Towing

I have a question about leaving the auto transmission in drive when towing, or using the manual or sports mode. My car is a 2018 Mitsubishi Pajero Sport that has an eight-speed gearbox. Seventh and eighth are overdrive gears.

Driven around town unladen, the car will get into overdrive very quickly, and will hold on to seventh or eighth as long as it can, which is fine. But even when towing a 2.3-tonne caravan, the auto will shift up to seventh or eighth (both overdriven gears) as soon as it can (for economy purposes presumably).

I had always presumed that towing a heavy load in overdrive was not good for the transmission and/or engine, and that it was better to not tow in any gear over the 1:1 ratio (sixth in my case). But is this based on outmoded thinking that only applied to manual gearboxes? Ideally it would be great to just leave it in drive and let it work it out, but my concern, of course, is about the longevity of the transmission and or engine.

Also my internal mechanical sympathies are being stressed. Your comments would be most welcome here as I can't find a definitive answer.

Can you tell me if there is any medium size SUV that has the power to tow a small caravan, under 2000kg? I am looking at purchasing a new/near new vehicle. The 2019 RAV4 is definitely one of my favourites.

You guys have been great with advice - but I have some specific questions that I am hoping I can get a steer on. I need to be able to haul a horse trailer and large draft-horse - this means 3000kg braked towing minimum. But since whatever I buy has to be my everyday car, it would need to be able to negotiate city driving (Canberra) be parked easily and not be too thirsty. I am not a big woman so I need something that won't kill me to steer and can get in and out of easily.

My ideal would be 3.5-tonne towing capacity with all the whiz-bang towing-assist kit, park-assist in normal non-towing urban conditions and proximity tech. Comfortable for those long trips and good info and audio tech. I don't need seats for kids/family so would be happy with a four-door ute. That said are there any out there that have a powered/hydraulic tailgate?

The front runners at the moment from what I can see are the Ford Rangers (but still confused about the variants and a bit WHOA on the size); Isuzu D-Max and M-UX (but have heard not great things about cabin noise and steering and tech); VW Amarok and Touareg but upfront and servicing costs are bit yikes. Maybe Toyota Fortuner but not sure.

Any advice would be very, very welcome!

I'm looking for advice on any dual-cab 4x4 ute. I'm currently looking at a 2012 Ford Ranger with 200,000kms or a 2009 Hilux with similar kilometres. I would like your opinion on what I should look at for a good reliable dual-cab ute for a bit of towing (two tonnes) and 10kms of dirt road everyday. I read the Rangers had an engine problem so I'm a bit worried about that but like the sound of the 3.2-litre engine for towing.

I have a 2017 Ford Ranger. Is it legal to carry a payload of 1000 kg, as I need to transport water for stock in a 1000-litre water shuttle?