10 Small SUVs for Towing 2,000 lbs+ Without Breaking the Bank

Expensive body-on-frame beasts get most of the press for pulling power, but the fact of the matter is that many people can rely on smaller, more affordable SUVs for towing things like personal watercraft, snowmobiles, small campers, and more. For instance, all 10 of the entries here have maximum tow ratings of at least 2,000 lbs., and some can pull up to 3,500 lbs. Just be sure to check your owner’s manual before breaking out the trailer hitch, and keep in mind that the ratings mentioned here are for vehicles that have properly equipped for the task at hand.

Hyundai may not be the first name you think of when you think of small suvs for towing, but the 2016 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport—the brand’s compact two-row entry—has one of the highest maximum tow ratings in its class: When fitted with its available 2.0-liter, turbocharged four-cylinder engine, which delivers 265 horsepower and 269 lb.-ft. of torque, the Santa Fe Sport can pull up to 3,500 lbs. But it also can tow 2,000 lbs. with its standard 2.4-liter engine, as that naturally aspirated four-cylinder unit can provide 190 horsepower and 181 lb.-ft. of torque of its own. The Santa Fe Sport has a new versatility enhancer for 2016, too, thanks to Hyundai’s “Hands-Free Smart Liftgate with Auto Open.” It lives up to its name by automatically opening the vehicle’s rear liftgate when the keyfob is detected near the rear bumper.

The robust body-on-frame construction of the 2016 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited is a key to its incredible off-road capabilities, but it also comes in handy if you’re looking for small SUVs for towing. Indeed, the Wrangler Unlimited showcases a 3,500-lb. towing maximum, backed by a 3.6-liter Pentastar V-6 engine that pumps out 285 horsepower and 260 lb.-ft. of torque. The two-door Wrangler, shorter in length than the 185-inch Unlimited by some 20 inches, tops out with a peak pulling mark of 2,000 lbs. with the same engine. Both also feature standard trailer-sway control to make towing easier. Meanwhile, making the Wrangler selection process a bit more difficult for the 2016 selling season, is a new Black Bear Edition that adds yet another all-star to the roster. This one honors the bodacious Black Bear Pass in Telluride, Colo., complete with a topographical hood decal, Sunrider top, Sedoso black-cloth seating and more.

The 2016 Chevrolet Equinox is no doubt a big presence in the compact crossover segment, both literally and figuratively. To begin, it’s 187.8 inches long—some rivals are shorter than 180 inches—and then it offers big-time technologies like 4G LTE connectivity, a mobile Wi-Fi hotspot, forward-collision alert, and lane-departure warning. So it makes sense that the Equinox also is in the vanguard for small SUVs for towing, at least with its available V6. That 3.6-liter engine serves up 301 horsepower and 272 lb.-ft. of torque, helping Equinox owners to haul up to 3,500 lbs. However, that rating is reduced to 1,500 lbs. with the vehicle’s standard engine, a 2.4-liter four-cylinder unit that’s good for 182 horsepower and 172 lb.-ft. of torque. In either case, trailering anti-sway control and hill-hold assist increase trailering confidence accordingly, as does a newly standard rearview camera system with a 7-inch display.

The 2016 Ford Escape definitely distinguishes itself among the best small SUVs for towing. After all, while a few other compact competitors can match its 3,500-lb. maximum tow rating, none is as compact as the Blue Oval’s entry. The Escape is a nimble 178.1 inches in length, with the difference-maker being its available 2.0-liter, four-cylinder EcoBoost engine that can unleash 240 horsepower and 270 lb.-ft. of torque—yet still score EPA ratings of 22 mpg city/30 mpg highway/25 mpg combined. Further, Ford offers two more engine choices for the Escape: a standard, naturally aspirated four-cylinder unit, displacing 2.4 liters and delivering 168 horsepower, 170 lb.-ft. of torque and a maximum trailering capacity of 1,500 lbs., along with an available 1.6-liter EcoBoost, also with four cylinders, and featuring 178 horsepower, 184 lb.-ft of torque and a 2,000-lb. trailering limit.

The 2016 Mitsubishi Outlander has become a modest hit for its brand, taking advantage of high crossover demand and high-value positioning to garner growing sales. But that kind of popularity still requires a competitive set of features, so the Outlander delivers many of them, including one of the top marks for small SUVs for towing. The range-topping Outlander GT S-AWC—highlighted by Mitsu’s hallmark Super All-Wheel Control all-wheel drive—carries a 3.0-liter V6 engine for 224 horsepower, 215 lb.-ft. of torque and a trailer-hauling high-water mark of 3,500 lbs. The rest of the roster relies on a 2.4-liter, four-cylinder engine for 166 horses, 162 lb.-ft. of torque and towing maximum of 1,500 lbs. It’s also worth noting that the Outlander has been significantly revamped for the 2016 model year and features a refreshed design, a more refined driving experience, and additional safety measures.

The 2016 Volkswagen Tiguan gets a bit of a boost in towing power from its premium engine, but don’t worry, that powerplant isn’t a diesel. Instead, the Tiguan toes the line with a 2.0-liter, turbocharged engine that produces 200 horsepower and 207 lb.-ft. of torque. As a result, the vehicle touts a top trailer-tow maximum of 2,000 lbs. Yet, perhaps the more important number for the 2016 selling season is 1,365; that’s the number of dollars by which the Tiguan’s starting price has been reduced - though it does still remain at the upper end of the spectrum among the best small crossovers for towing. The new MSRP—$24,890—also comes with more standard content, like heated front seats, premium V-Tex “leatherette” seating surfaces, heated washer nozzles, automatic headlights, rain-sensing windshield wipers, and a next-gen infotainment system with a 5-inch touchscreen and USB port.

Sophisticated driving dynamics, a premium cockpit and a 2,000-lb. towing maximum? That’s part of the recipe for success for the 2016 Mazda CX-5. Of course, the CX-5’s 2.5-liter, four-cylinder engine also helps matters, since it can squeeze out 184 horsepower and 185 lb-ft. of torque despite strong fuel-efficiency gains. In fact, if you’re shopping for small crossovers for towing purposes, but also want to maximize EPA grades, the top-towing CX-5 can answer the bell with 26 mpg city/33 mpg highway/29 mpg combined—significantly, that reflects gains of 1 mpg/1 mpg/2 mpg as compared to the 2015 model. Configured with its standard powertrain, pairing a six-speed manual transmission and a 2.0-liter, 155-horsepower engine, Mazda’s compact SUV sees an EPA line of 26/35/29. Folks should also remember that the CX-5 was refreshed for 2016, so it follows through on its versatility with new style cues inside and out.

When it comes to small SUVs for towing, leave it to the 2016 Jeep Renegade to punch above its weight. The Renegade is really more of a subcompact in size, based on its length of 166.6 inches, but it boasts a 2,000 trailering limit when ordered with Jeep’s 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine and one of the brand’s four-wheel-drive systems. Moreover, as a sign of the times, that setup has a relatively small appetite for fuel: The Renegade reaches 21 mpg city/29 mpg highway/24 mpg combined in that configuration, while its front-wheel-drive counterpart comes in at 22 mpg city/31 mpg highway/25 mpg combined. Also, to be clear, Jeep actually supplies two 4X4 systems for the Renegade, including one with a 20:1 crawl ratio for serious trail-rated capability in the Trailhawk model. Which bolsters its one-ton trailer rating with 8.7 inches of ground clearance.

The 2016 Kia Sportage does happen to provide a 2.0-liter turbocharged engine that can unleash 260 horsepower and 269 lb.-ft. of torque, but customers on a budget should take note. You don’t have to pay for that premium engine to enjoy one of the best small crossovers for towing, because the Sportage features the same 2,000-lb. maximum trailer rating with that unit and its standard powerplant. Now, the Kia’s naturally aspirated entry engine isn’t quite as powerful as its turbo, but it does turn out 182 horsepower and 177 lb.-ft. of torque, and there’s a steep $7,840 difference in MSRPs between the Sportage LX starter model and the turbo-powered SX. That being said, the price of the SX also includes premium goodies you won’t find in the lower-level models, like standard LED exterior lighting, Infinity premium audio, voice-command navigation, and heated and ventilated front seats.

We’re going to turn this top-10 list of best small SUVs for towing up to an 11, since each of these old-school compact SUVs from Jeep can pull 2,000 lbs. Also, despite their somewhat dated packages, both the 2016 Jeep Compass and Jeep Patriot have been freshened slightly for the new model year, with the both adding Uconnect hands-free technology, a one-year complimentary subscription to SiriusXM satellite radio, and another available finish: Mojave Sand. The Compass and Patriot carryover numerous customer benefits, too, especially from the powertrain department. Thus, depending on their exact configuration, these SUVs can supply either true Jeep-style off-road capability or competitive EPA grades of at least 30 mpg highway. Oh, and the Patriot additionally continues as the “best-priced SUV in America,” courtesy of an MSRP of $17,295.