Hey all, quick question on towing a popup: I have a 2011 Outback 2.5i Premium with the 6-speed manual, and tow a small popup camper in the summer. For those who care about these sorts of things, it's a 2008 Viking 1906. The camper weighs in at about 1650 pounds loaded, and the tongue weight is right at the Subaru 200-pound limit. (I took the car/camper to a CAT scale last summer to get exact weights, so when I say "about 1650 pounds," i mean it may vary if I put an extra folding chair in the camper.)
The camper tows great. I installed electric brakes on it a couple of years ago when I bought the camper and have a brake controller and 8-pin connector all wired up for the brakes and to charge the camper battery as I drive. I try to keep speed on the highway pretty moderate -- 60-65 mph. I make sure all tires are fully inflated and haven't experienced much (if any) oscillation when towing.
My issue: With the manual transmission and the 4-cylinder engine, I feel like I'm struggling to maintain highway speed even on a gentle incline. I have to be very active shifting, and just have a bad feeling when I'm pushing it into fourth gear instead of hanging in sixth. I'm planning to buy a new tow vehicle in three to five years -- either an Ascent (I haven't owned anything but Subarus since the late 90s) or a Tacoma. In the interim, I'm pondering trading in my beloved 2.5i for a 3.6 Outback of the same vintage.
My question: Will I notice a big upgrade in towing capability with the 3.6? Does the automatic make more efficient use of the gears? Does the 6-cylinder increase in torque and HP mean towing a small camper is much easier?
The price difference between selling my car and buying a 3.6 with similar mileage/era will be a few grand. I'm thinking it's worth it for safety, etc., for the next few years until I can upgrade. But I wanted to check w/ the community to see what people's experiences have been. Thanks for any thoughts, etc.
PS: I've looked through the forums for similar posts and have found some, but wanted to ask about this particular scenario. Thanks for indulging me!
The camper tows great. I installed electric brakes on it a couple of years ago when I bought the camper and have a brake controller and 8-pin connector all wired up for the brakes and to charge the camper battery as I drive. I try to keep speed on the highway pretty moderate -- 60-65 mph. I make sure all tires are fully inflated and haven't experienced much (if any) oscillation when towing.
My issue: With the manual transmission and the 4-cylinder engine, I feel like I'm struggling to maintain highway speed even on a gentle incline. I have to be very active shifting, and just have a bad feeling when I'm pushing it into fourth gear instead of hanging in sixth. I'm planning to buy a new tow vehicle in three to five years -- either an Ascent (I haven't owned anything but Subarus since the late 90s) or a Tacoma. In the interim, I'm pondering trading in my beloved 2.5i for a 3.6 Outback of the same vintage.
My question: Will I notice a big upgrade in towing capability with the 3.6? Does the automatic make more efficient use of the gears? Does the 6-cylinder increase in torque and HP mean towing a small camper is much easier?
The price difference between selling my car and buying a 3.6 with similar mileage/era will be a few grand. I'm thinking it's worth it for safety, etc., for the next few years until I can upgrade. But I wanted to check w/ the community to see what people's experiences have been. Thanks for any thoughts, etc.
PS: I've looked through the forums for similar posts and have found some, but wanted to ask about this particular scenario. Thanks for indulging me!
