Towing: 2007 20' Bentley Cruise w/60 hp Suzuki 4-stroke.

Current tow vehicle: 2004 Lincoln Aviator, 8-cylinder. 

Should be fine to tow with, right?  NOT!  It basically has 1-wheel drive, and as soon as that one wheel starts to slip, we're dead.  We couldn't even pull an empty 8' U-haul trailer up our driveway (it's pretty steep)!   Seriously.  So I've decided that we really need either 4wd or AWD SUV, but I really don't want something too large.  So my question is (finally), what are your thoughts about a Ford Edge with AWD?  The listed towing capacity is 3500#, and that's what has me concerned.  My guess is between the boat, motor, and trailer, we might be getting close to that.  Any other vehicle suggestions?  The boat will generally be in Tennessee (pretty hilly), but we may also tow it back to Florida occasionally.  Thanks for your input!

Feom all that I have heard from several Edge owners, they are really NOT for towing even though the dealer says differently. Maybe for light boats but not for pontoon boats. Two of my buddies have had them & towed their bass boats & were very unhappy with them to the point they traded them back in & got F-150 Ford pickups. Both are 2 wheel drive & have the Triton V8 engines. When they now tow they take it out of overdrive & so far they are pleased.

I myself have a 2002 Dodge Ram SLT with the 4.7 liter engine 2 wheel drive & although it refuses to pass a gas station it definitly has all the power I need for the pontoon boat & the bass boat. I'd thought a new Dodge Dakota with the same engine but it won't get any better gas mileage the the Ram & fot the added room in the Ram that is the way I went mainly because I got a really good deal on the truck. Otherwise I would have gon with the Ford Triton F-150 crew cab.

I agree with the others, the Edge is just not enough vehicle for towing a pontoon boat. In the Ford line I wouldn't consider anything smaller than the Explorer. Personally I would go with a full size SUV or pickup, and be sure it had a towing package. Otherwise your transmission will suffer.

Joe

Get the big Toyota Tundra with towing package.  I never thought I'd even buy a Japanese car, much less recommend them, but they are just so much better than our domestic brands, I have moved over to them and love them.  Much better vehicles than the Jeep Cherokees I drove for 25 years.  My wife has had three Lexus' and I have 60,000 miles on a 4-Runner and it's never had the hood open except to change the oil at the car wash.  It's a V-6 and it pulls my 20 footer with a 90 Honda just fine in the middle of our summer. No towing package, unless it came with it and I just don't know it.   I've never tried it on a really steep and wet ramp...just normal ramps.  I wish my trailer had brakes though.

Remember, if you buy too small, you're in for a heap of danger. mechanical problems and aggravation. 

Thats why I bought an American Government Motors Corporation 3/4 ton 4wd truck with Allison tranny and Duramax engine. Had to lock in the hubs on a steep wet ramp this weekend. Probably could have pulled her out without 4WD had I had 'mud tires' instead of the slicks that came on it. I would seriously check the GVWR of your vehicle and the loaded weight of your toon and trailer and purchase accordingly if you have any doubts. I probably have one of the heaviest trailerable toons available thus I bought one of the higher rated tow vehicles without going to a 1 ton or commercial vehicle. Another factor to consider is how far you will be towing, how often and the terrain. An occasional short tow on flat ground with a flat ramp can be handled by most vehicles while, as I do alot, a day long drive with a heavy boat in mountainous terrain will require alot more vehicle to avoid mechanical problems. As stated before stopping is probably more of a consideration than 'will it pull it'.

I have the Tundra myself, with 4WD and limited slip differential.  I've never had a problem, even when the ramps are steep and slick with algae.  It's never been in the garage except for regular maintenance.

When considering a vehicle for towing a boat, the 'experts' recommend that you get a vehicle whose tow ratings match the boat fully loaded on the trailer (not dry weight), plus people and stuff in the vehicle, and add 20% as a safety margin (to compensate for ramps, hills, and such).  So, for example, if all that weighs 5000 pounds, get something rated to tow 6000 pounds.

Most newer full size trucks have the added benefit of 4 wheel disc brakes.