Dinghy Towing
2014
Whether you want economy, style or utility, this year’s
crop of dinghy towables offers something for everyone
by Chris Hemer
T
he practice of towing a vehicle four-
wheels-down behind a motorhome is still
the most convenient way for owners to
get around once they’ve reached their destina-
tion. Rather than breaking camp every time you
need to leave the RV park or campsite, simply
jump in your car and drive o, just like you
would at your home.
In the early years, only a handful of manu-
facturers recognized the practice, and most
could only verify a few models as being tow-
able. With each passing year, however, more
manufacturers are recognizing the benets of
dinghy towing, and are becoming more active
in approving their vehicles. As a result, there
are more choices now than ever, and also a lot
more variety — from fuel sipping compact cars
and hybrids to full-size pickups and SUVs.
You’ve probably noticed that there are
other vehicles out there being dinghy towed
that aren’t on our list, and you may have won-
dered why. To put it simply, the vehicles in our
guide must be approved by the manufacturer
for dinghy towing in order to qualify. That
means the manufacturer has conrmed that
its vehicle can be dinghy towed without
causing damage to the drivetrain or otherwise
voiding the warranty. Second, the vehicle
must be towable without requiring signicant
mechanical modication (such as disconnect-
ing the driveshaft, for example). Finally, the
vehicle must be towable at a speed of at least
55 mph for no fewer than 200 miles before
some sort of prescribed startup procedure is
required to circulate uid through the trans-
mission and/or transfer case.
You’ll note that some vehicles will appear
and disappear from the list every year, and
that’s largely because of changes to the vehicle
and/or its drivetrain. In other instances, a
manufacturer may not have had time to test
a new vehicle’s dinghy towing worthiness in
time for last year’s guide, and has since deter-
mined that the vehicle is towable.
Keep in mind that we’ve made every eort
to check, and double check with each manufac-
turer to make sure that the listings are correct
and current. However, much of the informa-
tion we receive is preliminary when the guide
is compiled, and can change by the time this
issue goes to press. Therefore, we cannot stress
enough that you check with the dealer to be
certain that the vehicle you are considering is
dinghy towable. Ask to see a copy of the owner’s
manual; somewhere in the index, there should
be a notation for “recreational,” “four-down,”
or “at” towing. If the owner’s manual states
that the vehicle is not towable, consider some-
thing else, or be prepared to modify the vehicle
and probably void any stated warranties.
With all that being said, let’s take a look at
some of the new at-towable oerings for 2014.
Toyota Corolla
Information provided
courtesy of
Motorhome Magazine
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2014 GUIDE TO DINGHY TOWING www.motorhome.com
