So, What if I DON'T Want a Truck?

About two years ago my daily driven truck threw a rod. Since then, many things have changed, but I still have a trailer for my shifter karts and I still don't have a vehicle to tow it. My daily is a 2008 Prius and, while it has served me well, I'm not attached to it. My other car is a 996 and, sadly, I *am* attached to it.

So, my current situation is that I want to swap the Prius for something nicer to drive daily and to occasionally tow a 3500lb enclosed trailer. The natural answer is any number of trucks or suv's. The trouble is, I don't want one. I don't like the driving dynamics, size, driving position, fuel economy, and any number of other things. But if I'm honest with myself, even if all those problems were solved, I still don't want one. I just don't like them.

Most manufacturers don't rate sedans and wagons to tow much in the US. I'm ok with this and the potential for liability that may result from exceeding those recommendations. I'm even ok with making a custom tow bar or needing to splice into a wiring harness to make the lights work. But what car could fill this role?

My first thought is a luxury car with air suspension. I understand that leveling the car won't solve any weight transfer issues, but my tongue weight is not high enough for that to be a big issue. I also understand that even OEM systems are prone to many failures that conventional systems are not. I think a plush luxury sedan would complement the 911 and don't see any reason they should tow less well than an older truck besides the soft suspension.

So, my question to the community is what vehicles might fit this bill and does anyone have experience towing with a luxobarge. I am open to dissenting opinions. More than one person has suggested a diesel X5, and that does make sense to me. My current budget is around $15k, but flexible. The list I've come up with is Mercedes W211 E500, BMW 535, Lexus LS430, Hyundai Equus, and possibly the Porsche Panamera. Audi products seem like tempting fate, but aren't out of the question.

No experience here, but my first thought was something Panther? I remember seeing quite a few towing growing up. 

Why not a Volvo?

It's the caravan's friend.

Or a '64 Riviera? Worked for Tommy Ivo.

Towing has a lot to do with brakes and 3500 isn't nothing .

How about a van/minivan?

I don't mind minivans. I even like JDM trucks with the awesome fold down beds. But neither are as appealing as a daily driver.

I do agree about the brakes. Fortunately there isn't a ton of elevation or stop and go between me and the go kart track. I also think most modern luxury sedans have great brakes.

An X5 is a recipe for pain if any of my friends experiences are common. Tons of failures. And one was owned by a guy that did an auto->manual swap in his bmw wagon so he was not labor averse or bmw ignorant. 
 

I like my minivan for towing (grand caravan) but luxobarge it is not. 

didn't Vigo do a bunch of towing with a ~2008 GS450h?  although, looking around now, tow hitches for them are pretty thin, and limited to 2k lbs.  

I do really like Panthers. I even owned one. They're great, but hardly luxurious and I don't think I'll ever settle for a four speed transmission again. 

I really like Volvo's as well. I owned one of those too. Best seats ever! Mine was a manual, but most available are automatics and I found the torque converter lockup always happened at the same time boost was coming on which made driving them kind of annoying. I would consider an S80. Especially one of the V8's. 

Doesn't the Buick Roadmaster have decent towing capacity?

While an SUV, it stays within you P car family, so what about the Cayenne?

I thought they had decent tow ratings and weren't necessarily ticking time bombs?

In reply to BoxheadTim :

I think the Roadmonster was rated around 7K for towing.

I'd add airbags to handle the tongue weight and maybe a transmission cooler but they would probably be ready to tow, other than those two things.

In reply to BoxheadTim :

I think all the B-platform cars could be had with tow packages that would end up around 7k pounds, so if the OP is looking for a luxury experience the Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham would be an excellent choice.

If OP is really going to stick with a sedan or wagon, then OP's list is about right. The GM stuff mentioned could indeed be optioned to tow 7K, and would handle 3500 just fine* without the tow package but with good shocks and an external trans cooler, but they're 30 years old. A late Panther could do the job too, and they'd be easier to find with reasonable miles. Several of the current crop of crossovers are rated to tow 3500, they drive better than older ones, they're newer, and they have all the modern "safety" stuff that most people seem to want.

*An enclosed trailer is a lot harder to tow than an open trailer, and they're much more interesting in cross winds.

You want to look at a Ford Flex with the towing package. It's a wagon on stilts that tows 3500lbs like its nothing.