new six-speed automatic should ease towing duties and improve mileage, but avoid the efficient 3.08 axle ratio if you want to tow up to 8,100 pounds. Choose the 3.42 axle and heavy-duty trailering package. Research this car      Build this car

Chevrolet Silverado Hybrid (2009) Starting MSRP $38,020 Since their inception, hybrids that could tow have maxed out at 3,500 pounds. While it's not quite the 10,700-pound maximum of the non-hybrid Silverado 1500, the Silverado Hybrid can tow 6,100 pounds, which accounts for the majority of trailers. Its payload is only 185 pounds less than the non-hybrid's maximum. It's a real work truck that gets 21/22 mpg unladen. Research this car      Build this car

Dodge Ram 1500 (2009) Starting MSRP $21,270 The Ram's 9,100-pound towing capacity doesn't beat some of its immediate competitors, but the truck's coil-spring rear suspension lends standout ride quality you'll appreciate when pulling a boat to the lake. A wiring harness with four- and seven-pin connectors is standard, and it integrates into the bumper rather than hanging below it. A Class IV trailer hitch is optional. Research this car      Build this car

	Ford Expedition (2009) Starting MSRP $32,820 When a full-size SUV is what you need for your towing job, the Expedition comes through strong with a maximum towing capacity of 9,200 pounds when properly equipped. It's also easy to drive for a large SUV, features a 5.4-liter V-8 engine and has a third-row seat that's among the most comfortable in its class. Research this car      Build this car

Ford Explorer Sport Trac (2009) Starting MSRP $25,985 Not quite as large as traditional full-size crew cab trucks, the Explorer Sport Trac boasts a lot of towing power with its optional V-8 engine; two-wheel-drive models are rated to haul up to 7,160 pounds with this engine. Besides towing, drivability is a strong suit for the Sport Trac, along with its comfortable front seats. Research this car      Build this car

Lexus LX 570 (2009) Starting MSRP $75,705 At $75,000, this is the most expensive towing machine we nominated, but there are folks with money who need to tow heavy items. The LX 570's 8,500-pound towing capacity will get a horse trailer or nice-sized boat wherever you need to go. A Lexus-level of quality in a cabin that seats eight is also a bonus. The 383-horsepower, 5.7-liter V-8 engine is also a blast to drive when nothing is attached to the tow hitch. Research this car      Build this car

Nissan Pathfinder (2009) Starting MSRP $27,210 Nissan's Pathfinder remains one of the most likable truck-based SUVs on the market. For 2008, it added a V-8 engine that was good for 7,000 pounds of towing. The V-6 is no slouch, either, towing 6,000 pounds. Both feature good road manners and a tough-guy interior. Three rows of seats are standard, and all fold flat. Four-wheel-drive LE models feature a two-speed transfer case. Research this car      Build this car

Toyota Sequoia (2009) Starting MSRP $34,150 Large vehicles tow large loads, and in the case of the Sequoia full-size SUV, large equals trailers up to 10,000 pounds — when equipped with the 5.7-liter V-8 and rear-wheel drive. Four-wheel drive subtracts 400 pounds from the total, and the same driveline has been troublesome on the related Tundra pickup. Go with the 4x2. Research this car      Build this car