There are a few aspects to choosing a suitable tow vehicle:

1. The Legalities: the towing vehicle should be legally rated to tow your 5th wheeler.
2. The Performance: this is purely a personal choice and depends on what kind of performance you are looking for from your vehicle - do you want fuel economy, do you want acceleration, do you prefer petrol or diesel engines.
3. The Configuration: again a personal choice for cab layout. - standard, extra or dual cab; tray configuration - styleside or trayback; gearbox - auto or manual; and drive train - 4WD or 2WD.

Legal

All vehicles have certain ratings such as power, torque, towing capacity, load capacity etc. specified by their manufacturer. By examining these ratings you can determine whether the vehicle is suitable for towing a fifth wheeler (or any trailer for that matter).

You should apply the following criteria when selecting a vehicle:

1. The total weight of all items being carried in/on the vehicle, including persons, fuel, items in the cabin, items on the tray, the weight of the hitch, and the pin weight should not exceed the payload capacity of the vehicle.
2. The total weight of all items being carried in/on the vehicle, including persons, fuel, items in the cabin, items on the tray, the weight of the hitch, the pin weight, and the tare weight of the vehicle should not exceed the vehicle's GVM. (Normally implied by criteria 1).
3. The sum of the road ready weight of the trailer and the total weight of all items being carried in/on the vehicle, plus the tare weight of the vehicle should not exceed the vehicle's GCM. (Normally implied by criteria 1 and 2).
4. The weight being carried on the axles of the trailer should not exceed the vehicle's towing capacity.

A very quick check

(GCM) - (Vehicle Kerb Mass) - (Weight of persons and goods in ute) = Maximum Weight of Fifth Wheeler

Take the Gross Combination Mass (GCM) of the vehicle. (If it is not specified, add the Gross Vehicle Mass (GVM) to the Maximum Towing Capacity.) The GCM gives you the total weight of the vehicle and fifth wheeler combination. If you subtract the Kerb Weight of the vehicle from the GCM, you are left with the combined load and tow capacity of the vehicle. Subtract the weights of the driver, passengers, and goods carried in ute and tray, and this will give you an indication of the maximum total weight of the fifth wheeler (weighed disconnected from vehicle) that you are able to tow.

What are all these terms like GVM, GCM and tare weight? Check out this section for a detailed explanation and example of the weights >>>>

Performance

Each vehicle performs differently. Some are designed to go fast, some are designed to up and down hills easily, some are designed to tow big weights... and there isn't really a vehicle that does it all. So you have to choose the criteria that are important to you and find a vehicle that matches. Below are some criteria that you may evaluate against:

1. Fuel efficiency: when towing, fuel consumption is higher than not towing. There is no magic formula to working out which vehicle is more fuel efficient. However, reviews of vehicles usually give you some indication. For example, a 6 cylinder Falcon ute is generally more fuel efficient than its V8 brother when not towing. However, when towing, the V8 doesn't work as much, and results in better fuel economy!
2. Fuel source: most engines are either diesel or petrol. Diesel is generally more fuel economic, and results in less engine wear.
3. Power: vehicles have two ratings - one is the power output (measured in kilowatts or horsepower), and the other is torque (measured in nM). Without getting into too much detail, more power output means you can travel faster, and more torque means that towing is easier. Additionally, it is important to know which RPM range produces the maximum torque/power. A high torque at a low RPM means that you can begin moving with ease and can be important while towing.

Configuration

Tow vehicles come in all shapes and forms. Again you need to choose criteria that are important to you and match a vehicle that will suit your kind of traveling:

1. Cab layout:
   • Single cab: can normally only carry 2 people, although with a bench seat 3 people can be carried. Some utes have a substantial amount of storage behind the seats. The hitch can usually be installed in front of the rear axle resulting in the optimum positioning.
   • Extra Cab: also known as a "space cab" or "freestyle cab". Usually only 2 doors, but a small seat in the rear, usually only suitable for children or storage. The hitch can usually be installed in front of the rear axle resulting in the optimum positioning.
   • Dual Cab: also known as "crew cab". Usually 4 doors with full-size or almost-full-size rear seats suitable for adults. Depending on the ute, the hitch may be positioned in front, or slightly behind the rear axle.
2. Tray layout:
   • Styleside/Pickup: more car-like and generally more aesthetic. Normally a deeper tray than a trayback resulting in additional storage.
   • Trayback: used by most tradesmen - the tray usually extends slightly wider than the cab and is shallower than the styleside.
3. Gear box: choice between automatic or manual depending on your driving preferences. Many couples prefer auto so both partners can drive.
4. Drive train: 4WD, 2WD or AWD. If you want to detach the 5th wheeler and head off road, a 4WD is the best option. The AWD (all wheel drive) is much like a 4WD but isn't as suitable for the tough stuff. The 2WD is adequate for most bitumen, gravel and dirt roads. There are some vehicles such as the Falcon RTV (Rough Terrain Vehicle) that is a 2WD with a lockable rear diff, which can help on loose surfaces such as grass and gravel.