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Thoughts / recommendations for a small car with 350lb tongue weight capability, no towing.

900ss

900ss

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 2, 2006
Location
San Jose CA
Moto(s)
None, but my brother has 56 and counting.
Name
Ken
I am in the market to replace our 2019 GTI with a similarly sized small vehicle that is rated for a 350lb tongue weight. I just had the GTI repaired in a body shop, to replace sheet metal that has been damaged by our weekly excursions with a bike rack (2 tray Kuat Piston Pro), about 63 lbs, and two EMTBs, 80 lbs total without batteries over the past 5 years.

Long story short, the shop that sold me the hitch, rated for 350 lbs capacity, stated we would have no problems. Who has ever taken a paper clip and bent it back and forth until it breaks? It's called metal fatigue. Shame on me, being a machinist for many years (I am not an engineer by any stretch) and knowledgable of metal fatigue, for not thinking about the rack and bikes bouncing over every bump in the road increasing the stress on the car's structure. Think see-saw or teeter-totter for you Yanks.

Anyway, so far the Subaru Crosstrek Wilderness seems to be the best fit, even though I don't care for the vehicle. This will be my wife's daily driver, and she won't enjoy it because it is relatively gutless compared to the GTI. It is 7 inches longer than the GTI and a couple of inches wider. The rack has a 2" receiver, and is rated for 75lbs per tray. I am not overloading the rack or hitch, but did overload and subsequently compromise the GTI's structure. Yes, for those of you who would look this up, the GTI manual does state that it is not rated for towing.
 
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Body on frame is, of course, the most correct answer.

That's a completely different breed of vehicle though :dunno

I'm thinking keep the GTI and get an older, unexciting small pickup for weekend use.
 
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900ss said:
I am in the market to replace our 2019 GTI with a similarly sized small vehicle that is rated for a 350lb tongue weight. I just had the GTI repaired in a body shop, to replace sheet metal that has been damaged by our weekly excursions with a bike rack (2 tray Kuat Piston Pro), about 63 lbs, and two EMTBs, 80 lbs total without batteries over the past 5 years.

Long story short, the shop that sold me the hitch, rated for 350 lbs capacity, stated we would have no problems. Who has ever taken a paper clip and bent it back and forth until it breaks? It's called metal fatigue. Shame on me, being a machinist for many years (I am not an engineer by any stretch) and knowledgable of metal fatigue, for not thinking about the rack and bikes bouncing over every bump in the road increasing the stress on the car's structure. Think see-saw or teeter-totter for you Yanks.

Anyway, so far the Subaru Crosstrek Wilderness seems to be the best fit, even though I don't care for the vehicle. This will be my wife's daily driver, and she won't enjoy it because it is relatively gutless compared to the GTI. It is 7 inches longer than the GTI and a couple of inches wider. The rack has a 2" receiver, and is rated for 75lbs per tray. I am not overloading the rack or hitch, but did overload and subsequently grossly compromise the GTI's structure. Yes, for those of you who would look this up, the GTI manual does state that it is not rated for towing.
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CX30 normally aspirated.

The interior is far nicer than any Subaru and it has decent performance and handles nicely; I have driven my friends 2025.

Unlike the heavier CX5 my wife has, cx30 does not need the turbo which Mazda dropped for the new CX5 anyway.
 
Why not just go with a trailer?
It's the most obvious and effective solution.
Trying to cantilever 350 lbs off of a small car frame is just asking for trouble, as you found out.
 
Man this seems like a really obscure question. You prob need a much larger user base to get a good answer. Have you searched or asked Reddit?
 
Haha, I went through this exact exercise a couple of years ago for my mother-in-law who had a GTI and wanted to carry 2 ebikes.

She loved the small sporty car, and after my research I said there's no way you can have small and sporty and carry 2 ebikes.

She wound up getting a RAV4.

Curious to see you what the peanut gallery comes up with here
 
New Tiguan? Pretty much a taller GTI. Amazing interior. The R-Line trim looks real sharp. Really good incentives to move them right now.
 
Batteries are removed from the bikes while on the rack. To clarify, The hitch is supporting the rack at 63 lbs, and two bikes with a total weight of 80lbs when static.
 
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My `87 MR2 would haul ass up Altamont Pass on my way to Altamont Raceway. Very lightweight setup.
 
350lbs rating doesnā€™t leave much safety factor to help with the leverage and fatigue, only what the manufactures built in. Perhaps any vehicle that takes a good class 3 hitch with a 500+lbs tongue weight rating would be fine.
 
900ss said:
Yes, for those of you who would look this up, the GTI manual does state that it is not rated for towing.
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...in America. Has to do with that nasty word: Lawyers. They're rated in the EU....looking it up; 176lbs at the nose.

Ford Maverick fits the bill and they're surprisingly nimble. Used market is favorable too. Not rocketships, but the can be fun when driven hard. Absent that, you end up in a heavier frame no matter what. I read your problem as an issue with the rack more than the vehicle frame, due to load transfers from rocking. 1up makes a great rack:

Super Duty

1up-usa.com 1up-usa.com

Thule has something similar, but 1up's is more robust; from friends who have them.

TheRobSJ said:
New Tiguan? Pretty much a taller GTI. Amazing interior. The R-Line trim looks real sharp. Really good incentives to move them right now.
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...and amazing depreciation from new. Not against one, but wayyyyyy against a new one.
 
Eric B said:
Looks like C3PO's cousin behind the trailer.
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My chest protector sitting on top of my Axo boots in their fancy boot bag. I had to get creative in order to get all my gear to fit in the rear trunk!
Also, that was a great car!
 
I would never use any kind of carrier that plugged into just one receiver. They are inherently weak and over stress any vehicle. They might work with a single regular bicycle, but thatā€™s it. Get yourself a truck with a bed or get a small trailer.

Itā€™s like putting a giant wrench on the receiver and twisting it back and forth until something fails.
 
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ST Guy said:
I would never use any kind of carrier that plugged into just one receiver. They are inherently weak and over stress any vehicle. They might work with a bicycle, but thatā€™s it. Get yourself a truck with a bed or get a small trailer.
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Neither option will work, but thanks for the suggestions. I live in a condominium complex with a 1 car garage. I have a workbench in the garage which takes up length, and the trailer would need to be left on the street.
 
The sticking point I have for the best solution is that if you have to commute to a damn job, then you deserve to drive a GTI.... Compromises must be made elsewhere :x
 
Absolutely agreed that compromises are in order. The vehicle will be my wife's"daily" driver. That said, the car needs primarily to be our EMTB hauler for our weekly rides. She otherwise drives the car maybe twice more per week. I would prefer to garage it, therefore size does matter. No, she has not uttered that statement, at least not to me. :cool: Things against the Crosstrek Wilderness for her will be lack of power compared to the GTI, the newness of new controls in an unfamiliar car, no power driver's seat (oh my), and general unfamiliarity. Of all the tow-rated vehicles I have been looking at, this comes the closest to the GTI. Except for the Tiguan; VW does not directly sell a hitch - that is, I cannot add it while spec'ing a vehicle. Some dealership websites state the hitch will be sourced and installed offsite. The EcoHitch has two quite stout looking side plates that attach to the frame and the hitch. I need to explore this further.

Thank you Rob for the insight on the Tiguan, it's appreciated. I will look into the used market for one.

Thank you Berto for the heads-up on their depreciation. Also Berto, my son has a 1Up HD that I will mount to the GTI along with the bikes and observe the bouncing/flexing. I did mount the Kuat to his CX5 with the bikes, took a drive, and it seemed rock solid. He has a Curt hitch. I am curious now if the construction of each bike rack is going to differ in the amount of flex. Thank God I was not an engineer...... :) I would have received a solid F.

We are both retired, so there is no daily commute for either of us. And my 2025 Golf R, which is my daily; why yes Scarlett, I do deserve that.
 
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