I still find it frustrating to see the exact same vehicles get significantly different tow ratings here vs Europe.

The other day the dealer tried to warn not to tow my utility trailer with my car as it would hurt the transmission (trailer was empty by the way). I pulled up an article from the UK where it was in the top three of best towing cars for this year.

Dealer looked at me like his brain needed to reboot, after which he told me the cars in Europe must be built differently or get different transmissions and left it at that.

It's truly baffling that manufacturers here hold that towing capacity hostage for arbitrary reasons.

This seems not very fuck cars but ok. Also who does not know you can tow with a car?

I agree but diesel cars are much more common in Europe and they have better towing capacity due to higher torque.

I pulled a teardrop (with trailer brakes) with a diesel wagon for years. Just had to drive mountain passes slowly. (Utah)

But will it pull a camper for two that actually sleeps 10 at 85 mph up hill in a 65 mph speed zone?

My people out east can teach you something.

Dutch people must not have many steep hills.

Its probably worth noting that Europeans get more powerful cars than we do here in the US. I drive a 02 Golf TDI and it was only available as a 1.9L 90hp front wheel drive. The base model in Europe has a bigger turbo and offers 4wd versions.

if you saw the sheer scope of trailers, campers, Tour Bus RV's, custom toy haulers etc that invade the coastal areas of where I live, you would realize the problem isn't the semantics of tow vehicle size. the whole "adventure camping" myth when two people bring a 800 square foot Motorcoach with a car in tow makes me want to vomit. its like a car brain with sepsis. leave your fucking house at home.

Been there as a kid in the 90s. Sitting in the back my my parents Toyota Carina with my 2 siblings, while we were towing a caravan.

That car had a 2l, 4 cylinder petrol and got through the Alps and Pyrenees. Iwas more comfortable touring that way than going by tent only. Now I'm in Australia where I'm gobsmacked by how much shit people "need" to go camping. All while I'm exploring the same locations and actually spending more time camping in the bush as I tour on a tiny, economical 125cc motorcycle.

Almost to prove a point, I took that little thing to Cape York and will take it RTW next year, partly to show that you don't need much.

The question isn't "can you", but "should you".

An engine that's always working at near it's maximum capacity will fail long before an engine that's working at a quarter of it's capacity. Most people wouldn't dream of constantly running their engine bouncing off the red line of rev limiter. The same applies to towing; if you frequently tow large, heavy loads (for instance, earth moving equipment), you want to get a vehicle that's rated for much higher tonnage than the weight you'll regularly be towing. Given that campers are usually very light weight (but only slightly more aerodynamic than a brick), you can get away with towing on in a car infrequently. You should probably not do it daily.

You may also find that it's less fuel efficient to tow a heavy load in a small-ish car than the same load in a light truck.

(BTW - I'm generally opposed to taking vacations in this way. I prefer my vacations on a motorcycle, or on foot with a backpack. I'm not currently in the kind of shape I would need to be in in order to do bicycle camping.)

Edit: I don't have a truck. It's cheaper for me to rent one on the rare occasions that I need one than it is to buy one and deal with the associated costs of owenership. That said, the Home Depot rental trucks suck, because they're solely RWD, and they have no grip on my road unless there's a literal ton of weight in the back.

My camping setup fits in some boxes I have on my 650cc motorcycle. Don't even need to tow anything.

Something interesting about a camper like in the picture in Europe, to me, is where the axle is. It looks much more centered than the campers I see in the US and I have no idea why. The way the axle is in the picture certainly reduces tongue weight on the car. I wonder if the trade off is less stability at high speed? Genuinely curious!

True, but the reason in the US is different is because of laws.

https://youtu.be/1LULd9Bc9tY