[chevy22]

I think for light towing and 2 persons max the I 4 and awd is best for me. How do you like the mileage and power of the i4 with awd?

 

[cottonseed]

Re: I4 Awd owners...hows power and mileage

I dont tow alot and in winter I am out in the snow, sometimes before the plows so the I4 AWD was the perfect choice for me. I have no issues at all getting up to speed and passing people. I have a heavy foot and I am not shy going 80-90 mph for long periods of time to get to and from work and I still average 23 mpg combined. I travel about 60 miles to work each day with half being highway and the other half city. I do not regret it at all because it fits my personal needs.

 

[jimmac]

Re: I4 Awd owners...hows power and mileage

Power is adequate for an almost 4000 lb. vehicle with a 4 banger. No way wound I tow anything with it. If you are looking to tow, look for something with a bigger engine. Mileage is fair, if you are looking for something with great mileage, look for something smaller/lighter.

For me, it is the right size (fits 4 adults comfortably), has AWD, and the ride is quiet and smooth.

 

[chevy22]

Re: I4 Awd owners...hows power and mileage

Power is adequate for an almost 4000 lb. vehicle with a 4 banger. No way wound I tow anything with it. If you are looking to tow, look for something with a bigger engine. Mileage is fair, if you are looking for something with great mileage, look for something smaller/lighter.

For me, it is the right size (fits 4 adults comfortably), has AWD, and the ride is quiet and smooth.

I need something to store camping gear, occasionally tow a small boat and typically carry two people. For what I do I have tough time justifying the v6. I'm tall so the rav4 and others are to small for me this has great leg room

 

[MACATOWA]

Re: I4 Awd owners...hows power and mileage

No regrets for me, avg mpg 25.5 mpg @ 37,000 miles. I would not be afraid to tow with it, but I have a trailblazer as back up and trailer duty.

 

[jimmac]

Re: I4 Awd owners...hows power and mileage

I need something to store camping gear, occasionally tow a small boat and typically carry two people. For what I do I have tough time justifying the v6. I'm tall so the rav4 and others are to small for me this has great leg room

I traded in an 06 RAV4 for the Equinox. I am 6'4" and had no problem with the RAV; however with that being said, the Equinox does have more leg room and is more comfortable. I went with the Equinox for the better ride and nice looks. The RAV was very truck-like in its ride, but did have much more storage room. I put a 2" hitch on the Equinox for my bike rack, but not for towing. I think you are asking a lot from the I4 engine if you tow much more than an empty utility trailer. It just does not have the power. The RAV was a 4 cylinder also and I would not tow anything with that either. I have towed lots of things with bigger trucks and the 4's just don't have the grunt for it. I would feel like I would be asking too much from them....

 

[chevy22]

Re: I4 Awd owners...hows power and mileage

I traded in an 06 RAV4 for the Equinox. I am 6'4" and had no problem with the RAV; however with that being said, the Equinox does have more leg room and is more comfortable. I went with the Equinox for the better ride and nice looks. The RAV was very truck-like in its ride, but did have much more storage room. I put a 2" hitch on the Equinox for my bike rack, but not for towing. I think you are asking a lot from the I4 engine if you tow much more than an empty utility trailer. It just does not have the power. The RAV was a 4 cylinder also and I would not tow anything with that either. I have towed lots of things with bigger trucks and the 4's just don't have the grunt for it. I would feel like I would be asking too much from them....

Hmm...I currently tow with a 3.8 impala with no issues but I want something bigger that can tow a bit bigger boat eventually not an easy decision here as I rarely tow 95% city driving.

 

[jimmac]

Re: I4 Awd owners...hows power and mileage

Check the specs to be sure, but I think the towing rating for the I4 is 1500 lbs. And keep in mind that is the maximum. Also there is a transmission cooler to think about. I did not look into it because I am not going to tow, but there may be a towing package with beefed up electronics and cooling available (probably not with the 4 cyl.) If you plan on towing, get something that can easily handle what you want to tow. In my opinion, don't tow something at the limit of the vehicle, you are asking for problems.

 

[bballr4567]

Re: I4 Awd owners...hows power and mileage

If the boat is an aluminum john boat you will have no problems towing it. You guys are acting like a "small boat" is a 15 ft bass boat.

I think you will be just fine with the I4 honestly. If you keep the speed lower than the posted limits you wont have any issues. Plus, you can get airbags for the springs if you need to keep the vehicle level. Lots of people use it on TDI cars because in Europe they are rated to tow 3500lbs but in the US its only 1500.

If its one or two times a year, you are good to go.

 

[chevy22]

Re: I4 Awd owners...hows power and mileage

If the boat is an aluminum john boat you will have no problems towing it. You guys are acting like a "small boat" is a 15 ft bass boat.

I think you will be just fine with the I4 honestly. If you keep the speed lower than the posted limits you wont have any issues. Plus, you can get airbags for the springs if you need to keep the vehicle level. Lots of people use it on TDI cars because in Europe they are rated to tow 3500lbs but in the US its only 1500.

If its one or two times a year, you are good to go.

Currently talking a small aluminum boat might I imagine the total setup is around 500lbs max. Mind you I may upgrade to something that weighs around 1100 someday.

Typically tow it 15 to 30kms depending on what lake I go to. Once or twice a year it may be a couple hundred kms trip.

My current setup isn't heavier than 5 typical adults these days, so it sounds like I'm fine for now, its when I want to tow around 1000 it might be sluggish.