I don't think you can beat a diesel for towing due to the torque. However alot of guys tow very seldomly and are then forced to drive a beast of a truck around the rest of the year.

Can't tell you how often I thought of something like a Dodge Dakota 4dr with a small diesel.Something like a 4-cylinder. I heard the Isuzu 4-cylinderturbo diesel has a long service record in many, many applications. Plus I would think Mercedes would havesomething small also.