What's the perfect tow vehicle? Well, that depends on what you're pulling and where and how often. You can move a jon boat with most anything, while an express cruiser might require the biggest, baddest truck on the road — especially if there are hills involved. In between, boat owners have a wide range of options that strike varying balances of around-town practicality and hauling power.

To get an idea of the current state of the towing art, we rounded up five vehicles that can handle a respectable-size boat, but still fit into a parking space at the mall. Our staging ground was the Bass Pro Shops headquarters in Springfield, Missouri, where we embarked on a tow-fest with Tahoe loaner boats from Tracker Marine — a 21-foot fish-and-ski and a 4,500-pound deck boat. From Bass Pro we headed south into the Ozarks, where we sought out the narrowest and steepest patches of pavement available.

After logging miles of city streets, highways and country roads with each vehicle, here's what we found:

Dodge Ram 1500
Buyers wanting the practicality and backbone of a six-passenger, half-ton pickup can now add Dodge to their list. For 2009, the redesigned Ram 1500 is available in a true four-door Crew Cab configuration — but the big news isn't just the extra back-seat legroom.

In an industry first, Dodge replaced traditional leaf springs with a multilink coil-spring rear-suspension system with a floating axle. This, combined with the truck's extra-stiff chassis, creates a platform that can haul tough but ride soft. We noticed the passenger-friendly ride as soon as we left the parking lot, and also discovered that the 390 hp Hemi was more than a match for our deck boat. The factory folks have tweaked this power plant for 2009, and it now delivers about 10 percent more power and torque.

Taking a cue from Chryslers' minivans, the 1500 now provides in-floor storage compartments in the cab, along with another industry first: waterproof, lockable storage bins, called the Ram Box storage system, that tuck into the sides of the bed. The 1500 can be fitted with everything from heated seats to a hard-drive entertainment system and blue-tooth connectivity. But whether it's maxed out or simple, this new model will deliver full-size performance without a stiff, big-rig ride.

Spec-O-Meter
• MSRP(base): $22,170
• Price as Tested: $37,270
• Engine Tested: 380 HP, 5.7 liter V-6
• Transmission: 5-speed automatic
• Rated Towing Capacity: 9,100 lb.
• Curb Weight: 5,350lb.
• Seating Capacity: 6
• EPA Ratings: 13/20(4WD)

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