I still find it frustrating to see the exact same vehicles get significantly different tow ratings here vs Europe.

The other day the dealer tried to warn not to tow my utility trailer with my car as it would hurt the transmission (trailer was empty by the way). I pulled up an article from the UK where it was in the top three of best towing cars for this year.

Dealer looked at me like his brain needed to reboot, after which he told me the cars in Europe must be built differently or get different transmissions and left it at that.

It's truly baffling that manufacturers here hold that towing capacity hostage for arbitrary reasons.

This seems not very fuck cars but ok. Also who does not know you can tow with a car?

But will it pull a camper for two that actually sleeps 10 at 85 mph up hill in a 65 mph speed zone?

My people out east can teach you something.

Once at work I said "My Audi sedan has a towing capacity of over 5,000 lbs, isn't that crazy?" A coworker said "That's almost as much as my Tacoma!" (Early 2000s model). Turns out 5,000 is closer to his combined vehicle weight + towing capacity.

I remember my grandfather using the Grand Prix to tow and pull out stumps and stuff instead of the work truck.

Just make sure it's rated for the load you're towing and whatever works.

Its probably worth noting that Europeans get more powerful cars than we do here in the US. I drive a 02 Golf TDI and it was only available as a 1.9L 90hp front wheel drive. The base model in Europe has a bigger turbo and offers 4wd versions.

I agree but diesel cars are much more common in Europe and they have better towing capacity due to higher torque.

Been there as a kid in the 90s. Sitting in the back my my parents Toyota Carina with my 2 siblings, while we were towing a caravan.

That car had a 2l, 4 cylinder petrol and got through the Alps and Pyrenees. Iwas more comfortable touring that way than going by tent only. Now I'm in Australia where I'm gobsmacked by how much shit people "need" to go camping. All while I'm exploring the same locations and actually spending more time camping in the bush as I tour on a tiny, economical 125cc motorcycle.

Almost to prove a point, I took that little thing to Cape York and will take it RTW next year, partly to show that you don't need much.

The excuse for buying these compensators is they need them to tow. And yet I've rarely seen one ever used to tow. I saw this juxtaposition in my local area:

https://imgur.com/a/XGVLduk

True, but the reason in the US is different is because of laws.

https://youtu.be/1LULd9Bc9tY

The question isn't "can you", but "should you".

An engine that's always working at near it's maximum capacity will fail long before an engine that's working at a quarter of it's capacity. Most people wouldn't dream of constantly running their engine bouncing off the red line of rev limiter. The same applies to towing; if you frequently tow large, heavy loads (for instance, earth moving equipment), you want to get a vehicle that's rated for much higher tonnage than the weight you'll regularly be towing. Given that campers are usually very light weight (but only slightly more aerodynamic than a brick), you can get away with towing on in a car infrequently. You should probably not do it daily.

You may also find that it's less fuel efficient to tow a heavy load in a small-ish car than the same load in a light truck.

(BTW - I'm generally opposed to taking vacations in this way. I prefer my vacations on a motorcycle, or on foot with a backpack. I'm not currently in the kind of shape I would need to be in in order to do bicycle camping.)