3 Compact SUVs That Can Tow the Most, According to TrueCar

by Gabrielle DeSantis

Today’s car buyers are looking for vehicles that can offer the best of both worlds: functional capability and affordable value. This may be why the compact SUV segment continues to be red hot. These small crossovers can maneuver like cars yet still deliver the capacity and versatility of larger SUVs. And if you need to tow things like Jet Skis and trailers loaded with gear, this TrueCar comparison will appeal to you.

These compact SUVs are winners, thanks to their towing capacity. But the top three might surprise you.

The 10 best compact SUVs for towing

2021 Jaguar F-Pace PHEV | Jaguar

TrueCar sifted through the data and compiled a list of the 10 best compact SUVs for towing. Using an in-house scoring system, consumer surveys, and ALG industry research, the team ranked these popular models based on towing capacities. 

Starting at the bottom of the list, the Ford Escape comes in 10th. Climbing up the ladder, other compact SUV towing champs are the Mercedes-Benz GLC, Jeep Wrangler, and Toyota RAV4. Coming in fourth, fifth, and sixth are the Volvo XC60, Cadillac XT4, and Audi Q5.

And the top three compact SUVs with the most robust towing chops are the Jaguar F-Pace, Land Rover Discovery, and Porsche Macan.

The top 3 towing performers

You might be shocked to see three luxury crossovers at the top of the list. Coming in at number three, the Porsche Macan can tow up to 4,409 pounds. And it does so in a stylish and high-performance way, earning 19 mpg in the city and 23 mpg on the highway, Car and Driver reports. The Land Rover Discovery Sport ranks second with the same towing capacity. And with Land Rover, consumers can expect serious comfort, off-pavement prowess, and 19 mpg in the city and 23 mpg on the highway. 

Coming in first on this list of compact SUVs is the Jaguar F-Pace. It brings sporty fun to a daily driving routine, including quick acceleration no matter the powertrain configuration. This luxury compact SUV provides the perfect balance of power, style, and function. And the stats that earned this crossover its number-one slot on TrueCar’s list are also impressive. The F-Pace can tow 5,291 pounds, according to Jaguar. And the turbocharged four-cylinder achieves 22 mph in the city and 27 mpg on the highway.

The best compact SUVs for towing cost more

These top three compact SUVs for towing on TrueCar’s list are all luxury models. This also means that to enjoy robust towing capacities, you’ll have to pay luxury SUV prices. The 2021 Porsche Macan has a starting MSRP of $53,450, including a 2.0-liter inline-four turbo engine and all-wheel drive. The popular 2021 Land Rover Discovery Sport is a five-seater with four trims and a $42,950 price tag. The Discovery Sport packs an engine similar to the Macan’s, with a 2.0-liter turbo-four. But the Land Rover boasts four-wheel drive.

If you hope to enjoy the more than 5,000-pound towing capacity of the Jaguar F-Pace, you’ll pay a little more than the others, especially if you opt for the more popular P250 S model. The F-Pace comes with a 2.0-liter inline-six turbo and all-wheel drive. And the starting MSRP for this luxury compact SUV is a hefty $55,045.

The compact SUV segment continues to grow in popularity among consumers. And part of the attraction is this class’s ability to tow without the gas-guzzling heft of behemoth SUVs. This TrueCar list is a great place to start if you want a smaller crossover that can tow. Just be prepared to pay luxury prices for those top three. 

RELATED: Toyota Lost to Honda in Carfax’s Roundup of the Best Cars for Road Trips

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The 2021 Lexus UX 250h Can Comfortably Take You to Exotic Places Like Nebraska

by Gabrielle DeSantis

Road trips can be a lot of fun when you take the right car. Technically speaking, a minivan is arguably the best platform as they afford the passengers a lot of space, the driver a lot of comforts, and they’re relatively fuel-efficient. But what if you can’t take a minivan?

In that case, the next best category, in my opinion, would be a hybrid car. Hybrids are built for efficiency and they are typically pretty comfortable. At least that’s what I found out when I drove the 2021 Lexus UX 250h on a short weekend jaunt to Nebraska.

The Lexus UX 250h is well-fitted for the long haul

2021 Lexus UX 250h | Joe Santos

If you’re unfamiliar with the Lexus UX 250h, it’s the brand’s entry-level SUV that’s actually more of a hatchback than an SUV. I say that because it’s small, but that didn’t stop it from suiting my needs for the long drive. According to Lexus, the cargo area measures 21.7 cubic feet, which was more than enough room for two carry-on suitcases, a duffle bag, and two scooters.

Additionally, the UX 250h is powered by a 2.0-liter, four-cylinder engine that’s mated to a pair of electric motors. Combined, the powertrain produces 181 hp and what’s even better is that it comes standard with all-wheel drive. One of those electric motors power the rear wheels, which can come in handy if you live in a snow state or want to drive on the dusty back roads in Nebraska like me.

The UX 250h is more comfortable than you would think

2021 Lexus UX 250h in a field
2021 Lexus UX 250h | Joe Santos

Despite the UX 250h’s small size, it was surprisingly comfortable. My girlfriend and I had plenty of room in the front seats and we enjoyed the seat ventilation and auto climate control the top-trim Luxury model had to offer. It even has a head-up display, which gave me something to stare at from time to time while driving on Nebraska’s desolate and wide-open roads.

To top things off, the car comes standard with an array of driver-assist features. I was able to set the dynamic cruise control to my desired speed and it modulated the distance between me and the car ahead very well, slowing my car down and speeding up when needed. I also liked the lane-trace assist feature, which uses the car’s front camera to keep you within the lines.

This feature gives you a semi-autonomous feel to the car since you don’t have to worry about drifting out of the lane. But I found that it did ping-pong the car within the lane from time to time, almost as if the car was drunk. Maybe the Nebraska air had an effect on it.

Its fuel efficiency was on point

2021 Lexus UX 250h rear shot
2021 Lexus UX 250h | Joe Santos

Of course, I can’t talk about taking a car on a road trip without talking about its real-world fuel economy numbers. According to the EPA, the 2021 UX 250h is capable of achieving 41 mpg in the city and 38 mpg on the highway. I found that those numbers are pretty accurate at I recorded an average of 38 mpg with mostly highway driving.

The car’s Achilles heel, though, is its small 10-gallon gas tank. I found myself only have to fill up around seven gallons at a time, which was great for my wallet, but not so great considering I only achieved around 300 miles between fill-ups. In contrast, many Toyota Prius owners report getting around 500 to 600 miles on a full tank of gas.

Regardless, the 2021 Lexus UX 250h is a comfortable and efficient car that’s well-suited for a long road trip. It might not be a minivan, but it serves its purpose well as an entry-level luxury hybrid.

RELATED: 3 Big Flaws Plague the 2021 Lexus UX Hybrid

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The Ford Comuta: Ford’s First Electric Car

by Gabrielle DeSantis

Ford has been pulling out all the stops as they electrify their lineup, from the Ford F-150 Lightning to the Mustang Mach E. But they aren’t Ford’s first attempt at an electric car, that award goes to the small and strange Ford Comuta. Hidden deep in the history books, let’s look back at this strange concept and why it was built in the first place.

Ford Comuta On British Roads | Evening Standard/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

The Ford Comuta was built for Britain

Part of the reason you’ve likely never heard of the Comuta is because it would have only been offered in Britain. The roads are narrower and parking limited, so this butter box car made some sense. It would also piggyback off the Ford Escort, which would grow to insane levels of popularity. In short, Ford was making their mark on European markets. And in order to do that, it meant appealing to all kinds of buyers, including those who wanted something small for buzzing around the city.

Think of this as a Smart car before the Smart car. Albeit, a much slower and much smaller Smart car. The Comuta, first revealed in 1967, was powered by four 12 volt lead-acid batteries. They weren’t ideal, but they were the only available power source available at the time. That surge of electricity went to two 5 horsepower motors that could propel the car up to 40 mph. But to get the most possible range out of the car, 40 miles in total, you’d have to cruise at 25 mph instead.

So it’s a comically small car that could (shockingly) carry four people. But what might be even funnier is that Ford had hopes of selling these.

For was somewhat serious about selling these

Ford Comuta electric car in a parking lot
Ford Comuta Electric Car | Pierre Manevy/Express/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

At the time, Ford President Arjay Miller told the New York Times, “cars like the Comuta could be available in five to 10 years.” If you’re subscribed to The New York Times you can read the full archived article. But clearly, those haven’t come around yet. The next electric car to wear the Ford nameplate was the 1998 Ford Ranger EV.

But while the principle of a small city runabout was promising. And the idea that you could fit not one, but three Comuta’s in a single parallel parking space was lucrative. But Ford was trying to revitalize the very thing they killed off. Electric cars were around back in the 1900s and 1910s. But the cheap, gas-powered Model T shoved expensive electric alternatives to the side, with today’s climate concerns finally bringing them back.

What happened to this little electric box?

Ford Comuta electric car
Ford Comuta Electric Car | SSPL/Getty Images)

Because this was a concept, only two were made, one of which has since been lost. The other now resides at the Science Museum in London. It didn’t resemble any other Ford built before then, and no Ford would be inspired by it afterward. Despite being Ford’s very first electric vehicle, a significant milestone for any automaker, it feels more like a footnote.

But the dream of building a small, electric city car didn’t die with the Comuta. In fact, the Comuta may have been the earliest version of these electric microcars. The Vanguard-Sebring Citicar came in 1974, and became the highest-selling production EV up until the Tesla Model S. So maybe the Comuta did do some good, inspiring a wave of the stranges electric cars ever made.

RELATED: The Honda E Reveals Why Small Electric Cars Struggle in the US

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How Would Ford’s Plan to Charge Electric Cars by Towing Them Work?

by Gabrielle DeSantis

Ford recently patented a strange, albeit feasible way to charge electric cars. It’s called Ford Regen. Rather than stopping at a charger and twiddling your thumbs, you could hook your EV up to a towing rig and charge it while on the move. This is a creative solution to the most common complaint of electric vehicles, eliminating the need for long stops. But exactly how does it work, and is it foolproof?

Ford Regen Charging | Ford

The patent revolves around regenerative braking

If you drive an electric vehicle, chances are you already know about or use regenerative braking on a day-to-day basis. The concept is simple: braking generates kinetic energy (and heat). That energy is converted to electricity and travels to the motor for later usage. It’s a brilliant way of recovering some charge and is the reason non-plug-in hybrids, commonly referred to as HEVs, don’t actually need to plug in. Provided, those HEVs can only run on pure electricity for a couple of miles, but it still makes them more economical.

What Ford has proposed is for the electric vehicle to link with a tow vehicle, then step on the brakes. The electric motor reverts into more of a generator, collecting the kinetic energy from that constant braking to charge the car. And as you keep moving forward, the car keeps charging.

And after you’re all charged up, just decouple and keep going. The applications for this are great: it’ll give EVs the extra push to handle long road trips without long stops. Or if an EV runs out of charge, a quick tow will get it up and running again. In theory, this method could recharge other electric vehicles, but it isn’t as simple as strapping an electric car to a tow truck and heading on your merry way.

What kinds of tow vehicles could be used?

Ford patent for flat towing for a way to do EV charging
Ford Regen towing patent | Ford

The photos used in Ford’s patent all show the tow vehicle as an 18-wheeler, not just some Ford F-150 that anyone can go and buy. While the reasoning for this isn’t explained in the patent, one could easily piece together why. Towing a car is different than towing a car that’s actively braking. The latter is like a game of tug of war between the tow vehicle and the electric car. Obviously, a large truck would beat out an EV, but it’d take significantly more torque for a pedestrian-vehicle to do the job.

And it wasn’t in Ford’s plan to patent this tech for consumer trucks anyways. Laced in the fine print are details about autonomous communication between the EV and the tow vehicle. You can read the full patent here, but I’ll summarize the cool bits: when an electric car is running out of juice, the driver can ask the car to locate and drive to the nearest tow vehicle. From there, the car will navigate to the truck and autonomously hook up with it. The electric car will keep the truck updated on how much it’s charged, and once finished, will decouple with the truck and let the driver take over again.

It could serve as a much-needed break for the driver, and sounds incredibly convenient for anyone within Ford’s charge-by-tow network. But there are still a few questions and concerns as to whether Ford is serious about this concept.

Is charging by towing bad for your car?

A red 2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E driving on a highway
2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E | Ford

One might ask if constant regenerative braking would be bad for the brakes. This is a great question, but while collecting that energy the car isn’t actually using the brakes. Regenerative breaking in an electric vehicle is the equivalent of engine braking in a gas-powered car. The car will naturally slow down because of engine resistance, though regenerative braking takes that up a notch. In short, it has nothing to do with the brakes or brake pads and everything to do with the motor.

That said, it’s uncertain as to if this clever solution will come to fruition. For starters, Ford would have to begin fitting their new electric cars with the technology needed to be towed. From there, they’d have to establish a fleet of capable trucks, and if they want to integrate all the autonomous tech, that’d require a hefty amount of money. So for now, this seems like some science fiction vaporwave. But who knows, someday you may see big rigs pulling electric cars down the road, getting a recharge to go.

RELATED: 5 Biggest Problems With Electric Vehicle Charging

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