The picture is for size reference only! I’m NOT planning to pull this with a Subaru Forester.
Looking for a gut check from you guys. I’ve read through almost all the posts here and there seems to be a consensus that in general the Santa Cruz tows decent, but not to expect the world from it. I recently picked up a 2024 XRT and have a hitch and 7 pin installed. I’m looking at getting a Jayco 170BH. The layout works great for us for the price, but I can’t help but feel it’s a little large. I don’t want to overdo it as I’m not an experienced tower, but I’m a very reasonable driver and would not need to exceed 60mph where I plan to camp. The dry weight is 3000lb, and the GVWR is 3750. We have car camped exclusively up to this point so all our gear is small and lightweight. We don’t want to turn this into bringing the whole house with. I’m nervous how much of a sail behind me this thing will be. It’s 17 feet long and 8 ft wide. The roof sits about 9 feet off the ground. The tongue sticks out another 4 ft for a total of 21 feet wide. I have a brake controller and the trailer has trailer brakes. Was planning not to use WD based on comments of unibody design and auto leveling shocks. What do you all think? Is this doable? Reasonable?
We have a 16" total-length Riverside Retro 135 that we've been towing with a '19 MDX for ~5yrs, and we'll be towing it with our '24 SC Limited. It's a little bit lighter than your Jayco. Frontal area on our RR135 is pretty much the same as that Jayco, and IMO that's the only aspect that potentially presents any issue at all. That said, I'm not concerned about it given the experience towing with our MDX. We dragged the camper all through the west/southwest on a 33-day, 6600mi trip in '23, and had no issues whatsoever other than MPG (the MDX requires premium, which is a key reason we swapped for the SC). Compared to the MDX, the SC has more power/torque and a longer wheelbase, both of which contribute to better towing experience. Having a turbo engine helps at altitude as well compared to a non-turbo vehicle.
If you tow responsibly, use a good brake controller, and are mindful of trailer level and tongue weight, I wouldn't hesitate to tow that with an SC. The GVWR is well under 80% of rated capacity, which is what I tend to consider as the rational limit.
