Ben's Blog

RIP, people-mover

Ah, September of 2003.  We had just purchased a new ‘03 Odyssey.  We were so excited:

In early March, our van met its end on route 21 in Passaic:

The van was a total loss, so we had to find a new vehicle.  The van was great, but its 3500-pound towing limit was strained by our RV and luggage.  Since we tend to camp at state parks and other areas that have unimproved roads, We decided to replace the van with a used 2007 4-wheel drive vehicle with more ground clearance.

In the end, we looked at the Nissan Pathfinder, the Toyota 4Runner, and the Kia Sorrento.  All three are truck based SUVs with a 5,000 pound towing rating.  We eliminated the Pathfinder because it requires premium gasoline, leaving the 4Runner and the Sorento.  The Sorento was $6000 less than the 4Runner, and Kia’s warranty gives us coverage through Summer of 2013, so that’s what we purchased:

I’ve been spending a good bit of time outfitting the Sorento with the same towing gear that I installed in the Odyssey back in the day.  The Sorento’s 3.8 Liter V6 seems to shrug off the Trailmanor in a way that the Odyssey couldn’t.