[Carnerd]

I haven't towed a camper yet but I have towed some heavy utility trailers (carrying stuff) that were almost double the 1,900 lbs you are looking to tow, and my car did fine. I imagine either the Wilderness or the Onyx XT would do the job just as well. You do get a higher final drive ratio with the Wilderness (4.44 vs. 4.11) when compared to all other Outback XT trims, so that helps the Wilderness trim have better low end torque and (I think) slightly better throttle response.

If you plan to tow extensively, I would highly recommend the OEM hitch instead of anything aftermarket. The OEM hitch does only come with a 4-pin connector, so you would have to get a 7-pin connector plus brake controller aftermarket, but the OEM hitch is significantly better designed, so worth the additional cost.

The only other thing to keep in mind is that when towing, you are required to use 91 octane (or more) minimum. It is worth mentioning, though, that if the Ascent is of any consideration to you, then you are free to use 87 octane all the time even when towing. But either of the Outback trims you are looking at will be plenty capable for a 1,900 lb trailer

 

[Carnerd]

The owner's manual for the Gen 6 Outback is pretty specific about this. With the turbo engine, you are fine to use 87 octane for everyday driving, but when towing, you are required to use 91+. Worth noting that the non-turbo Outbacks are still rated to tow up to 2,700 pounds, and those engines only need 87 even when towing. For 2023, you can even get the Onyx Edition with the standard 2.5 engine. Obviously the turbo engines in the Outback gives you a bit more headroom, but so does the Ascent.

What I don't know is what sort of mpg the Ascent typically gets when towing a camper. I do know that on my Outback with premium gas, I'm looking at about 12-14 mpg at 65-70 mph when towing a 2,500 lbs trailer (depending on aerodynamics of the trailer). At 45-50 mph with the same trailer, I got as much as 20mpg. I imagine the Ascent would get comparable mpg when towing except with 87 octane.

 

[Carnerd]

Even for a lightweight 1900# camper, I'd look for something with a full frame and at least V6 power.

That's not bad advice in general, but in the current market, are there genuinely that many options for a body-on-frame vehicle at around the $40k-ish price tag of an Outback Wilderness/XT, that also comes with most of the creature comforts and safety of the Outback? The only 4Runner you will get for under $40k is the absolute base model, and that also gets 15mpg highway even when not towing, although it does run on regular gas. Not to mention, I've seen plenty of YouTube reviews that say that the 4Runner is not great at towing despite its 5k lbs towing capacity due to the ancient 5-speed/NA V6 combo, which makes the vehicle pretty lethargic. The Tacoma is probably slightly better but still won't be as comfortable as the Outback for daily driving.

Any half ton pickup truck with any amount of equipment and 4 wheel drive nowadays is $50k or more.

The only other option I can think of that can still be had under $40k is maybe a Dodge Durango. That's unibody but either the 3.6 V6 or 5.7 V8 are rated to tow 7k lbs or more. But that comes with the wild variable of Chrysler reliability.

What else is out there that's good for towing, well equipped, scores high in safety, and still available for $40k? Not trying to start an argument - I'm genuinely curious.

 

[Carnerd]

The Jeep Cherokee with the V-6 engine AND (very important!) the factory tow package is rated for 5,000 pounds; the Grand Cherokee AND the factory towing package is rated for 6,200 pounds with the V-6 and 7,200 with the V-8. Those tow packages include the hitch, wiring harness, a slightly different transaxle geared for low-end torque, auxiliary oil cooler, and suspension upgrades (adjustable air suspension on the Grand Cherokee). You should be able to get a new Cherokee for under $40K in either the top Limited or Trailhawk (more features for off-roading such as skid plates, tire/wheels, and suspension) trims; you might have to look at a two or three-year-old Grand Cherokee to get under $40K, although you might be able to squeeze under that with a lower trim model.

Without the factory tow packages, the Cherokee is rated at 2,000 pounds, and the Grand Cherokee limit is 3,000 pounds.

You also might be able to get a lower trim Toyota Highlander or Nissan Pathfinder with their tow packages for under $40K.

Every single vehicle you listed are unibody, though. The comment I was replying to recommended “something with a full frame…” and you just proved my point - it’s difficult to get something with a full frame and one that’s decently equipped for under $40k.

The Jeep Cherokee is a Subaru Forester-sized vehicle. I don’t care what the rating says, I absolutely would not tow 5,000 lbs with that car. Not to mention, you couldn’t pay me enough money to make me want to drive a Chrysler/Stellantis product. Same way with Nissan.

As for the Highlander? Great vehicle if really boring. But also, the AWD version of the Highlander is the only one that can tow the full 5,000 lbs, and in the current market, Toyota dealers around me are selling FWD Highlanders for well north of $40k. They’ll laugh me out of the room if I expect to get an AWD Highlander for under $40k.

Hence, I personally landed on the Outback.

 

[Carnerd]

Majority of the unibody (maybe all?) car based platforms don't have a 7 pin connector.

That’s not exactly true. Subaru’s own Ascent comes with a 7-pin when equipped with the tow hitch. Of the others that I know of for sure, the Ford Explorer and Chevy Traverse also come with 7-pin connectors if equipped with the tow package. Most of the German/British brands also have the 7-pin with their unibody SUVs. Jeep equips both the Grand Cherokee (RWD-based) and Cherokee (FWD-based) with 7-pin connectors with the tow package.

Subaru really should at least offer a 7-pin connector with the Outback as a factory option, considering that the owner’s manual calls for trailer brakes for anything over 1,000lbs. It’s not always necessary because I myself have towed much more than that over short distances with only surge brakes in the trailer, but it would be nice to have a factory option for a 7-pin.

 

[Carnerd]

The turbo Outback actually has better power-to-weight ratio than the first gen Tundra, which only had about 280hp but in a heavier and less aerodynamic vehicle.

 

[Carnerd]

12- 14 MPG seems really low pulling a trailer, my F150 with a 30 ft trailer got that same mileage.

I'm sorry but these type of claims are absolute nonsense without proper context. Which F150 generation, what cab/bed configuration, which engine, what was the trailer weight, trailer aerodynamics, number of trailer axles, what type of terrain, what towing speed, what elevation/grade - without all of that info, you can't just make a single claim and have it mean something. The Outback with the 2.5 gets over 30mpg highway when not towing - your F150 can only dream about mileage like that even when empty. And regardless, you can't compare a body-on-frame pickup truck with a unibody lifted wagon.

A semi truck gets about 4mpg when pulling an 80,000lbs loaded trailer - but this fact doesn't add anything to this conversation.