Any time your near max load capacity which includes passengers - the dog - the crap in the car + the boat + trailer and gear in the boat - you can expect the tow vehicle to need a very close eye on it in anything but flat towing. If your doing short local trips and can pay more attention to what your packing along - avoid hauling a full fuel tank ie fill up at the lake or just before the lake - avoid hauling huge jugs of water pick it up locally close to your destination etc etc then it could be workable and comfortable enough.
However on long trips wind - hot temps - lack of extra capacity regarding cooling capability etc all start to make the towing effort fairly stressful on both the driver and the car. My 21ft racing sailboat with bare minimal running gear on board with trailer was 1700lbs - boat without trailer was 1300lbs. Packed with 3 adults one kid + dog and camping gear for everyone for a long weekend we might have been in the 2500lb doubt we hit 2700lbs. The car handled the weight just fine - but we were only traveling about 130 miles 85% of it flat with the last few miles having a 45mph speed limit and we climbed about 3000ft. Car was fine. I towed the same boat from SF to Dillion CO with a Yukon 4.7L V8 - we almost took my Outback. We were packed super light three light duffel bags and an empty boat with only race gear on board 1700lbs. The Yukon actually worked hard in Utah and CO however we were doing 65-80mph the whole way. NO WAY THE OB would have done that trip at those speeds - and the mileage difference between the OB and the Yukon towing the boat at decent speeds is about 3MPG. OB will do about 16mpg and the Yukon was doing 13mpg.
If I were to do that trip again I would probably take a truck given the tow was a zero concern where as with the OB the climbs would have had me watching the temps like a hawk and being very conservative on how hard I pushed the car.
99% of the time all our local 2-3 hr fairly flat towing I do with the OB given it turns a little better mileage and tows fine in that type of terrain.
However on long trips wind - hot temps - lack of extra capacity regarding cooling capability etc all start to make the towing effort fairly stressful on both the driver and the car. My 21ft racing sailboat with bare minimal running gear on board with trailer was 1700lbs - boat without trailer was 1300lbs. Packed with 3 adults one kid + dog and camping gear for everyone for a long weekend we might have been in the 2500lb doubt we hit 2700lbs. The car handled the weight just fine - but we were only traveling about 130 miles 85% of it flat with the last few miles having a 45mph speed limit and we climbed about 3000ft. Car was fine. I towed the same boat from SF to Dillion CO with a Yukon 4.7L V8 - we almost took my Outback. We were packed super light three light duffel bags and an empty boat with only race gear on board 1700lbs. The Yukon actually worked hard in Utah and CO however we were doing 65-80mph the whole way. NO WAY THE OB would have done that trip at those speeds - and the mileage difference between the OB and the Yukon towing the boat at decent speeds is about 3MPG. OB will do about 16mpg and the Yukon was doing 13mpg.
If I were to do that trip again I would probably take a truck given the tow was a zero concern where as with the OB the climbs would have had me watching the temps like a hawk and being very conservative on how hard I pushed the car.
99% of the time all our local 2-3 hr fairly flat towing I do with the OB given it turns a little better mileage and tows fine in that type of terrain.
