So I'll ask the experts who actually own and tow them.  I have a 2018 Hyundai Santa Fe LE. It's the full size 7 passenger one.  V6 engine.  I don't have the "tow package" but with this model of the Santa Fe, all that means is that the wiring isn't back there. It has what it needs to tow 5,000 once I have the stuff properly installed.  Gross vehicle weight on the door is 5512. Front axle is 3071 and rear 3064.  I have not loaded the vehicle with people and stuff and weighed it yet as has been suggested.  I'm not really sure where to do that.  

Most of the time, it will just be me and my husband.  We have 4 tween/teen kids, but when they come with us, they tent camp.  Sometimes we'll have a guest or two that will want to sleep in the camper with us.  I live in coastal VA, and most camping is done in the Blue Ridge area of the state.  So there will be some "mountain" driving, but it's not MOUNTAIN driving, like when I drove a rented C-class klunker over the Teton pass and thought I was going to die (LOL).  

So, what do you think?  Do I need to stick to looking at little tear drops and pop-up or A-frames?  Or can I tow one of these?

Depending on the source, I see that the Santa Fe is rated at either 2000 Kg (~~ 4400 lbs), or 5000 lbs. It's hard to tell from here what your Santa fe is rated at. If you are going to pull a 179, or 18x, or 19x, you'll probably want the version of the Santa Fe that is rated at 5000 lbs. If you don't have that version, I would check with your Hyundai dealer to see if your Santa Fe can have the required components added (sometimes it might be too expensive to do this). 

If your Santa Fe is rated at the 2000 Kg limit, you might possibly be able to do the above, but you may be close to your limit. The pulling limit is one thing, the other thing is the GVWR (Gross Vehicle Weight Rating), or the maximum weight you can carry in your Santa Fe. You will need to know what the empty weight of the Santa Fe is, plus all the people and cargo you intend to carry, plus the tongue weight of the chosen trailer. Add all that up, and you will get the GVW (Gross Vehicle Weight). If that is more than the GVWR, then you got some splainin' to do (as Ricky Ricardo used to say).

So right now, I would say I don't have enough information.

Travel trailer towing is not rocket science. You will get the same mix of responses here because the variables are really pretty standard. 

Yeah, you can add things and tow an r-pod with your SUV's towing capacity and probably have no problems, as long as you don't stretch the limits too far for too long (but even the Blue Ridge area has some pretty steep roads).  

Is it optimal? Since it lacks a tow package, of course not.

What is your threshold for uncertainty? Mine is pretty low, so I automatically want a factory towing package if I am going to be towing a travel trailer. A factory towing package and a 4500 lb towing capacity has taken me cross country and to Yellowstone without excitement.

Consider getting a transmission cooler at some point if you are giong to be traveling in mountains with steep grades.  The after market coolers are easy to install and are not costly.  Your transmission will thank you.

Short answer: NO.

And add the weight of a WD hitch (which you WILL need) and the weight of water in the holding tanks (if used) that 6 or 8 people would need for a long weekend...with the weight of all that plus the trailer itself, you will quite likely blow right past the max limits for tongue weight, axle weights, towing weights, and total weights. Then there is the 'frontal area' rating. See if the Santa Fe has a restriction for towed frontal area. Add in fairly steep mountain grades, ascending AND desending, and you will very likely have problems.

Since you can't financially upgrade the tow vehicle, you should downgrade the trailer you attempt to pull with that SUV.

A POSSIBLE option might be that IF your husband drove the SUV and pulled the smallest r-pod with a minimum of supplies, provisions, and water on board, and then you and the kids and any guests loaded up in a car that you rent for the trip, and load up all your provisions in that vehicle, and caravan together, then it might work for a long weekend or a week long trip, a few times a year. On those trips when it is ONLY you and your husband and you pack very light, it MIGHT be doable.

But be sure to check your owners manual and warranty booklet for any chance that warranty coverages on expensive things like engines and transmissions can be denied by towing if there is no factory towing package. Remember, that vehicle is a uni-body construction, it is not a body-on-frame truck.

I come from the land of overkill tow vehicles so that I don't have to split hairs WRT towing capacity.

Originally posted by megan_hslib I think maybe my question should have been, can anyone share experiences of towing a pod with a mid-size SUV with a tow capacity of 5,000 lbs. I think it can work out. I just wanted some info from people with first hand experience. 😊

When we purchased our 177 back in 2011 we had an '08 Explorer with a tow capacity of 5,000 lbs.  Yes, it had the tow package with a transmission cooler and it was only 2 of us.  That being said, we have taken it to some very steep mountain passes in the Rockies on a few occasions as well as the more moderate areas in the Smokies.  A few years ago we upgraded to a '13 Explorer (2 WD) with the same 5,000 lb tow capacity.  In both cases we have been pleased with the ability to travel where we wish to go.  Granted our 177 is probably lighter than most (2440 lbs) but since we normally boondock we carry 2 12volt batteries, 2 20# propane tanks and a full tank of fresh water.  We travel with a anti sway-bar link and have traveled over 25,000 miles with it over the past 8+ years of ownership.  Do we know we are towing it, yes, especially on those long mountain grades in the Rockies.  But, we are not in a race to see who makes it to the top first, take your time, enjoy the glorious scenery and enjoy the camping experience.

Add up all the people you propose to carry, along with all their supplies and stuff along with the trailer.  If you are pushing the tow capacity of the TV, then you either have to cut back on cargo, including people, and/or the weight of trailer to stay within the TV capacity or get a TV with more capacity.

For the trailer, do NOT use the emplty weight the manufacturer provides, its very misleading. leaving out the a/c unit. the microwave, the battery, the water in the water heater, etc.  Your trailer will weigh at least 350-400 lbs more than that before you put any water in the tanks or stuff in the trailer. Depending on which trailer a lot of that will be on the tongue.  If you want to boondock you can add another 300-350 or so lbs for water, an extra battery, and maybe an extra propane cylinder. My 179 laoded for boondocking weighs in at about 3800 lbs with 550 on the tongue. So that's about 1000 lbs above the "empty" weight and 260 lbs above the listed tongue weight.  

For the tow vehicle, add in the weights of all the ppl and gear, noting that a lot of the gear will be on the rear axle so will subtract from your tongue weight capacity. I put minimal gear in my Highlander. 

https://www.ajdesigner.com/apptrailertow/weightdistributionhitch.php - https://www.ajdesigner.com/apptrailertow/weightdistributionhitch.php

As others have said, you should also check to see what you don't have that comes with the tow package and see if you want to add any aftermarket items that you're missing.  And yes, you will most likely want a weight distribution hitch, but that doesn't let you exceed your tow vechile tongue weight rating. 

So leave the kids behind!  Got it. LOL.  Actually, since my husband and I are both on second marriages and our kids go to their other respective parents regularly, the vast majority of our usage of whatever we buy will just be the two of us. We'd probably only take the 4 girls once or twice a year.  At other times, if my mom or sister and husband wanted to come, they'd drive their own car.  

But I do need to load the car and go weigh it to get a better idea.  Where can I do this?  Truck stop? What is the cost?  

As for where to weigh, google "public scales near me" and find some places close by.  Call them and arrange a good time to drop by with your loaded trailer [including all passengers or their equivalent weight] and you can see how you stand.  Good luck with your adventure.

For example, if the cargo capability is 900 lbs (I don't know what it is for the Santa Fe, so that is a pure guess), then you could carry two people (estimate 300 lbs), plus the tongue weight for an average RP-179 (estimate 400 lbs), and 200 lbs of "other stuff". You would be surprised how easy it is to have 200 lbs of other stuff.

More often than not, it's the cargo capability of the tow vehicle that is the limit before the tow rating.

As with all towing, the gas mileage really sucks and to be really safe, don't hurry down those mountain grades either.  Gear down if you have to, but it only takes a moment longer to get to the bottom.  ENJOY THE TRIP!!!!

Take Care and have a great time in your POD.

From everything I've read here and my own experience with a V6 FJ Cruiser with a 5000 lb towing capacity, you should be fine.  I've been from Florida to Cape Breton and the Outer Banks to beyond Rocky Mountain NP, not to mention the Smokies many, many times.  My FJ only has an idiot light for transmission fluid temperature so I added a ScanGuage to monitor it.  After watching the temp for a while I added an auxiliary cooler, which in my case was pretty much essential.

With the cargo/people capacity of your vehicle you could overload it without a lot of trouble but you should be fine if you watch it.

TT

Obviously you'll get yes and no answers so let me give you my opinion as someone who towed a 179 for nearly 3 yrs with a 2016 Santa Fe. Mine did have the tow pkg, and an aftermarket hitch and brake controller and it was a great tv for the 179. We since upgraded to a Chevy Colorado as I felt we were wrecking the interior of the Santa Fe with firewood and other outdoor items so then felt we could have more camper.

I will say that the Santa Fe is a great tv but would urge you to heed the advice here about the overall weights, I think you could reach the GVWR of the Rpod but don't exceed that of the overall gross combined. I would also hope you would add a transmission cooler if you don't already have one. I would also recommend the Andersen sway control hitch, it is the easiest to set up and it is awesome towing my 5052lb UVW camper.

If you cannot change the tv I would suggest you moderate the weight, if that means downsizing the Rpod then consider it, or reduce your gear.

 I loved my Santa Fe, just had the cash and wanted a truck. Make it work, it's worth it.

I pulled my 18' Rpod with a 2015 Ford Escape with the 2.0 Eco boost engine. Tow capacity was 3500 lbs. Even before I installed a 7-pin socket, electric brake controller and a weight distribution hitch I had no problems at all. 

The electric brake is required in most states and it just makes sense to have it. You might be the best driver in the world but if another driver screws up and puts you in a position to stand down on the brakes you'll be darn happy you have it! 

The weight distribution will eliminate the possibility of "the tail wagging the dog". A very frightening experience I assure you!

I'm rather fussy and took the time to route all wires up through the interior of the car. Placed the fuses on the radiator support crossmember near the battery. Then followed instructions and adjusted the brake bias untill the brakes locked up, then backed off a notch.

The weight distribution system was a bit more physical labor and I had a RV Dealer thighten the hitch ball to the recommended 250ft lbs.

Happy camping!

With the V6 you are not going to win any races up any moderate to steep inclines but I don"t mind that.  It is actually a nice break to follow a big slow truck up these grades and not have to worry about slowing other people up.

I would take seriously the suggestions contained here that you install a transmission cooler as well and brake control.

Have a GREAT time!!