Recommendations on smaller RV to tow trailer?

Background:
- Current tow rig is suburban towing a 7.5x14 v-nose
- Have wife and 3 medium/large dogs (50-80 lbs)
- Likely will have kids in next 1-3 years
- Wife does not particularly enjoy sleeping in back of suburban with 3 dogs and me at track. She DEFINITELY will not put up with that if we have a kid
- I have debated getting a bigger truck and a toy hauler, toterhome, or RV with small trailer
- I have never owned an RV or toy hauler
- I have read probably every thread about RVs and toy haulers on this forum
- I currently think that RV with small trailer is the best option is the RV actually has a use when not at the track (i.e., easier to justify purchase because we can use it to travel and "camp" at national parks, etc.)

Question:
Are there any good recommendations for a smaller RV (30' +/-) that can tow a small enclosed trailer? I live in California where we do have actual steep and long grades I will need to go up and over.

I know that nearly all the ads tout a "5000 lb hitch" but I know that there is no way they can all actually effectively tow that. I saw the Winnebago Via which looks interesting for track and non-track use and seems like it should tow 3-4k (on paper at least).

Preferred price range would be $50-100k.

 

Post pictures of the dogs.

 

For $50-110k, go for one of the nice Sprinter (and now Ford Transit) based cruisers with the diesel. Don't walk, RUN away from the old style econoline versions and especially the Ram Promaster versions. There are two styles - one uses the entire original body (think super conversion van), the other uses just the front and chassis, with an aftermarket box attached. I'll have one of these eventually, and I haven't decided. I'm sure the original bodied version drives and parks better, but the box-bodied version is sure to camp better. These things used to be priced ridiculously (like over $100k for the nice Mercedes version) but now that the Transit is here, I'm hoping the competition drives them down a bit.

Stock bodied style



Box bodied style

 

The girls (they are 1 and 2 yrs old, respectively)


The boy (he is about 13, rescued wandering around the streets of Detroit about 11 or 12 years ago so unsure exactly):

 

I'd be very interested to hear how one of the M-B-based RV's does with a 5klb trailer in tow. With only 190hp and 325 lb-ft, and an on the road weight of ~13,000 before the trailer, I would guess it to be pokey at best? (The renegade 'box bodied' one unfortunately has a hitch rated for only 3500lbs. - I need to weigh my race trailer and see what it is, ready to go, but I'd bet it's 4k or so with 2 bikes in it)

 

I was definitely tempted by these, as they seem like they'd be easy to drive and it's a well-known chassis/motor. They are a bit pricier (the Winnebago Via I mentioned is Sprinter based with 3.0 diesel, I found lightly used around the $90k mark). They seem like they are a little more cramped inside, even with the box version, but are probably sturdier and last longer.

I saw a Ram Promaster version for half the price (albeit a lot more miles), but good to know re issues there.

 

That was my one of my concerns as well... I am hoping a used dealer would let me bring my trailer for a test tow to confirm. They also seem to have really small gas tanks (e.g., 26 gallons) which sucks if gas mileage drops (I understand they are supposed to do mid-teens not towing). Though I read a review of one that said that gas mileage dropped dramatically just going from 55 to 65mph.

 

Read up some reviews on the regular Promaster. Many of the mags/sites call it one of the worst vehicles ever - horrible ergos, gutless, cheap, etc. I think one said you should only buy it as a work truck if you hate your employees and want them to quit.

 

The tow rating is what has me thinking the stock-bodied version might be better but I've not actually checked real world weights between the two. I did speak to a guy one time at a gas station that was pulling a loaded trailer behind one (regular sprinter though, not rv), with a car on a dolly hooked to the trailer, and he said it pulled great, like nothing was even back there.

 

My only issues with the Sprinter based RVs are the lack of levelers/stabilizers from the factory (I get motion sick easily) and small holding tanks. You'll probably end up overweight too, but almost everyone does.

There was a guy at the drag strip a couple years ago with a Class C Sprinter RV towing a 28' enclosed trailer full of a race car, golf cart, big tool box, etc. Had to be over 10,000 pounds. I'm guessing that ended badly on some highway somewhere.

 

Looks like the Renegade Villagio has 2 stabilizer jacks as standard. Not a full 4 point system, but much better than nothing, like most class C's!

Sent from my Samsung S7 while driving, eating, and texting..

 

Isn't the next class up Super C? Tow rating way higher...
http://www.ebay.com/itm/2007-JAYCO-...aa3d0977:g:5-sAAOSwG-1WxmOt&item=191834687863

 

If you don't need Broome shiny new stuff, there are many used full sized toterhomes in your price range that would provide the room for a family and a large safety margin of pulling and stopping power. We spent years drooling over friends Renegades and Showhaulers before we found one that fit our budget and needs.

http://www.racingjunk.com/category/48/Toterhomes.html

 

That's awesome but also really long (even before a trailer).

I'm looking at shorter RVs because:
1. Easier to store/park
2. Easier to park at the track
3. A lot of national/state parks seem to have length restrictions so a 30' (or shorter) RV will be more usable for non-track purposes.

I've been browsing there and will definitely keep looking. There are some awesome toterhomes and I'd prefer an included garage for track use, but I don't think I'd end up being able to use it for anything non-track-related. Having this not just be another dedicated track toy (I have enough of those ) is an essential part of the sell to the wife (and, realistically, to myself justifying the cost... given that I currently drive a suburban with 163k miles that I bought for sub-$5k a few years ago so any purchase is a big $$ upgrade).

 

The towing capacity on that is no more than a regular gas powered coach. The hitch may be rated for more, but generally those coaches were loaded just about to the max GVWR which was 22000lbs, and the GCWR was only 26000lbs.

 

We picked up this 32' Winnebago last New Year's eve. 2011, 17k miles, Ford V-10, E-450 chassis. 66gal fuel tank, 44 gal gray and black tanks. Queen bed with Sleep Number mattresses. About $65k.
In researching Class Cs, learned that most of the Chevy chassis are rated at 3500#. The E-450 is rated at 5000#. Haven't towed with it yet, but averaging 9mpg on regular.

More pictures available at http://s1145.photobucket.com/user/panthercity66/library/Class C?sort=3&page=1

 

Something like this might be right at your max length and the Ford V10 will suck fuel fast. These should be able to tow your trailer OK, but check with a dealer to be sure before you buy. You could probably even buy a 26 ft new.

http://www.familyrv.com/detail.cfm?id=295676

New:
http://winnebagoind.com/products/class-a-gas/2016/sunstar/overview

Something like this would be pushing your budget, but I would think could easily do the job. There just are not a lot of these for sale out there.
http://www.cordeliarv.com/inventory/view/8966074/2008-Krystal-Motor-Homes-Krystal-30

Good luck but do keep in mind that $40k buys a lot of fuel. The flip side is having an engine and transmission that are not overworked when towing is a good thing. Having over 400 lb ft of torque and an 8 speed Aisin transmission rated at over 700 lb -ft in my Touareg TDI is overkill for my 6x12 v-nose, but I like it that way.

 

I actually found a lightly used Sunstar (<10k miles with some upgrades) that was looking pretty promising.
As I currently tow with a gasser that pegs out up grades (even though I tow well under the rated capacity), I would prefer a diesel for that. In that respect, the v10 seems a bit less than ideal, but, as you point out, saving $40k on initial purchase is a lot of gas.... especially since I doubt it would see more than 10-15k miles a year (and that estimate might be high). And I'm skeptical of the v10 gasser being much worse than the tiny Sprinter 3.0 diesel (which is nowhere near your Touareg )

That interior is nicer than my house Looks awesome though and would definitely tow better than the v10 gasser.

 

Yep, when we started looking for a Class C, it didn't take long to find out that GOOD, clean diesel powered models were scarce as DaveK's morals.

 

Something I just thought of on C's. Most are van based, and since the "new" diesels aren't available in the van chassis, they're all gas. However, I've seen a few at dealerships that were on Superduty or Silverado HD chassis. Those would probably be diesel and have better payloads than a gas van chassis