Hey Ken,
We looked at the FEH, the Saturn Vue, Civic Hybrid and the Prius. After all said and done, we went with the Prius and towdolly...it was not a head decision but price even with towdolly and credit came in marginally better with the Prius. We'll have to see how much a hassle the towdolly is...but after 14 years on the road, it'll be just one more on the road experience. Thanks for the post. The process is good for cleaning out the vehicles and getting rid of the junk that has added weight and clutter to our on the road life. We won't be in Perry, but will be at Quartzsite, AZ in January. Keep us posted on the performance and towability with the FEH. Happy trails and holidays, too...tom

Tom,
Yes, I'll let you know how the FEH behaves as a tow vehicle. My 72 VW super beetle is the very easiest toad, but no air in the summer, little heat in winter, so wife not so happy. I have also towed the old 96' Ford Explorer 4WD, that had the transaxle disconnect programmed in, which worked fine, except the 4400lb vehicle was a load.

Cheers, and enjoy the winter in Quartzsite. I'll remember you here in KY with a log on the fire

RV'ing sounds great. How do you decide whether to get a truck/suv and a 5th wheel/trailer, or an rv with a scooter, golf cart, or car in tow or on a trailer or not?

This sound like expensive decisions. Are there RV message boards where you can read about people's experiences?

Thanks, Ian

http://greenhybrid.com/compare/mileage/car/3686.html

http://greenhybrid.com/compare/mileage/car/4955.html

Ian,
I have been RV'ing since 1981, having owned several travel trailers towed behind cars and trucks, one 5th wheel, and four (4) different motorhomes. They all have advantages and disadvantages. There are many determining factors on what kind of RV to get, and whether a tow vehicle is needed. If you tow a travel trailer or 5th wheel, you obviously don't need to tow a vehicle. With a motorhome, it's VERY convenient to have a 'toad' behind you, to drive in local areas when your motorhome is parked at the campsite.

Towing a car that can travel 4 down, vs having to have the drive wheels on a tow dolly, is more convenient. Otherwise, at the campground, you have to find a place to put the tow dolly in addition to you tow vehicle at your campsite. We selected the Ford Escape Hybrid because it can be towed 4 wheels down, due to the eCVT hybrid unique transmission. Prior to that, I towed a 1999 Saturn, that was designed to be towed 4 down. Almost all manual transmission vehicles can be towed this way. Only a select few automatic transmissions can be towed 4 down, without external transmission lubricators or a driveshaft disconnect for rear wheel drive cars.

OK, I've gone on long enough. Suggest starting by going to the GoodSam Club website, or Google around for RV specific sites. There's tons of information out there.

My wife and I belong to two camping clubs, and can't wait until spring to get going again. Our 1st trip out will be to the national RV rally in Perry, GA in March

Good luck,

Thanks for the great info, I will check out the GSC (and others)...

Cheers, Ian

http://greenhybrid.com/compare/mileage/car/3686.html

http://greenhybrid.com/compare/mileage/car/4955.html

Ian - One other thing (well, there's many more), but big RV's get POOR mileage at best. But utilizing hypermiling techniques on an RV, i.e. gentle on the pedal, coasting, driving with load, coasting, coasting, coasting (did I say coasting), 55mph on the flat roads, gentle acceleration going down hills, and keeping the RPM's in the highest part of the torque curve, if you can find that out, can increase RV mileage considerably.

My last time out last fall, I averaged 9.6mpg. Compared to your Civic, that's horrible. But a 34', 15000 pound motorhome with 10 big thirsty cylinders, and a 3000+ pound car in tow, and 9.6 ain't too bad. Oh yea, the 5.5KW generator was running the entire time too.

Do I feel guilty about the mileage - Yes, sorta! But I conserve in every other way, so the long term average is probably less fuel consumption than most Americans I see driving like Heck to every stop sign, slamming on their brakes, then pedal to the medal to the next stop sign, etc; They do this 20K miles a year, and use double the fuel that I do in my daily driving. So the 4K miles I put on the motorhome each year at 9.6 mpg, averaged in with my exceptional mileage on all other vehicles, plus I heat my house with firewood from trees that would otherwise go to waste, I don't feel so bad. Yes, the wood is free, and the exercise of cutting, splitting, hauling, stacking several times, is good for me.

There's a balance in nature, and RV'ing is a life long enjoyment for my wife of 40 years and I. We have many camping friends, and will spend 2 weekends a month with all of them all year around. If you ever start, I hope you enjoy it half as much as we do

Ford Escape Hybrid is a great for RV towing we have an 08 it is great for towing, runs great and is roomy unlike the Prius. Four wheels down and transmission in netural. Plus a tax rebate you cannot beat it