I have had a Trail Blazer, Nissan Frontier and a Chevy 1500. All of them lacking the power that I wanted for towing. Now I have a fully loaded Quad Cab 4x4 Dodge Ram 1500. (2004) Yes it has a HEMI! My boat is a 18-1/2 foot Stratos and my truck has NO problem pulling or stopping. The smaller vehicles were a little Squirrelley in the back roads and it felt like the boat trailer was in control. Now with the Dodge I feel like I am in total control and comfort. The gas mileage is decent at about 14-15 towing the boat and 16-19 on the Interstate. The small V-6's will pull but it is a pretty good strain on it. The mileage on the nissan and chevy 1500 was actually worse than the Dodge. The way I see it is that I am saving money on gas with the bigger truck not to mention the wear and tear I was putting on those small engines.