Best CUV for towing

GJ-Molestor said:
OP is currently towing his boat with a Honda Accord, so what would the 6 sedan not be able to provide that a CX-5 would?

The way I see it, a taller, heavier body using the exact same engine output and transmission = more strain on the transmission, less efficiency and less capability towing. You guys dont make any sense.
Click to expand...

There is a lot more to towing capacity than the engine output and transmission. Again, your own user's manual says DO NOT TOW.

I can't tell if you are just a weird troll looking for attention or you actually believe what you write. Every single one of your posts on a variety of subjects are bizarrely incorrect and easily disproven.
 
Last edited:
murky said:
How does "ignore user" work on this forum? Do posts just show blank with "user ignored" or something? I've just activated one, I'm curious to see what it does.
Click to expand...

It shows a blank post, but said user will appear in other's quotes. The problem with this guy is that his posts might seem plausible to the uninformed visitor browsing for info and someone will try to tow 3300 lbs with their sedan. It's a recurring pattern with him and why I think he is just a troll/lonely kid looking for some attention.
 
I don't know anything about towing, but by god a sedan is the first thing I think of as a towing vehicle! (headshake

Edit: Sarcasm if it's not obvious.
 
Our CX-5 pulls our little 500lb utility trailer with whatever reasonably weighted crap I need to throw in it without complaining one bit. Note: I'm not hauling a yard of top soil!

CX will handle 1000 lbs no problem at all.
 
Honestly having grown up in (Germany) and traveled around Europe there is absolutely nothing abnormal about a car towing boats/caravans/trailers. That's really just a NA mindset since we have so many pickup trucks and SUVS here. That being said, I'm not sure I'd pick a wrong wheel drive over vehicle with available RWD or AWD at a boat ramp lol. Also if your going to be towing a boat or other outdoors equipment the extra interior space offered by the CUV is probably useful.
 
Chris_Top_Her said:
Honestly having grown up in (Germany) and traveled around Europe there is absolutely nothing abnormal about a car towing boats/caravans/trailers. That's really just a NA mindset since we have so many pickup trucks and SUVS here. That being said, I'm not sure I'd pick a wrong wheel drive over vehicle with available RWD or AWD at a boat ramp lol. Also if your going to be towing a boat or other outdoors equipment the extra interior space offered by the CUV is probably useful.
Click to expand...

Yup, North Americans are just retarded.

I agree that the CX-5 will offer more space, but if you need to pick between two identical drivetrains, the 6 is a better choice. its not like space in the sedan is lacking due to the longer wheelbase!

If the CX-5 offered a 2.5T option that the Mazda 6 did not have and I needed to tow, I would pick the CX-5 without blinking an eye. But thats just simply not the case.
 
Last edited:
craigo said:
There is a lot more to towing capacity than the engine output and transmission. Again, your own user's manual says DO NOT TOW.

I can't tell if you are just a weird troll looking for attention or you actually believe what you write. Every single one of your posts on a variety of subjects are bizarrely incorrect and easily disproven.
Click to expand...

Right, because using the smaller, lighter, lower, more efficient, better handling sedan with stronger stopping power is unsafe, but as soon as you slap the same engine and transmission into a heavier, tippy crossover its suddenly the s*** for towing?

I dont understand you Americans. Logic is seriously lacking here.
 
I've actually been weighing this one a bit. I have a camper that is about 1400 pounds dry. I keep going back and forth on whether or not I want to put a hitch on my CX-5. My wife has a 2006 Toyota Highlander with a V-6, so that would be the other option for towing. I'm more inclined to go that route simply because it has more power and I'm less upset about abusing it than I am my CX-5. The '08 BMW X3 I had was awesome for towing that camper. I guess I'm tempted to try it with the CX-5, but not as excited about doing long road trips over several days while towing. If it were the diesel, I wouldn't even think twice, but it's not.

I'm probably just overthinking it.
 
Johnny Danger said:
I've actually been weighing this one a bit. I have a camper that is about 1400 pounds dry. I keep going back and forth on whether or not I want to put a hitch on my CX-5. My wife has a 2006 Toyota Highlander with a V-6, so that would be the other option for towing. I'm more inclined to go that route simply because it has more power and I'm less upset about abusing it than I am my CX-5. The '08 BMW X3 I had was awesome for towing that camper. I guess I'm tempted to try it with the CX-5, but not as excited about doing long road trips over several days while towing. If it were the diesel, I wouldn't even think twice, but it's not.

I'm probably just overthinking it.
Click to expand...

Go for the highlander, it will be easier to tow with.

You also want to consider things like how short first gear is (how easily the car gets up and going while towing) and the final drive ratio (how peppy the drivetrain will respond to inputs, whether the highlander has good tires for safe emergency stopping, reducing tire spin from a start, and most importantly strong brakes that wont overheat if youre going down a steep incline for example.

Your BMW was great for towing because Inline 6 engines are smooth and responsive, and make lots of punchy torque from a low-RPM. Plus bmws transmission tuning is excellent.
 
GJ-Molestor said:
Right, because using the smaller, lighter, lower, more efficient, better handling sedan with stronger stopping power is unsafe, but as soon as you slap the same engine and transmission into a heavier, tippy crossover it’s suddenly the s*** for towing?

I don’t understand you Americans. Logic is seriously lacking here.
Click to expand...

have you ever considered moving over to another forum?
forum.mazda6club.com
That forum is fairly active, and you can talk about your amazing mazda6 all day long.
 
piotrek91 said:
The limiting factor for towing in the USA is tongue (nose) weight of the trailer.
The 6 can only support 65kg (143lbs) of tongue weight, meanwhile the CX-5 can support 200lbs, thus it is a more capable tow rig.

Nothing else really matters.

Besides, the CX-5 has shorter gearing (especially the AWD version), so with a trailer it'll easily out accelerate your mazda 6.

Oh, also the CX-5 has larger rear brakes to help you stop while towing.
Click to expand...

Wife has a 2013 2.0 automatic. No it's not a speed demon. It does provide really good real-world mpgs and hauls passengers/cargo up mountains better than most 2.0 NA engines would. Really flat torque curve for a non-turbo. Would imagine the CX-5 2.5 be a good towing vehicle. Oh and the 2.0 does have pretty good size rotors...rear is larger than my Mazda6 rears. I wonder if they are the same size as the CX-5 2.5's?
 
Chris_Top_Her said:
Honestly having grown up in (Germany) and traveled around Europe there is absolutely nothing abnormal about a car towing boats/caravans/trailers. That's really just a NA mindset since we have so many pickup trucks and SUVS here. That being said, I'm not sure I'd pick a wrong wheel drive over vehicle with available RWD or AWD at a boat ramp lol. Also if your going to be towing a boat or other outdoors equipment the extra interior space offered by the CUV is probably useful.
Click to expand...

More complicated than that - this is a great article referencing an SAE tech doc that's used to determine these things: https://oppositelock.kinja.com/tow-me-down-1609112611/1609771499 Warning: physics!

One difference is the tongue is pulled closer to the car allowing a higher weight limit but at the expense of dynamic stability at speed. Since Europe has generally lower speeds than the US this is allowable.

Also in Europe, towing laws are more uniform and more strict when applied to average driver. In the US, it's legal to tow more weight at higher speeds with an average driver's license, generally. Legal doesn't mean safe since nobody is required to have extra training. In fact I think the low tow ratings in the US are the manufacturer's direct opinion that these laws are too lax - it would be easy for a customer to get in over their head. In Germany you have the autobahn - but if you're towing with a car, you're limited to 80-100kph/50-62 mph.

Short answer is: different places have different road conditions and regulations, tow ratings take that into account. Sure, you could hitch up 3300 lbs to your 6 but whether or not it is safe highly depends on your equipment and how you're driving.
 
GJ-Molestor said:
I feel like the AWD CX-5 isn’t enough power for towing. The 185HP engine is going to be overtaxed.

RWD and towing shouldn’t be an issue however.
Click to expand...

Can't agree with that statement at all. But it is what it is.
 
It tows fine .... I can even launch my boat on a gravel & sand beach.. then easily load stuff from the back of my CX-5 with folded down seats. I'd hate to be pulling this stuff out of sedan. Good video Chris... unless you have perfect & clean cement boat ramps don't try it with FWD or you will quickly become an amusement piece and your own online video posted by others of fails...

Torque is actually more important in towing than HP

A 6 was used to pull it out but CX-5 would have worked the same. Just a RWD example.

 
Last edited:
Re towing with the 6 vs the CX5 The OP asked Best CUV for towing.

I use my CX5 for towing often I tow through the mountains of PA at the speed limit with no trouble at all.
 
fdew said:
Re towing with the 6 vs the CX5 The OP asked Best CUV for towing.

I use my CX5 for towing often I tow through the mountains of PA at the speed limit with no trouble at all.
Click to expand...

what RPM's do you typically use when accelerating, passing and coasting?
 
Please log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

A
2009 CX-9 GT AWD Towing weight distribution hitch
Replies
5
Views
3K
PTguy
P
A
    • Like
    • Sad
CX-5 Towing...Blew up transmission!
2
Replies
31
Views
9K
Tgross88
T
B
Towing over 3,000lbs with a CX-5!
2
Replies
21
Views
20K
xtrailman
X

Latest posts

Back