Buying a new Honda Pilot, will I need a 4WD to tow?

[Theta]

We are buying a HOnda Pilot SUV, the towing capacity of the 2WD is 3500 and the 4WD is 4500.

We want to haul a small pop-up camper (yet to be purchased) and was wondering if I will need the 4WD or will the 2WD suit my needs.

 

[clkelley]

The higher tow rating is always better!!

 

[Judy in Texas]

First of all, I'm not an expert...

That said, I'm looking at the Pilot, also. I drive a CRV to work with 200,000 miles on it and still going strong. I had a Civic before the CRV that I traded with 160,000 miles on it. I love Hondas. Take a serious look at the gross weight of the pop-up you are getting. Also take into consideration all the stuff and people that will be in the Pilot. It would be nice to have the extra towing capacity, especially if you are going to be in the mountains, and the 4 wheel drive if you live where it snows. My friend and I pulled the Aliner to WDW in September with her Subaru. It has a tow capacity of 2,500 lbs and the GVW of the trailer is 2,000 lbs. It did well enough. My next vehicle will be something like the Pilot or Odyssey with a tow capacity of at least 3,500 lbs. I want a vehicle that will fit in my garage and not cost a fortune to drive 90 miles round trip to work. Most of the pickup trucks out there now wouldn't come close to fitting in the garage (at least with the "ears" out) and I'm not a pickup truck sort of person.

 

[DaveInTN]

You are in a great position of shopping for both a tow vehicle AND a trailer. If time allows, you may want to look around at popups and/or small trailers that you like before purchasing the Pilot, and get a more solid idea of what your towing needs are going to be before investing in a tow vehicle. It is sometimes surprising to find out what the actual weights are of the RV you fall in love with, and you don't want to make a mistake like buying an expensive new Pilot and an RV, and then discovering after towing a few times that your set up is not ideal and you need a more "stout" tow vehicle.

Now, if you have your heart set on the Pilot as your next vehicle and you will be towing with it, I would agree with clkelley...the higher the tow capacity the better! That extra 1000 lbs of towing capacity on the 4wd model would cover passengers and cargo inside the Pilot, leaving that much more for actual trailer weight. As Judy noted above, all that stuff you will carry in the Pilot counts toward your capacities! If you have a family to haul with you....or dogs....or BEER....you will want a higher capacity. Then, you can find a pop up that fits within your limits and not worry.

BTW, I personally think Pilots make excellent tow vehicles! They are quite stable for an SUV. I'm no expert...but if you match it up well with a popup and don't overburden it you should have a good combo. Good luck!

 

[ftwildernessguy]

Maybe it's my ADHD kicking up, but I was pretty sure the 4WD model of my truck has a LOWER tow rating than the 2WD, mainly because of the extra weight of the other "stuff" it takes to make it a 4WD.

 

[clkelley]

Maybe it's my ADHD kicking up, but I was pretty sure the 4WD model of my truck has a LOWER tow rating than the 2WD, mainly because of the extra weight of the other "stuff" it takes to make it a 4WD.

For most of the bigger trucks that is the case Jim. But I bet in the smaller vehicles, the 2WD model doesn't have the extra stuff such as transmission cooler, Class II/III hitch, extra wiring for it to tow properly, but they figure that folks with a 4WD on the smaller vehicles might tow, so they also add the tow stuff to the 4WD models. So in the case of the Pilot, if the proper tow stuff were added to the 2WD model, it might actually have 4K tow rating.

(Really just guessing here)

 

[ftwildernessguy]

I'm too lazy to look up the ratings for the Pilot, but I double checked the ones for my f150 and sure enough, 200lbs less for the 4wd.

 

[DaveInTN]

I was thinking something along those lines too Jim. In fact I thought the old Pilot's had a 3500 lb rating irregardless of 2wd or 4wd, and 4500 lb rating only if pulling a boat (presumably due to lower drag). But, I checked the honda website and sure enough, the 2010 Pilot has a 3500 lb tow rating for 2wd and 4500 lb for 4wd.

 

[bigdisneydaddy]

I'm too lazy to look up the ratings for the Pilot, but I double checked the ones for my f150 and sure enough, 200lbs less for the 4wd.

Jim, I could produce page after page of documents supporting your theory but instead I will just say I agree with you.

 

[mamaloya]

Hmmm, I was thinking the same thing as Jim as well. I always thought 4WD vehicles were weaker tow vehicles. Carol might have a point on the smaller vehicles. Typos happen though, so double check BEFORE you buy.

And, on the popup note, popups are getting bigger. They have all kinds of neat features now and slides as well that add to the weight. Bigger fridges and microwaves. They are getting mighty fancy. LOL Definitely look at the popups before you pick a tow vehicle. You may choose one that is close the 3500. You do not want to max out your capacity.

Whatever you do, DO NOT rely on the dealer. They LIE!!!! OK, maybe not all of them, but all the ones I have ever talked to. Tried to convince me I only needed to worry about UVWR not GVWR. "You'll never put that much stuff in it." Well, I am not gonna try to tow a 30ft 10,000 GVWR trailer with a Chevy Express 1500. I may be blonde, but I am not STUPID!!!!! OK, done venting now.

 

[Theta]

Wow!! Thanks for all your replies! You guys are great! I need to start hanging around here more when I buy my little unit!

 

[disney4dan]

I wonder if the higher tow rating for the Honda 4WD comes from a different overall power train that allows for the higher tow rating?

In trucks, it's the weight of the extra gear for the 4WD that takes down the tow rating, but mostly everything else on the truck is the same (assuming the same engine, differential and transmission). I'm thinking the Honda 4WD has a different transmission and maybe heavier duty breaks? Maybe more horsepower in the engine?

Regarding the 4WD, there may be times in wet campground conditions or any other type of situation where the 4WD gives you the extra traction needed to maneuver the trailer around or climb an unexpected slope that is gravel. Trailers, even lighter weight ones, can really decrease the traction on the two drive wheels (assuming rear wheel drive here) when on hills. Two years ago we had to stop in a city for a traffic light on a slope. The pavement itself looked "darker" and possibly slick with oil? In any case, once the green light came we could not move forward until I put it in 4WD, the rear tires were just slipping. Luckily, I did not have the old-style manual locking hubs and could just engage 4WD in the driver seat. Being able to get the added security of 4WD without losing towing capacity makes for an easier decision.

 

[I'mDownWithDisney]

I always buy 4wd, and use it quite frequently.

I have a similar story as disney4dan. I was pulling a 10,000 lb equipment trailer up a steep, wet, slightly curvy paved road. I was going about 40 mph when I felt the rear end break loose. I backed out of it and then eased into it again. It start spinning again. I backed off again and selected 4hi on the 4wd selector. I was then able to to crest the hill without any trouble. I am convinced that with a 2wd truck I would have been forced to turn around. I know that this is an extreme and isolated case, but it just shows that you never know when you might need 4wd.

 

[des1954]

4WD is bragadocious if you live in Florida. There are only three mountains here. Their names are: "Space", "Big Thunder" and "Splash"!!

 

[I'mDownWithDisney]

Does Florida have any deep sand or mud holes?

 

[campingdawgs]

We just bought a new Pilot. We considered the 4WD because it does indeed have a higher towing capacity. However, our highwall popup is very heavy and when loaded, would be close to the limit of the 4WD Pilot. We decided to go with the 2WD, and just continue towing "The Beast" (our ginormous popup) with our truck. The Pilot will tow our boat just fine, though!

 

[Thumper_ehhhhh]

Weird that they have it reversed. My Burb is 4x4 and its tow rating is 7200 lbs RWD is 7400 lbs. I guess hondas 2wd suspension isnt beefed up at all and the suspension on the 4x4 is beefed up enough to handle more weight. I agree with the others more tow capacity is better but as long as you are under the tow capacity it wont matter with either way. I would definatly look at trailers first so you can make sure you get the right TV for it. Popups are heavier than they once were. Good luck on your search.